Replacement of Soyflakes with Cottonseed Meal in Diets of Angora Rabbits

This experiment was conducted with 30 adult wool producing Angora rabbits of either sex, to evaluate the effect of replacing soyflakes (SF), on equal protein basis, with low gossypol containing cottonseed meal (CSM) either alone or in combination with lysine and methionine; on the biological performance, total wool yield, wool yield per shearing, wool characteristics and mortality. Three experimental mash diets were prepared by incorporating SF (6%) as standard / control protein source $(T_1)$ and CSM (9%) as test protein source ($T_2$ and $T_3$). In $T_3$, amino acids-lysine and methionine (0.1 % each) were added. Animals were given the experimental diets about $150g{\cdot}day^{-1}{\cdot}head^{-1}$, for a period of 225 d or three shearing, and ad libitum Kudzu-vines. No significant effect of $T_2$ or $T_3$, on the body weight gain, total wool yield, wool yield per shearing and wool characteristics, was observed compared to $T_1$. However, the digestibility of dry matter, crude fibers, ether extract, acid detergent fibers, neutral detergent fibers, cellulose and hemicellulose was significantly (p<0.05) depressed in CSM based diets. Mortality of about 20% was recorded in $T_2$ and $T_3$, but not related to the addition of CSM or gossypol toxicity. More studies are needed to standardize the safe level of CSM, duration of safe feeding of CSM, and level of amino acids supplementation in CSM based diets.