This study was carried out to investigate the effect of pomegranate
dried waste (PDW) supplementation as natural antioxidant source on some
reproductive and productive traits and blood constituents' doe rabbits,
during summer season in Egypt.
Twenty eight of New Zealand White (NZW) does aged 6 months with
an average weight of 2942.5 ± 48.14 g were used from April and lasted 16
weeks with 7 does per treatment groups and allotted into four dietary
groups. First group was served as control, while, 2nd, 3rd, 4th groups were
fed control diet with levels 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% PDW, respectively.
Results indicate that PDW levels at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 with a few
exceptions were ranked first, second and third as had the highest values for
feed intake during pregnancy (P<0.01), and lactation periods (P<0.05),
litter size at birth (P<0.01) and weaning (P<0.05), litter weight at weaning
(P<0.05), milk production (P<0.01) through 4 weeks of lactation, while it
was lowest values of and pre weaning mortality rate (P<0.0001) during
birth to weaning age.
Doe rabbits receiving 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5% levels of PDW had a
significant decrease in blood triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein
(LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (vLDL). The activities of different
blood plasma enzymes were significantly enhanced. Interestingly, PDW
levels increased both the blood plasma antioxidant enzymes (TAC, SOD
and GPx).

These results may indicate that dietary supplementation of PDW could
be used up to 1.0 % to have a favorable effect in the improvement of doe
rabbits performance and antioxidant status during summer season in Egypt.