Effect of feeding raw and cooked Leucaena leucocephala seed bean based diets on the performance of rabbits

The effect of Leucaena leucocephala seed meal as a feed supplement on the growth of weaning rabbits was studied. The raw and cooked Leucaena leucocephala seeds contained (DM basis): crude protein 20.46% and 24.64%, crude fibre 20.48% and 26.72%, ether extract 9.84% and 10.40% respectively. The seed was tested at 10% level of the diet. The body weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency of rabbits fed with cooked Leucaena leucocephala diet were higher by 24.12 and 28.72%, 19.6 and 8.31%, 10.38 and 10.69% respectively than those rabbits fed with control and raw Leucaena leucocephala diets. Key Words: Leucaena leucocephala; performance; rabbits; raw and cooked diets Moor J. Agric. Res. Vol.4(1) 2003: 135-13