Performance of rabbit does housed in collective pens and individual cages

Abstract

[EN] In society today, there is increasing concern for the welfare of farm animals. New models of rabbit breeding are proposed, such as group housing of rabbit does in a semi-group system or environmental enrichment of individual housing. This work aimed to evaluate the reproductive performance and metabolic aspects of rabbit does housed in collective pens, comparing them to individual cages provided with a platform. Forty-eight animals were distributed in 24 individual cages (40×98×57 cm; width, length and height) and four collective pens (six does per pen; 240×100×65 cm) and remained during four cycles. The does previously housed in collective pens gained less weight and reached lighter weights by the first insemination day (3669 vs. 3872 g; P<0.01), but regained weight over the cycles and had a similar weight during the experiment (4306 vs. 4329 g). It was observed that there was a lower feed intake in the period before delivery in collective pens, which contributed to the lower kit b