Fourty growing APRI male rabbits at the age of 5 weeks old were used to investigate the impact of partial replacement of concentrate feed mixture (CFM) CP by different levels of hydroponic barley (HB) on rabbits performance, digestibility, feeding value, some blood constituents and caecum microbial count. The changes in chemical composition of HB during 6, 7 and 8 days of growth period was also studied. Rabbits were randomly divided into four experimental groups (10 rabbits in each) and were housed in individual cages provided with continuous feeders and automatic water nipples during the experimental period (5-12 week of age). The first group was fed pelleted CFM diet with 16% CP (control, D1), while the 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th groups were fed the control diet but 20, 40 and 60% of CP was replaced by HB (D2, D3 and D4, respectively) in a feeding trial which lasted for 7 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, four digestibility trials were carried out on three rabbits of each treatment. Animals were fed the same tested diet as that in feeding trial. Three rabbits of each treatment were slaughtered at the end of digestibility trials. The main results generally showed that there was a tendency for gradual decreases in DM and NFE content, but increases in Ash, EE, CP and CF content by advancing age of sprouting. Rabbits fed D2 recorded the highest significantly (P < 0.05) values of digestion coefficients of CP and CF, while the lowest significantly (P < 0.05) values were recorded with rabbits fed D4 diet. There were positive significant (P<0.05) effect of feeding HB at levels of 20 and 40 % on concentrations of blood total protein, albumin and glucose. Rabbits fed HB diets (D2, D3 and D4) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher total viable count of bacteria in caecum compared with those fed the control diet without HB (D1). It may be concluded that replacing of HB at the rate of 20 or 40 % of CFM protein in growing rabbit diets had beneficial effects on most criteria studied. Higher level (60% of HB) used herein in rabbit diets is not recommended since it negatively affected nutrients digestibility and feeding values of tested diets.

Total of 20 New Zealand White (NZW) male bunnies weaned at 5 weeks of age having average live body weight of 620±20.2 g were used in experiment study to study the effect of daily treatment of chromium picolinate (CrP) on growth performance in relation to blood parameters, carcass traits, chemical analysis of meat and economic efficiency. Rabbits were divided into 2 groups, 10 animals in each. Rabbits in the 1 st group were served as control (G1) without any treatment. However, those in the 2 nd group (G2) were given daily oral dose from CrP at levels of 9 μg/kg body weight from 5 up to 10 weeks of age. All growing rabbits were kept under similar feeding and managerial conditions. Blood samples were collected biweekly for Cr determination and at slaughtering for biochemical determination. Three males from each group were randomly taken and slaughtered at 13 weeks of age for carcass traits and chemical composition of meat. Results show a tendency of slight improvement in growth performance of treated than in control rabbits, but the differences were not significant. Treatment with CrP decreased (P<0.05) concentration of albumin, albumin/globulin ratio, glucose, cholesterol, urea and creatinine, and activity of AST and ALT in serum. The group differences in concentration of total protein and globulin concentration were not significant. An increase (P<0.05) in net carcass weight and total weight of edible organs was observed in treated compared with control rabbits, reflecting impact of CrP treatment on dressing percentage (61.1 and 56.6%, respectively). Absolute and relative weights of heart were almost higher in treated than in control group. Weight of skin and legs was heavier in control than in treated group (433.3 vs. 369.7 g). Crude protein content in meat was higher (P<0.05) in G2 than in G1 (70.7 vs. 63.8%). Content of EE tended to decrease from 31.5% in G1 to 24.5% in G2. Chromium concentration was higher (P<0.05) in serum of G2 than in G1 by about 15%. Rabbits in G2 had higher Cr concentration in serum at all sampling times and in meat after slaughter (1.53 vs. 1.36 ppm) in G2 than in G1. Viability rate was 100 in G1 and G2 during the experimental period. Based on the foregoing results of the current study, treatment of growing rabbits with daily oral dose of chromium piclonate at a level of 9 µg/kg LBW improved growth performance, feed conversion, carcass quality and net revenue. The obtained high CP and Cr contents and low fat content in meat of rabbits treated with Cr may suggest the possibility of its consumption for diabetic patients and as anticholesteroleamic meat.

Background: Agriculture by-products are considered a great potential value for utilization by ruminants as well as rabbits. They usually can be the maintenance and part of the production requirements. However, in developing countries, as well as in Egypt, animals suffer from shortage of feeds that are continuously increasing in costs. In general, biological treatments were shown to be the most effective and improved chemical composition of rice straw or corn stalks. Method: This work aimed to investigate the possible ways of utilizing rice straws or corn stalks in rabbit feeding. The field work is designed to study the effect of biological treatment of Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated on rice straws and Trichoderma reesei cultivated on corn stalks and replacing clover hay by rice straws and corn stalks at levels of 0, 33, 66, and 100% either without or with microbes adding. Seventy-eight New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits aged 4-5 weeks (565 ± 13.57 g) were randomly divided into thirteen equal experimental groups. Results: Untreated rice straws or biologically treated with Pleurotus ostreatus increased their contents of crude protein (CP) by 178.75 and 224.5% and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) by 6.30 and 24.53, respectively. Meanwhile, crude fiber (CF) content was reduced by 31.32 and 56.75%, and organic matter content was decreased by 2.81 and 5.51%, respectively, in comparison with the raw rice straws. Also, biological treatment of rice straws caused a decrease in values of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), and hemicellulose contents in comparison with either raw or treated rice straws. Furthermore, biological treatment with Trichoderma reesei realized a decrease in organic matter (OM), CF, NDF, and ADF and increased CP and ash contents in corn stalks. NFE content of corn stalks was decreased as a result of treatment without or with Trichoderma reesei experimental rations by 11.95% and 3.82% compared to raw corn stalks (CS). Biological treatments with fungi significantly (P < 0.05) improved average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion. ADG and feed conversion were significantly (P < 0.05) improved when rabbits were fed diets containing rice straw (RS) compared to that fed CS.

To investigate the effect of feeding growing lambs on dried sugar beet pulp (DSBP) or/and dried sugar beet tops (DSBT) as replacement of concentrate feed mixture (CFN) or/and berseem hay (BH) on characteristics of puberty, testosterone profile, scrotal circumference and physical semen characteristics of ram lambs, 24 ram lambs (3/4 Romanof x % Rahmani) aged 5 mo with 23.46 kg average body weight were divided into four groups, 6 animals in each. Ram lambs in the 1 st group (G1) were fed on ration composed of 50% CFM+50% BH (control ration). Ration of the 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th groups were as the following: G2: 25% CFM+25% DSBP+50% BH; G3: 25% CFM+25% DSBP+37.5% BH+12.5% DSBT and G4: 25% CFM+25% DSBP+25% BH+25% DSBT. Results show that the dietary treatment had no significant effects on puberty characteristics of ram lambs including age, body weight, scrotal circumference and testosterone concentration at different puberty stages (first mounting, mounting accompanied with erection and mounting accompanied with erection and ejaculation of 1 st sperm. The group differences in physical semen characteristics of the 1 st ejaculate at puberty including ejaculate volume (EV), percentage of initial motility (IM) and abnormal sperm (AS), sperm cell concentration (SCC), and output of live sperm (LS) and live normal sperm (LNS) were not significant. Only LS percentage in G3 decreased (P<0.05) as compared to G1 (control). Ram lambs in G4 fed mixed of 25% DSBP+25% DSBT showed higher (P<0.05) testosterone concentration and lower scrotal circumference than in G1. During the collection period of semen, EV and percentages of IM and AS were not affected significantly by dietary treatment. However, inclusion of 25% DSBP (G2) in diet of ram lambs decreased (P<0.05) percentage of LS and inclusion of 25% DSBP 25% DSBT (G4) increased (P<0.05) SCC/ejaculate and LNS output as compared to the control and other treatment groups. Output of TS increased (P<0.05) in G4 than in G2 and G3, but did not differ from that in the control group (G1). It could be concluded that inclusion of 25% dried sugar beet tops and 25% dried sugar beet pulp could be used successfully as a replacement of 25% of berseem hay ; and 25% of concentrate feed mixture in diet of ram lambs.

Fifteen weaning Rahmani lambs with an average live body weight 19±0.5 kg and 4 months age were randomly assigned into three groups (each of 5 lambs) to study the effect of heat protected soybean meal protein diets at 145°C in a forced air oven for 4 hrs on nutrients digestibility as well as feeding values and their reflection on growth performance of growing lambs. Animals were fed for 120 days feeding period on the same three experimental diets. Control fed diet containing soybean meal (15%) without treatment as a consists of CFM + clover hay. The T1 fed diet containing (50% soybean meal protected + 50% soybean meal unprotected) as consists of CFM + clover hay. The T2 fed diet containing 100% soybean meal protected as consists of CFM + clover hay animal were fed in groups. Digestibility coefficients were determined using acid insoluble ash (AIA%) as natural marker. The obtained results indicated that digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, CP, EE and NFE for lambs fed heat protected soybean meal protein were higher than those fed untreated diet. The improvements in nutrients digestibility reflected better feeding values in terms of TDN and DCP% for both diets contained treated protein than untreated one. Total dry matter intake varied between 1475.85 to 1518.28, 86.02 to 93.66 and 3.30 to 3.70 expressed as g/h/day, Kg W0.75 and %BW, respectively. In average, it is clearly appears that the highest daily weight gain was showed in T2 followed by T1 and control diets (0.211±0.013, 0.172±0.009 and 0.159±0.015Kg, respectively). The changes in body weights were in ascending order with increasing the level of protected soybean meal protein in animal diets. Net revenue was pronouncedly higher in diet that included heat protected soybean meal protein (853.634 and 1129.2 for T1 and T2, respectively) while it was 761.400L.E in control diet. From the obtained results, this study recommends the use of heat treatment as a protection method for SBM protein diets in growing lambs at 100% protected soybean meal protein.