80 Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 14, № 1, 2016 Trakia Journal of Sciences, No 1, pp 80-86, 2016 Copyright © 2016 Trakia University Available online at: http://www.uni-sz.bg ISSN 1313-7050 (print) ISSN 1313-3551 (online) doi:10.15547/tjs.2016.01.011 Original Contribution GROWTH PERFORMANCE, CARCASS YIELD AND BLOOD PROFILES OF GROWING RABBITS FED CONCENTRATE DIET SUPPLEMENTED WITH WHITE LEAD TREE (LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA) OR SIRATRO (MACROPTILIUM ATROPURPUREUM) LEAVES IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA O. J. Makinde* Department of Animal Science, Federal University, Gashua, Nigeria ABSTRACT Thirty (30) 8-week old rabbits of average initial weight of 900 g were used to determine the Growth Performance, Carcass yield and Blood profiles of growing rabbits fed Concentrate diet supplemented with White lead tree (Leucaena leucocephala) or Siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum) leaves in North Central Nigeria. The experiment was in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatment diets replicated thrice. The control group (T1) was fed a formulated rabbit diet, in T2, 10 % of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with White lead tree fresh leaves, in T3, 20 % of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with White lead tree fresh leaves, in T4, 10% of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with Siratro fresh leaves and in T5, 20% of the formulated rabbit feed was replaced with Siratro fresh leaves. The study lasted 56 days. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum. Performance data indicated that body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly (P<0.05) better in rabbits fed on 10% white lead tree and 10% Siratro inclusion than those fed on the 20% white lead tree and 20% Siratro inclusion levels. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in the organs weights of the rabbits except for lung and spleen (P>0.05). The weights of liver, heart and kidney were significantly (P<0.05) higher for rabbits on 20% white lead tree and 20% Siratro diets than those on other diets. The results of the packed cell volume, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, serum protein, albumin and creatinine of rabbits on 10% white lead tree and 10% Siratro inclusions were better (P < 0.05) than those on 20% white lead tree and 20% Siratro inclusion. Mean corpuscular haemoglobin, haemoglobin, globulin and urea were not influenced (P>0.05) by the dietary treatments. From the results, it was concluded that inclusion of 10% white lead tree or 10% Siratro leaves in rabbits’ diet had no adverse effects on the performance, carcass yield and blood profiles of growing rabbits. Key words: white lead tree, Performance, Siratro, Rabbits, Carcass, Haematology. INTRODUCTION Rabbits have been recognized to have a very important role to play in the supply of animal protein to Nigerians especially in the rural and peri-urban areas. They are efficient converters of feed to meat and can utilize up to 30% crude fibre as against 10% by most poultry species. To make rabbit rearing more viable as a small- scale business, (1) have advocated the development of alternative feeding materials that will be relatively cheap when compared with commercial feeds or conventional feedstuffs. Rabbits have the potential of utilizing such unconventional feedstuffs as Velvet bean (Mucuna utilis) leaf meal (2), ________________________ *Correspondence to: Makinde, O. J., johyinmak@yahoo.com , Department of Animal Science, Federal University, Gashua, Nigeria. Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf meal (3), Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) seed meal (4) and other diverse plant materials. In several separate studies which involved feeding trials, leaf meals from Aspilia africana and Tridax procumbens (5), Leucaena leucocephala (6), Balanites aegyptiaca (7) were reported to supply nutrients and improve the performance of rabbits. Similarly, leaf meals from Centrosema, Manihot, Tithonia, Gmelina arborea and M. Puberula have been reported to supply nutrients and improve the performance of pigs (8). Like most legumes, White lead tree and Siratro are deep rooted legumes which have their origin in Mexico and Jamaica respectively, but have become naturalized in Nigeria (9). They thrive throughout the year and readily come to