EFFECT OF USING FENUGREEK AND ANISE SEEDS AS FEED ADDITIVES ON SOME REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEW ZEALAND WHITE RABBITS

Twenty New Zealand white rabbit does and four bucks aged 6 months were used to determine the effect of using fenugreek and anise seeds as natural feed additives on some reproductive performance of the rabbits. Rabbit does were randomly distributed into four treatment groups. The 1^st group was fed a control diet (18.4% crude protein, 2650 ME and 7.8% crude fiber) while, the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th groups were fed control diet supplemented with 6% fenugreek seeds, 6% anise seeds and mixture of 3% fenugreek plus 3% anise seeds(w/w), respectively. Feed consumption of each doe during pregnancy and lactating periods was calculated. Litter size and litter weight (g) at birth and weaning (35 days of age) were recorded and pre-weaning mortality was calculated. Also, milk production was estimated at 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd weeks after kindling. Results obtained indicated that the effect of using dietary fenugreek and anise seeds on number of services per conception, does feed consumption during pregnancy and suckling periods was not significant (p≥0.05).Also, litter size and litter weight at birth and weaning and pre-weaning mortality were not significant (p≥0.05)by using fenugreek and anise seeds as feed supplementation for rabbit does diet . Total milk yield and milk production at the 2^nd, 3^rd weeks of lactation in rabbit does fed diets supplemented with 6% fenugreek or mixture of 3% fenugreek plus 3% anise seeds were significantly higher (p≤0.05 and p≤0.01) compared with other dietary treatment groups