Recommendations and guidelines for applied reproduction trials with rabbit does

Abstract

[EN] This paper consists of a set of recommendations for applied reproduction trials with rabbit does. In the first part, the preparation of the experimental design is particularly developed (animals, size of the sample, housing conditions, breeding and feeding systems, establishing groups, insemination conditions, duration of the experiment). The second part defines some reproductive performances and how to measure them (sexual receptivity, fertility, prolificacy, mortality and growth of young, overall productivity). The last part provides a tool for data analysis. In the final considerations, it is emphasised that nowadays experiments have to take into account the recommendations related to animal welfare as well as the increasing sensitivity of consumers to considerations of meat quality. Reproduction traits are defined in an appendix.