The present study was carried out to investigate the influence of
feeding levels from mating to day 10 of pregnancy on progesterone
hormone concentration, gestation length, fertility rate, litter traits and
milk yield. Twenty seven New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit does, aged
from 5.5 to 6.0 months with an average initial body weight (3.00±0.25 kg),
were used in the present work. The rabbit does were divided into three
feeding level groups 9 in each. Rabbits were fed a pelleted diet containing
2800 kcal /kg and 18% crude protein. The first group (G1) was kept as a
control group and received 140g/day ration during the experimental
period. The second group (G2) and third group (G3) received 70g and
280g/day ration, representing 50and 200 % of feed level as compared
with control group, respectively .
The results revealed that, plasma progesterone hormone levels at
3 ,7 and 14 days of mating differed significantly (P<0.05) and (P<0.01)
among the three feeding level groups, respectively . The level of
progesterone hormone was the highest in G2, G1 and G3, respectively.
Fertility rate was affected significantly (P<0.01) by the feeding levels,
being higher (P<0.01) in G2, then G1 and G3, respectively. Gestation
length, litter size and weight at birth, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of age were
insignificantly affected. The highest (Pat 1st and 2nd weeks were recorded in does in G1, while at 3rd and 4th
weeks of lactation in G3 . Distinctively, milk yield increased gradually
reaching the peak at 3rd week of lactation in all feeding level groups . The
differences were significant by (P<0.01) between the 1st and 2nd weeks
of lactation.
It could be concluded that rabbit does under fed restricted diet
conditions up to 50% of control diet from mating to 10 day of pregnancy
improved their reproductive efficiency in NZW.