Feeding fresh chicory (Chicoria intybus) to young rabbits: Performance, development of gastro-intestinal tract and immune functions of appendix and Peyerʹs patch

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the administration of fresh chicory (Chicorium intybus L.) to young pups before and after weaning, investigating the morphological development of two main lymphoid tissues (appendix and Peyerʹs patch) and the productive performance. The trial was divided in two parts: the first, immediately after kindling, 20 New Zealand White (NZW) multiparous rabbit does were homogenised for litter size (n = 8) and were divided into two groups: control group, in which young rabbits (from 18 to 28 d) fed a standard diet; chicory group, in which young rabbits were fed control diet and fresh chicory, separately. In the second trial the young rabbits pursued the same diet until 77 d old. At weaning, 10 young rabbits/group were weighed and killed. The pH, dry matter, ammonia and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were evaluated on the caecal content. The histological sections were made of the appendix and Peyerʹs patch. The dietary administration of fresh chicory to young rabbits before weaning, improved biochemical traits of caecum content: the lowered NH3 (0.5 versus 0.6 μmol/g; P<0.05) and pH values (5.9 versus 6.1; P<0.05) and the increased VFA content (52 versus 46 mmol/L; P<0.01) indicated a higher fermentation of gut microflora. With respect to the morpho-functional aspects of the appendix and Peyerʹs patch no final conclusion could be drawn; in fact the significant improvement of appendix size (weight: 0.31 versus 0.23% live weight; P<0.05; diameter: 7.81 versus 6.82 mm; P<0.05) and of its follicles (perimeter: 2.99 versus 2.71 mm; P<0.05; area: 0.32 versus 0.25 mm2; P<0.01) is associated with a reduced number of follicles (34.78 versus 45.86; P<0.01). Addition of chicory in the post-weaning phase slightly affected rearing performance; the rabbits fed chicory showed a higher feed intake (134.0 versus 124.5 g/d; P<0.05) and daily gain (35.3 versus 33.7; P<0.05).