EFFECTS OF PRE- OR POSTNATAL DIETARY PHYTOADDITIVE (ECHINACEA PALLIDA) ON GROWING RABBIT'S PERFORMANCES, CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMMUNITY

Echinacea pallida (EP), with immunomodulation and anti-oxidative properties, was selected to study the effects on performances, carcass characteristics and immunity. Twenty mature Grimaud does were randomly divided into two groups of ten which were fed a commercial basal diet without integration of EP (untreated does, C) or with 0.3 mg/kg of EP (treated does, E) for 96 days from 98 days of age. At second parturition, eighty kittens (35-day-old) from 194-day-old does were randomly separated into four groups of twenty and fed a growing commercial basal diet with (with 0.3 mg/kg of EP) or without the integration as follow: CC (basal diet from the C does), CE (treated diet from the C does), EC (basal diet from the E does) and EE (treated diet from the E does). Performances and health status were evaluated from weaning to 77 days old. At 89-day-old, ten rabbits from each group were selected for slaughter to perform carcass characteristic analyses and phagocytosis test. At 95 days of age, the remaining ten rabbits per group were treated with a vaccine against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus. The serum were collected at 88, 102, 109, 116 and 123 days of age to evaluate specific antibody responses. Twoway ANOVA was performed (maternal and diet effect as fixed factors). In conclusion, the dietary supplementation by EP in does promoted heavier SW and higher ADG in their kittens, whereas treated diets fed to fattening rabbits, induced a decrease of SW, a higher FCR and a phagocytic activity improvement.