Influence of supplemental dietary sprouted wheat on reproduction in artificially inseminated doe rabbits

The sprouted wheat contains great amounts of 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA) a phenol compound that stimulates reproduction in certain small wild herbivorous mammals. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of dietary sprouted wheat as supplement on reproduction in artificially inseminated doe rabbits. Two-month-old New Zealand White doe rabbits (n = 48) were randomly allocated to one of two treatments: (1) pelleted diet plus sprouted wheat for 6 consecutive days prior to service, (2) pelleted diet only (control). First insemination occurred when does reach 3200 g body weight and bred 6 days after parturition across 6 months period during summer and autumn. Records from 41 does completing the experiment accounted for 192 inseminations and 142 kindlings equivalent to 4.6 ± 0.15 and 3.5 ± 0.15 litters per doe, respectively. Mean daily intake of sprouted wheat on wet and dry matter bases were 196.1 ± 7.5 and 75.4 ± 2.9 g, respectively. The number of young born produced per doe during the trail was significantly (P = 0.02) greater in does fed sprouted wheat (28.1 ± 1.2 versus 23.6 ± 1.3 control). Does fed sprouted wheat had 0.65 ± 0.06 receptivity rate at AI over 28% greater (P = 0.001) than does in the control treatment. Sexual receptivity was not influenced by physiological status of does and season (P > 0.05). Diet and season had no effect (P > 0.05) on kindling rate. However, physiological status had an effect (P = 0.002) on this variable. Kindling rates for nulliparous, lactating and non-lactating does were 0.95 ± 0.08, 0.63 ± 0.04 and 0.78 ± 0.11, respectively. Sexually receptive does had a greater (P = 0.0001) kindling rate (0.95 ± 0.05) than non-receptive females (0.63 ± 0.05). Does fed sprouted wheat produced larger (P = 0.02) litters than those in the control group: 7.7 ± 0.30 and 6.8 ± 0.32, respectively. There was an effect of season (P = 0.04) on the size of the litter at birth. Largest litters were born during autumn (7.9 ± 0.37) than during summer (6.6 ± 0.41). Receptive does had more (P = 0.002) young in the litter (7.9 ± 0.28) than non-receptive (6.6 ± 0.35). Feeding sprouted wheat as a source of biological 6-MBOA enhanced sexual receptivity and prolificacy in artificially inseminated doe rabbits bred in summer and autumn.