الفهرس 
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Abstract
The present study was carried out on a private commercial rabbit farm located in Assiut government, Upper Egypt, Egypt.
The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate the effect of using some herbal plant extracts (Rosemary and Chamomile) on the productive performance of growing rabbits under Assiut conditions during summer season. The experiment was conducted from May to June 2021. The experiment lasted for 7 wks from 5 to 12 weeks of age.
A total of 72 weaning New Zealand White growing rabbits, 5 weeks of age, with an average initial body weight of 743.17±12.4 g were obtained from a local commercial farm. Rabbits were randomly distributed into 6 treatments, each containing 12 rabbits in three replicates of four rabbits, each was (6 treatments x 3 replicates x 4 rabbits = 72) with nearly similar means of live body weight, as follows:
1- (Control): Rabbits received daily water without supplements.
2- (C1): Rabbits received daily water with supplements of chamomile aqueous extract a dose 5 ml /L.
3- (C2): Rabbits received daily water with supplements of chamomile aqueous extract a dose 10 ml /L.
4- (R1): Rabbits received daily water with supplements of rosemary aqueous extract a dose 5 ml /L.
5- (R2): Rabbits received daily water with supplements of rosemary aqueous extract a dose 10 ml /L.
6- (CR): Rabbits received daily water with supplements a mixture of rosemary and chamomile aqueous extract a dose 5 ml/L of each.
The obtained results can be summarized as follows:
Total body weight and daily weight gain:
• The addition of combination with chamomile and rosemary (CR) aqueous extracts (5 ml /L) to the drinking water of growing rabbits increased (P< 0.05) average body weight gain and daily weight gain as compared to the C1, R1 and R2 groups. The body weight gain of rabbits in rosemary groups was lower (P< 0.05) than those in the control and other treatment groups.
Feed consumption and feed conversion ratio:
• There are no significant effects on feed consumption between the treated groups and the control ones. However, the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly improved (P<0.01) of rabbits drinking water containing a mixture of chamomile and rosemary extracts (CR) when compared with the rosemary groups, while, no significant differences in feed conversion ratio were detected between the chamomile and rosemary groups.
Mortality rate:
• The inclusion of chamomile in the drinking water of the C1 and C2 groups or its combination with rosemary in the CR group decreased the mortality rate to 0% compared to the control and rosemary groups.
Blood constituents:
• The serum total protein (TP) and albumin of chamomile (C1-C2) and rosemary (R1) extracts, as well as their combination (CR) were significantly (P<0.05) lower than those in the control group. The rabbits that received 10 ml/L of rosemary (R2) extracts was higher (P<0.05) total protein and albumin than other treatment groups.
• The serum glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in all treatments groups in comparison with the control group.
• The serum levels of urea and creatinine were lower in chamomile groups than in the control group.
• The total antioxidant capacity was significantly increased (P<0.05) in rabbits that received the high doses of rosemary (C2) and chamomile (R2) and a combination of them (CR) in comparison with the control ones.
• The nitric oxide in the blood plasma of rabbits that received different levels of chamomile and rosemary extracts or their combination of them was significantly (P<0.05) lower than that of the control group.
Hematological parameters:
• The number of WBCs was increased (P˂0.05) when rabbits received a high dose of rosemary extract (R2) as compared with the control group (7.07 vs. 3.65 x103, respectively). However, no significant differences were detected between treatment groups and the control group for the percentages of lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes and eosinophils.
• The number of RBCs was decreased (P˂0.05) with a high dose of chamomile extract (10ml/L) as compared with the control one (4.09 vs. 4.87 x106 /μl, respectively).
• Hemoglobin and hematocrit percentage were improved (P˂0.05) with the supplement rosemary alone in the R2 group or their combination with chamomile in the CR group in compassion to the control group and other treated groups.
• The addition of chamomile at a rate of 5ml/L (C1) was reduced (P˂0.05) the MCV value when compared with those of the C2, R2 and CR groups.
• Supplementing chamomile extract alone (C2) or mixed with rosemary aqueous extracts (CR) markedly increased (P˂0.05) the platelets count when compared to other groups.
Carcass characteristics and chemical composition of meat:
• No significant (P≥0.05) differences in slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, and internal organs were observed between control and treated groups or among treated groups.
• The chemical composition of meat was not influenced by the different supplements from chamomile or rosemary and their combination.
Nutrient digestion coefficients:
• Statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) of nutrient digestibility among treatments and the control groups.
• Most nutrient digestibility of chamomile groups tended to be higher than the control and other treatment groups.
• The CF digestibility was numerical increased by about 14.9% in chamomile groups and rosemary groups (R2) as compared with the control group.
Histological sectors:
• A high dose of chamomile (C2) showed normal hepatic architecture. However, with a low level of chamomile (5m/L) treatment showed mild fatty degeneration of hepatocytes.
• The liver from rabbits that received extracts rosemary (5m/L) treatment showed granular degeneration of hepatocytes. However, liver from rabbits that received extracts rosemary (10m/L) treatment showed very mild granular degeneration of hepatocytes. In addition, chamomile and rosemary combination (CR) treatments showed a normal histological appearance of the hepatic lobule.
• The chamomile and rosemary treatments revealed apparently normal histomorphological structures in the kidney. The kidney from rabbits in chamomile (5 and 10 m/L) and a combination of chamomile and rosemary combination (5m/L) treatments showed normal glomeruli and a slight amount of cellular debris inside the lumen of renal tubules. Also, rosemary (5 and 10 m/L) treatments showed normal glomeruli and mild sloughing of renal tubular epithelium in a few tubules.
• Intestine from rabbits that received extracts of chamomile (5m/L) and rosemary (10 m/L) showing sloughed of the intestinal epithelium. The intestine from rabbits that received extract chamomile and rosemary combination (5m/L) showed continuous and intact intestinal epithelium with the normal histological architecture of the intestinal mucosa.
Intestinal bacterial activity:
• The Escherichia coli count, total anaerobic bacteria and total bacteria count were decreased (P˂0.05) in all treatment groups as compared with the control group.
• The lowest value of total bacterial count was observed in the group of rabbits that received the combination of chamomile and rosemary (CR) when compared with other groups.
Economic efficiency:
• The all treatments groups were tended to be lower of the total cost of feed consumption during the experiment as comparing with the control diet
• Net revenue was markedly improved when rabbits received a combination of chamomile and rosemary aqueous extract group compared with other treatment groups and the control group.
• The economic efficiency was improved in chamomile groups as well as the mixture of chamomile and rosemary group in compassion with rosemary and the control groups.
Conclusion
from the previous results it could be concluded that supplements of chamomile aqueous extracts at a level of (5-10 ml/L) and the combination of chamomile and rosemary aqueous (5 ml/l each) to the drinking water of NZW growing rabbits under Upper Egypt conditions of summer has improved growth performance and economic efficiency and decreased mortality rate and bacterial intestinal activity of growing rabbits.