Effects of feeding cassava leaf meal on the growth of rabbits

Cassava leaf meal (CLM), prepared from leaves remaining after the harvest of cassava roots, contained (dry basis): 20·1% crude protein, 30·3% acid detergent fibre, 4·6 Mcal kg⁻¹ gross energy, 1·16% calcium, 0·39 phosphorus and 84·0 mg kg⁻¹ hydrocyanic acid. It was also found to be a good source of essential amino acids, except for methionine, and of trace minerals.

Two feeding trials were conducted to study the effects of feeding CLM on the growth of rabbits. In each trial, 24 six-weeks-old crossbred rabbits were individually fed diets containing 0%, 20% and 40% CLM substituted for equal amounts of coconut oilcake in a 16% protein control diet. The results suggest that CLM could be used up to the 40% level in growing rabbit diets without any adverse effects on growth performance or carcass characteristics.