Health, performance and soiling of breeding does and their kits kept in two different housing systems on a German rabbit farm

Abstract

<p>The aim of the present study was to compare a new housing (NC) for rabbit does and their kits that complies with German welfare regulations with established wire mesh cages (CC) on a commercial rabbit farm. Rabbit does were single-housed from five days antepartum until weaning at 31 d postpartum either in large pens (80×80 cm with an open top) with slatted plastic flooring (11 mm slats and 11 mm gaps), nestbox, elevated platform (15% perforated) and different manipulable materials (NC) or in cages (70×50×30 cm) with wire mesh flooring (12×70 mm holes and 3 mm wire diameter), nestbox and one gnawing stick (CC). Skin lesions, weight development, fertility, morbidity, cleanliness and kit performance of 272 rabbit does in a total of six batches were investigated. While there was no difference in performance of their kits, rabbit does showed an impaired performance with less weight gain and less body weight at weaning, lower fertility, more injuries and a higher incidence of mastitis and diarrhoea at the end of the rearing period in NC housing compared to CC housing. Additionally, soiling of hind feet was higher in NC than in CC housing. Overall, the poor hygienic conditions may have affected the animals’ health and make an improvement in the new housing system necessary, especially with regard to the floor design.</p>

A pilot study about on-farm assessment of health and welfare in rabbits kept in different housing systems

“…Indeed, we did not detect any difference in the occurrence of health concerns both for does and litters among the farms with different housing systems. Moreover, a previous study found a higher occurrence of mastitis and diarrhea in larger cages, which was due to the higher soiling of the floor because of an unsuitable footrest mat ( 36 ).…”

“…However, again according to EFSA ( 11 ), knowledge is missing about the space requirement to acceptably meet the behavioral and physiological needs of rabbits under farming conditions. Moreover, more space and locomotion possibilities can affect doe performance on-farm ( 12 , 35 ): some authors ( 36 ) observed higher body weight and weight gain in does housed in conventional cages than those kept in larger cages, while others reported few differences ( 35 ). In the case of reproducing does, an impairment in performance is especially expected when comparing conventional individual housing with collective housing systems, which has been related to aggression and stressful interactions among does rather than to space availability itself ( 37 , 38 ).…”

Особливості Клінічного Перебігу Пододерматитів У Кролів

“…et al (2019) оцінюють розвиток пододерматиту за шкалою від 0 до 3: 0 -шкіра і хутро неушкоджені, 1 -утворення алопеції, 2 -гіперкератоз (утворення характерних мозолів), 3 -поява ерозії, виразки на поверхні шкіри [8]. Також, для кролів запропоновано класифікацію, адаптовану під класифікацію пододерматитів птиці (Jekl V., 2012): 1 стадія -відсутність волосяного покриву; 2 стадія -еритема, місцевий набряк за збереженої цілісності шкіри на плантарній та/або пальмарній поверхні кінцівок; 3 стадія -ерозії або виразки, кровотечі, струп; 4 стадія -глибоке запалення із залученням сухожилок (тендовагініт); 5 стадія -остеомієліт, гнійний артрит [9]. Mancinelli Е.…”