EFFECT OF ADDING CINNAMON, GARLIC AND JUNIPER ESSENTIAL OILS ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEW-ZEALAND WHITE RABBITS

El-Nomeary, Y. A.A.; Abedo, A. A.; Salman, Fatma M.; Abo Sedera, S.; Nasr, Soad M.; Nassar, Somia A.; Ibraheim, Sh. A.M.

doi:10.21608/ejnf.2020.148125

EFFECT OF ADDING CINNAMON, GARLIC AND JUNIPER ESSENTIAL OILS ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEW-ZEALAND WHITE RABBITS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Animal Production Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth Street, P.O.:12622, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

² Agriculture Microbiology Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth Street, P.O.: 12622, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

³ Parasitology and Animal Diseases Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth Street, P.O.: 12622, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/ejnf.2020.148125

Abstract

A total number of 72 male New-Zealand White (NZW) rabbits after weaning were used to study the effect of cinnamon, garlic and juniper essential oils (EO_S) as feed additives at level of 0.5 ml/kg diet on rabbit’s nutrients digestibility, growth performance,caecum microorganism's count,blood serum constituents and carcass characteristics. Rabbits were classified into 4 equal groups divided into 3 replicates, 6 rabbits each, till age 8 weeks. The 1^st group received the basal diet (G1). The other three groups (G2^nd–G4^th) received the basal diet with cinnamon, garlic and juniper (EO_S) at 0.5ml/kg diet v/w, respectively. Juniper EO significantly decreased the CP digestibility by 5.5% and the CF digestibility by 3.3% compared to the control group. Garlic EO significantly increased the total body weight by 12.4% and the average body weight gain by 12.4%, compared to the control group. Adding cinnamon and juniper EOs to diets led to a significant decrease in the total daily dry matter intake compared to the control group. The results also indicated that adding cinnamon, garlic and juniper EOs significantly increased the total bacterial count by 22.2, 70 and 33.3% and the cellulolytic bacteria by 50, 100 and 60%, respectively compared to the control group.Juniper oil significantly increased the levels of serum albumin and improved feed conversion by 29.4% compared to the control group. Cinnamon and juniper oils significantly decreased the serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, GOT and urea, while significantly increase HDL-cholesterol compared to the control group.

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