Effect of different sources of carbohydrate as supplements to basal diets of water spinach and cabbage leaves on the growth rate in crossbred rabbits

Bui Phan Thu Hang, Vo Lam and T R  Preston

Angiang University, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Vietnam
bpthang@agu.edu.vn

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to evaluate supplements of paddy rice or sweet potato root in basal diets of water spinach and cabbage leaves for growing rabbits on feed intake, growth performance. Twenty-four weaned crossbred rabbits (New Zealand x local female) 8 weeks of age were used. The design was a 2*3 factorial the factors being: (i) Water spinach (WS) or Cabbage (CAB); (ii) Supplements of Sweet potato root (SPR), paddy rice (PR) or no supplement (NS). The vegetable and carbohydrate supplements were offered ad libitum. Both carbohydrate supplements increased growth rate when the basal diet was water spinach but had no effect when the basal diet was cabbage.

Key words: Brassica species, growth,, live weight gain, paddy rice, sweet potato root

Figure 1. Growth rates of the rabbits on the different diets