EFFECT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF OLIVE LEAF EXTRACT ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE, BLOOD PARAMETERS AND CARCASS TRAITS OF GROWING RABBITS.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Egypt.

Abstract

he present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of different dietary levels of ethanolic olive leaf extract (OLE) on growth performance, blood parameters, carcass traits, meat chemical composition and economic feed efficiency of growing rabbits. Eighty APRI line rabbits of 5 weeks of age with an average live body weight of 562 g were divided and assigned randomly into four experimental groups of 20 rabbits in each (10 males +10 females). Rabbits in the 1st group were fed basal diet without ethanolic olive leaf extract supplement (OLE1; control), while those in the 2nd (OLE2), 3rd (OLE3) and 4th (OLE4) groups were fed the same diet supplemented with OLE at levels of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 ml/kg diet, respectively. Results show that rabbits fed OLE diet (1.5 ml /kg (OLE4) had significantly (P<0.05) the highest final body weight (2143 g), followed by OLE3 (2056 g), while those in OLE1 had the lowest final body weight (1952 g) and did not differ significantly from that in OLE2 (1993 g) through the whole growing period. Daily feed intake was not significantly affect by treatment.Feed conversion ratio was significantly (P<0.05) improved with increasing OLE level in diets. Rabbits in OLE3 and OLE4 groups did not recorded mortality during the experimental period as compared to 5% in each of OLE1 and OLE2 group. Carcass percentage was significantly (P<0.05) higher in OLE3 and OLE4 than in OLE1 and OLE2. Rabbits fed OLE3 and OLE4 diet showed the best net revenue (122.9 and133.7 %) relative to control diet (100%). The current study suggested that the dietary supplementation of olive leaves extract at levels of 1 and 1.5 ml/kg diet could be successfully save and useful for growing rabbits during the growing period.

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