EFFECT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF ORGANIC SELENIUM AT DIFFERENT LEVELS ON REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF

📄 Project Abstract

It has been discovered that inadequate supply of animal protein from traditional livestock: cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chicken is responsible for the decline in animal protein consumption in many developing countries of the world. According to FAO (2006), about 854 million people representing 12.6% of the world population are severely malnourished. To correct this, Biobaku and Ekpeyong (1991) indicated that non-traditional meat sources suitable for small scale farmer need to be explored. Iheukwumere and Okoli (2002) defined a rabbit as a mini-livestock with high reproductive potentials. It has a unique ability which serves as a flexible financial reserve. It has short gestation length, exhibits early maturity, has high prolificacy and also has the ability to re-breed shortly after parturition. These attributes lead to short generation interval (Lebas et al., 1997; Effiong and Wogar, 2007). Today, rabbit as a micro-livestock production is part of value chain development in the prese...