PERFORMANCE AND IMMUNE FUNCTION OF GROWING RABBITS AS AFFECTED BY VITAMIN C AND E THROUGH THE SUMMER SEASON

Forty New Zealand White rabbits about 5 weeks of age and 650 g average initial body weight, were assigned to lour experimental groups (ten rabbits each). Rabbits were randomly placed in indrvidual wire cages. Rabbits were led a commercial diet containing 17% crude protein (CP) and 2700 KC411 digestible energy (DE) and orally supplemented with vita‌mins as follows: 0 supplementation as control group (1). 20 mg vit. C. 10 mg vit. E and 20 mg vit. C + 10 mg vitt/animaVday for groups 2. 3 and 4, respectively. Maximum and minimum temperature degrees and relative humidi‌ty were recorded daily out and Indoor during the experimental periods (8 weeks). Expenment was conducted during summer season (June-July. 2001) with an average temperature ranging between 35 and 21 *C and 75% of relative humidity indoor and ranging between 36 and 20 •C and 73% of relative humidity outdoor. Body weight and feed Intake were recorded biweekly, body gain and feed conversion were calculated. Racial temperatures (RT) and res‌pkation rate (RR) were measured biweekly. By the end of the experimen‌tal period, blood samples were taken for haemoglobin (lib). hematoxit (HI), total protein(TP). albumin (Alb), cholesterol, glutamic oxaloacetic tronsaminase (GOT). pyruvic transaminase activity (OPT), blood urea ni‌trogen (BUN) and alkakno phosphatase assays. White blood cells diffe‌rential and carcass traits have been done for four rabbits from each group. Results Showed that vitamins supplementation improved signifi‌cantly (Pc0.05) body weight, body weight gain and feed/gain ratio corm pared to the control group, while no significant differences between vita. min groups. There were no appreciable effects for vitamins C and/or E on car‌cass traits, but great improvements were noticed for. Ht, ID. GOT, OPT. TP. Alb, globulin and lymphocytes type due to vitamin Supplementation. A significant reduction were recorded for cholesterol, RR. RT. BUN and Alk. Phos. with vitamins groups compared to control group. Supplemen‌tation of vii. C and Vit. C + E recorded the best albumin/globulin ratio (Alb/glob) compared to other groups. It is easy to conclude that those two vitamins are essential in enhancing the immune system especially