EFFECT OF FEEDING DIFFERENT ENERGY LEVEL FEEDS ON LITTER GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF RABBITS IN THREE SUCCESSIVE KINDLINGS

Dr.Rajeshwari; Y. B.; Dr.Mahadevappa D. Gouri; Dr.Vivek M. Patil; Dr. Shilpa Shree; J; Dr. Anil Kumar Ganga Reddi

Volume : VI, Issue : X, October - 2016

EFFECT OF FEEDING DIFFERENT ENERGY LEVEL FEEDS ON LITTER GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF RABBITS IN THREE SUCCESSIVE KINDLINGS

Dr. Rajeshwari, Y. B. , Dr. Mahadevappa D. Gouri, Dr. Vivek M. Patil, Dr. Shilpa Shree, J, Dr. Anil Kumar Ganga Reddi

Abstract :

The present study was under taken to study the effect of feeding different energy level feeds on the litter growth performance in rabbits in three successive kindlings at the Small Animal House, Veterinary College, Bangalore. Twelve adult females of second kindling stage and three male rabbits aged between 8 and 9 months with average weight of 2500–2650 g were randomly allotted to three different treatment groups of four animals in each group, namely, Control, T1 and T2 in a completely randomized design (CRD). Rabbits in control group were fed ad lib quantity (2500 Kcal of digestible energy/Kg) and second treatment (T1) group with 2250 Kcal of digestible energy/Kg of diet by restricting 10 % of feed and the treatment (T2) group with 2000 Kcal of digestible energy/Kg of diet restricting 20 % of feed offered than control. The study concluded that high energy diet has an influence on kindling, increases litter size at birth and at weaning, and reduces the age of weaning of bunnies from 42 to 30 days. Bunnies attained a body weight of 400g at weaning. Hence, high energy diet is recommended to obtain good kindling performance in rabbits, which in turn which will increase in economic returns by producing more number of young ones and making rabbitary a highly profitable enterprise.