Low dietary sodium content affects the digestibility of nutrients and fattening performance in growing rabbits
- Chamorro, Susana
- Gómez Conde, María Soledad
- Carabaño, Rosa
- de Blas, J. Carlos
ISSN: 1695-971X, 2171-9292
Year of publication: 2007
Issue: 4
Pages: 470-473
Type: Article
More publications in: Spanish journal of agricultural research
Abstract
An experiment was conducted to study the effect of a reduction in dietary sodium content on performance and nutrient digestibility, in rabbits weaned at 25 days of age. Two diets with the same composition and only differing in the supply of sodium chloride content (0.5 or 0%) were used. A reduction on the dietary sodium content from 2.7 to 0.6 g kg¿1 DM decreased the ileal and faecal apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and the ileal apparent digestibility of every amino acid studied with the exception of the phenylalanine, and reduced daily weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency. These results indicate that a reduction of the dietary sodium content up to 0.6 g kg¿1 DM results excessive and insufficient to assure a correct absorption of nutrients and to maintain the growth performance in growing rabbit.