This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of including five levels of discarded chia seed (DCS) on growth, energy, and economic efficiency in rabbits. Fifty crossbred (New Zealand × Californian) weaning rabbits, weighing 798 ± 170 g, were randomly assigned to the following treatments: 0 % (control), 10 % (Ch10), 20 % (Ch20), 30 % (Ch30), and 40 % (Ch40) of DCS. Ten unsexed rabbits were allocated to each treatment and housed individually in cages; the experimental period was 6 weeks. There were no statistically significant differences between treatments in final body weight (2050 g), body weight gain (30 g/rabbit/day), and carcass weight (1010 g); however, feed intake (91 g/rabbit/day in Ch20 vs. 80 g/rabbit/day in Ch40), feed conversion ratio (2.77 in control and Ch40 vs. 2.95 in Ch10, Ch20, and Ch30), energy conversion ratio (32 MJ/kg in Ch20 vs. 29 MJ/kg on average in control, Ch10, Ch20, Ch30, and Ch40), and economic efficiency (358 % in control vs. 433 % in Ch40) showed differences (P < 0.05) between treatments. Discarded chia seed can be included up to 40 % in growing rabbit diets without any adverse effects on growth and carcass weight, and increased economic efficiency.
Keywords: By-product; Economic efficiency; Energy efficiency; Growth.