Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
By-Products Utilization Research Dept., Animal Production Research Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
2
Honeybee Research Center, Dept., Plant Protection Res Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
3
Sheep and Goat Research Dept., Animal Production Research Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
Abstract
The current study aims to determine the effect of partial substitution of soybean meal (SBM) with Vespa Oriental meal (VOM) [(0%, VOM0), 25% (VOM25), and 50% (VOM50)] in the diets of thirty 12-week-old V-line male rabbits with an average body weight of 1.060±0.01kg on growth performance, digestion, and some blood biochemical changes. The experiment lasted for 90 days. The results revealed that the crude protein (CP) contents of VOM and SBM used in the present study were 76.84 and 43.76 %, respectively, Furthermore, the digestibility of CP (74.65 % & 76.07 %,) and nitrogen free extract (NFE) (68.390 & 70.123 %,) was considerably higher in rabbits fed VOM25 and VOM50, respectively than in rabbits fed VOM0 (72.033 % & 65.44 %). The daily body gain in rabbits fed the VOM50 diet was 9.18 %, higher than in rabbits on the VOM0 diet. Also, the VOM25 and VOM50 diet-fed rabbits had considerably larger carcass weight, liver, kidney, and cecum length than the control group. Total volatile fatty acids were significantly higher in the caecal contents of VOM25 and VOM50 rabbits, despite lower caecal Ammonia-N concentration compared to the control diet. Hematological parameters, live and renal functions of rabbits fed the VOM50 diet were considerably improved compared to those fed the control diet. The VOM25 and VOM50 groups exhibited better TDN and DCP values (P < 0.05) than the control group in terms of nutritional value. It is concluded that Vespa Orientalis wasp meal can be used as an effective alternative high-quality protein source to soybean meal, up to 50%, with no adverse impacts on rabbit's performance
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