Animal Science Abstract
Caecotrophes intake in growing rabbits estimated either from urinary excretion of purine derivatives or from direct measurement using animals provided with a neck collar : effect of type and level of dietary carbohydrate
A. Belenguer1, J. Balcells1,A, M. Fondevila1 and C. Torre2
ATo whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail: balcells@posta.unizar.es
1Departamento de Producción Animal y Ciencia de los Alimentos, Universidad de Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, Zaragoza 50013, Spain2Agribands, Purina España, S. A. Sant Joan 193, Barcelona, Spain
Abstract
The present study compares estimates of caecotrophes production from urinary purine derivatives (PD) excretion with that from preventing caecotrophy by using a neck collar. A total of 64 New Zealand growing male rabbits were used to study the effect of diet composition on caecotrophes production. Diets were formulated using two sources of structural carbohydrates (fibre): alfalfa hay (AH) and sugar-beet pulp (SBP), mixed at two constant proportions, (0•75 : 0•25) AH diets and (0•25 : 0•75) SBP diets. Both diets included either barley or maize grain at two fibre : grain ratios (F/G, 80 : 20 and 45 : 55). Diets were given ad libitum. Growth rate, dry matter intake and digestibility were not modified by the grain source, although high F/G diets resulted in a lower growth rate (19•8 v. 26•4 g/day; P < 0•001). Between fibre sources, dry-matter intake and growth were higher in AH than in SBP diets (122•5 and 25•6 v. 101•6 and 20•4 g/day, respectively, P < 0•001 and P < 0•01). Rabbits given high F/G ratio and AH diets excreted more caecotrophes than those given low F/G ratio and SBP diets (19•5 and 20•9 v. 16•3 and 14•85 g/day, respectively). Microbial-N recycling through the caecotrophy process was higher when considering data from PD excretion (1•33 g/d) than when estimated by preventing caecotrophy (0•72 g/day).
Keywords: rabbits, caecotrophy, purines
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