Effect of dietary butyrate supplementation on the production performance and parasitology of growing rabbits

¹ Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kaposvári Campus, Institute of Animal Sciences, H-7400 Kaposvár, Guba S. u. 40., Hungary
² Cargill Feed Ltd, H-1087 Budapest Hungária körút 30, Hungary
³ S&K-Lap Ltd, H-2173 Kartal, Császár út 135, Hungary
⁴ University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Department of Clinical Pathology, H-2225 Üllő, Dóra major, Hungary
⁵ Széchenyi István University, Department of Animal Sciences, Vár square 2, 9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary

^* Corresponding author: matics.zsolt@sze.hu

Abstract

The effect of a dietary butyrate supplementation on the production of fattening rabbits was examined. The control group (n=70 rabbits) was fed with granulated diet whereas the diet of butyrate group (n=70 rabbit) was supplemented with 0.2% of butyrate. The mortality rate was examined on a larger population (n=1050 rabbits/group). Butyrate group had lower weight gain at the ages of 46-52 and 60-66 days (-20 and 17 %, respectively; P>0.001) but higher weight gain at 53-59 days of age (+13%; P<0.05). Butyrate group consumed less feed than the control group between 38-45, 46-52 and 60-66 days (-2.4%, P<0.001; -5.7%, P<0.01; -4.9%, P<0.05, respectively). The feed conversion ratio of the butyrate group was worse between 46-52 days of age (+19%; P<0.01) but favourable at the ages of 53-59 and 67-73 days (-15% and -9%, respectively; P<0.05). Concerning the whole fattening period the weight gain, the feed intake and the feed conversion ratio of the groups did not differ. In the larger examined population, 4.0% and 6.3 % mortality was observed in the control and butyrate groups, respectively. The parasitological tests resulted only negative samples independently of groups. It can be concluded that dietary butyrate supplementation has not improved the performance of the growing rabbits.