Nutrient digestibility of rabbit does in different stages of reproductive cycle under tropical conditions.

Effect of stages of reproductive cycle on body weight, feed intake and apparent nutrient digestibility of rabbits was investigated. Pregnant/lactating (PL) does increased their feed intake above pregnant lactating does. Dry matter (DM) digestibility was higher in pregnant does than in lactating, PL or open does. Digestibility of crude fibre, crude protein (CP) and nitrogen-free extractives (NFE) were significantly higher for open and pregnant does than lactating and PL does. Ether extract (EE) digestibility was similar for pregnant, lactating and PL does. Digestible CP requirement of does increased with physiological state from open to PL states. Open and pregnant does were meeting their protein requirement while lactating and PL does were not meeting their requirement. Feed intake was higher for first week pregnant, fourth week pregnant, first week lactating, first week pregnant/fourth week lactating and second week pregnant/fourth week lactating does than open does. DM digestibility was higher for first and fourth week pregnant does than the other physiological stages. EE digestibility was similar for all physiological stages. CP digestibility was higher in fourth week pregnant does than the other physiological stages. Fourth week pregnant does had higher NFE digestibility than first and fourth week lactating and the various stages of concurrent pregnant and lactating does. Open does, first and fourth week pregnant does were meeting their protein requirement while does in the first and fourth week of lactating and stages of concurrent PL were not meeting their requirement.