R. Belabbas, Rym Ezzeroug, M. García, A. Berbar, G. Zitouni, Djamel Taalaziza, Zoulikha Boudjella, Nassima Boudahdir, Samir Dis, M. Argente
The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between kit birth weight and litter size with kit survival from birth to weaning, and to estimate the effects of place of birth, nest quality, cannibalism, lactation, parity order, season and sex. A total of 1696 kits from 82 females of the ITLEV2006 synthetic line were used in this study. A logistic regression was performed. Kit birth weight was directly related to the probability of the kit’s survival from birth to weaning, and increasing birth weight by one gram increased the likelihood of kit survival by 8% to 10% (P<0.001). In line with the decrease in birth weight of kits as the number of kits at birth increases, litter size showed a negative relationship to the probability of survival from birth to weaning, and increasing the litter by one kit at birth decreased the probability of survival of the kits by 5% to 9% (P<0.05). Regarding effects, cannibalism events in the litter decreased the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life (P<0.01). Being born in the cage decreased the probability of survival of the kits from birth to weaning, and kits born outside the nest had a lower chance of survival than those born inside the nest (P<0.01). The order of parturition had a positive effect on probability of survival of the kits from 5 days of age to weaning (P<0.05). Female kits had a lower chance of survival than male kits, but only until 5 days of age (P<0.01). The lactation status displayed a negative effect on the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life, and kits gestated in lactating females had a lower chance of survival than those gestated in non-lactating females (P<0.05). In conclusion, the probability of kit survival in the first days after parturition was affected mainly by its weight at birth, litter size, cannibalism events, place of birth of kit, parity order, sex and lactation status, while the probability of kit survival at weaning was directly related to its weight at birth, litter size, place of birth of kit and parity order.
{"title":"Prenatal factors affecting the probability of survival between birth and weaning in rabbits","authors":"R. Belabbas, Rym Ezzeroug, M. García, A. Berbar, G. Zitouni, Djamel Taalaziza, Zoulikha Boudjella, Nassima Boudahdir, Samir Dis, M. Argente","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2023.18268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.18268","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between kit birth weight and litter size with kit survival from birth to weaning, and to estimate the effects of place of birth, nest quality, cannibalism, lactation, parity order, season and sex. A total of 1696 kits from 82 females of the ITLEV2006 synthetic line were used in this study. A logistic regression was performed. Kit birth weight was directly related to the probability of the kit’s survival from birth to weaning, and increasing birth weight by one gram increased the likelihood of kit survival by 8% to 10% (P<0.001). In line with the decrease in birth weight of kits as the number of kits at birth increases, litter size showed a negative relationship to the probability of survival from birth to weaning, and increasing the litter by one kit at birth decreased the probability of survival of the kits by 5% to 9% (P<0.05). Regarding effects, cannibalism events in the litter decreased the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life (P<0.01). Being born in the cage decreased the probability of survival of the kits from birth to weaning, and kits born outside the nest had a lower chance of survival than those born inside the nest (P<0.01). The order of parturition had a positive effect on probability of survival of the kits from 5 days of age to weaning (P<0.05). Female kits had a lower chance of survival than male kits, but only until 5 days of age (P<0.01). The lactation status displayed a negative effect on the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life, and kits gestated in lactating females had a lower chance of survival than those gestated in non-lactating females (P<0.05). In conclusion, the probability of kit survival in the first days after parturition was affected mainly by its weight at birth, litter size, cannibalism events, place of birth of kit, parity order, sex and lactation status, while the probability of kit survival at weaning was directly related to its weight at birth, litter size, place of birth of kit and parity order.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44116845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Gayrard, A. Bretaudeau, P. Gombault, H. Hoste, T. Gidenne
The effects of a moderate incorporation of dehydrated sainfoin Perly cultivar (DS) in rabbit feeds on the performance and health of reproductive and growing rabbits were analysed over two consecutive reproductive cycles in a professional breeding environment. Two groups of 192 does and associated litters were fed isonutritive feeds containing either 0 or 13% dehydrated sainfoin (respectively C (control) vs. S (“sainfoin”) groups) in replacement mainly of dehydrated alfalfa. Growing rabbit feeds C and S included 0 and 15.6% safoin, respectively. Doe live weight, number of live rabbits at birth and stillborn rate were not affected by dietary DS incorporation. In cycle 1, fertility rate was 10% higher for the S-group, but was similar among the groups in the 2nd cycle (significant interaction). Incorporation of DS had no impact on kit growth before weaning, but improved the post-weaning growth rate by 6% (P<0.001) and the feed conversion ratio by 7%. Dietary DS incorporation had no effect on doe mortality, which was very low (<2%, P=0.07). Doe culling was half lower with sainfoin incorporation in cycle 1 (25% in group C vs. 12% in group S; P<0.05). In cycle 2, doe culling rate was low (3.2%) and similar among diets (significant interaction between diet and cycle effects). Pre-weaning mortality of kits was low and slightly higher for S-group (1.1 vs. 1.5%). Post-weaning mortality was also low and was reduced with sainfoin dietary incorporation (3.0 vs. 1.8%; P<0.001). A moderate incorporation of dehydrated sainfoin can be recommended for growing rabbits and for reproducing does feeds.
在专业育种环境中，分析了在兔饲料中适量添加脱水红豆素(DS)对繁殖兔和生长兔的生产性能和健康的影响。2组192只公羊和相关窝鼠分别饲喂含有0或13%脱水红豆素的等营养饲料(分别为C组(对照)和S组(“红豆素”)，主要替代脱水苜蓿。生长兔饲料C和S分别含0和15.6%的红豆素。饲粮添加DS对母鹿活重、出生活兔数和死产率无影响。在第1周期，s组的生育率高出10%，但在第2周期各组之间基本相同(显著相互作用)。添加DS对断奶前仔猪生长无影响，但断奶后仔猪生长速率提高6% (P<0.001)，饲料系数提高7%。饲粮添加DS对母鹿死亡率无显著影响(<2%，P=0.07)。在第1周期加入红素后，Doe的扑杀率降低了一半(C组为25%，S组为12%;P < 0.05)。在周期2中，母鹿的扑杀率较低(3.2%)，且不同饲粮的扑杀率相似(饲粮与周期效应交互作用显著)。断奶前死亡率较低，s组略高(1.1 vs. 1.5%)。断奶后死亡率也很低，并且在饮食中加入红豆素可以降低断奶后死亡率(3.0 vs. 1.8%;P < 0.001)。脱水红豆素的适度掺入可推荐用于生长兔和繁殖犬饲料。
{"title":"Use of dehydrated sainfoin in rabbit feeding. Effects of a moderate dietary incorporation on performance and health of does and growing rabbits under an optimal farming environment","authors":"C. Gayrard, A. Bretaudeau, P. Gombault, H. Hoste, T. Gidenne","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2023.17734","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.17734","url":null,"abstract":"The effects of a moderate incorporation of dehydrated sainfoin Perly cultivar (DS) in rabbit feeds on the performance and health of reproductive and growing rabbits were analysed over two consecutive reproductive cycles in a professional breeding environment. Two groups of 192 does and associated litters were fed isonutritive feeds containing either 0 or 13% dehydrated sainfoin (respectively C (control) vs. S (“sainfoin”) groups) in replacement mainly of dehydrated alfalfa. Growing rabbit feeds C and S included 0 and 15.6% safoin, respectively. Doe live weight, number of live rabbits at birth and stillborn rate were not affected by dietary DS incorporation. In cycle 1, fertility rate was 10% higher for the S-group, but was similar among the groups in the 2nd cycle (significant interaction). Incorporation of DS had no impact on kit growth before weaning, but improved the post-weaning growth rate by 6% (P<0.001) and the feed conversion ratio by 7%. Dietary DS incorporation had no effect on doe mortality, which was very low (<2%, P=0.07). Doe culling was half lower with sainfoin incorporation in cycle 1 (25% in group C vs. 12% in group S; P<0.05). In cycle 2, doe culling rate was low (3.2%) and similar among diets (significant interaction between diet and cycle effects). Pre-weaning mortality of kits was low and slightly higher for S-group (1.1 vs. 1.5%). Post-weaning mortality was also low and was reduced with sainfoin dietary incorporation (3.0 vs. 1.8%; P<0.001). A moderate incorporation of dehydrated sainfoin can be recommended for growing rabbits and for reproducing does feeds.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45931730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Reducing malnutrition and poverty remains at the centre of policy. Rabbit rearing, of great economic importance, is a critical pathway to achieving this. Good knowledge of the profitability of rabbit production and its driving factors can enhance participation in rabbit production. Thus, this study examined the economic performance (profitability) of rabbit production, the factors influencing profitability and its barriers. Descriptive statistics, profitability analysis, the Tobit regression model and Garret ranking were employed to achieve the objectives. The results indicated that rabbit production was economical, productive and profitable, with a gross margin of N675,990 (USD 1,633.5), a net income of N663,974 (USD 1,604.4), a profit ratio of 0.6, a benefit-cost ratio of 2.7, a return on capital invested of 1.7 and an operating ratio of 0.4. The factors that enhanced rabbit production profitability were stock size, education, experience, membership of the association and labour availability, whereas mortality, disease outbreaks and feeding costs were inhibiting factors to profitability. The major constraints affecting rabbit production are disease, a high mortality rate and poor access to credit. These call for the provision of disease management training and credits to motivate people to engage in rabbit farming, which will, in turn, lower poverty and increase protein availability.
{"title":"Measuring the economic performance of small-scale rabbit production agribusiness enterprises","authors":"Ridwan Mukaila","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2023.18660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.18660","url":null,"abstract":"Reducing malnutrition and poverty remains at the centre of policy. Rabbit rearing, of great economic importance, is a critical pathway to achieving this. Good knowledge of the profitability of rabbit production and its driving factors can enhance participation in rabbit production. Thus, this study examined the economic performance (profitability) of rabbit production, the factors influencing profitability and its barriers. Descriptive statistics, profitability analysis, the Tobit regression model and Garret ranking were employed to achieve the objectives. The results indicated that rabbit production was economical, productive and profitable, with a gross margin of N675,990 (USD 1,633.5), a net income of N663,974 (USD 1,604.4), a profit ratio of 0.6, a benefit-cost ratio of 2.7, a return on capital invested of 1.7 and an operating ratio of 0.4. The factors that enhanced rabbit production profitability were stock size, education, experience, membership of the association and labour availability, whereas mortality, disease outbreaks and feeding costs were inhibiting factors to profitability. The major constraints affecting rabbit production are disease, a high mortality rate and poor access to credit. These call for the provision of disease management training and credits to motivate people to engage in rabbit farming, which will, in turn, lower poverty and increase protein availability.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47708577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Last October 12 and 13, 2022, the VII American Rabbit Congress took place within the framework of the 2022 Animal Production and Agro-Development Convention, which was held from October 10 to 14, 2022 at the Plaza América Convention Center in Varadero, Matanzas, Cuba. The VII American Rabbit Congress was developed in a hybrid way (in person and online) with specialists, researchers, professors, students, breeders and producers from different latitudes related to rabbit farming and science. Throughout the conference, a total of 50 people attended in person and 15 online, mainly from Cuba, Mexico, Argentina and Spain. The objective of the meeting was to "Motivate the exchange of experiences and results in rabbit production systems in the Americas, their technical, economic, environmental and social sustainability, and strategies for the improvement, conservation, use and characterization of animal genetic resources" for rabbit farming. The congress opened with a lecture by Juan José Pascual, president of the World Rabbit Science Association (WRSA) on the current state of rabbit farming, followed by three other invited lectures, 18 scientific communications, and a round table on viral hemorrhagic disease, as well as a total of 21 posters. These scientific contributions were directed both to the fundamental areas of knowledge (feeding, genetics, reproduction, pathology), but also to other important aspects of America such as socioeconomics, the value chain, and the use of rabbit farming as a tool to fight against hunger. During the first working day, aspects of the vertical integration of rabbit production, the production and commercialization of rabbits in Cuba, feeding costs and limitations for obtaining raw materials, concern for not total slaughtering rabbits where the virus outbreaks occurred, the political will to eradicate this disease and increase the productivity of the species, the components of the value chains and the need for a correct articulation between all the links in the chain were discussed. On the other hand, during the second working day, there was a debate mainly on aspects related to the role of rabbit farming in society, not only for the production of quality meat, but also for its gender approach, the use of existing local resources in the Latin American countries, and the positive experiences of producers in the promotion of rabbit breeding. The congress closed with good attendance in the room, with a representation of students, producers, specialists, researchers and representatives of state production units and the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture (Director of the National Center for Animal Health and President of the livestock business group).
{"title":"Abstracts of the VII American Rabbit Congress. Varadero, Cuba, 12th-13th October, 2022","authors":"Abstracts, Conferences, Congresses, Symposiums...","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2023.18932","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.18932","url":null,"abstract":"Last October 12 and 13, 2022, the VII American Rabbit Congress took place within the framework of the 2022 Animal Production and Agro-Development Convention, which was held from October 10 to 14, 2022 at the Plaza América Convention Center in Varadero, Matanzas, Cuba. The VII American Rabbit Congress was developed in a hybrid way (in person and online) with specialists, researchers, professors, students, breeders and producers from different latitudes related to rabbit farming and science. Throughout the conference, a total of 50 people attended in person and 15 online, mainly from Cuba, Mexico, Argentina and Spain. The objective of the meeting was to \"Motivate the exchange of experiences and results in rabbit production systems in the Americas, their technical, economic, environmental and social sustainability, and strategies for the improvement, conservation, use and characterization of animal genetic resources\" for rabbit farming. The congress opened with a lecture by Juan José Pascual, president of the World Rabbit Science Association (WRSA) on the current state of rabbit farming, followed by three other invited lectures, 18 scientific communications, and a round table on viral hemorrhagic disease, as well as a total of 21 posters. These scientific contributions were directed both to the fundamental areas of knowledge (feeding, genetics, reproduction, pathology), but also to other important aspects of America such as socioeconomics, the value chain, and the use of rabbit farming as a tool to fight against hunger. During the first working day, aspects of the vertical integration of rabbit production, the production and commercialization of rabbits in Cuba, feeding costs and limitations for obtaining raw materials, concern for not total slaughtering rabbits where the virus outbreaks occurred, the political will to eradicate this disease and increase the productivity of the species, the components of the value chains and the need for a correct articulation between all the links in the chain were discussed. On the other hand, during the second working day, there was a debate mainly on aspects related to the role of rabbit farming in society, not only for the production of quality meat, but also for its gender approach, the use of existing local resources in the Latin American countries, and the positive experiences of producers in the promotion of rabbit breeding. The congress closed with good attendance in the room, with a representation of students, producers, specialists, researchers and representatives of state production units and the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture (Director of the National Center for Animal Health and President of the livestock business group).","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45399574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liesbeth G. W. Van Damme, E. Delezie, L. Maertens, B. Ampe, F. Tuyttens
Societal demands for group housing of social farm animals such as rabbits are increasing due to animal welfare concerns. When breeding does are housed in groups, maternal protective behaviour negatively affects the reproductive performance of the does. In part-time group housing, does are housed in single-litter cages starting shortly before parturition until the first part of lactation and then group housed for the second part after their protective behaviour has diminished and the kits are more resilient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive performance of breeding does in a part-time group housing system with provision of escape enrichment and different group size (and concomitant different stocking density, as pen size remained unchanged). For each of the four consecutive reproductive cycles, 42 does with their kits switched at 22 d post-partum (pp) from single-litter to group housing for a total period of 13 d in pens of 200×102 cm by removing walls between four adjacent single-litter cages. Newly created group pens (N =12 pens per treatment) varied in group size, stocking density and enrichment: groups of either three or four does were divided over same-size pens with or without escape enrichment (2×2 factorial design). The escape enrichment was comprised of two sets of PVC pipes and two extra elevated platforms. Does were weighed and kits counted at parturition, after which kits were cross-fostered. Kits were counted and weighed again 22 and 35 d pp. Results for mean doe fertility (90.0%), number of kits (9.1 kits/litter) and kit weight (1037.3 g/kit) at weaning were comparable with professional farms using single-litter cages. No significant effects of group size and escape enrichment were found for any of the reproductive parameters. While housed in group, seven does were removed from the experiment, from which four does were severely injured. Post-grouping kit mortality was rather low (6.7%), but three kits were euthanised due to severe injuries. In conclusion, provision of escape enrichment and altered group size (and stocking density) had no profound effect on the reproductive performance of part-time group housed does.
{"title":"Effect of group size and escape enrichment on reproductive performance of breeding does in part-time group housing","authors":"Liesbeth G. W. Van Damme, E. Delezie, L. Maertens, B. Ampe, F. Tuyttens","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2023.18616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.18616","url":null,"abstract":"Societal demands for group housing of social farm animals such as rabbits are increasing due to animal welfare concerns. When breeding does are housed in groups, maternal protective behaviour negatively affects the reproductive performance of the does. In part-time group housing, does are housed in single-litter cages starting shortly before parturition until the first part of lactation and then group housed for the second part after their protective behaviour has diminished and the kits are more resilient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive performance of breeding does in a part-time group housing system with provision of escape enrichment and different group size (and concomitant different stocking density, as pen size remained unchanged). For each of the four consecutive reproductive cycles, 42 does with their kits switched at 22 d post-partum (pp) from single-litter to group housing for a total period of 13 d in pens of 200×102 cm by removing walls between four adjacent single-litter cages. Newly created group pens (N =12 pens per treatment) varied in group size, stocking density and enrichment: groups of either three or four does were divided over same-size pens with or without escape enrichment (2×2 factorial design). The escape enrichment was comprised of two sets of PVC pipes and two extra elevated platforms. Does were weighed and kits counted at parturition, after which kits were cross-fostered. Kits were counted and weighed again 22 and 35 d pp. Results for mean doe fertility (90.0%), number of kits (9.1 kits/litter) and kit weight (1037.3 g/kit) at weaning were comparable with professional farms using single-litter cages. No significant effects of group size and escape enrichment were found for any of the reproductive parameters. While housed in group, seven does were removed from the experiment, from which four does were severely injured. Post-grouping kit mortality was rather low (6.7%), but three kits were euthanised due to severe injuries. In conclusion, provision of escape enrichment and altered group size (and stocking density) had no profound effect on the reproductive performance of part-time group housed does.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48718212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anne-Sophie Plagnet, C. Bannelier, V. Fillon, D. Savietto
Biomass allowance is a key feature in pasture-based rabbit production systems. It conditions not only the stock density (rabbits/m²) and/or the number of grazing days, it also influences the grazing behaviour of animals. When herbage restriction occurs, pelleted feed and/or cereal intake goes up. Inadequate pasture management may also impair the biomass quantity and quality if overgrazing occurs. To avoid the undesirable effects of overgrazing and better manage pellet and cereal intake, information on both biomass availability and rabbits’ grazing capacity are needed. Here, we present an adaptation of the rising plate meter method (developed for biomass intake measures for ruminants) for use in rabbit. To this end, we designed an experiment where two groups of 12 rabbits each were kept in two different fields: under an apple orchard (AO) or on fallow land (FL). We followed the animals for 5 consecutive weeks (from 45 to 80 d old). Rabbits lived in 25 m² movable paddocks, and every week a new paddock location (called paddock-spot) was made available for them. At each new paddock-spot, we measured the herbage height inside the paddocks and performed samplings of the available biomass (i.e. herbage cut after herbage height measurement) outside the paddocks. From this data we estimated the available biomass inside each paddock-spot by fitting linear regression equations of biomass to herbage height. Overall, rabbits in the AO and FL had access to 1328±65.7 and 1386±58.6 kg of dry matter (DM) per ha, respectively. In every field and paddock-spot, the biomass available was lower than the rabbits’ grazing capacity; overgrazing was the rule. Roughly, and under a restricted herbage allowance, rabbits in the AO ingested 45.2 g DM/d and rabbits in the FL 43.4 g DM/d. In the last week (64 to 80 d old), the biomass intake of rabbits in the AO and AL represented 26.4 and 23.5% of the total DM intake, respectively. These values, however, does not represent the real grazing capacity of growing rabbits. In this study, we provide some advice on the sampling method to obtain reliable biomass estimations and we mention two methods for handling influential observations in linear regression.
生物质补贴是以牧场为基础的兔子生产系统的一个关键特征。它不仅决定种群密度(兔子/平方米)和/或放牧天数，还影响动物的放牧行为。当牧草限制时，颗粒饲料和/或谷物的摄入量增加。如果过度放牧，草场管理不当也会影响生物量的数量和质量。为了避免过度放牧的不良影响，更好地管理颗粒和谷物的摄取量，需要关于生物量可利用性和兔子的放牧能力的信息。在这里，我们提出了一种适用于兔子的上升板测量法(为反刍动物的生物量摄入测量而开发的)。为此，我们设计了一项实验，将两组兔子分别饲养在两个不同的场地:苹果园(AO)下和休耕地(FL)上，每组12只。连续随访5周(45 ~ 80 d)。兔子生活在25平方米的可移动围场中，每周为它们提供一个新的围场位置(称为围场点)。在每个新的围场点，我们测量了围场内的牧草高度，并对围场外的有效生物量(即牧草高度测量后割下的牧草)进行了采样。利用这些数据，通过拟合生物量与牧草高度的线性回归方程，估计了每个围场点内的有效生物量。总体而言，AO组和FL组的干物质(DM)每公顷分别为1328±65.7 kg和1386±58.6 kg。各田块和围场点可利用生物量均低于兔的采食能力;过度放牧是常态。大致上，在限定草料量的情况下，AO组家兔的DM摄取量为45.2 g /d, FL组家兔为43.4 g /d。最后一周(64 ~ 80 d)， AO组和AL组的生物量采食量分别占总干物质采食量的26.4%和23.5%。然而，这些值并不能代表生长兔的真实放牧能力。在这项研究中，我们提供了一些建议的抽样方法，以获得可靠的生物量估计，我们提到了两种方法来处理线性回归中有影响的观测。
{"title":"Estimation of grass biomass consumed by rabbits housed in movable paddocks","authors":"Anne-Sophie Plagnet, C. Bannelier, V. Fillon, D. Savietto","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2023.18243","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.18243","url":null,"abstract":"Biomass allowance is a key feature in pasture-based rabbit production systems. It conditions not only the stock density (rabbits/m²) and/or the number of grazing days, it also influences the grazing behaviour of animals. When herbage restriction occurs, pelleted feed and/or cereal intake goes up. Inadequate pasture management may also impair the biomass quantity and quality if overgrazing occurs. To avoid the undesirable effects of overgrazing and better manage pellet and cereal intake, information on both biomass availability and rabbits’ grazing capacity are needed. Here, we present an adaptation of the rising plate meter method (developed for biomass intake measures for ruminants) for use in rabbit. To this end, we designed an experiment where two groups of 12 rabbits each were kept in two different fields: under an apple orchard (AO) or on fallow land (FL). We followed the animals for 5 consecutive weeks (from 45 to 80 d old). Rabbits lived in 25 m² movable paddocks, and every week a new paddock location (called paddock-spot) was made available for them. At each new paddock-spot, we measured the herbage height inside the paddocks and performed samplings of the available biomass (i.e. herbage cut after herbage height measurement) outside the paddocks. From this data we estimated the available biomass inside each paddock-spot by fitting linear regression equations of biomass to herbage height. Overall, rabbits in the AO and FL had access to 1328±65.7 and 1386±58.6 kg of dry matter (DM) per ha, respectively. In every field and paddock-spot, the biomass available was lower than the rabbits’ grazing capacity; overgrazing was the rule. Roughly, and under a restricted herbage allowance, rabbits in the AO ingested 45.2 g DM/d and rabbits in the FL 43.4 g DM/d. In the last week (64 to 80 d old), the biomass intake of rabbits in the AO and AL represented 26.4 and 23.5% of the total DM intake, respectively. These values, however, does not represent the real grazing capacity of growing rabbits. In this study, we provide some advice on the sampling method to obtain reliable biomass estimations and we mention two methods for handling influential observations in linear regression.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41836900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yun Zhou, Xu Yuan, X. Hu, Shan-shan Yang, S. Zhong, Ting-Yu Yang, Guohua Zhao, Yingsong Jiang, Yong Li
Rabbit coccidiosis is a very serious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, which increases the production rate of free radicals, especially reactive oxygen species. When the generation of free radicals exceeds the scavenging capacity of the body’s antioxidant system, the oxidant-antioxidant balance is broken, resulting in oxidative stress. This study was designed to investigate the effect on the oxidant-antioxidant status of rabbits infected with E. intestinalis and E. magna. To this end, eighteen 30-d-old weaned rabbits were randomly allocated into three groups as follows: the E. intestinalis infection group with 3×103 sporulated oocysts of E. intestinalis, the E. magna infection group with 20×103 sporulated oocysts of E. magna, and the uninfected control group. We measured the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabbits’ small intestinal tissues (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) of the three groupson day 8. The results showed that CAT activity and MDA levels significantly increased, while the activities of SOD, GSH-Px and T-AOC decreased after E. intestinalis and E. magna infection. Besides, the jejunum and ileum were particularly damaged in the rabbits. It is concluded that the pathological oxidative stress occurs during the E. intestinalis and E. magna infection process and the body’s oxidant-antioxidant balance is disrupted.
{"title":"Changes of oxidant-antioxidant parameters in small intestines from rabbits infected with E. intestinalis and E. magna","authors":"Yun Zhou, Xu Yuan, X. Hu, Shan-shan Yang, S. Zhong, Ting-Yu Yang, Guohua Zhao, Yingsong Jiang, Yong Li","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2022.17395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2022.17395","url":null,"abstract":"Rabbit coccidiosis is a very serious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, which increases the production rate of free radicals, especially reactive oxygen species. When the generation of free radicals exceeds the scavenging capacity of the body’s antioxidant system, the oxidant-antioxidant balance is broken, resulting in oxidative stress. This study was designed to investigate the effect on the oxidant-antioxidant status of rabbits infected with E. intestinalis and E. magna. To this end, eighteen 30-d-old weaned rabbits were randomly allocated into three groups as follows: the E. intestinalis infection group with 3×103 sporulated oocysts of E. intestinalis, the E. magna infection group with 20×103 sporulated oocysts of E. magna, and the uninfected control group. We measured the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabbits’ small intestinal tissues (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) of the three groupson day 8. The results showed that CAT activity and MDA levels significantly increased, while the activities of SOD, GSH-Px and T-AOC decreased after E. intestinalis and E. magna infection. Besides, the jejunum and ileum were particularly damaged in the rabbits. It is concluded that the pathological oxidative stress occurs during the E. intestinalis and E. magna infection process and the body’s oxidant-antioxidant balance is disrupted.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49601576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. I. Itodo, J. Ayo, I. Rekwot, T. Aluwong, L. Allam, S. Ibrahim
The study investigated the comparative influence of different extraction solvents on spermiogram, hormonal profiles and antioxidant activities in rabbit bucks. Adult New Zealand White rabbit bucks (n=18), with average live weight of 1.2±0.03 kg and aged 10-18 mo were fed ad libitum on a commercial diet. They were administered five different Azanza garckeana (AG) fruit pulp extracts at 500 mg/kg via oral gavage, comprising control group (Con), crude (AG Cr), methanol (AG M), n-hexane (AG H), ethyl acetate (AG E) and aqueous (AG AQ) for four weeks. The extracts improved the spermiogram in rabbit bucks administered methanol (AG M) and the reaction time was significantly (P<0.05) lower in AG E group when compared to other groups. The ejaculate volume, sperm motility, pH and sperm concentration were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the AG M group when compared to the other groups. There was a significant (P<0.05) increase in concentrations of blood testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone in methanol extract group (AG M). While the glutathione and malondialdehyde concentrations were (P<0.05) lower, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the groups administered methanol extract (AG M). It was concluded that AG M extracts of AG pulp elicited the best response in spermiogram, hormonal concentrations and antioxidant activities in New Zealand White rabbit bucks. Its use as the extraction solvent is recommended.
{"title":"Comparative evaluation of solvent extracts of Azanza garckeana fruit pulp on hormonal profiles, spermiogram and antioxidant activities in rabbit bucks","authors":"J. I. Itodo, J. Ayo, I. Rekwot, T. Aluwong, L. Allam, S. Ibrahim","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2022.17256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2022.17256","url":null,"abstract":"The study investigated the comparative influence of different extraction solvents on spermiogram, hormonal profiles and antioxidant activities in rabbit bucks. Adult New Zealand White rabbit bucks (n=18), with average live weight of 1.2±0.03 kg and aged 10-18 mo were fed ad libitum on a commercial diet. They were administered five different Azanza garckeana (AG) fruit pulp extracts at 500 mg/kg via oral gavage, comprising control group (Con), crude (AG Cr), methanol (AG M), n-hexane (AG H), ethyl acetate (AG E) and aqueous (AG AQ) for four weeks. The extracts improved the spermiogram in rabbit bucks administered methanol (AG M) and the reaction time was significantly (P<0.05) lower in AG E group when compared to other groups. The ejaculate volume, sperm motility, pH and sperm concentration were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the AG M group when compared to the other groups. There was a significant (P<0.05) increase in concentrations of blood testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone in methanol extract group (AG M). While the glutathione and malondialdehyde concentrations were (P<0.05) lower, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the groups administered methanol extract (AG M). It was concluded that AG M extracts of AG pulp elicited the best response in spermiogram, hormonal concentrations and antioxidant activities in New Zealand White rabbit bucks. Its use as the extraction solvent is recommended.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45001761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Consumers are increasingly animal welfare-conscious and critical of indoor caged housing systems such as those used in rabbit farming, and Europe has committed to legislate a ban on caged animal farming. Research has evidenced several technical and economic drivers of system change or lock-in in the livestock sector. Here we study determinants, motivations and/or resistance to adoption of pro-welfare practices among French rabbit farmers. First, we held 31 exploratory interviews with rabbit farmers and then performed a thematic analysis on the interview transcripts. We then assessed French rabbit farmers’ receptivity to change, using questionnaires containing 83 variables addressing receptivity to change, technico-economic characterisation of the farms, professional situations, and the personal and professional life of the rabbit farmers. Receptivity to change was evaluated through two synthetic variables summarising pro-change practices (changes already made on-farm to housing, management, feeding, etc.) and interest in innovation (receptiveness to novelty and relationship with innovation) graded on a 3-point scale (low, moderate, high). We analysed effects of technico-economic and sociodemographic variables (social attributes, internal and external motivations) on interest in innovation and pro-change practices using Chi-square tests and Cramer’s V. We collected 78 full questionnaires, i.e. covering 10% of the French population of professional rabbit farmers. Results showed a link between interest in innovation and pro-change practices (P<0.001). Sociodemographic variables (33%, 21/63; P<0.05) rather than technico-economic variables (5%, 1/19; P<0.05) were linked to receptivity to change. Pro-change practices were more influenced by the variables capturing internal motivations (6/16, economic, technical, work facilitation, materialise the farmer’s interests) than external motivations (3/21, societal incentives, family group or social environment). The weight of the sociodemographic variables suggests that transition support systems should be thought out in terms of farmer attributes.
{"title":"Factors affecting French rabbit farmers’ adoption of pro-welfare innovations","authors":"Pierre Chiron, A. Doré, Laurence Fortun Lamothe","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2022.17882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2022.17882","url":null,"abstract":"Consumers are increasingly animal welfare-conscious and critical of indoor caged housing systems such as those used in rabbit farming, and Europe has committed to legislate a ban on caged animal farming. Research has evidenced several technical and economic drivers of system change or lock-in in the livestock sector. Here we study determinants, motivations and/or resistance to adoption of pro-welfare practices among French rabbit farmers. First, we held 31 exploratory interviews with rabbit farmers and then performed a thematic analysis on the interview transcripts. We then assessed French rabbit farmers’ receptivity to change, using questionnaires containing 83 variables addressing receptivity to change, technico-economic characterisation of the farms, professional situations, and the personal and professional life of the rabbit farmers. Receptivity to change was evaluated through two synthetic variables summarising pro-change practices (changes already made on-farm to housing, management, feeding, etc.) and interest in innovation (receptiveness to novelty and relationship with innovation) graded on a 3-point scale (low, moderate, high). We analysed effects of technico-economic and sociodemographic variables (social attributes, internal and external motivations) on interest in innovation and pro-change practices using Chi-square tests and Cramer’s V. We collected 78 full questionnaires, i.e. covering 10% of the French population of professional rabbit farmers. Results showed a link between interest in innovation and pro-change practices (P<0.001). Sociodemographic variables (33%, 21/63; P<0.05) rather than technico-economic variables (5%, 1/19; P<0.05) were linked to receptivity to change. Pro-change practices were more influenced by the variables capturing internal motivations (6/16, economic, technical, work facilitation, materialise the farmer’s interests) than external motivations (3/21, societal incentives, family group or social environment). The weight of the sociodemographic variables suggests that transition support systems should be thought out in terms of farmer attributes.","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48423707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fesal Goodb, F. Soliman, O. Elghalid, A. A. Abd El-hady
This study was conducted at the Poultry Research Centre, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt, during the summer season (July and August months) 2018. For five weeks, until 63 d of age, a total number of 140 weaned V line rabbits were randomly distributed into seven groups of 20 rabbits each. Rabbits of groups 2 and 3 were fed basal diet plus copper sulphate (100 and 200 mg Cu-Sul/kg, respectively). Groups 4 and 5 were fed basal diet plus copper methionine (100 and 200 mg Cu-Meth/kg, respectively) and groups 6 and 7 were fed basal diet plus copper glycine (100 and 200 mg Cu-Gly/kg, respectively), while the first group was fed basal diet only as control. Rabbits fed diet supplemented with higher level (200 mg/kg) of Cu-Meth or Cu-Gly chelates had significantly higher body weight and daily body weight gain (P<0.05) compared to those fed diets supplemented with both levels of Cu-Sul. Rabbits fed diets supplemented with Cu-Meth or Cu-Gly chelates had significantly increased (P<0.05) red blood cells, lymphocyte, high-density lipoprotein and Cu values in blood. Within the studied Cu sources, serum total lipids values of rabbits were significantly lower than in the control group. However, serum total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were higher by both organic chelates studied than other groups. In general, copper supplementation improves productive performance and physiological status under summer conditions.
{"title":"Can copper amino acid chelates reduce the physiological strain of growing rabbits under summer conditions?","authors":"Fesal Goodb, F. Soliman, O. Elghalid, A. A. Abd El-hady","doi":"10.4995/wrs.2022.13848","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2022.13848","url":null,"abstract":"This study was conducted at the Poultry Research Centre, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt, during the summer season (July and August months) 2018. For five weeks, until 63 d of age, a total number of 140 weaned V line rabbits were randomly distributed into seven groups of 20 rabbits each. Rabbits of groups 2 and 3 were fed basal diet plus copper sulphate (100 and 200 mg Cu-Sul/kg, respectively). Groups 4 and 5 were fed basal diet plus copper methionine (100 and 200 mg Cu-Meth/kg, respectively) and groups 6 and 7 were fed basal diet plus copper glycine (100 and 200 mg Cu-Gly/kg, respectively), while the first group was fed basal diet only as control. Rabbits fed diet supplemented with higher level (200 mg/kg) of Cu-Meth or Cu-Gly chelates had significantly higher body weight and daily body weight gain (P<0.05) compared to those fed diets supplemented with both levels of Cu-Sul. Rabbits fed diets supplemented with Cu-Meth or Cu-Gly chelates had significantly increased (P<0.05) red blood cells, lymphocyte, high-density lipoprotein and Cu values in blood. Within the studied Cu sources, serum total lipids values of rabbits were significantly lower than in the control group. However, serum total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were higher by both organic chelates studied than other groups. In general, copper supplementation improves productive performance and physiological status under summer conditions. ","PeriodicalId":23902,"journal":{"name":"World Rabbit Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46892880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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