Effect of High Fibre Diets on the Post-weaning Growth Performance of Rabbits

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of high-fibre diets on the post-weaning growth performance of rabbits. In an eight-week experiment, rabbits were placed on three dietary treatments containing different fibre levels of 14%, 16% and 18% representing T1, T2 and T3 respectively. Each treatment had six replications. The experiment was blocked according to weight. The parameters measured were total feed intake (TFI), average daily feed intake (ADFI), average weekly feed intake (AWFI), average weight gain (AWG), average daily gain (ADG), average weekly weight gain (AWWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality. The results showed that the rabbits on the 14% CF diet had the highest (p < 0.05) TFI, ADFI, AWFI, AWG, ADG and AWWG, compared to those on the 16% and 18% CF diets; however, those on the 16% CF diet performed better than those on the 18% CF diets in these parameters. There were no significant differences in the FCR between the treatments (p > 0.05). The results of this study show that rabbits do not perform well when dietary fibre levels are increased above 14% and thus, for commercial production, rabbit feed should be formulated with a fibre level of 14%.

Keywords: Dietary fibre, gut, feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio