PERFORMANCE OF WEARNER RABBITS OFFERED UREA-TREATED CASSAVA PEEL ENRICHED WITH ORGANIC AND INORGANIC MINERAL SOURCES

ABSTRACTThis study assessed the effects of four mineral sources—limestone, trona, bone meal, and eggshell—on the proximate composition of rabbit diets and the growth performance of rabbits consuming these diets. Proximate analysis showed that key nutrients such as dry matter (88.5%), crude protein (15.3%), crude fiber (14.3%), and ether extract (8.5%) were consistent across all treatments, indicating that mineral source did not alter overall nutrient balance. Slight differences appeared in ash content, with eggshell diets exhibiting the highest level (4.19%) compared to bone meal (4.12%), likely due to the calcium carbonate content in eggshells. Growth performance data revealed that rabbits fed organic mineral sources—eggshell and bone meal—achieved significantly higher final body weights (1946.51 g and 1882.00 g, respectively) than those fed trona (1848.25 g) and limestone (1687.23 g). Weight gains and daily weight gains followed a similar pattern, with eggshell and bone meal groups outperforming their inorganic counterparts. Despite the highest daily feed intake in the trona group (174.79 g), feed conversion ratios were notably better in the eggshell (9.89) and bone meal (9.60) groups than in trona (13.41) and limestone (14.36), indicating more efficient nutrient utilization with organic minerals. These findings demonstrate that eggshell and bone meal are superior mineral sources for promoting growth and feed efficiency in rabbits, and their inclusion in diets is recommended to enhance productivity.