Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the possible effect of fennel and rosemary dietary supplements on the performance of rabbits. Therefore fifty-six weaned rabbits (40 days old) from white New Zealand breed were divided into two groups and submitted to the following dietary treatments: A) control diet and B) FR diet consisted of 2.5% Foeniculum vulgare seeds (fennel) and Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (Rosmary) as powder mixed by control diet for thirty days. The growth rate, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield, and mortality were not influenced by dietary fennel and rosemary supplementation. The antimicrobial effect of fennel and rosemary (2.5%) was not observed against E. coli in the caecum of the rabbit treated. The essential oils of Foeniculum vulgare and Rosmarinus officinalis are predominantly composed by Trans Anethole and 1-8 cineole successively. Low antibacterial activity was observed with two essential oils against the strain tested in this study. The addition of the 2.5% combination of fennel and rosemary in rabbit feed did not influence the zootechnical parameters of the rabbits