Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) as replacement for guinea grass for growing and lactating rabbits

摘要

Forty-eightweanedrabbits(NewZealandwhite)withaverageinitialweightof1423g(growthtrial)andthirty-sixlactatingrabbits(ImprovedNewZealandWhite)withaverageinitialweightsof3460ginthethirdlactationwereusedintwoexperimentstoevaluatewaterspinachasreplacementofguineagrassasforagesourcesinabasaldietofconcentratesandmolassesblock.Theexperimentsweredesignedascompletelyrandomizedarrangementsof6treatmentswhichwere:guineagrassreplacedbywaterspinachatlevelsof:0,20,40,60,80,100%basedondrymatter.Theexperimentalperiodswere42days(growthtrial)and75days(gestation-lactation).nbsp;Therewasalinearresponseingrowthrateandfeedconversion,bothofwhichwereimprovedbytheorderof25%(from25to31g/dayforgrowth;4.8to3.9forfeedconversion)aswaterspinachcompletelyreplacedtheguineagrass.Similarpositiveimprovementsduetowaterspinachwereobservedinthelactationstudywithincreasesinallparameters(littersizeandweight,milkyieldandoffspringgrowthrate).Itisconcludedthatwaterspinachisahighlyappropriatefeedforrabbitsinviewofitshighproteincontentandlowleveloffibre.