EFFECT OF NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY IN GROWING RABBIT

Abstract

Antioxidants, known for their ability to neutralize harmful free radicals in the body, have been extensively studied for their health benefits in various species; however, there is a notable paucity of iinformation regarding their specific effects and use in growing rabbits. Thirty (30) growing crossbred (Hyla X Black giant) rabbits were used to study the effect of natural antioxidant on their growth performance and nutrient digestibility. The rabbit were weighed and distributed into three (3) treatments of ten (10) rabbits each, with each rabbit serving as a replicate in a Completely Randomized Design Experiment, which lasted nine weeks. The test ingredients were Orego-stim (1ml to 4litres of water) and Oregoplus (1ml to 5litres of water). Treatment one was the control with zero inclusion of the test ingredient while orego-stim and oregoplus were administered orally to Treatments 2 and 3 respectively. The data collected on performance characteristics and nutrient digestibility were analyzed using one way analysis of variance. Results shows that Treatment 3 had higher (p<0.05) final weight (2781.32g), daily weight gain (21.87g) and lower feed:gain (4.80) compare to other treatments. The crude fibre digestibility in Treatment 2 (52.33%) and 3 (55.99%) are similar but both are significantly higher than T1 (42.87%). The Crude protein digestibility was comparable across the treatments. It may be concluded that compared, Oregoplus® improve weight gain and feed conversion ratio therefore, supplementation of Oregoplus® as feed additives in growing rabbit diet is very useful considering its direct impact on overall performance of rabbit.