Performance and meat quality of growing New Zealand White rabbits fed fodder radish (Raphanus sativus L.)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2026v47n2p345Keywords:
Carcass traits, Body development, Ensiling, Animal nutrition.Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of fodder radish silage on the performance and carcass and meat characteristics of growing rabbits. Forty-four New Zealand White rabbits were equally assigned to one of two dietary treatments: a Control Diet (CD), consisting of commercial pelleted rabbit feed, and a Silage Diet (SD), consisting of a 1:1 mixture (as-fed basis) of fodder radish silage and commercial pelleted rabbit feed. Rabbits were housed in pairs from 35 to 75 days of age and fed ad libitum, with daily feed adjustments to maintain approximately 10% refusals. Body weight was recorded at the beginning of the experiment and weekly until slaughter at 75 days of age. Performance variables (dry matter intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio) and carcass and meat characteristics (carcass and cut yields, pH, color, water-holding capacity, cooking loss, and shear force) were evaluated. Rabbits fed the CD showed greater average daily gain and better feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) than those fed the SD. The CD also resulted in higher (P < 0.05) hot and cold carcass weights and lower (P < 0.05) shear force. Overall, the nutritional composition of the silage diet negatively affected growth performance and quantitative carcass traits but did not impair the meat quality of growing New Zealand White rabbits.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Luiz Gustavo Dias Gonzaga, Rafael Henrique Prado; Hannah Santos Berenguer; Fabiana Alves de Almeida, Helena Gomes Almeida, Maria Eduarda Lichescki de Freitas, Alessandra Martins Camargo, Juliana Aparecida de Assis, Letícia Viana Duchinski, Luana Santiago de Magalhães
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