Effects of powdered Monosodium Glutamate (MGS) on growth performance, feed digestibility, haematology and carcass characteristics of Weaner rabbits in northern Ghana

The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary monosodium glutamate (MSG) on feed digestibility, haematological parameters and carcass characteristics of weaner rabbits. Sixteen (16) New Zealand White rabbits with an average initial weight of 612.5±9.1 g were randomly assigned to 4 treatment diets in a completely randomized design with 4 replicates in each group. The control diet (T0) contained 0 g of MSG/kg of feed whilst the treatment diets, T1, T2 and T3 contained 0.2 g, 0.4 g and 0.6 g of MSG/kg of feed respectively. The feeding trial lasted for 46 days, feed intake and apparent nutrient digestibility were not affected by the MSG. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) among the treatment diets for weight gain, average daily weight gain and final weight gain. The final weight gain for the control diet was 999 g whilst MSG included diets ranging from 982 g to 1023 g. The addition of MSG to the diets did not increase feed intake, and had no negative effect on haematological parameters, weight gain and carcass characteristics.