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 rabbits35 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.