The Effect of Including Indigofera (Indigofera zollingeriana) Leaf Meal in the Ration on the Productivity of Growing Male Rabbits
The Effect of Including Indigofera (Indigofera zollingeriana) Leaf Meal in the Ration on the Productivity of Growing Male Rabbits
Sutaryo Sutaryo1*, Jeksen Nikolas1, Nain Ufidiyati1, Ivena Setiany1, Nadlirotun Luthfi2, Retno Adiwinarti1, Agung Purnomoadi1
ABSTRACT
The increasing price of soybean meal (SBM) has driven the search for new protein sources for feed ingredients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of Indigofera leaf meal (ILM) on the performance, diet digestibility, and feed efficiency of growing male rabbits. A total of 28 New Zealand White (NZW) male rabbits, aged 9–10 weeks (body weight = 1.45 ± 0.45 kg), were used in a completely randomized design. The rabbits were divided into four treatment groups (seven replications per treatment): basal feed (T0), and basal feed with 4% (T1), 8% (T2), and 12% (T3) ILM inclusion. As the level of ILM inclusion increased, the level of SBM in the ration decreased accordingly. The results indicated that nutrient intakes were not significantly different among treatments (p > 0.05), and ILM inclusion did not affect nutrient digestibility (p > 0.05), retained nutrients, growth performance, or feed efficiency (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the inclusion of ILM up to 12% in the ration did not negatively affect the productivity of growing NZW rabbits. Therefore, ILM can be considered a viable protein source to replace SBM in the ration for growing NZW rabbits.
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