Rabbit milk: A review of quantity, quality and non-dietary affecting factors

Abstract

This literature review focuses on the milk yield and milk composition of rabbits and the non-nutritional factors affecting both quantity and quality. Actual highly efficient hybrid does have an average daily milk yield of 250 g or 60 g/kg of live weight during the 4-weeks lactation period. However, compared with cow and sow milk, rabbit's milk is much more concentrated in fat (12.9 g/100 g), protein (12.3 g/100 g) and energy (8.4 MJ/kg) which explains the extremely rapid growth of the young (weight × 6 after 3 weeks). Characteristic of rabbit milk is also the nearly absence of lactose (<2 g/100 g). At peak lactation, protein output per kg metabolic weight (13.4 g/day/kg 0.75 ) exceeds even those of Holstein milk cows. The non-nutritional factors having the largest impact on the milk yield are the number of suckling kits, the parity order (primiparous vs. multiparous) and the gestation overlapping degree (rapid decline after 17-20 days of gestation). However, also through the reduction of feed intake, heat stress has a detrimental impact especially when the night temperature remains above 25°C. Rabbit milk lipids are highly saturated (70.4% SFA) due to the high content of C 8:0 -C 12:0 (50% of total FA) and further characterised by nearly equal quantities of oleic and linoleic acid and an w-6/w-3 ratio around 4. Finally some data about the amino acid, milk proteins including the immmunoglobulins, mineral and vitamin composition are presented.

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

“…Age and weaning influenced solid feed intake, whereas milk and feed consumption were in accordance with the milk production of the does, which reached the maximum between 19 and 21 days and then began to decline after the 26th day of lactation (Maertens et al, 2006). Young rabbits usually begin to eat small amounts of solid food in addition to their mother's milk; however, their feed intake becomes significant only approximately 20 days of age (Gidenne and Fortun-Lamothe, 2002).…”

Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

“…After this age, the amount of milk provided by the mother soon no longer meets the kits' requirements for drinking water (Schlolaut, 2003). Prior to this time the daily milk production of middle-sized breeds is as much as 300 g (Maertens et al, 2006). Another study showed that maximum milk production is less than 150 g when does are fed predominantly with hay and fodder beets as is common in non-commercial breeding (Schlolaut, 2003).…”

“…Milk production by the doe when again pregnant due to postpartum mating, reaches a maximum on postpartum day 17-18 (Hudson et al, 1996a;Maertens et al, 2006), and in non-pregnant mothers between postpartum day 20-22 (Schlolaut and Lange, 1971;Hudson et al, 1996a). After this age, the amount of milk provided by the mother soon no longer meets the kits' requirements for drinking water (Schlolaut, 2003).…”

Genetic selection of maternal lines and digestive efficiency in rabbits: long term selection for litter size at weaning versus hyper selection for reproductive longevity.

“…After a 7 d adaptation period, faeces were collected individually for 4 d (from 13 to 16 d of lactation) as recommended by Perez et al (1995). The faeces collection period was fixed from 13 to 16 d of lactation in order to find the maximum milk yield and feed intake regularity (Pascual et al, 1999;Maertens et al, 2006). From the moment the doe rabbits were placed in metabolic cages, both feed intake and milk yield were monitored on a daily basis.…”