The Influence of Artichoke Aqueous extract on the growth performance, feed utilization, carcass characteristics, and health status of growing rabbits

Hassan, M.A.E.; El-Sayed, H.G.M.; Ragab, M.A.; Fahim, H.N.; Khalifa, E. I.

doi:10.21608/svuijas.2023.248087.1317

The Influence of Artichoke Aqueous extract on the growth performance, feed utilization, carcass characteristics, and health status of growing rabbits

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), Agriculture Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Giza 12619, Egypt

² Regional Center for Food and Feed, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt.

10.21608/svuijas.2023.248087.1317

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of dietary artichoke aqueous extract (AAE) on the growth performance and physiological, immune, and oxidative responses of black Baladi rabbits. An experiment of 84 days was conducted with 36 growing male rabbits at 5 weeks of age with an initial live body weight (LBW) of 666.75g. A completely randomized design (with 4 treatments and 3 replicates per treatment) was used in the present study. Rabbits in the control group (D₀) received a free AAE-basal diet. Rabbits in treatments D₁, D₂, and D₃ received a diet supplemented with different levels of AAE at 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, respectively. The results indicated that rabbits in D₁ had higher LBW, weight gain, performance index, lower feed intake, and a better feed conversion ratio than those in D₀. A more significant effect on carcass characteristics was detected in D1 rabbits than in D₀ rabbits in terms of carcass weight and edible giblets. Rabbits in D₁ had the best hematological (erythrocyte and leucocyte counts) and serum biochemical parameters, including blood protein, liver and kidney functions, redox balance, and cellular immunity, compared to rabbits in D₀. It may be concluded that the dietary supplementation of 10mg AAE/kg diet (D₁) could have resulted in considerable improvement in the growth performance and feed efficiency without adverse effects on either carcass characteristics or constituents of the blood serum of treated rabbits.

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