EFFECT OF CRUDE PAPAYA LATEX SUPPLEMENTATION ON SOME PRODUCTION, DIGESTION AND REPRODUCTION TRAITS OF RABBITS

Zeedan Kh.I.I.1, El-Neney, Battaa A. M.2; Abd El-Hakim A.S.2, El-Kholy K.H.3

1-      Department of Animal Nutrition Research.

2-       Department of Poultry Nutrition Research.

3-       Department of Rabbit; Turkey and Water Fowl Breeding Research. Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract: Seventy eight New-Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were used in the present study to determine the effects of diet administering latex of Carica papaya as natural feed additive and enzymes complex on their productive and reproductive capabilities. The present study included two experiments, the first one lasted 49 days and was carried out during growing period (from weaning at 35days to marketing age at 84 days) using 52 rabbits. The second lasted 4 months and was carried out on 20 multiparous does and 6 sexual mature bucks of NZW rabbits aged nine months. The growing animals were divided into four experimental groups (13 rabbits in each). The first group was kept untreated (control), while the other groups were supplemented with papaya latex at levels of 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9%, during the first experimental period. While, mature rabbits were divided into two experimental groups (6 bucks and 20 does in two sequence parities in each group). The first group is control and second is treated with 0.9% Carica papaya latex, which showed the best effects on production performance in Experiment 1) to estimate the fertility traits. The results revealed that, daily body weight gain and final body weight of growing NZW rabbits were significantly (P≤0.05) higher due to diet treatment with papaya latex as compared with control ones being maximized with 0.9% papaya latex. Whereas, daily feed intake significantly (P≤0.05) decreased with papaya latex inclusion. The treatment also increased significantly (P≤0.05) dressing percentage, carcass weight, internal organs weight, blood picture and some blood serum constitute of growing NZW rabbits. The addition of 0.9% papaya latex to the NZW rabbit doe diets significantly (P≤0.05) improved their reproductive capability. Conclusively, it can be concluded that supplementation of papaya latex at level 0.9% to rabbit rations showed a great role in enhancing the growth performance, blood metabolites and reproductive performance due to presence of certain digestive enzymes.