EVALUATING UTILIZATION OF GROUND DATE STONE WITH OR WITHOUT KEMZYME IN THE DIETS OF GROWING NEW ZEALAND RABBITS

A total number of 45 New Zealand white weaned male rabbits aged 30 days with nearly equal live body weights was used in the present study to determine the effects on growing rabbits’ growth performance and carcass traits when replacing yellow corn content of the basal diet by ground date stone either partially (50% replacement) or totally (100%). Each replacement included two treatments, with or without kemzyme supplementation. Five groups were randomly allotted with three replicates of 3 rabbits each. Five pelleted experimental diets were formulated to be approximately iso-nitrogenous. Treatment diets were formulated by replacing 50 or 100% of yellow corn in the control by ground date stone with or without kemzyme (at a level of 0.5 kg/ton of rabbit feed). The results indicated that 50% replacement of yellow corn ground date stone (with or without kemzyme) significantly (P<0.05) improved feed conversion efficiency of growing male rabbits during the experimental period. Replacing yellow corn at 50 or 100% by ground date stone with kemzyme supplementation slightly improved digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract and NFE. The dressing percentage was significantly (P<0.05) higher with supplementing kemzyme to at 50 or 100% ground date stone, compared to the other experimental groups. The obtained results indicated that ground date stone could be used instead of yellow corn (50% substitution) either without or with special kemzyme supplementation which showed best performance and economic efficiency.
In general, the results indicated that ground date stone could replace yellow corn in rabbits feed by 50% either with or without kemzyme, to realize the best production and economic efficiency values.