Effect of Humulus scandens for Traditional Fiber Sources on Digestion, Diarrhea, and Performance of Growing Rabbits

This work was to determine which concentration of a mixture of fresh Humulus scandens (HS) and fresh alfalfa could be included in diets for rabbits. The fresh forage of three experimental diets is composed of 100% alfalfa, 50% alfalfa+50% HS, 100% HS, respectively. 30 rabbits [(1.42±0.056) kg] were used to determine nutrient digestibility. A feeding trial was carried out using 90 weaning rabbits [35 d of age; (512 ± 6.5) g]. Increasing content of HS in the diet did not affect digestibility of DM (dry matter), CF (crude fiber), CP (crude protein), GE (gross energy), and EE (ether extract). But diarrhea decreased markedly (P <0.01) compared with the diets that had no HS. ADFI (average daily feed intake) increased by 4.3% (P < 0.05) and 3.6% (P < 0.05) when rabbits fed the diet with 100% HS of fresh forage compared with the diets containing 0 and 50% HS, respectively. Feed efficiency improved significantly (P <0.05) by 2.07 and 5.30% when rabbits fed 0 and 50% HS of fresh forage, respectively, compared with 100% HS. There was no effect on ADG (average daily weight gain). In conclusion, the mixture (50:50) of HS and alfalfa constitutes an alternative source of fiber for fattening rabbits and prevents diarrhea effectively.