Effect of Concentrate to Fresh Gmelina arborea Leaf Combinations on Haematological and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Rabbit Bucks

This study aimed to investigate the effects of concentrate on fresh Gmelina arborea leaf (FGAL) combinations on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of rabbit bucks. Twenty four (24) rabbit bucks of mixed breeds (New Zealand white x Chinchilla) with the average live weight of 852 g, aged between 12 and 14 weeks were subjected to a feeding trial for 14 weeks. The rabbits were randomly allocated into four treatments (each treatment contained 6 rabbits): Treatment 1 (100% concentrate: 0% FGAL), Treatment 2 (75% concentrate: 25% FGAL), Treatment 3 (50% concentrate: 50% FGAL), Treatment 4 (25% concentrate: 75% FGAL). The results obtained in this study showed that packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell (WBC), haemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and white blood cell differentials were not significantly affected by the dietary treatments. Red blood cell (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean concentration haemoglobin (MCH) differed significantly (P<0.05) among treatments. Serum globulin, urea, creatinine and cholesterol were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments, while total protein, albumin and glucose were not affected. The results revealed that fresh Gmelina arborea leaf in combination with concentrate had no adverse effects on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of rabbit bucks.