Abstract
This work aimed to test the responses of the fertility, semen quality, blood constituents, immunity and antioxidant status of rabbit bucks to water type (e.g., tap water and well water) and magnetizing of water exposed or unexposed to a magnetic field of ≈4000 gauss. The experimental design was factorial 2 (type of water, e.g. tap vs. well water) × 2 (magnetic treatments, e.g. unexposed vs. exposed to magnetic field) using forty mature V-line rabbit bucks randomly distributed to four groups of 10 animals each. The rabbit bucks were provided free access to the water and same diet. Well water had lower quality than tap water, i.e. higher pH, conductivity, salinity, calcium, magnesium, and total hardness. Water magnetizing had less effect on tap water than on well water (e.g. on pH, conductivity, salinity, calcium, magnesium, total hardness and dissolved oxygen). Bucks that consumed tap water showed better semen quality, metabolic profiles and immunity than those that drank well water. Magnetized water significantly increased body weight, feed intake, reaction time, fertility, sperm concentration, mass motility and total live sperm of bucks consuming well water and tap water. The improvements in fertility and semen quality concurred with significant increases in testosterone hormone, immunoglobulin A, antioxidant enzymes, and with decreases in lipid peroxidation biomarker malondialdehyde and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. In conclusion, well water induced a significant decrease in semen quality and hence fertility of males. Whereas magnetic treatment improved water quality, semen quality, blood picture and antioxidant status and hence buck fertility.