Productive Qualities of Rabbit Female under Conditions of Industrial Technology with the Use of Universal Feed
Domestic producers can improve economic indicators of rabbit meat production under modern conditions only by adaptation of fattening technology process to conditions of each Russian region. An important aspect of this problem is the use of universal basic mix feed, made with local available feed resources. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of universal diet with average protein content (16%) and increased content of crude fibre (17,5%) on the reproductive properties of rabbit female and on the dynamics of the growth of young rabbits under conditions of an industrial rabbit breeding enterprise. A total of 24 rabbit females of New Zealand White breed were divided into two groups. The control group of rabbit females received food KK-92, containing 17% of protein and 15% of crude fibre. From weaning (35 days) to slaughter (77 days) youngsters received food KK-93, containing 15% of protein and 16% of crude fibre. Experimental group of animals throughout the experiment received a universal feed. Reproductive quality of rabbit females of control and the experimental groups were studied: fertilization, fertility, birth weight, milk yield, preservation of young rabbits to the time of slaughter. Intensity of growth and development of young rabbits (members of both groups) was studied. We calculated the economic efficiency of using of the universal diet. It is shown that the use of experimental compound feed slightly reduces the milk content of females and the dynamics of live weight gain of rabbits (12.5% at p< 0.05), but it contributes to a higher growth rate during the fattening period (p< 0.05) and to a greater slaughter weight (9% at p< 0.001). Together with the lower cost of universal mix feed and a reduction in the conversion rate, it contributed to a reduction in the unit cost of production. Generally, these results indicate the feasibility of widespread use of a universal diet with the proposed composition in terms of industrial technology.