The main objective of the present paper was to evaluate the effects of an alternative housing system in pens on the performances and productivity of a local breed of domestic rabbits compared to commercial hybrid subjects normally used in intensive rabbitries. One hundred and six rabbits, 39 days old, were divided by breed and sex in two different housing systems, i.e. in two place cages (cm40x30x28h) or in wire mesh floors pens (cm100x100x70h) of 13 subjects each. All the animals were fed, ad libitum, a pelleted commercial feed and slaughtered when they reached the same live weight (2.46 kg 0.27 kg) (71 and 85 days for commercial and rustic breeds respectively). Performances were generally worst for group housed rabbits compared to that intensively bred in cages. Particularly, feed efficiency was significantly higher (P=0.03), dressing out percentage better (61.4% vs 59.5%) and muscle to bone ratio improved (6.8 vs 5.8) for animals traditionally caged. Concerning genetic strain, local breed had a higher dressing out percentage (62.0% vs 57.9%), a lower meat brightness (<L*) and a greater weight of the left hind leg (207.4g vs 184.6g). Also mortality rate as well as intestinal diseases seems to be less important in the local breed group housed.[...]
Produttività e adattabilità all'allevamento in colonia di una razza/popolazione cunicola a lento accrescimento
LAMBERTINI, Lamberto;VIGNOLA, Giorgio;
2006-01-01
Abstract
The main objective of the present paper was to evaluate the effects of an alternative housing system in pens on the performances and productivity of a local breed of domestic rabbits compared to commercial hybrid subjects normally used in intensive rabbitries. One hundred and six rabbits, 39 days old, were divided by breed and sex in two different housing systems, i.e. in two place cages (cm40x30x28h) or in wire mesh floors pens (cm100x100x70h) of 13 subjects each. All the animals were fed, ad libitum, a pelleted commercial feed and slaughtered when they reached the same live weight (2.46 kg 0.27 kg) (71 and 85 days for commercial and rustic breeds respectively). Performances were generally worst for group housed rabbits compared to that intensively bred in cages. Particularly, feed efficiency was significantly higher (P=0.03), dressing out percentage better (61.4% vs 59.5%) and muscle to bone ratio improved (6.8 vs 5.8) for animals traditionally caged. Concerning genetic strain, local breed had a higher dressing out percentage (62.0% vs 57.9%), a lower meat brightness (<L*) and a greater weight of the left hind leg (207.4g vs 184.6g). Also mortality rate as well as intestinal diseases seems to be less important in the local breed group housed.[...]I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
