Animal and Veterinary Sciences 2018; 6(1): 1-5 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/avs doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20180601.11 ISSN: 2328-5842 (Print); ISSN: 2328-5850 (Online) Evaluation of Rumen Filtrate for Fermentation of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Peel in Rabbit Feed Oluwabiyi Ikeolu Atanda Oluremi 1, * , Ejeh Emmanuel Ajih 2 , Winifred Anthony 1 1 Department of Animal Nutrition, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria 2 Department of Animal Production, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria Email address: oiaoluremi@yahoo.com (O. I. A. Oluremi) * Corresponding author To cite this article: Oluwabiyi Ikeolu Atanda Oluremi, Ejeh Emmanuel Ajih, Winifred Anthony. Evaluation of Rumen Filtrate for Fermentation of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Peel in Rabbit Feed. Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Vol. 6, No. 1, 2018, pp. 1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20180601.11 Received: September 4, 2017; Accepted: October 8, 2017; Published: January 17, 2018 Abstract: Feeding accounts for about 70% of the total cost of non-ruminant animal production in Nigeria. A ninety-one day feeding trial was conducted using thirty (30), 6-7 week old mixed breed weaner rabbits at the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Nigeria from October 10, 2015 to January 9, 2016. The objective was to determine the potential of filtrate from rumen content mixed with water, to improve the nutritive value of Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel by fermentation in rabbit production. The filtrate was obtained from the rumen content of cattle and drinking water mixed in equal ratio of 1:1. The filtrate was added to 5kg each of freshly collected sweet orange peel in ratio 1:5 (T1), 2:5 (T2), 3:5 (T3), 4:5 (T4) and 5:5 (T5). Each was mixed thoroughly, put in polythene bags and sealed on top, left under shade of tree to ferment for 24hrs, and thereafter sun-dried. Each of these was milled and used to replace maize in a practical rabbit diet (D) at 30% level. Five rabbits each, individually housed in a rabbit hutch and each serving as a replicate were randomly assigned to and fed diets D, T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. The experimental diets had significant effect (p<0.05) on the final live body weight and daily body weight gain with rabbits in treatment T5 having superior weights of 1928.00 g and 15.85 g, respectively. The diets had no significant effect (p>0.05) on percent live weight of liver, kidney, lung, heart and spleen and, on the coefficient of digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, nitrogen free extract and total digestible nutrient. Of the carcass yield indicators; dressing weight, fore limb, hind limb and loin, the experimental diets significantly affected (p<0.05) only the loin, with the rabbits in T5 having a comparatively higher weight. The result obtained showed that, rumen filtrate obtained from a mixture of the rumen content of cattle and water at ratio 1:1, when mixed with sweet orange peel atratio 5:5 can be used to ferment sweet orange peel to improve its nutritive value for maize replacement at 30% in rabbit feed. Keywords: Rumen, Filtrate, Fermentation, Orange Peel, Rabbit 1. Introduction The demand for food due to increasing population is a major challenge to the livestock and poultry industry in several developing countries including Nigeria, because of the often scarce and unpredictable supply of the major feed ingredients especially the energy (maize, guinea corn) and protein (soybean, groundnut, fishmeal) sources. This situation is inimical to adequate supply of farm animal products like meat, milk, egg which are essential for body growth and development, and maintenance of physiological processes. Animal protein shortage in the diet of the average Nigerian is shown in the consumption of 3.24g per caput which is far below 35g daily requirement recommended by FAO [1]. Thus, the need to search for, identify and develop alternative feed resources which are cheap and readily available [2], to reduce the cost of production for sustainable development of farm animals so as to mitigate the low per capita animal protein intake. Feeding accounts for about 70% of the total cost of animal production especially the non- ruminant. The nutritional status of most Nigerians is characterized by inadequate protein intake both in quality and quantity [3]. There is serious global concern about poor handling of agricultural and domestic wastes. Studies on the utilisation of agro-allied by-product in animal feed have