PLASMA PROGESTERONE LEVEL AND OTHER REPRODUCTIVE ASPECTS IN NEW ZEALAND RABBIT DOES AS AFFECTED BY FEEDING LEVEL | ||
| Journal of Productivity and Development | ||
| Article 11, Volume 12, Issue 2, July 2007, Pages 497-507 PDF (215.14 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jpd.2007.45027 | ||
| Author | ||
| Gamal Solouma* | ||
| Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Sohag University, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The present study was carried out to investigate the influence of feeding levels from mating to day 10 of pregnancy on progesterone hormone concentration, gestation length, fertility rate, litter traits and milk yield. Twenty seven New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit does, aged from 5.5 to 6.0 months with an average initial body weight (3.00±0.25 kg), were used in the present work. The rabbit does were divided into three feeding level groups 9 in each. Rabbits were fed a pelleted diet containing 2800 kcal /kg and 18% crude protein. The first group (G1) was kept as a control group and received 140g/day ration during the experimental period. The second group (G2) and third group (G3) received 70g and 280g/day ration, representing 50and 200 % of feed level as compared with control group, respectively . The results revealed that, plasma progesterone hormone levels at 3 ,7 and 14 days of mating differed significantly (P<0.05) and (P<0.01) among the three feeding level groups, respectively . The level of progesterone hormone was the highest in G2, G1 and G3, respectively. Fertility rate was affected significantly (P<0.01) by the feeding levels, being higher (P<0.01) in G2, then G1 and G3, respectively. Gestation length, litter size and weight at birth, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of age were insignificantly affected. The highest (Pat 1st and 2nd weeks were recorded in does in G1, while at 3rd and 4th weeks of lactation in G3 . Distinctively, milk yield increased gradually reaching the peak at 3rd week of lactation in all feeding level groups . The differences were significant by (P<0.01) between the 1st and 2nd weeks of lactation. It could be concluded that rabbit does under fed restricted diet conditions up to 50% of control diet from mating to 10 day of pregnancy improved their reproductive efficiency in NZW. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Rabbits; NZW; progesterone hormone; reproductive performance; feeding level | ||
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