IMPROVING REPRODUCTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF RABBITS BY DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL METHODS

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of using different physiological methods by using different levels of dietary copper and zinc sulphate on rabbit does productive, reproductive performance and some physiological traits. Atotal number of fifty, 6 months of age New Zealand white (NZW) does were distributed to fife experimental treatments (ten does each). The experimental diets were formulated to be iso-nitrogenous (18.18% cp) and iso-energetic (2656kcal DE/kg diet) in which the first was a commercial basal diet without supplementation and served as acontrol diet (control group). In the second and third diets (2 and 3 treatments) the basal diet was supplemented with zimc sulphate at 75 and 150 ppm, respectively. In the fourth and fifth diets (4 and 5 treatments) copper sulphate was added at levels of 200 and 400 ppm, respectively. The results showed that live body weight and feed in take were improved significantly (P≤0.05) with zinc and copper sulphate compared with control group at the most periods of the experimental valva color and receptivity % were improved significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with all treatments compared to the control diet. Litter size at tirth, litter size at weaning, litter weight at weaning and milk yield were imcresed significantly (P≤0.05) with most treatments compered to using 75ppm zinc sulphate group, hematocrit (%), naemoglobim level, RBC, and WBC’s counts were increased significantly (P≤0.05) after using zinc and copper sulphate compared with control group and before treatments Also, some female sex homanes of rabbits does for example FSH, LH and progesterone levels were imcreased significantly by using two levels of zinc and copper sulphate compared with control group. It can be conduded that the use physiological methods by using zinc and copper sulphate in diets as feed additives is recommended for best productive and reproductive performance of NZW does rabbits.