Effects from feed restriction and/or dietary inclusion of vitamin E in primiparous rabbits on growth performances and gestation period

Abstract

Replacement rabbit does can be given restricted amount of feed until their first mating or parturition, this is necessary in order to avoid excessive fattening, higher perinatal mortality, low voluntary feed intake during early lactation, and shorter reproductive life of does. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of quantitative feed restriction at different gestation periods with or without vitamin E inclusion on the performance of pregnant rabbit does. Sixty (60) rabbits of 5 months old weighing between 1.7–2.0 kg were randomly assigned into 12 treatments of 5 replicates each. The rabbit does were divided into two groups and placed on two levels of quantitative feed restriction (0% and 15%) at three periods of gestation (15–19, 20–24, and 25–29 days) with or without vitamin E inclusion in their diet (0 and 300 mg/kg). Data obtained on feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio and gestation length of the rabbit does were subjected to analysis of variance using a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial in a completely randomized design. Feed restriction at 15% increased the gestation length (31.20 ± 0.96 days) of rabbit does compared to the ad libitum (30.10 ± 0.30 days) fed groups. Gestating rabbit does on feed restriction at 25–29 days of gestation had longer gestation length (31.25 ± 1.16 days) than rabbit does on restriction at 15–19 days (30.40 ± 0.60 days) and 20–24 days (30.30 ± 0.47 days). Vitamin E supplementation did not influence the measured parameters. Final weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were not affected by the levels and periods of feed restriction with or without vitamin E supplementation. Therefore, it can be concluded that feed restriction does not have any detrimental effect on final weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of gestating rabbit does.