RESPONSE OF SUPPLEMENTAL SOME MINERAL ELEMENTS IN RABBIT’S DIETS ON DIGESTIBILITY, NUTRITIONAL BALANCES AND FEED EFFICIENCY

Ninety-six NewZeland White rabbits of 35 days old (48 males and 48 females) were randomly allocated to six treatments groups of 8 rabbit each in an individual Stainless Steel cages. Through the experimental period (12 weeks), two digestibility trials were applied at 8 and 12 weeks of the start of the experiment. Three rabbits from each treatment were housed in metabolic cages. The diets fed to the animals were covered the maintenance requirements according to NRC (1977). The feeding plan of the six experimental groups (males or females) were as follows: G1: basal diet containing 16% CP and 2650 kcal DE/kg DM diet (control) without supplementation. G2: as G1 plus 0.30% mineral premix in diet. G3: as G1 with 0.30% Di-calcium phosphate in diet (alone). G4: as G3 plus 122.7 ppm Zn SO 4 . G5: as G3 plus 20.2 ppm CoCL. G6: as G3 plus Zn SO 4 and CoCL. Rabbits were offered the water and tested diets ad-libitum. The composition of diets was nearly similar with some differences. Digestibility, feeding values, N-balance and intakes from DM and feed units were significantly (P<0.05) higher for G6 followed by G2 at 8 weeks of age. Meanwhile, groups (G2, G3, G5 and G6) were similar in nutrients digestibility and N-balance at 12 weeks of age. Since, Minerals content of all diets were varied due to the supplementation. However, rabbits of G5 and G6 were in positive minerals balance (Ca, P, Mg, K, Cu, Zn, Mn and Co), while it was in negative balance for Cu (G1, G3 and G4) and Co (G1, G2, G3 and G4) at 8 weeks of age. But all groups had showed positive minerals balance except Cu for G1, G3, G4, G5 and G6 and Co for G1, G2, G3 and G4 at 12 weeks of age. The absolute values of body weight gain (BWG) for rabbits (G2, G3 and G6) at 8 weeks of age increased, while it was numerically increased for groups G2, G3, G5 and G6 at 12 week of age. It could be concluded that supplemented rabbit’s diets (males or females) with Di-calcium phosphate alone or with Zn plus Co, improved nutrients digestibility, feeding values, intake from DM and feed units, which reflected on BWG from 35 days to 12 weeks of age and cost of ration formulation.