his study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary zinc (Zn) supplementation in inorganic (zinc sulfate, ZnSO4) and organic (zinc methionine, Zn-Met) forms at two levels (100 or 200 mg/kg diet) on growth performance, digestibility coefficients and immune response of New Zealand White (NZW) male rabbits. One hundred male NZW rabbit (at 6 weeks of age, 808 ± 11g average body weight) were divided into five homogenous groups. The 1 st group was fed basal diet including vitamins & minerals premix which contained 58 mg Zn as a control, the 2 nd and the 3 rd groups were fed on the same diet supplemented with 100 or 200 mg Zn/kg diet as zinc sulfate (ZnSO4, inorganic form) and the 4 th and the 5 th groups were fed on the same diet supplemented with 100 or 200 mg Zn/kg diet as zinc methionine (Zn-Met, organic form). Results showed that live body weight at 22 wks of age and total body weight gain of rabbits fed diets supplemented with Zn was significantly (P<0.01) higher than those fed diet without supplementation. Rabbits fed diet supplemented with 200 mg Zn-Met/kg diet had significantly heaviest body weight, followed by rabbits fed diet supplemented with 100 mg Zn-Meth/kg diet than groups fed diet supplemented with 200 and 100 mg ZnSO4. Rabbits fed diets supplemented with Zn-Met or ZnSO4 converted feed better than those fed diets without supplementation. Rabbits fed diets supplemented of Zn-Meth at 200 or 100 mg/Kg diets improved nutrients digestibility and nutritive values expressed as TDN and DCP of diets. Zn supplementation (Zn-Meth or ZnSO4) to rabbit diets significantly (P<0.01) affected cellmediated immune response at different hours post injection of phytohemoagglutinins (PHA). Zn from Zn-Meth (200 or 100 mg/kg diets) significantly increased heighten cellular immunity than zinc from ZnSO4. Rabbits fed diets supplemented with Zn (Zn-Meth or ZnSO4) with any levels had significantly (P<0.01) higher antibody titer against sheep red blood cell (SRBC) at different weeks post immunization than those fed control diets. Zn-Meth improved significantly antibody titer against SRBC than zinc from ZnSO4. Inclusion 200 mg Zn-Met/kg diet significantly improved antibody titer post three weeks of SRBC injection than 100 mg Zn-Met. It can be concluded that dietary Zn methionine (organic form (at level of 200 mg/kg of rabbit diet improved nutrients digestibility and nutritive values of diets, which could be associated with better growth performance and immune efficiency.
The present experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of Zinc-enriched Spirulina (Zn-Sp) supplementation as an organic Zn source on the growth performance, nutrients digestibility, carcass characteristics, blood parameters and economic efficiency of growing rabbits. A total of forty eight male NZW rabbits (35 days old) were allotted to four groups (12 rabbits for each), 4 replicates (3 rabbits for each). Three levels of 75 and 100 mg Zn-Sp/kg diet) were compared to a control group without Zn-Sp addition. The results have shown that dietary Zn-Sp supplementation caused an increase (P<0.05) in final live body weight at 13 weeks. Supplementation of 75 and 100 mg Zn-Sp improved (P<0.05) body weight gain compared to the control group during the whole experiment period. The increases in body weight gain were 10.93 and 10.63% for 75 and 100 mg Zn-Sp, respectively compared to the control group. On the other hand, at all experimental periods, rabbits fed diets supplemented with 75 and 100 mg Zn-Sp consumed less (P<0.05) feed intake than those fed control diet or 50 mg Zn-Sp. As well as, diets supplemented with Zn at 50, 75 and 100 mg Zn-Sp improved (P<0.05) FCR throughout the experimental period (8weeks). Dietary Zn-Sp supplementation at 100 mg led to a significant increase in all nutrients digestibility In addition; Zn-Sp supplementation had insignificant effect on the CF digestibility. Feeding rabbits on diets supplemented with Zn-Sp at a level of 100 mg/kg DM increased (P<0.05) DCP%, TDN and DE (kcal/kg) compared to the control group. The obtained results also showed that supplementing rabbit diets with Zn-Sp at each tested level increased (P<0.05) hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, total edible parts (%), serum total protein and HDL, serum Zn concentrations, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels in comparison to the control group. Conversely, a significant decrease (P<0.05) was observed in serum total cholesterol and LDL concentrations compared with the
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