Berchiche et al., 2000. 7th World Rabbit Congress, Valencia, Vol. C : 119-124

A control diet (17.5% protein and 13.9% crude fibre) was based on soya meal (11%), dehydrated alfalfa (35%), hard wheat bran (25%) and barley (25%). In complete substitution of barley and partial substitution of soya meal, hard wheat bran was increased up to 56% in diet A, and in diet B two hard wheat by-products were employed (bran 30% and middlings 23%). Eighty one rabbits of the local population, were caged individually and received ad libitum from weaning (28 d.) to 84 days, one of the 3 pelleted diets. Digestibility of diets A and B was measured with 10 rabbits per diet for dry matter (66.0 - 75.4%) nitrogen (81.3% - 85.7%), crude fibre digestibility (20.9% - 35.9%) and digestible energy content (2658 and 2933 kcal/kg DM). For diets A, B and control, growth rate and feed conversion ratio were, in that order, 27.8 - 28.8 and 30.5 g/d (P<0.05) and 4.39 - 3.91 and 4.52 (P<0.01). Despite a higher final live weight for the control (2157 vs 2017 and 2011 g for A an B ; P<0.01) hot carcass weight was not significantly affected by treatments (1475 g on average). Nevertheless, liver weight was higher in the control (113 vs 91.7 and 90.4 g; P<0.01).(