Effect of fermented Cassava sievate and tiger nut shaft on growth performance, blood profile and immunological parameters in male rabbits

This study examined the effects of using mushroom mycelium to ferment tigernut and cassava pulp on the growth performance, haematology and immunology of rabbits. Seventy-five New Zealand Bulk grower rabbits were randomly distributed to four treatment groups and a control group in a completely randomized approach. The treatment groups were fed with formulated experimental diets containing one of fermented tigernut drink by-product (FT), fermented cassava sievate (FC), unfermented tigernut drink by-product (UT), or unfermented cassava sievate (UC). The control group was fed a basal diet with no additives. The proximate composition of the fermented feed was analyzed. The weight gain of the animals was, 834.5, 633, 790, 510, and 706 g for control, FT, FC, UT, and UC respectively. The packed cell volume (PCV) for animals in the control group, FT, and FC are 34.33, 37.26, and 32.29% respectively. The red blood cell (RBC) of the FT was favourably improved (5.53 × 10¹²/L) compared to those of UT (2.28 × 10¹²/L), while there was a reduction in the red blood cell count of FC group (1.02 × 10¹²/L). Conclusively, the inclusion of fermented tiger nut drink by-product in rabbit feed improved the PCV and RBC of the rabbits’ understudy but did not affect their growth performance.