Digestibility of nutrients in the body and growth intensity of young rabbits using triticale grain in feed rations

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the effect of feeding different amounts of triticale grain in the diet on digestibility of nutrients, body weight, average daily gain, carcass weight and slaughter yield of rabbits from 40 to 90 days of age. It was established that the intake of nitrogen exceeded its excretion with faeces in the animals of the experimental groups, whose rations included triticale grain. It was experimentally proven that the rabbits of the second research group, which were fed compound feed with 12.5% of the grain component replaced by triticale grain, better digested feed nitrogen by 1.39 g or 5.15% (Р˂0.05), compared to the control group. The body weight of animals of all groups during the preparation period was almost the same, but already after 10 days of using different amounts of triticale grain in the diet of rabbits, it was 8% higher in rabbits of the II and III groups. Feeding different amounts of triticale grain in the composition of granulated feed positively affected the weight growth of the rabbits of the experimental groups. It was established that both on the 50th and 90th day, the growth intensity was the highest in rabbits of the II experimental group, in which 12.5% of triticale grain in the composition of the granulated compound feed were replaced, compared to the control.  In the animals of the II and III research groups, which consumed granulated compound feed with a content of 12.5% and 35% of triticale grain at the fourth and fifth stages of determination (80th and 90th day of the study), absolute growth increased by 1.3 and 1.2% compared to control group. This indicates an increase in the intensity of their growth. The final stage of the study showed that feeding granulated compound feed containing triticale grain did not have a negative effect on massometric indicators of internal organs. Slaughter yield in II, III and IV experimental groups was 50.2%, 49.5 and 48.3% against 47.6% in the control group. The superiority of the experimental rabbits over the control ones in pulp mass was noted –21.4%, 15.4% and 5.4% by groups respectively. Thus, the obtained results indicate that the introduction of various amounts of triticale grain into the diet as part of granulated compound feed significantly affects the degree of digestion and assimilation of nutrients in the body of young rabbits, growth intensity, carcass weight and slaughter yield. This means that triticale grain can be partially introduced into the diets of rabbits to increase the intensity of their growth.