Abstract
Simple SummaryGroup housing of growing rabbits is currently used in commercial farms to improve animal welfare. However, these systems have shown some weaknesses, mainly associated with the aggressive behavior exhibited among rabbits. Environmental enrichment can offer additional space and a sheltered area in which an animal can protect itself from pen mates, but studies in rabbits under farming conditions are scarce. Thus, this study evaluated the use of two types of enrichment (an elevated plastic-slatted platform and/or a plastic hiding tube) in rabbits housed in collective pens within large groups during the growing period. The use of the platform allowed rabbits to move up/down, to rest in a more comfortable position and to increase explorative behavior, without modifying production performance. However, more injured rabbits were found at the end of the trial in pens with platforms. The presence of the tube impaired growth performance and did not modify behavior. Hence, elevated platforms have been shown to work as a structural enrichment in group-housed rabbits, whereas the usefulness of the tube remains questionable.This study assessed the effects of an elevated plastic-slatted platform and/or a plastic hiding tube in collective pens with large group sizes (27 or 36 rabbits/pen; 16 rabbits/m2) on the performance and welfare of rabbits kept from weaning (at 33 days of age) to slaughter (at 68 or 75 days of age). Growth performance, injuries, and behavior (video recorded for 24 h) of rabbits (n = 504) were recorded. The platform allowed rabbits to adopt the rearing position more frequently (+0.14 events during 2 min every 30 min across 24 h) and to rest with stretched body for longer (+3.8% of observed time) (p ≤ 0.001). Production parameters and reactivity at the open field test were not modified, but the occurrence of injured rabbits at the trial end was higher in pens with platforms (+8.9%; p ≤ 0.01). This result was possibly related to the higher group size in pens with platforms (36 rabbits) compared to those without platforms (27 rabbits). The inclusion of the tube decreased growth (−2.2 g/d; p ≤ 0.05), whereas it was scarcely used by rabbits and it did not substantially change their behavior or the occurrence of injuries. In conclusion, under the experimental conditions of this study, elevated platforms worked as a useful structural enrichment in view of animal behavior but negatively impacted on the rate of injuries, whereas the usefulness of the tube was not confirmed.
Highlights
To improve animal health and welfare in rabbit farms, the European Parliament has requested a change from conventional cages to collective pens, called parks [1,2]
The presence of the platform did not affect growth performance, at the end of the trial a higher rate of rabbits with injuries was scored in pens with a platform compared to those without
The differences in resting time with stretched body were higher at 70 d (28.7% vs. 33.5% of observation time in pens without vs. those with a platform)
Summary
To improve animal health and welfare in rabbit farms, the European Parliament has requested a change from conventional cages to collective pens, called parks [1,2]. Some of them are sustaining a transition towards rearing systems with large groups of animals kept in open top elevated pens with platforms and slatted floors. These housing systems have been developed over the last decade, but are not yet in widespread use [3] nor fully validated under commercial conditions due to technical and economic constraints. In comparison with bicellular (2 rabbits) or multi-purpose (4–6 rabbits) cages, collective pens can provide rabbits with more opportunities to satisfy their ethological needs, with special emphasis on free social contacts and increased total available space for movement [4,5]
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