EFFECT OF DIETARY CORN COBS AND ENZYMES SUPPLEMENTATION ON GROWING RABBITS PERFORMANCE

Abaza, Ibrahim; Omara, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/jpd.2011.42452

EFFECT OF DIETARY CORN COBS AND ENZYMES SUPPLEMENTATION ON GROWING RABBITS PERFORMANCE

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ibrahim Abaza ¹
Mohamed Omara ²

¹ Poultry Nutrition Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

² Waterfowl and rabbit breeding Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/jpd.2011.42452

Abstract

A total number of sixty weanling New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits aged five weeks old was used in this study. Rabbits were randomly distributed into 6 treatments, each one contains 5 males and 5 females. Three levels of corn cobs and two levels of enzymes preparation were used in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement. Corn cobs were used at levels of 0 (control), 10 and 20 % of the diets. Enzymes preparation containing cellulase, b-glucanase, a-amylase, protease and lipase was added at 0 and 500 g/ ton of diet. Water and feed in pelleted form were offered ad-libitum during the experimental period from 5 to 12 weeks of age.
The obtained results showed that rabbits fed the control and 10% corn cobs diets with enzymes recorded the significantly values of body weight, body weight gain and relative growth rate. The rabbits fed the control diet with enzymes consumed the highest amount of feed followed by those fed the control diet without enzymes then the 10% corn cobs with enzymes diet. The best feed conversion ratios wererecorded for rabbits fed the diet containing 10% corn cobs with enzymes additions than those fed the control diet with enzymes addition compared with all other dietary treatments. Addition of enzymes in all experimental diets significantly improved digestibility coefficients of nutrients compared with those without enzymes addition.
The interaction between corn cobs levels and enzymes addition had no significant effect on carcass and dressing percentages. Dietary treatments significantly reduced total protein and globulin by increasing the level of corn cobs in the experimental diets. The addition of enzymes in diets containing corn cobs significantly improved the liver functions. Chemical composition of meat did not significantly differ due to the effect of dietary treatments. Rabbits fed 10% corn cobs diet with enzyme additive showed the highest economical efficiency values.
Conclusively, the present results showed that the use of corn cobs can be successfully fed at levels up to 10% of growing NZW rabbits diet supplemented with enzymes without adverse effect on growing rabbits performance.

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