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Effects of Different Forms of Milk Thistle Supplementation in Rabbit Diets on Stress-Induced Physiological Responses
by
, , , , ,
Hana Dočkalová
1
,
Daria Baholet Bátik
1,
Pavel Horký
1
,
Marie Balabánová
1,
Andrej Bátik
2,*,
Jaroslav Ondráček
3 and
Adéla Dokoupilová
4 1
Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
2
Department of Morphology, Physiology and Animal Genetics, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
3
BIOKRON s.r.o., 66456 Blučina, Czech Republic
4
Department of Ethology and Hobby Breeding, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 16521 Prague, Czech Republic
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2025, 15(24), 3582; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15243582
Submission received: 13 October 2025
/
Revised: 19 November 2025
/
Accepted: 27 November 2025
/
Published: 12 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Topic Effects of Dietary Interventions on Farm Animal Welfare and Production)
Simple Summary
Rabbits raised for meat production are frequently exposed to environmental stressors such as heat and noise, which can negatively impact their health, growth, and overall production efficiency. This study evaluated whether dietary supplementation with milk thistle seed cake or its fermented form could alleviate these stress effects. Ninety rabbits were assigned to one of three diets: a standard control diet, a diet supplemented with 2% milk thistle, or a diet containing a fermented substrate with 1% milk thistle. Growth performance, feed intake, and biochemical blood parameters were closely monitored. The results demonstrated that milk thistle improved growth and feed efficiency, particularly during the early stages of fattening. Rabbits fed fermented milk thistle consumed less feed and exhibited better feed conversion, but gained slightly less weight overall. The group receiving 2% milk thistle achieved the highest body weight and the best growth performance. No health issues or mortality were observed during the study. These findings suggest that milk thistle, especially in its natural form, can support rabbit health and productivity under stress, offering a natural approach to enhance welfare and sustainability in rabbit production.
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of thermal and noise stress on rabbits (90 HYLA hybrids), focusing on physiological responses, production performance, and welfare. Three dietary treatments were compared: a control diet (C), a diet supplemented with milk thistle seed cake (SMT), and a diet containing fermented milk thistle seed cake (FMT). The aim was to assess whether these feed additives could mitigate the adverse effects of environmental stress. Health status was monitored through clinical observation and analysis of biochemical indicators, including enzymes, lipid and protein metabolism markers, and total antioxidant status. Thermal stress at the onset of fattening influenced average daily gain, feed intake, and carcass yield, while dietary intervention modulated these effects. The FMT group demonstrated the lowest feed intake and most efficient feed conversion during later growth stages, but had lower slaughter weight compared with the control. In contrast, rabbits fed the SMT diet achieved the highest slaughter weight and superior growth efficiency. These findings suggest that milk thistle, particularly in combination with probiotic fermentation, can enhance feed utilization, growth performance, and stress resilience in rabbits, contributing to more sustainable and welfare-oriented production systems.
