Abstract: The effect of cowpea oligosaccharides and oligosaccharide free meal on gas production in adult female weanling rats was studied. The pattern of hydrogen produced in 24 h when some other rats were fed raw cowpea meal was also studied. In the study on the pattern of hydrogen produced in 24 h in rats fed raw cowpea meal, maximum rate of hydrogen production occurred between 2-8 h. There was considerable variability in the amount of hydrogen produced between rats. After 8 h, hydrogen production declined. When adult rats were fed a basal diet, a diet containing oligosaccharide free (OFR) meal and OFR plus the alcoholic extract; the basal diet produced an average of 1.3 mL H2 over an 8 h period. Diets containing OFR resulted in a three-fold increase in gas production whereas the addition of cowpea alcoholic extract to the OFR resulted in a higher but variable hydrogen production. The oligosaccharides were responsible for approximately 50% of the total gas produced when whole cowpeas were ingested. The highest rate of hydrogen production was found to occur between 2-7 h after feeding.