COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF WATER- OR FAT-SOLUBLE ANTIOXIDANTS ON GROWTH, FEED DIGESTIBILITY, CARCASS TRAITS, BLOOD PARAMETERS AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS IN BALADI RABBITS

This experiment was conducted in El-Serw Experimental Research Station,Domietta Governorate, Egypt. The experimental rabbits herd belongs to Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), Agriculture Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. The aim of this study was to favor adding either antioxidant soluble in water (As vitamin C at 3 ml) or in fats as vitamin E up to 2 ml) per kg of live body weight (LBW) / two times /weekly for 12 weeks of age. The studying included growing, digestibility, carcass traits, blood parameters and economical efficiency of Baladi rabbits. A total of 24 male black Baladi rabbits (MBBR)aged 5 weeks were used in this study, with an average LBW of 433.67 g. The experimental MBBR were randomly allotted into two experimental groups (12 each), A1 (supplemented with water antioxidant as Vita .C) and A2 (received fat antioxidant as Vita. E) Treatments. Both A1 and A2 were individually subdivided into three replicates (4 each replicate). The obtained results indicated that LBW, daily body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and performance index of rabbits, reared up to 12 weeks post weaning, had no significant (P>0.05) differerence between A1 and A2 rabbits, but the best with A2 rabbits . Digestibility coefficient (%) and nutritive values (%) in A2 had higher values (P>0.05) than A1 rabbits.
Also, the results indicated higher (P>0.05) carcass weight and better meat quality in A2 than in A1 rabbits. The blood parameters were not significantly (P>0.05) affected among either A1 or A2 rabbits hence, the advocacy of A2 rabbits. The blood oxidative capacity including malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was decreased (P>0.05), while total antioxidant
capacity (TAC) increased (P >0.05) in A2 rabbits compared with A1 rabbits. The highest net revenue (35.85 LE) and production efficiency factor (90.32%) observed with A2 rabbits134  compared with 3.11 LE and 90.16% in A1 rabbits, respectively. It could be commendation that antioxidants soluble in fat (as Vita. E) Because of improved growth, digestibility, carcass traits, blood parameters and achieve the best returns in the economic efficiency of the
production process of black Baladi rabbits.