الفهرس 
acknowledgmentOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 170 |  |  |
| | | from | 170 | | |
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of drinking natural saline well water on productive and reproductive performance of male rabbits. The results can be summarized as follow:
Drinking natural saline well water had no effect on body weight, dry matter, water and protein intakes, digestibility coefficient, nutritive values, slaughter performance, thermo-respiratory responses, plasma albumin, metabolic enzymes, Fe, Cu and Se when it caused increase in plasma testosterone, aldosterone, total protein, globulin, Na, K and Zn levels. While, it caused reduction in plasma total lipid, cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, urea and creatinine.
Drinking saline well water caused significant increase in libido, semen ejaculate volume, total sperm output, motility parameters, Semen initial fructose, while pH values, seminal plasma enzymes, litter size and conception rate of doe rabbits mated with bucks given saline well water were not affected. Also it caused reduction in dead and abnormal sperms.
Therefore, It is concluded that natural saline well water up to 5284 ppm TDS with sanitary conditions made slight or no changes in growth and reproductive performance, and physiological and biochemical parameters of rabbits, rather the treatment enhanced some physiological and reproductive parameters of the NZW rabbits. Accordingly, raising rabbits under desert conditions with saline well water as the sole source of drinkable water is recommended.