Effect of housing enrichment and type of flooring on the performance and behaviour of female rabbits

IF 0.8 4区农林科学 Q3 AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE

World Rabbit Science Pub Date : 2021-12-29 DOI:10.4995/wrs.2021.15848

Yayu Huang, J. Breda, D. Savietto, A. Debrusse, J. M. Bonnemère, T. Gidenne, S. Combes, L. Fortun-Lamothe

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of housing enrichments (scratching card, gnawing material and a platform), of a change in height and in the type of flooring on the live weight, reproductive performance and behaviour of female rabbits, as well as on the feed intake and spatial distribution of females and their kits. A total of 40 multiparous female rabbits were monitored in three consecutive reproductive cycles (48-d intervals). Four days before parturition in each reproductive cycle, the females were randomly assigned to one of the five types of housing: Control (CNT: 102×47×30 cm, L×W× H); Scratching card (SCT: containing a scratching card); Gnawing materials (GNW: CNT dimensions plus a compressed lucerne hay block and a wooden stick); Platform (PLT: 102×47×60 cm, including a platform with a plastic floor) and Combination (CBN: PLT dimensions with the scratching card, the gnawing materials and a platform). Data were only recorded during the first and third reproductive cycles. The living conditions did not significantly alter the females’ live weight (4889 g at housing; 4890 g at mid-lactation; 4867 g at weaning), reproductive performance (9.0 kits born alive), survival of the kits (90%), nor the feed intake of females and their litters (542 g/day). Providing animals with a gnawing block stimulated Gnawing behaviour (median frequency per group: CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=4.69, PLT=0.00, and CBN=2.34; PRearing up behaviour (median frequencies per group: CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=0.00, PLT=2.08, and CBN=3.12; P=0.06), and when a platform was present, the rabbits used it (mean values per group: CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=0.00, PLT=1.79, and CBN=4.91; P=0.003). Regarding the type of floor, females appeared to prefer the plastic mesh flooring (31.2%) to the wire mesh flooring (18.8%). To sum up, providing female rabbits with simple enrichments appears to stimulate specific behaviours like Gnawing and Rearing up and may contribute to their wellbeing.

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窝层富集和地板类型对母兔生产性能和行为的影响

本研究调查了丰富的住房(抓卡、啃食材料和平台)、高度和地板类型的变化对雌兔的活重、繁殖性能和行为的影响，以及对雌兔及其幼兔的采食量和空间分布的影响。采用连续3个生殖周期(间隔48 d)对40只产兔进行监测。在每个生殖周期的分娩前4天，雌性被随机分配到五种类型的住房之一:对照(CNT: 102×47×30 cm, L×W× H);抓挠卡(SCT:包含抓挠卡);啃食材料(GNW:碳纳米管尺寸加上压缩的紫花苜蓿干草块和木棍);平台(PLT: 102×47×60 cm，包括一个带塑料地板的平台)和组合(CBN: PLT尺寸与刮卡、啃咬材料和平台)。只记录了第一和第三个生殖周期的数据。居住条件对雌鼠的生活质量影响不显著(4889 g);泌乳中期4890 g;繁殖性能(9.0窝活产)、窝成活率(90%)、母鸭及窝鸭采食量(542 g/d)均无显著差异。给予啮齿块刺激动物的啮齿行为(各组中位数频率:CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=4.69, PLT=0.00, CBN=2.34);准备行为(每组中位数频率:CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=0.00, PLT=2.08, CBN=3.12;P=0.06)，当平台存在时，兔子使用它(每组平均值:CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=0.00, PLT=1.79, CBN=4.91;P = 0.003)。在地板类型方面，雌蚊对塑料网眼地板的偏好程度为31.2%，对铁丝网眼地板的偏好程度为18.8%。总而言之，为雌性兔子提供简单的丰富似乎会刺激它们的特定行为，如啃咬和抚养，并可能有助于它们的健康。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

World Rabbit Science 农林科学-奶制品与动物科学

CiteScore

1.70

自引率

25.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>36 weeks

期刊介绍： World Rabbit Science is the official journal of the World Rabbit Science Association (WRSA). One of the main objectives of the WRSA is to encourage communication and collaboration among individuals and organisations associated with rabbit production and rabbit science in general. Subject areas include breeding, genetics, production, management, environment, health, nutrition, physiology, reproduction, behaviour, welfare, immunology, molecular biology, metabolism, processing and products. World Rabbit Science is the only international peer-reviewed journal included in the ISI Thomson list dedicated to publish original research in the field of rabbit science. Papers or reviews of the literature submitted to World Rabbit Science must not have been published previously in an international refereed scientific journal. Previous presentations at a scientific meeting, field day reports or similar documents can be published in World Rabbit Science, but they will be also subjected to the peer-review process. World Rabbit Science will publish papers of international relevance including original research articles, descriptions of novel techniques, contemporaryreviews and meta-analyses. Short communications will only accepted in special cases where, in the Editor''s judgement, the contents are exceptionally exciting, novel or timely. Proceedings of rabbit scientific meetings and conference reports will be considered for special issues. World Rabbit Science is published in English four times a year in a single volume. Authors may publish in World Rabbit Science regardless of the membership in the World Rabbit Science Association, even if joining the WRSA is encouraged. Views expressed in papers published in World Rabbit Science represent the opinion of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the WRSA or the Editor-in-Chief.