THE MEAT AND BONE RATIO OF MALE RABBITS (Oryctolagus cuniculus) GIVEN A RANSUM CONTAINING FERMENTED CATTLE’S RUMEN CONTENT

Abstract

This research aimed to determine the effect of ransum containing fermented cattle's rumen content given to male rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on the ratio between their meat and bone. The experimental design of this research was a completely randomized design using 20 male rabbits aged 3-4 months, which were divided into four treatment groups with five repetitions. The four treatments were P0: containing 40% of hay, P1: containing 20% of fermented rumen content, P2: containing 40% of fermented rumen content, and P3: containing 60% of fermented rumen content. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used as the statistical analysis method, followed by the Duncan Multiple Range Test, which was conducted through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The result of P2 showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the total meat and bone, but there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the meat and bone ratio compared to P0. It was concluded that a ransum containing 40% of fermented rumen content could be considered as a part of the rabbit’s ransum because it might help improve the total amount of meat and bone. However, the usage of fermented rumen content with the percentages of 20%, 40%, and 60% did not affect the meat and bone ratio significantly.