Caged Rabbits Research Articles

Effect of housing systems on behaviour and growth performance in fattening rabbits

This study was conducted to investigate different housing systems and their effects on the growth performance and behaviour of fattening rabbits. The 120 animals were randomly allocated into 3 treatment groups based on the type of housing, from 35 to 84 days: cages (CG), 10 collective wire cages; each housing, 4 animals in 0.3 m²; closed pens (CP), 10 closed pens accommodating 4 rabbits, each with 0.525 m² and straw bedding on the ground; and an open-air system (OA), with 2 pens in the field each measuring 80 m², housing 20 rabbits in each pen. Live weight and feed intake were monitored every week. At the ages of 70 and 84 days, 10 rabbits per treatment were slaughtered, and blood samples were collected to measure haematocrit, cortisol and corticosterone levels. At the same age, 10 additional rabbits per treatment were chosen for an open field test. Compared with CG rabbits, OA rabbits exhibited a significantly lower final weight (2563 g vs. 2980 g). Compared with CG rabbits, OA rabbits also demonstrated reduced weight gain (33.1 vs. 41.8 g/d) and a decreased intake of pelletized feed (111.5 vs. 139.6 g/d). Corticosterone and haematocrit levels were smaller in other lodgements than in caged rabbits, which may suggest a poorer wellbeing status. This study indicated that animals housed in the outdoor system travelled greater distances (P<0.05) than did those housed in other housing types. The choice of rabbit housing during the growing period has an impact on growth performance, which is compromised in the outdoor system, and behaviour, which is negatively affected in the cage system.

Potential, challenges and prospects of rabbit farming in urban and peri-urban areas of Dodoma city, Tanzania

This study highlights the current status of rabbit production, potential challenges facing the industry and the prospects for rabbit farming in Dodoma city, Tanzania. Data from 60 individuals keeping rabbits were collected through a structured questionnaire and direct observation. Results showed that 60% of the respondents were men and 40% women. Rabbits were kept mainly as a source of meat for families and income generation. Main sources of rabbit stock were local breeders (55%) and missionaries (25%), while the remainder were from agricultural institutes. The dominant rabbit breeds reared were California white (50%), New Zealand white (30%), Chinchilla (10%) and Dutch (10%). Ninety-five percent of the farmers kept rabbits in cages, while 5% confined them at night and let them out during the day to forage for feed. Fifteen percent of the respondents fed commercial rabbit pellets, 5% vegetables and kitchen waste only, whereas 80% fed both rabbit pellets, vegetables and kitchen waste. The number of rabbits kept by an individual farmer ranged from 5 to 180, with mean stock size of 22.80±11.20 (mean±standard deviation). Rabbits were sold at 8 to 12 wk of age and each rabbit was sold for 20 000 to 30 000 Tanzanian shillings (8.00 – 12.00 USD). Major challenges in rabbit production were lack of feed resources, lack of readily available market, poor quality of breeding stock, low knowledge of rabbit production techniques and lack of technical support from extension services. Although rabbit farming in Dodoma is carried out at subsistence level, it is associated with a decrease in poverty among urban and peri-urban farmers. In conclusion, rabbit production in urban and peri-urban areas of Tanzania has the potential to contribute to food and nutrition security and poverty alleviation, thus improving living standards.

PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC GOODS OF THE RABBIT BREEDING AT DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES OF MAINTENANCE OF RABBITS

For the prospects of the rabbit breeding of present time optimal direction of development are individual and farmer economies, with the middle population of doe-rabbit. For the profitable conduct of the rabbit breeding except general principles of maintenance and growing, it is expedient to take into account the pedigree features of rabbits. Most distribution for the rabbit breeders of our country meat and hide of breed got: grey and white giants, butterfly, silvery, less popularity is used by the meat breeds of rabbits: New Zealand white and Californian.
 Main advantage of the rabbit breeding are an economy of areas and absence of capital apartments for growing of population of rabbits, in the modern rabbit breeding the systems of maintenance of rabbits are used in cages – outside, with the partial or complete process of mechanization: feeding and give to drink, moving away of wastes. At cellular maintenance of rabbits the most rational organization of works is provided on a supervision and reproduction. Cellular maintenance of rabbits gives an opportunity to carry out and control all processes and effectively to conduct veterinary and prophylactic measures. The table of contents of rabbits in cages provides a receipt from them of high-quality selfish products and carcass of kind fattened. For growing of different breeds of rabbits optimal economic indicators are the breeding of 30 female rabbits and more, at such population recoupment presents three years.
 The efficiency of management and high profitability of organic rabbit farms is ensured thanks to small capital investments in equipment and cages, early maturity and multi-fertility of rabbits, intensive growth of rabbits and rapid change of generations, obtaining products of high quality and quantity in a short time. The use of modern improved cage systems, high-quality feed and balanced rations for sexual age groups of rabbits allows to optimize the operating costs of the rabbit farm, and properly adjusted logistics of rabbit breeding products ensures constant profit at optimal profitability.

Building design features and wind effects on rabbits in cages

Rearing rabbits in the tropics has been discovered to be a lucrative alternative to providing white meat to the populace. While red meat is available, evidence reveals that they are more expensive; hence, the need to increase rabbit production especially as they can be conveniently reared at home backyards and as they can easily convert family’s leftover foods into meat. However, rabbits’ comfortability during rearing cannot be compromised, thus the research was borne out to investigate their welfare through their respiratory and pulse rates when reared in different housing designs. Buildings were constructed: width = 1.2 m; length = 4.8 m; height = 1.2 m, all at 0.5 m height from the ground, each with pens in accordance with desired building openings and building orientations, all were for a pen per doe. Factors considered were the season of the year at two levels: dry and rainy seasons; building orientations at three levels: 0o, 45º, and 90º to the prevailing wind’s direction and ventilation side openings: four levels of 50 %, 60 %, 70%, and 80 %, all replicated thrice to be 2 x 3 x 4 x 3 factorial design. Measured were pulse and respiratory rates at 10.00 h and 14.00 h daily. Interactions between different openings, orientations and seasons were significant at p≤0.01 on the pulse rate of does. The range of wind speed was between 3.61 and 5.04 km/h, this falls within the thermo-comfort range for does. There were higher R2 values, which depicted high correlations between the animals’ and the wind directions or wind speeds. The low wind speeds recorded cumulatively resulted in normal pulse rates and respiratory rates in does at all orientations. The effects of all building designs did not change the normalcy in both respiratory and pulse rates in the rabbits’ lives in the reared environment.

The effect of housing system on rabbit growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality characteristics of different muscles

The present study analysed the effect of housing system (caged versus penned) on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of rabbits. The physiochemical quality of five muscles was evaluated, together with the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of the meat from the hind leg. Sensory properties of the longissimus lumborum (LL) was also assessed. The LL yields were higher in caged rabbits. According to the results, meat from rabbits raised in cages had higher b* values for the LL (i.e., meat was yellower) than rabbits raised in pens. In addition, the quadriceps femoris from penned rabbits had higher a* and b* values (i.e., were redder and yellower) than caged rabbits. The MUFAs (18:1 n-9 and 20:1 n-9) and ash contents of the hind leg meat were higher in caged rabbits. In conclusion, while housing system influenced the physiochemical traits of rabbit meat, the sensory properties were not influenced.

Efeito da estação do ano e do sistema de alojamento nos atributos hemato-químicos em coelhos do Punjab do Sul, Paquistão

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of season and housing system on hematochemical attributes of rabbits in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Adult healthy rabbits (n=30) were divided into two groups of equal size (n=15). Group I was housed in a modern cage system and group II in traditional colony system for a period of one year. Blood samples of rabbits from both groups were collected in the summer and the winter seasons and analyzed for various hematochemical attributes. Hematochemical attributes including red blood cell (RBC) count, hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), total white blood cell (WBC) count, mixed cells (MID), granulocytes (GRA), glucose and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were lowered significantly (P<0.05) in the summer in relation to the winter, while mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), creatinine, and cholesterol level were significantly (P<0.05) higher during the summer season. Biochemical attributes as cholesterol, triglycerides and globulin were significantly (P<0.05) lower in the caged rabbits. In conclusion, the summer season caused a significant decrease in most of the hematochemical attributes whereas housing system did not affect most of the hematochemical attributes of the rabbits under the climatic conditions of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.

Effect of season and housing systems on various physio-behavioral attributes of local breed of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of season and various housing systems on behavioral i.e. sitting, standing, walking and physiological i.e. respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), time of sexual libido (TSL) attributes of local breed of rabbits reared in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Adult rabbits (n = 40) of 6 month to 1 year old were divided into two groups (n = 20 / group). Group I was placed under traditional colony system in the soil while group II was kept under modern cage system. Sitting and standing was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher during summer and winter respectively. The RR and RT were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in summer as compared to other study seasons. Standing behavior was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in caged rabbits as compared to colony-reared ones. Statistically higher (p ≤ 0.05) TSL value was observed in summer as compared to other three study seasons. From this study it is concluded that rabbit’s behavioral and physiological traits are significantly affected by season and housing systems. We concluded that rabbits show better physio-behavioral performance in autumn and winter season while summer stress negatively affects physiology and behavior under caged-system. This study could contribute new aspects of behavioral and physiological processes in local breed of rabbits due to different seasons and housing systems.

Effect of Type and Dietary Fat Content on Rabbit Growing Performance and Nutrient Retention from 34 to 63 Days Old.

Simple SummaryAn increase in the fat content of the diet increases the dietary energy concentration, and consequently, the growth and feed efficiency of the animals. The fatty acids (FA) profile of the fat source can also affect animal body composition. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of some fat sources added at different levels in growing rabbit feed. In this study, it was observed that the increment of dietary fat improved nitrogen efficiency utilization and reduced nitrogen excretion; the fat source also affected animal performance and mortality rate.The study was carried out on individually and collectively housed growing rabbits from 34 to 63 days of age. Two experiments were conducted using three fat sources: Soybean oil (SBO), Soya Lecithin Oil (SLO), and Lard (L; Exp. 1), and SBO, Fish Oil (FO), and Palm kernel Oil (PKO; Exp. 2), added at two inclusion levels (1.5 and 4.0%). In both trials, 180 rabbits were housed in individual cages and additional 600 rabbits in collective cages from day 34 to 63. Animals fed with 4% dietary fat showed lower Daily Feed Intake (DFI) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) than those fed with 1.5%, except in the individually housed animals in Exp. 1. In the collective housed group in Exp. 1, DFI was a 4.8% higher in animals fed with diets containing lard than those fed with SBO (p = 0.036). Lard inclusion also tended to reduce mortality (p = 0.067) by 60% and 25% compared with SBO and SLO diets, respectively. Mortality was the highest with the higher level of soya lecithin (14% vs. 1%, p < 0.01). A similar mortality rate was observed in the lowest level of SBO. In the grouped-housed animals in Exp. 2, a decrease of DFI (−12.4%), Bodyweight (BW) at 63 d (−4.8%), and Daily Weight Gain (DWG) (−7.8%) were observed with the inclusion of fish oil (p < 0.01) compared to other fat sources. Fish oil also tended to increase (p = 0.078) mortality (13.2%) compared with palm kernel oil (6.45%); similar results were found when animals were individually housed. The overall efficiency of N retention (NRE) increased with the highest level of fat in Exp. 1 (34.9 vs. 37.8%; p < 0.0001). It can be concluded that lard and palm kernel oil are alternative sources of fat due to the reduction of mortality. The inclusion of fish oil impaired animal productivity and increased mortality. An increment of the dietary fat level improved FCR and overall protein retention efficiency.

CASSAVA PEELS AND LEAVES IN THE DIET OF RABBITS: EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS

An experiment was conducted using 20 growing rabbits (5 – 6weeks in age) of mixed breeds and sexes with initial weight of 500 – 650g to evaluate the effect of replacing maize as a source of energy with cassava peel meal (CPM) and cassava leaf meal (CLM) in their diets. The rabbits were randomly allotted to five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets. Each dietary treatment was replicated 4-time with individually caged rabbits. The experiment lasted 56days. Dietary treatment did not have effect (P &gt; 0.05) on average daily weight gain, water consumption, feed intake and feed efficiency and carcass charactaristics. The utilization of CPM and CLM fortified with palm-oil sludge with or without amino acid supplementation greatly reduced the cost of producing a unit weight of rabbit (P &lt; 0.001). It was concluded that combination of CPM and CLM can serve as a replacement for maize in rabbit diets without any adverse effect on growth performance and carcass characteristics

INTENSITY OF INVASION IN EMERIOSIS OF RABBITS IN DIFFERENT METHODS OF KEEPING

One of the important problems in raising rabbits is eimeriosis, regardless of the method of maintenance. The disease affects animals of all ages, causing weight loss, feed conversion, morbidity and death. The aim. Study of the prevalence and diagnosis of rabbit eimeriosis by different housing technology to improve methods of disease control. Methods. The experiment was conducted during 2017–2019 in farms with different capacities in four regions of Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Sumy. A total of 20 farms for keeping rabbits of different breeds were surveyed. Results. Studies of rabbit farms on business and private ones found that the most common infestation was with the following species of eimeria: Eimeria perforans, E magna, E. media, E. irresidua, E. piriforms and E. іntestinalis. It is proved that the extensiveness of rabbit infestation when kept in farms in metal cages, under the conditions of sanitary and hygienic regime and timely disinvasion of premises, was in the range of 42–15 % in autumn-winter period, and 19–6 % in spring-summer. According to the survey of homestead farms, rabbits kept in wooden cages on deep litter, the level of invasion in the autumn-winter period was 100–56 % and in the spring-summer – 70–29 %. Conclusions. Keeping rabbits in metal cages in compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards and timely disinvasion reduces the level of extensiveness of the invasion.

Design and evaluation of a rabbitry structure at different environments and feeding requirements

This study, focused on a designed cage structure, had a main objective on evaluating the growth performance of caged rabbits at three (3) stocking/spacing reared at three (3) growing conditions. Thirty-six (36) samples of 35-days old Californian White x Local (CWxL) rabbits were reared under three (3) blockings (air-conditioned room, open rabbitry housing and under the trees’ shade). Moreover, spacing (A treatment) and feed plan (B treatment) was organized in a 3 x 4 Factorial RCBD. A 2nd factor (feed plan) was used in order to determine the interaction effect of spacing on the rabbits fed with varying levels of nutrition. Results indicated that the treatments and blockings (growing conditions) had significant effects on the Body Weight Gains (BWGs) of rabbits. Similarly, the BWGs were significantly affected by the feed plan but was not affected by spacing and the interaction of these two (2) factors. While no significant effects on BWGs were found out on rabbits placed in small (ai), medium (a2) and large (a3) cages, as highest BWGs were seen in the rabbits in medium cages, this cage structure (381 mm x 508 mm x 406 mm per rabbit) seemed enough to properly house the rabbits.

Behavioral Effects of Cage Size and Environmental Enrichment in New Zealand White Rabbits.

One of the goals of environmental enrichment is to encourage species-typical behaviors, while discouraging abnormal behaviors or stereotypies. Assessing the effectiveness of various enrichment modalities can be challenging, particularly for prey species such as rabbits that exhibit freezing responses in the presence of people. In this study, we housed rabbits in 3 different sized cages and observed their behaviors. The 3 cage sizes were our standard rabbit housing cage, a medium sized cage, and a large run. Based on analysis of the recordings, ethograms were constructed and behaviors were quantified. The rabbits in large runs spent more time performing active, exploratory behaviors (431 ± 74 s) than rabbits in the standard cages (184 ± 55 s). However, space constraints inside research facilities often make it impractical to house rabbits in large runs. Therefore, we decided to explore if enrichment devices could promote the expression of active behaviors, similar to those displayed by rabbits housed in the large runs. We selected 3 devices: a hanging toy, a destructible device, and a dig bin. All 3 enrichment devices promoted more time spent performing active, exploratory behaviors (389 ± 48, 463 ± 50, and 420 ± 44 s, respectively), compared with control rabbits housed without an enrichment device (226 ± 53 s). We also analyzed the fecal glucocorticoids of rabbits after shipping or surgery to determine if enrichment devices could mitigate the physiologic impact of these stressors. We found no significant differences in fecal glucocorticoid levels between rabbits that experienced the stressor and rabbits that did not, or between rabbits with or without enrichment devices. Overall, the provision of larger caging and/or addition of enrichment devices encouraged a broad spectrum of active, species-typical rabbit behaviors, suggestive of improved animal welfare.

A survey on rabbit production in the city of Gaborone, Botswana

This study was conducted to provide information on rabbit production in 20 operations in the City of Gaborone, Botswana. Data were collected from individual rabbit breeders and educational institutions (5) using a structured questionnaire and through direct observation. Rabbit farming in Botswana is only carried out at subsistence level. Results showed that 55% of male respondents were involved in rabbit production compared to 45% for females. Rabbits were kept mainly as a source of meat for families, income generation and educational purposes. Fifty percent of the rabbit stock was sourced from local breeders, 25% from South Africa and the remainder from local breeders and other countries. The predominant rabbit breeds reared were Californian (60%) and New Zealand (60%) followed by Chinchilla, Dutch and Rex with 20% each. Ninety percent of the breeders kept rabbits in cages while 3% confined them at night and let them out during the day to scavenge for feed. Fifteen percent of the respondents fed commercial rabbit pellets, 5% vegetables only while 80% fed both rabbit pellets and vegetables. The number of rabbits kept by an individual breeder ranged from 7 to 140 with mean stock size of 20.85&plusmn;13.21. Litter size per doe ranged from 6 to 10 kits with 5 to 6 litters per year. Rabbits were marketed at 8 to 12 weeks of age and each rabbit was sold for Botswana Pula (BWP)150 to 250 (equivalent to USD14.30 to USD23.80). On average the ratio of a breeding buck to doe was 1:5.4 (1:1 to 1:10). The major challenges in rabbit production were lack of feed resources, lack of research support, inadequate breeding stock and lack of technical support from Government extension services. These results suggest that rabbit production has the potential to contribute to food and nutrition security and poverty alleviation.

Effect of prenatal overfeeding on the growth performance and postweaning behavioral parameters in rabbits

Does are usually fed ad libitum during pregnancy, a fact that can result in intrauterine overfeeding and can have detrimental effects on embryonic programming with permanent changes in the physiology and behavior of the offspring. An experiment was therefore conducted to examine the effect of does' overfeeding during two different periods of pregnancy on the behavior of kits after weaning. Fifteen does were allocated into three groups: control (M) (100% of maintenance energy requirements [MER] throughout pregnancy), O1 (129% of MER between the 7th and 19th of pregnancy), and O2 (138% of MER between the 20th and 27th day of pregnancy). At the ages of 50 and 65 days, the behavior of 24 randomly selected rabbits in home cages was recorded for three consecutive days, while an open field test that constitutes a good indicator of locomotion score and stress was conducted for another 24 rabbits. Rabbits in O1 and O2 groups had more meals in shorter duration and moved and explored their environment less than the controls (P < 0.05). No significant effects on the exhibition of behavior were found during the open field test with the exception of rearing that was displayed more by the O1 and O2 rabbits. Comfort behaviors and resting had increased values, although frequency and duration of eating and drinking were significantly decreased at the age of 65 days (P < 0.05). Males had higher values for frequency of eating than the females (P < 0.01). We concluded that behavior of rabbits born from overnourished does was modified, with decreased values for locomotion and exploration.

Differential scanning calorimetry as a fast method to discriminate cage or free-range rabbit meat

In this work, we proposed the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a rapid tool for the discrimination of meat samples coming from free-ranged and caged rabbits. Fatty acid composition, colour, and texture were also provided to fully characterize meat quality of the different samples. A total of 36, thirty-seven days old California × New Zealand White male rabbits were divided into 2 groups, housed in open air cages and in ground free-range, respectively. After 62 days of farming, 12 rabbits per group were slaughtered and the skinned carcasses were chilled for 24 h at 4 °C prior to be dissected. The Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle was analysed. The overall fatty acid profile was not affected by the farming system, while free-range rabbits show a significant lower L* value (49.59) than the open-air ones (53.54). Nor a* and b* were altered. Texture measurements revealed that there was no effect of housing system on shear force. More interestingly, the deconvolution of DSC signals in the range 30–90 °C revealed that free-range rearing lead to an increase of myosin amount in meat, being its peak percentage equal to 8.5 ± 1.9 against 4.3 ± 2.2 in meat from caged rabbits.

The Oxymoron of Caged Animal Welfare: A Case Study in The Australian Caged Rabbit Meat Industry

The objective of this research is to investigate how the current animal welfare regulatory approach in Australia is applied to domesticated rabbits with emphasis on rabbits used for meat. Australia’s animal welfare regime is critically examined by assessing the effectiveness of the Model Code of Practice for Animal Welfare: Intensive Husbandry of Rabbits (MCOPIHR) and the Five Freedoms in practice and what they mean to the actual wellbeing of rabbits in meat farms. Recent scientific knowledge in animal behaviour informs us that keeping any animal in extreme confinement, such as rabbits used for meat in intensive farms, has serious welfare concerns resulting in physical and psychological suffering. It is within this context that this thesis asks whether the concept of animal welfare in the caged rabbit meat industry is in effect an oxymoron. This thesis draws on work by Bekoff and Pierce’s ethological approach to support my critique of animal welfare practices in Australia’s rabbit meat industry. I also use Garner’s theory of incremental change in animal welfare reform, in which he argues for using current knowledge in animal welfare to push the boundaries of what is considered ‘unnecessary suffering’, as a social driver for a moral shift aimed at effecting law reform. To complement Garner’s political theory of incremental change I deploy Spira’s approach to advocacy, as practical tools for realising change.

Effect of cage and pen housing on the live performance, carcase, and meat quality traits of growing rabbits

The aim of the experiment was to study the effect of housing growing rabbits in enriched cages with small groups (eight rabbits/cage, C; n = 96; stocking density: 15 rabbits/m2) or in enriched pens with large groups (65 rabbits/pen, P; n = 130; stocking density: 15 rabbits/m2) on their growth performance and on slaughter and meat quality traits. The C rabbits showed higher final body weight (2540 vs. 2443 g, p < .01), better feed conversion ratio (5–11 weeks: 3.39 vs. 3.61, p < .05), lower mortality rate (5.2 vs. 31.5%, p < .001), and lower fecal corticosterone level (26.3 vs. 29.4 nmol/g, p < .05) compared to P rabbits. The increased possibility of physical activity of P compared to C rabbits resulted in more developed hind part of the reference carcase, thicker hind leg bones (34.8 vs. 33.4 g, p < .05), lower perirenal fat (15.1 vs. 20.8 g, p < .001) and hind leg meat lipid content (2.00 vs. 2.42%, p < .05), as well as higher haem iron content of the hind leg meat (5.29 vs. 4.22 mg/kg, p < .01). However, pen housing was detrimental for the dressing out percentage and for the hind leg meat to bones ratio. Physical meat quality traits were not affected by the housing system.HighlightsHousing of growing rabbits in large cages and large pens was compared.Caged rabbits had better productive performance, lower mortality and stress.Penned rabbits resulted in lower dressing out percentage, carcase adiposity and meat lipids content.Most of the meat quality traits were independent of the housing system.

Effect of the housing system (free-range vs. open air cages) on growth performance, carcass and meat quality and antioxidant capacity of rabbits

Growth performances and meat quality of free-range or cage raised rabbits were compared in 36 male animals. Rabbits were raised in free-range areas (2000 cm2/head) or in open-air cages (800 cm2/head) from weaning to 99 days old. Daily weight gain and final live weight were higher (P < 0.05) for the rabbits raised in cages which presented a more favourable feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) than in the free-range group. The average feed intake, liver and empty gastro-intestinal tract weights were higher (P < 0.05) in the free-range group, while the interscapular fat percentage was higher (P < 0.05) in the caged rabbits. Loins of free-range rabbits had higher amount of PUFA n-6 in neutral lipids (P < 0.05) whereas their polar lipids were richer in PUFA n-6 and n-3 than in those of the cage group. Muscular fat of free-raised rabbits was found to be less susceptible to be oxidized, having a higher antioxidant capacity than the caged group.

EFFECT OF STOCKING DENSITY AND DIETARY PHYTOBIOTICS ON GROWING RABBIT’S PERFORMANCE DURING SUMMER SEASON.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different stocking density and dietary phytobiotic on growth performance, body temperature, carcass traits and economic efficiency of growing APRI- line rabbits under heat stress condition. One hundred and eight APRI- line rabbits were divided and assigned randomly into nine groups of 5 weeks of age (620 ± 6g), each group with 12 rabbits. The experimental design was factorial 3 x 3, whereas three stocking densities (2, 4 and 6 rabbit/cage) and three levels of dietary phytobiotic (0, 0.5 and 1% lycopene). Results showed that the highest body weight was found in treatment 2 rabbits/ cage and rabbit fed diet with 1% lycopene. The best feed conversion ratio was found in treatment 2 rabbits /cage (3.32), followed by 4 rabbits/ cage (3.43), while the poorest value was determined in treatment 6 rabbits/ cage (3,68). The economic efficiency was decreased from 1.17 to 0.96 as the number of rabbits increased from 2 to 6 in the cages. Therefore, it could be concluded that under heat stress, raising rabbits in cages with low density and supplemented with 1% lycopene in diet gave the best productive performance and improved the economic efficiency. At the same time, raising rabbits in low density, permits for somewhat motor activity and social life which reflect on the meat quality and increasing the selling price.

Observations on biotic parameters of Angora rabbit breed under controlled conditions in different housing systems

Aim:The aim of the present study was to compare the body weight (BW) gain and physiological parameters such as temperature, respiratory rate (RR), and heart rate (HR) of Angora rabbit reared in different housing systems.Materials and Methods:A total of 30 angora rabbits (age 4-6 months), weight 1.5 kg in average were divided into three groups, i.e., (outdoor control [OC], indoor in cages [IC], and indoor open [IO]). All rabbits were reared for 10 weeks. Feed and water were given ad libitum. BW gain and physiological parameters such as temperature, RR, and HR were recorded.Results:All parameters showed some degree of variations. The BW differed significantly (p<0.05). The mean BW in kilogram (kg) of OC group was 1.59±0.03 obtained during the experimental period, while the BW of IC group shows a decrease of 1.43±0.05 and IO group it was 1.49±0.06 kg. The body temperature (BT) of the control group was 38.83±1.07°C, but IC and IO groups show increased in BT (39.10±0.78°C) and (39.33±1.24°C), indicated no significant difference among the groups (p=0.05). The RR in breaths/min of OC group recorded was 40.3±5.20, but the RR recorded for IC and IO groups was 41.2±7.29 and 39.3±6.30 breaths/min, respectively, showed less variation. The HR obtained in beat/min of OC group was 136.9±15.22, IC group (139.1±16.42) and IO group were (139.6±19.90 beat/min) showed less substantial variation.Conclusion:The present study clearly indicates that housing rabbits in cages and stress condition is a cause of poor welfare due to movement constraint, it will affect the body biotic parameters such as normal temperature, respiration as well as it can reduce the growth performance of animals significantly but housing system may not affect HR.