Effect of the Inclusion of the Coconut Flour Degraded in the Productive Performance of the Growing Rabbit
Authors: Villalón Santos & Isidoro La O Michel
Abstract: Defatted coconut flour is a by-product obtained from the production of coconut fruit oil, an economical and locally available agroindustrial byproduct, the nutritional balance that it suggests its inclusion in rabbit feeding systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of productive behavior and carcass yield on fattened rabbits, fed with increasing levels of defatted coconut flour (HCD): 130 rabbits of the Chinchilla breed were used at weaning (35 d of age), distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments: 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% inclusion of HCD. We controlled the initial and final live weights, daily average gain, feed consumption, feed conversion, yield to the carcass and its valuable cuts. The final live weight of the animals during the fattening cycle was between 2060 and 2242 g / animal, in all cases above 2000 g which is the one established for the slaughter of the animals, the average weight gain oscillated between 25 4 and 28.4. The yield to the channel was not affected with the inclusion of HCD up to 40% in the diets, their average values ranged between 49.72 and 53.5%. These results suggest that the use of defatted coconut meal in diets for growing rabbits could improve the economic performance of the production system without impairing the performance of the animals.