Blood and reproductive indices of rabbit does fed supplemented algal biomass diets
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background and Objective: The study was designed to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of algal biomass on the blood and reproductive performance of rabbit does.
Methodology: The total of 20 nulliparous rabbit does, and 8 bucks were arranged into 4 treatment groups of 5 does and 2 bucks per group in a completely randomized design. The algal biomass was included in the basal diet at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%. The animals were kept in individual cages and had access to feed and water ad libitum. Blood samples for analyses were taken via ear vein from the animals after 2 weeks of feeding trial. Data generated on hematological, serum biochemical, feed intake, and reproductive performance indices (doe weight, conception, gestation period, litter size, kit weight, and percent survivability of the kit) were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance.
Main Results: All the hematological and serum biochemical parameters were similar (P > 0.05) across the groups. The litter size (7.33 ± 0.58 kits) and kit weight (50.59 ± 2.65 g) were significantly (P < 0.05) highest in does fed 1.5% dietary inclusion level of the algal biomass. Conception, kindling period, and kit survivability tended to increase (P > 0.05) with the increased level of biomass. The correlation analysis showed that litter size was significantly (P < 0.05) positively correlated with kindling period (r = 0.589). The doe weight also had a positive (P > 0.05) relationship with conception, litter weight, feed intake, and kit survivability. The gestation period had a negative correlation (P > 0.05) with all other reproductive parameters except conception with r = 0.100.
Conclusions: The inclusion of algal biomass at a 1.5% level of inclusion in the diet of rabbit does did not pose any health challenge but improved reproductive performance with respect to litter size and kit weight.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Abdelnour, S.A., A.M. Sheiha, A.E. Taha, A.A. Swelum, S. Alarifi, S. Alkahtani, D. Ali, G. AlBasher, R. Almeer, F. Falodah, B. Almutairi, M.M. Abdel-Daim, M.E. Abd El-Hack and I.E. Ismail. 2019. Impacts of enriching growing rabbit diets with Chlorella vulgaris microalgae on growth, blood variables, carcass traits, immunological and antioxidant indices. Animals. 9(10): 788. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9100788.
Adarme-Vega, T.C., S.R. Thomas-Hall and P.M. Schenk. 2014. Towards sustainable sources for omega-3 fatty acids production. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 26: 14–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2013.08.003.
Adeleye, O.O., J.H. Guy and S.A. Edwards. 2014. Exploratory behaviour and performance of piglets fed novel flavoured creep in two housing systems. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 191: 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2014.02.001.
Adeleye, O.O., M. Brett, D. Blomfield, J.H. Guy and S.A. Edwards. 2011. Effect of essential fatty acid supplementation of sow diets on piglet survival in two farrowing systems, pp. 210. In: Proceedings of the 62nd Annual Conference of the European Federation of Animal Science. August 30, 2011, Stavanger, Norway.
Aiello, S.E. 1998. The Merck Veterinary Manual. 8th Edition. Merk & Co., Inc., New Jersey, USA.
Ajala, M.K. and J.K. Balogun. 2004. Economics of rabbit production in Zaria, Kaduna State. Trop. J. Anim. Sci. 7(1): 1–10.
Badawy, A.Y., R. Peiró, A. Blasco and M.A. Santacreu. 2019. Correlated responses on litter size traits and survival traits after two-stage selection for ovulation rate and litter size in rabbits. Animal. 13(3): 453–459. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731118002033.
Baker, F.J. and R.E. Silverton. 1985. Haemostasis and blood coagulation, pp. 312–330. In: F.J. Baker, R.E. Silverton and C.J. Pallister, (Eds), Introduction to Medical Laboratory Technology. 6th Edition. Butterworth & Co., Ltd., Sydney, Australia.
Benjamin, M.M. 1978. Outline of Veterinary Clinical Pathology. 3rd Edition. The Iowa State University Press, Iowa, USA.
Birberg-Thornberg, U., T. Karlsson, P.A. Gustafsson and K. Duchén. 2006. Nutrition and theory of mind—The role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the development of theory of mind. Prostaglandins Leukot. Essent. Fatty Acids. 75(1): 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2006.04.001.
Boudour, K., E.H. Lankri, A. Aichouni, N. Zerrouki and M. Saidi. 2020. Effect of omega 3 on the reproductive performance of the Algerian synthetic rabbit in artificial insemination. AGROFOR International Journal. 5(1): 30–37. https://doi.org/10.7251/AGRENG2001030B.
Capper, J.L., R.G. Wilkinson, E. Kasapidou, S.E. Pattinson, A.M. Mackenzie and L.A. Sinclair. 2005. The effect of dietary vitamin E and fatty acid supplementation of pregnant and lactating ewes on placental and mammary transfer of vitamin E to the lamb. Br. J. Nutr. 93(4): 549–557. https://doi.org/10.1079/bjn20051376.
Cerri, R.L.A., H.M. Rutigliano, R.C. Chebel and J.E.P. Santos. 2009. Period of dominance of the ovulatory follicle influences embryo quality in lactating dairy cows. Reproduction. 137: 813–823. https://doi.org/10.1530/rep-08-0242.
Colin, M., J. Delarue, L. Caillaud and A.Y. Prigent. 2017. Effects of the incorporation of microalgae (Schizochytrium) in the diet of rabbits on their performance and the DHA content of their meat. In: Proceedings of the 17th French Rabbit Days. November 21–22, 2017, Le Mans, France.
de Mattos, A.M., A.J. Olyaei and W.M. Bennett. 2000. Nephrotoxicity of immunosuppressive drugs: long-term consequences and challenges for the future. Am. J. Kidney Dis. 35(2): 333–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-6386(00)70348-9.
Edwards, S.A. 2002. Perinatal mortality in the pig: environmental or physiological solutions. Livest. Prod. Sci. 78(1): 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-6226(02)00180-X.
Edwards, S.A., C. Bulman, K. Breuer, N.E. O’Connell, I.A. Sneddon, M.E.M. Sutcliffe, J.T. Mercer and K.A. Rance. 2003. The effect of DHA supplementation of the maternal diet on the performance and behaviour of piglets, pp. 28. In: The Appliance of Pig Science. Proceedings of an Occasional Meeting of the British Society of Animal Science. September 9–10, 2003, Nottingham, UK.
El-Desoky, N.I., N.M. Hashem, A.G. Elkomy and Z.R. Abo-Elezz. 2022. Improving rabbit doe metabolism and whole reproductive cycle outcomes via fatty acid-rich Moringa oleifera leaf extract supplementation in free and nano-encapsulated forms. Animals. 12(6): 764. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060764.
El-Ratel, I.T. 2017. Reproductive performance, oxidative status and blood metabolites of doe rabbits administrated with Spirulina alga. Egypt. Poult. Sci. 37(4): 1153–1172. https://dx.doi.org/10.21608/epsj.2017.5388.
Fadare, A.O. and T.J. Fatoba. 2018. Reproductive performance of four breeds of rabbit in the humid tropics. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 30(7): 114.
Hodges, R.D. 1974. The Histology of the Fowl. Academic Press, New York, USA.
Innis, S.M. 2000. Essential fatty acids in infant nutrition: lessons and limitations from animal studies in relation to studies on infant fatty acid requirements. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71(Suppl. 1): 238S–244S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/71.1.238s.
Ju, M., X. Wang, X. Li, M. Zhang, L. Shi, P. Hu, B. Zhang, X. Han, K. Wang, X. Li, L. Zhou and R. Qiao. 2022. Effects of litter size and parity on farrowing duration of Landrace × Yorkshire sows. Animals. 12(1): 94. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fani12010094.
Khanna, S., H.K. Gulati, S. Kumar and P.K. Kapoor. 2016. Effect of Emblica officianalis and Spirulina platensis on growth performance and serum biochemical parameters in rabbits. Indian J. Anim. Res. 50(6): 915–918. https://doi.org/10.18805/ijar.v0iOF.6664.
Lafarga, T. 2019. Effect of microalgal biomass incorporation into foods: nutritional and sensorial attributes of the end products. Algal Res. 41: 101566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2019.101566.
Lewis, R.M. and G.C. Emmans. 2020. The relationship between feed intake and liveweight in domestic animals. J. Anim. Sci. 98(4): skaa087. https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fjas%2Fskaa087.
Mitruka, B.M. and H.M. Rawnsley. 1977. Clinical Biochemical and Haematology Reference Values in Normal and Experimental Animals. Masson Publishing USA, Inc., New York, USA.
Moran, C.A., D. Currie, J.D. Keegan and A. Knox. 2018. Tolerance of broilers to dietary supplementation with high levels of the DHA-rich microalga, Aurantiochytrium limacinum: effects on health and productivity. Animals. 8(10): 180. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8100180.
Nehra, D., H.D. Le, E.M. Fallon, S.J. Carlson, D. Woods, Y.A. White, A.H. Pan, L. Guo, S.J. Rodig, J.L. Tilly, B.R. Rueda and M. Puder. 2012. Prolonging the female reproductive lifespan and improving egg quality with dietary omega-3 fatty acids. Aging Cell. 11(6): 1046–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12006.
Olateju, I.S. and C.A. Chineke. 2022. Effects of genotype, gestation length and litter size on the birth weight, litter weight, pre- and post-weaning weight of crossbred kits. Bull. Natl. Res. Cent. 46: 166. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42269-022-00843-8.
Pickard, R.M., A.P. Beard, K. Gentle, E.C. Scott-Baird and S.A. Edwards. 2006. Lamb viability is improved by supplementing docosahexaenoic acid for a specific time period during late gestation. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science. 2006: 6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1752756200016835.
Pyle, D.J., R.A. Garcia and Z. Wen. 2008. Producing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich algae from biodiesel-derived crude glycerol: effects of impurities on DHA production and algal biomass composition. J. Agric. Food Chem. 56(11): 3933–3939. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf800602s.
Ragab, M.A., M.M. Beshara, A.M. Alazab, H.N. Fahim and A.EI.M.I. El Desoky. 2019. Effect of Spirulina platensis supplementation to rabbits’ does diets on reproductive and economical performance. J. Animal and Poultry Prod., Mansoura Univ. 10(8): 237–242. https://dx.doi.org/10.21608/jappmu.2019.58114.
Rebollar, P., R.M. García-García, M. Arias-Álvarez, P. Millán, A.I. Rey, M. Rodríguez, N. Formoso-Rafferty, S. de la Riva, M. Masdeu, P.L. Lorenzo and P. García-Rebollar. 2014. Reproductive long-term effects, endocrine response and fatty acid profile of rabbit does fed diets supplemented with n-3 fatty acids. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 146(3–4): 202–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2014.02.021.
Rodríguez, M., P.G. Rebollar, S. Mattioli and C. Castellini. 2019. n-3 PUFA sources (precursor/products): a review of current knowledge on rabbit. Animals. 9(10): 806. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9100806.
Rossi, R., G. Pastorelli, S. Cannata and C. Corino. 2010. Recent advances in the use of fatty acids as supplements in pig diets: a review. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 162(1–2): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2010.08.013.
Salim, I.H., M. Abdel-Aal, D.O. Awad and A.B. El-Sayed. 2019. Productive performance, physiological and antioxidant status of growing v-line rabbits drinking water supplemented with Amphora coffeaeformis diatoms alga extract during hot conditions. Egyptian J. Nutrition and Feeds. 22(2): 577–588. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejnf.2019.79448.
Samour, J. 2008. Avian Medicine. 2nd Edition. Mosby Ltd., Missouri, USA.
SAS. 2002. Statistical Analysis System Version 9.1. SAS Institute Inc, Cary, North Carolina, USA.
Schild, S.L.A., L. Foldager, L. Rangstrup-Christensen and L.J. Pedersen. 2020. Characteristics of piglets born by two highly prolific sow hybrids. Front. Vet. Sci. 7: 355. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00355.
Seyidoğlu, N. and N. Galip. 2014. Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Spirulina platensis on growth performances and biochemical parameters in rabbits. Kafkas Univ. Vet. Fak. Derg. 20(3): 331–336.
Simopoulos, A.P. 2002. Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 21(6): 495–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2002.10719248.
Simopoulos, A.P. 2009. Omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids: biological effects. World Rev. Nutr. Diet. 99: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1159/000192755.
Spolaore, P., C. Joannis-Cassan, E. Duran and A. Isambert. 2006. Commercial applications of microalgae. J. Biosci. Bioeng. 101(2): 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1263/jbb.101.87.
Stramarkou, M., V. Oikonomopoulou, A. Chalima, C. Boukouvalas, E. Topakas and M. Krokida. 2021. Optimization of green extractions for the recovery of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from Crypthecodinium cohnii. Algal Res. 58: 102374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2021.102374.
Tocher, D.R., M.B. Betancor, M. Sprague, R.E. Olsen and J.A. Napier. 2019. Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DHA: bridging the gap between supply and demand. Nutrients. 11(1): 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11010089.
Volpato, S., M. Cavalieri, G. Guerra, F. Sioulis, M. Ranzini, C. Maraldi, R. Fellin and J.M. Guralnik. 2008. Performance-based functional assessment in older hospitalized patients: feasibility and clinical correlates. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 63(12): 1393–1398. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/63.12.1393.