Nutritive Value of Some Concentrate Feedstuffs for Guinea Pigs ().

The objective of this work was to ascertain the nutritive value of six concentrate feedstuffs commonly used in guinea pig feed manufacturing through the substitution method. Six test diets were obtained by replacing the corresponding basal mixture with 40% corn, 50% barley, 45% wheat bran, 35% soybean meal, 30% pigeon pea, or 30% Leucaena leaf meal. Sixty-three guinea pigs were randomly assigned to one of the nine experimental diets (three basal diets and six test diets, with seven animals per diet).

Screening of Organic Acid Type and Dosage in Drinking Water for Young Rabbits.

Organic acids (OAs) are employed in animal feed to regulate gastrointestinal disorders and diarrhoea thanks to their ability to modulate the gastrointestinal environment and their antimicrobial capacity. However, there is not enough evidence regarding the most adequate OA and its effectiveness in rabbit farming. Therefore, the aim of this study was to screen and evaluate the response of young rabbits to six OAs, administered via drinking water, at three different concentrations (pH levels).

A Trial Comparing Growing Rabbits Differing in 18 Generations of Selection for Growth Rate Reveals a Potential Lack of Effectiveness in the Genetic Selection Progress.

A total of 338 weaned rabbits (from the R line, selected for post-weaning growth rate) were used to evaluate the response to 18 generations of selection for increased growth rate on rabbit performance. Animals were obtained from two vitrified populations of the R line: R19V, belonging to the 18th generation (n = 165), and R37V, belonging to the 36th generation (n = 173), were allocated in individual and collective pens (178 and 160, respectively). A fattening trial was conducted from weaning (28 d of age until 63 d of age).

Effect of Increasing the Methionine Level and Reducing the Threonine Level in the Diet of Fast-Growing Rabbits.

The main aim of this work was to evaluate a novel combination of the first limiting amino acids (lysine, methionine, and threonine) in fast-growing rabbits (combination MHL, shown to minimise levels of plasmatic urea nitrogen in previous research, medium level of lysine, high level of methionine, and low level of threonine) and compare it with current recommendations (combination MMM, medium level of all amino acids). A total of 165 weaned rabbits (28 d old) from a paternal line selected for growth rate were used in the growth trial. The effect of the diet on apparent fecal digestibility, as well as the apparent and true ileal digestibility, were studied.

Effect of selection for growth rate on the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) immune system and its response after experimental Staphylococcus aureus infection.

The aim of the work was to evaluate if genetic selection for daily gain may affect the immune system. Two experiments were performed. The first one involved 80 rabbit females and their first two litters to explore the effect of selection on the ability of animals to maintain immune competence.

Effect of Dietary Level of Beet Pulp, with or without Molasses, on Health Status, Growth Performance, and Carcass and Digestive Tract Traits of Rabbits.

To evaluate the effect of dietary level of beet pulp, with or without molasses, on growth performance, a total of 470 28-day-old rabbits were used (614 ± 6 g). Animals were randomly allocated into five dietary treatment groups: Control, without beet pulp; BP20, and BP40 with 20 and 40% of beet pulp without molasses, respectively; and BPM20 and BPM40, with 20 and 40% of beet pulp with molasses, respectively. Daily feed intake (DFI) and average daily gain (ADG) were controlled at 28, 49, and 59 days of age.

Do Growing Rabbits with a High Growth Rate Require Diets with High Levels of Essential Amino Acids? A Choice-Feeding Trial.

As a consequence of the genetic selection process in growing rabbits, there are currently fast-growing animals exhibiting an average daily gain that may exceed 45 g/d. The protein requirements of these animals, namely amino acid requirements, may differ from animals with low growth rates. The objective of this work was to evaluate growth performance, the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD), the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids and nutrient retention of fast-growing rabbits when they had access to a diet with high levels of amino acids and/or a diet formulated with current nutritional recommendations in a choice-feeding trial.

Plasmatic Urea Nitrogen in Growing Rabbits with Different Combinations of Dietary Levels of Lysine, Sulphur Amino Acids and Threonine.

A total of 27 experimental diets were formulated starting from the same basal mixture, with a moderate content of crude protein and digestible energy (155 g and 9.86 MJ/kg of digestible matter (DM), respectively, both estimated). The contents of lysine, sulphur amino acids and threonine were variable.

Gut colonization by a novel Clostridium species is associated with the onset of epizootic rabbit enteropathy.

Epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE) represents one of the most devastating diseases affecting rabbit farms. Previous studies showing transmissibility of disease symptoms through oral inoculation of intestinal contents from sick animals suggested a bacterial infectious origin for ERE. However, no etiological agent has been identified yet.

Effect of feeding diets containing barley, wheat and corn distillers dried grains with solubles on carcass traits and meat quality in growing rabbits.

The effect of dietary inclusion of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on carcass and meat quality of longissimus muscle was studied in 100 growing rabbits from 28 to 59days old. Diets with no DDGS (C), barley (Db20), wheat (Dw20) and corn (Dc20) DDGS at 20% and corn (Dc40) DDGS at 40% were formulated. No effects on most of the carcass traits, texture and water holding capacity were found.