Growth Performance of Male NZW Rabbits Fed Diets Supplemented with Beneficial Bacteria or Live Yeast

Abstract

Sixty male growing NZW rabbits aged eight weeks old, weighed in average 837.0±50.0g were randomly ranked in four equal groups to feed on four experimental diets for 10 weeks. All groups were fed a uniform rabbits pelleted diet, where R1 diet was without supplement ( control ), R2 supplemented with 0.1% Bacillus subtilis , R3 with 0.1% live Saccharomyces cerevisiae and R4 with 0.05% Bacillus s. + 0.05% Sacchromyces c. mixture. The results indicated that the voluntary feed intake did not influenced by bacteria or yeast supplementations, meanwhile body  weight gain and feed  efficiency  were obviously improved ( P < 0.05 )  with  diets supplemented with yeast, bacteria or their mixture than control. Nutrients digestion coefficients and dietary nitrogen utilization were (P< 0.05) higher with yeast or bacteria supplemented diets than those of R1 and R4. The lower values concerning weight gain, nutrients digestibility and dietary nitrogen utilization with feeding Yeast + bacteria mixture (R4) than other supplemented diets, reveals that there was an antagonistic effect between the two microbial types on feed utilization of rabbits. Carcass characteristics, dressing % calculated relative to pre-slaughter or empty body weight, meat: bone ratio and body chemical composition were not statistically different among groups.