Effects of Various Durations of Water Deprivation on Performance of Weaner Rabbits in a Sub-Humid Environment

An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of various duration of water deprivation on performance of weaner rabbits in a sub-humid environment. Forty eight (48) nine-week old weaner rabbits of mixed breed and sex with an average initial weight of 622 ± 0.12g were used for the study which lasted 56 days There were four watering treatments such that water supply was restricted for 0, 6, 12 or 18 hours corresponding to 24, 18, 12 or 6 hours of access to water per day respectively. The rabbits were randomly assigned based on initial live weight and sex to the four watering treatments in a completely randomized design. Free water intake decreased linearly and significantly (P< 0.05) as the duration of water deprivation increased. There were no significant treatment effects (P>0.05) on daily feed intake. There were significant (P< 0.05) decreases in live weight gains, feed efficiency and water to feed ratio with increase in duration of water deprivation respectively. Mortality rate of about 16 and 33% were recorded among rabbits groups deprived of water for 12 and 18 hours per day respectively. Results of the study showed that for optimum growth performance, weaning rabbits should have access to free drinking water for a minimum period of 12 hours in a day.