Semen characteristics of Rabbit bucks fed graded levels of Newbouldia laevis

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of Newbouldia laevis leaf meal on the semen characteristics of rabbit bucks. Twenty-four rabbit bucks of 5-6 months old weighing 1.44 kg - 1.96 kg were acclimatized and alloted randomly into four treatments: T1 (control), T2, T3 and T4. The crude protein was set at 16% with inclusion levels of 0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% Newbouldia laevis leaf meal respectively for 12 weeks. Semen samples were collected and evaluated fortnightly for semen volume, semen motility, and semen concentration. The mean values of semen volume and semen motility of rabbit bucks was not significantly (p>0.05) different across the groups. The mean value of semen concentration of T4 was significantly (p<0.05) different from the controls. It was concluded that Newbouldia laevis leaf meal improved the testicular functions of rabbit bucks.