Effect of Replacing Bone Ash with Fresh Water Snail (Pila ampullacea) Shell Ash on the Performance of Weaned Rabbits

Twenty five weaned male rabbits of mixed breeds were used to investigate the effect of replacing bone ash with fresh water snail shell ash on the performance of weaned rabbits. The experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria for a period of 12 weeks. The rabbits were randomly assigned to the five dietary treatments and replicated five times giving a total of one rabbit per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Rabbits were raised intensively in hutches of about 4ft × 4ft. Five experimental diets tagged T1 to T5 were formulated such that fresh water snail shell ash replaced bone ash at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Feed and water were served ad libitum. Bio sanitary and bio security measures were strictly adhered. The study showed that the growth parameters were not affected (P=.05) by the dietary treatments. This study had shown that fresh water snail shell ash can serve as a substitute for bone ash in weaned rabbits diet up to 100% without compromising their performances.