ABSTRACT
In recent years, a trend has emerged to eliminate soybean meal (SBM) from rabbit diets. It was hypothesized that a dietary mixture composed of rapeseed meal (RSM), white lupine seeds (WLS) and pea seeds (PS) could be a substitute for SBM in diets for growing rabbits without compromising their growth and physiological parameters. To verify this hypothesis, selected parameters describing the growth rate of rabbits, their blood and slaughter parameters and caecum function were analyzed. The experiment was performed on ninety HYPLUS rabbits. Control group (C) animals were fed a diet containing 15% SBM. The diet administered to the first experimental group (E1) contained 7.5% SBM, 5.0% RSM, 4.0% WLS and 3.0% PS. In the diet fed to the second experimental group (E2), SBM was completely replaced with RSM, WLS and PS. The substitution did not exert a significant negative effect on the growth rate of rabbits, selected morphological and biochemical blood parameters or carcass characteristics. The comparable growth parameters of control group rabbits and rabbits fed diets containing SBM substitutes could be partially attributed to beneficial changes in the enzymatic activity of caecal microbiota, which have a positive influence on fermentation processes in the lower gastrointestinal tract. The results of this study indicate that SBM can be completely replaced with a mixture of RSM, WLS and PS in growing rabbit diets.
Index terms:
Rabbit feeding; growth performance; blood parameters; gut function