Nutrient and energy digestibility of compound feed in rabbits of the Rodnik cross

The first Russian three-breed precocious and highly productive Rodnik cross of rabbits was created at the Afanas`ev Research Institute of Fur - Bearing Animal Breeding and Rabbit Breeding. The nutrient and energy digestibility of Rodnik cross rabbits on dry feed is not known, which makes it difficult to develop an optimal diet for them. The purpose of the work is to determine the degree of use of nutrients and energy by rabbits of the Rodnik cross during the fattening period. From 12 rabbits aged 45 days, three groups were formed according to the principle of analogues. The 1st was the control group, and the 2nd and 3rd were the experimental ones. Rabbits in each group were fed their own complete granulated compound feed with different ratios of nutrients. It was found that the main factor determining the efficiency of feed utilization by rabbits of the Rodnik cross is the ratio of nutrients in the diet. The optimal ratio of nutrients in complete granulated compound feed (formulae for the 2nd group) was 18.7% of protein, 4.8% of fat, 9.2% of fiber, and 53.7% of nitrogen-free extractive substances with a gross energy of 420.7/1.76 kcal/MJ. Such a nutrient ratio in the diet provided the live weight of rabbits of the cross Rodnik at 77 days old of 2.55±0.06 kg, with an average daily live weight gain of 41.5±2.16 g.