Response of growing rabbits to dietary antioxidant vitamins E and C. 1. Effect on performance.

A seven-treatment experiment was carried out to study the response of seventy 6-week old New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits to dietary supplementation with the antioxidant vitamins, α-tocopheroyl acetate (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), provided individually or in a combination on some performance traits. Rabbits were equally allocated to one of the following supra-nutritional levels of the two vitamins per kg diet up to the 13 week of age: 1, control with no extra vitamin supplement (40 ppm vitamin E provided through the vitamin A and mineral premix; 2, supplemented with 40 ppm vitamin E (E40); 3, supplemented with 80 ppm vitamin E (E80); 4, supplemented with 200 ppm vitamin C (C200); 5, supplemented with 400 ppm vitamin C (C400); 6, supplemented with 40 ppm vitamin E and 200 ppm vitamin C (E40C200); and 7, supplemented with 80 ppm vitamin E and 400 ppm vitamin C (E80C400). The C200 group recorded the highest live weight gain and best feed conversion ratio (1312 g and 2.68 vs. 943 g and 3.68 in control group; P<0.01); E80 group had the highest dressing percentage (65.9% vs. 62.5 in control group; P<0.05) and C400 group showed the highest total antioxidant capacity values and lymphocytes percentage (2.4 mmol/l and 63% vs. 1.89 mmol/l and 58% in control group; P<0.01). In conclusion, the vitamin E and/or vitamin C successfully enhanced the growth performance, anti-oxidant status and immunity traits of growing rabbits.