Evaluation of hydroponic barley (hordeum vulgare) fodder on growth performance in New zealand white rabbit

An abstract of the research paper presented to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, in partial requirement on the course DVT 5436 – Research Project. Barley is the world's fourth most significant cereal crop, with over 100 countries growing it and using it as animal feed. China is the Asian's largest producer of barley, while Malaysia is a net importer. However, the production of barley and the efficiency of the barley used as rabbit feed in Malaysia has never been investigated. Thus, this study was carried out to evaluate the production of barley grown using a hydroponic system and assess the growth performance of New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit. Barley fodder was produced using the hydroponic system in Malaysia's environmental conditions. Several parameters were taken to assess the growth of the fodder. The fodder was harvested on day 6 and was not influenced by Malaysia's environmental conditions. The growth performance of the NZW rabbit was assessed by replacing a commercial diet with hydroponic barley (HB). Rabbit fed with a commercial diet has a significant increase in body weight compared to rabbits fed with a combination of HB and commercial feed. In conclusion, HB can be alternative feed for rabbit farming in Malaysia.
Keywords: Body weight, Commercial feed, HB, Malaysia, NZW rabbit