INFLUENCE OF DIETARY ROSEMARY, MARJORAM AND GINGER SUPPLEMENTATION ON REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEW ZEALAND WHITE RABBIT DOES UNDER SINAI CONDITIONS

Ibrahim, Ibrahim M.M.; Bakr, ElSayed O.A.; Mousa, Mohamed R.M.; Abdel-Samee, AbdElShafi M.; Shetaewi, Mosaad M.

doi:10.21608/sinjas.2016.78649

INFLUENCE OF DIETARY ROSEMARY, MARJORAM AND GINGER SUPPLEMENTATION ON REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEW ZEALAND WHITE RABBIT DOES UNDER SINAI CONDITIONS

Authors

Dept. Anim. and Poul. Prod., Fac. Environ. Agric. Sci., Arish Univ., Egypt.

10.21608/sinjas.2016.78649

Abstract

Thirty five NZW rabbit does, aged 10 months and weighed 3.21 ± 0.06 kg were divided randomly into five comparable groups (7 each). Rabbits in the 1^st group were fed the basal (CO) diet without medicinal plants. While those in the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th groups were fed the basal pelleted diet containing 3% Rosemary (RS), 3% Marjoram (MR), 1.5% Ginger root (ZR) and 2.5% mixture (MX) of these medicinal plants, respectively which were replaced with control diet at the same levels (%) for each diet. Results showed that kindling rate was increased in does of RS, ZR and MX groups (87.5%); MR did not differ from the CO (77.8%). Litter size and weight at weaning was higher (P<0.05) in RS, MR and MX groups than those in the CO or ZR group. Average daily gain of bunnies at birth to weaning was higher (P<0.05) in medicinal plane groups compared to the control group. Doe rabbits fed medicinal plants had the highest (P<0.05) values of total milk yield during lactation period compared with the control rabbits. The mortality rate at all time intervals from birth to weaning tended (P<0.05) to be lower in RS, MR, ZR and MX (8.79, 11.54, 5.95 and 7.46, respectively) than in the CO group (16.84%). Blood plasma estradiol 17-β concentration was higher (P≤0.05) in RS and MX (19.3 and 17.9 pg/ml) than in CO, MR and ZR groups (12.97, 10.7 and 15.83 pg/ml), respectively. Relative economic efficiency increased by 143, 164, 123 and 152 in RS, MR, ZR and MX, respectively, compared with (100%) in CO group.

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