Evaluation of three forages as a source of fiber in fattening rabbit diets

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate three forages as a source of fiber in fattening rabbit diets. Mesquite pods, oats and alfalfa hay were used in mixed diets. Thirty-six 1-month-old weaned male rabbits were randomly distributed into three treatments (T1, oat diet; T2, mesquite pod diet; T3, alfalfa diet) for 50 days of fattening. Feed intake, daily weight gain, final gain and feed conversion ratio were recorded. At the end of the experiment, the animals were slaughtered to evaluate the carcass performance. Data were statistically evaluated by analysis of variance and comparison of means test. There were no significant differences in the growing period, but in fattening, T1 was higher than T2 and T3 (P<0.05) and the latter higher than T2 in daily weight gain, total weight gain and dry matter digestibility. Feed conversion ratio was the opposite, T1 and T3 were lower than T2. Carcass yield was higher in T1 than T2 and T3 and the latter, higher than T2. No differences were observed among treatments (P> 0.05) in feed intake. A higher digestibility and better productive parameters were obtained with the inclusion of oats and alfalfa hay in the diets, than using mesquite pods; however, the production costs were higher. The limitation of the study is the low level of preference of rabbit meat in Mexico. The mesquite pods represent a viable alternative due to their low cost and availability in semi-arid regions where there are no water resources for forage production.

Key words: Productive parameters, oats, mesquite