By Joshua Kato
The feeding of rabbits during fattening period is characterised by high efficiency of ingested nutrients, resulting in high deposition of muscle tissue. The characteristics of the digestive physiology of rabbits allow the use of considerable amounts of fibrous feedstuffs in diets, enabling us to introduce some agro-industrial by-products.
This practice can lower feed costs by replacing commonly-used energy or protein sources such as maize and soybean meal, adding value to by-product feedstuffs and reducing the environmental impact caused by their improper disposal. Dried spent grain contains 28% protein and 18% crude fibre, which is sufficient to meet the protein and fibre requirement for growth of rabbits.
Dried grains can be an alternative feedstuff to alfalfa hay and wheat bran, fibre sources commonly used in rabbit diets and which present a high cost value in the diet. Furthermore, due to its high protein content and amino acid composition, the inclusion of dried spent grains also enables the substitution of soybean meal in diets for rabbits.
