THE ROLE OF FIBER IN THE FEEDING OF RABBI TS

In two feeding experiments with rabbits the fiber content in isonitrog en and isoenergetic rations was varied in high, middle and low percent ages, also the fiber structure was different, so that fine resp. middl e resp. rough particel sizes were offered. In trial II the fiber was g iven as pure cellulose and there the contents were 14, 18 and 24%. The highest weight gains were registered in the highest fiber groups as w ell as the highest feed consumption, therefore the feed conversion was equalized in trial I. In trial 11 this criterion was better in the lo w fiber groups. According to the structure the feed consumption was th e lowest in the ''fine''-groups. The slaughter results were about the same for all treatments, only the portions for fat and liver in the ca rcass were the greatest after feeding the rabbits low fiber amounts. T he digestability varied very much in the fiber fractions (ADL, NFD, AD F), also interactions between fiber content and fiber structure were e ffective. Both factors seem to play an important role in the feed for rabbits and should be considered more in further experiments.