EFFECT OF DIETARY ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON SEMEN CHARACTERISTICS OF RABBIT BUCKS.

The   present     study  was   carried  out at the   Experimental   farm of    Animal  Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, SouthValleyUniversity, Qena during the period from March to April 2008.Thirty matrue New Zealand White rabbit bucks aged 6 months were used, following a completely randomized design with three treatments(Zn levels). First group; fed control ration ,second  group  fed  control  ration; supplemented  with 75 ppm  ZnO and the third group fed control  ration supplemented  with 150  ppm  ZnO . The  rabbits  were  selected immediately after weaning (4 weeks of age) and used in the experiment that extended till 36 weeks of age. The treatments were respectively,0 , 75  and 150 ppm supplemental zinc per one kg ration in the diet. The  animal    received ZnO in their diets as soon as they were weaned. First semen collection was performed at 28 wks of age, being collected six times weekly per animal. The volume of each ejaculate was registered and an aliquot was separated for further analyses. Mean values of total ejaculate didn't differ(p>0.05) among treatments. Animal fed 75 and 150ppm ZnO presented higher sperm cells concentration compared to the control group.  In  conclusion   this  study shows  that  it  is possible to improve the quality of rabbit semen through dietary supplementation of zinc oxide. Key words: reproductive performance; semen, rabbit, supplementation, ZnO.