The aim of this work was to study the efficacy of probiotic BioPlus 2B® dietary inclusion
on performance of growing rabbits in summer conditions. One hundred and twenty
Pannon White rabbits were weaned and randomly divided into two groups with respect
to litter size and body weight at 35 days of age. Control group was fed a commercial and
antibiotic-free diet (C). In the treated group (B) the C feed was supplemented with 400
mg/kg of BioPlus 2B®. The diets were provided ad libitum until 77 days of age. The
probiotic inclusion corresponded to 1.28x106
colony forming units (CFU) per g feedstuff,
i.e. 6.4x105
CFU/g of Bacillus licheniformis and 6.4x105
CFU/g of Bacillus subtilis after
pelletization. Rabbits were housed individually in wire-mesh flat-deck cages (30x61x28
cm) under controlled conditions (16L:8D photoperiod). The inside temperature was 18-
23°C, however, due to the hot summer, it could reach sometimes 23-26°C. The
treatment did not affect 77d body weight and 35-77d daily weight gain (2427 g and 34.4
g/day in the B group, while 2434 g and 34.4 g/day in the C group, respectively). Feed
efficiency was similar for the different groups. The supplementation had a beneficial
effect on the sanitary risk (3.3% and 23.3% in B and C groups, respectively), primarily
due to the lower mortality between 35 and 49 days of age (0% and 71% of all lossess
occurred in this period in the B and C groups, respectively). With a dose of 400 mg/kg
BioPlus 2B®, the morbidity was by 3% and the mortality rate by 17% lower (P