EFFECT OF FEEDING ON SWEET OR SALINE WATER KOCHIA AS A FODDER IN GROWING RABBITS RATIONS.

Elsayed, H. M.; Marwan, A. A.; Ibrahim, Y. I.

doi:10.21608/ejnf.2018.75443

EFFECT OF FEEDING ON SWEET OR SALINE WATER KOCHIA AS A FODDER IN GROWING RABBITS RATIONS.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shoubra El-Khyma, Cairo, Egypt.

² Ministry of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt.

10.21608/ejnf.2018.75443

Abstract

Twenty four, 4 weeks of age weaning rabbits were used in this study. These rabbits immediately after weaning were assigned into three experimental groups (8 animals each) 4 males and 4 females in the beginning of their fifth week till the end of eleventh week of age, The animals were divided randomly and fed proportion offresh, saline water kochia and granular feed, whereas, rabbits of the first group (control group, G1) were fed on 100% basal granular feed (maintenance and growth requirements) formulated according to NRC (1977) recommendations. While G2 were fed 100% freshwater-kochia (maintenance and growth), G3 were fed 25% saline water kochia, 75% freshwater-kochia for growth requirement, while fed granular feed to cover maintenance requirement. The results showed that the group which fed 100% granular feed (G1) showed the highest value of average daily gain and daily feed intake (P≤0.05) compared to the other groups, while G3 had a poorest (highest) values (p<0.05) of feed conversion. Also, results revealed that the rabbits fed diets contained fresh and/or saline kochia had the higher values of economic efficiency, relative economic efficiency and had the lower values of daily feed cost LE/head. This result indicated that utilizing fresh and/or saline water to produce halophytes fodder (kochia) could be an avenue to minimize the feedstuff shortage, feed cost and increase feed efficiency.

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