Effect of dietary fennel and thyme essential oil supplementation on zootechnical parameters and caecal microflora of growing rabbit

الملخص EN

-The objective of this study was to compare the effect of dietary fennel and thyme essential oil supplementation with the effect of antibiotic on zootechnical parameters and caecal microflora of rabbits.

40 weaned rabbits (35 days old), white New Zealand, were divided into two groups and submitted to two dietary treatments: EOFT (diet with essential oil of Feoniculum vulgaris and Thymus capitatus) and OTC (diet with oxytetracycline in drinking water).

The application of fennel and thyme essential oil had a beneficial effect on the mortality.

The mean carcass yield of OTC group was higher than EOFT group after twenty five days of the treatment.

However, the difference of dietary fennel and thyme essential oil supplementation and oxytetracycline on live weight, growth rate and feed conversion ratio were not significant.

No difference was found on caecal count of E.coli and C.perfringens in both treated groups.