High-starch diets in rabbit farming may pose health risks. Therefore, we focused on fats, another key energy source for monogastric animals, and investigated the effects of replacing part of the dietary starch with fats of equivalent digestible energy. This substitution was found to enhance small intestine absorption capacity, thereby reducing the nonstructural carbohydrates and nitrogenous compounds in the substrates available for hindgut fermentation, ultimately improving the cecal fermentation environment. From the perspectives of production efficiency, digestive health, and environmental sustainability, a weaning diet that partially replaces starch with fats appears to be more favorable.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.