Effect of Different Raising Techniques on In vivo Performance and Carcass and Meat Traits of Ischia Grey Rabbit

Bovera, Fulvia,Di Meo, Carmelo,Nizza, Sandra,Piccolo, Giovanni,Nizza, Antonino Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.9

One-hundred and twenty Ischia grey rabbits, traditionally raised in pits, were equally divided after weaning (32 days) into three groups: group C, housed in cages (4 rabbits/cage) and fed a commercial concentrate; group GF, housed as C group and fed grasses collected on the island and crushed faba beans supplemented with an appropriate mineral vitamin mix; group P, housed in pits (8 rabbits/pit) and fed as GF group. Feed intake was recorded daily and live weight monthly up to slaughter (92 days). At slaughter, 10 rabbits per group were used to measure carcass and meat traits. The carcasses were weighed and measured according to the standard procedures and meat samples from the Longissimus dorsi and left hind leg were analysed for water holding capacity and chemical composition, respectively. During the entire trial, group C consumed significantly (p<0.01) a higher quantity of feed than the other groups (126.1 vs. 63.4 and 66.5 g/d, resp. for groups C, GF and P) and at slaughter showed a significantly (p<0.01) higher body weight (2,529.7 vs. 1,324.4 and 1,375.4 g, resp. for groups C, GF and P). Significant differences (p<0.01) were found also for dressing out percentage (68.6 vs. 66.6 and 66.9%, resp. for groups C, GF and P) and for meat chemical composition, in particular lipid percentage (4.13 vs. 1.84 and 1.93%, resp., for groups C, GF and P, p<0.01) and moisture (73.7 vs. 76.4 and 76.3%, resp. for groups C, GF and P, p<0.01). The results suggest the opportunity to obtain heavier animals raised in the pits if their diets were integrated with commercial feed.

Effect of Birth Weight and Litter Size on Productive Performance of Rabbits

Di Meo, C.,Gazaneo, M.P.,Racca, C.,Bovera, F.,Piccolo, G.,Nizza, A. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2004 Animal Bioscience Vol.17 No.8

This study chiefly aims to ascertain the effect of birth weight and litter size on productive performance in rabbits. After delivery kits were removed from their mothers for individual weighing and randomly assigned to one of the following three experimental treatments: Group (KT 6) with six tiny kits (about 45 g) per litter (21 litters); Group (KT 8) with eight tiny kits (about 45 g) per litter (17 litters); Group (KN8) with eight normal kits (about 70 g) per litter (20 litters). The litters, separated from their mothers by putting them in a closed cage, suckled one time a day for 15 minutes. Daily milk production was measured by weighing the does immediately before and after suckling; body weight of kits was measured on a weekly basis. At weaning 60 rabbits per group were raised for six weeks to ascertain post-weaning performance and health. Compared with the two other groups, the kits of group KT8 ingested smaller quantities of milk both during the first 3 weeks (497.7 vs. 520.0 vs. 544.3 g, respectively for groups KT8, KN8, KT6) and the following period (261.3 vs. 285.0 vs. 302.7 g, respectively for KT8, KN8, KT6). The differences between groups KT8 and KT6 were statistically significant (p<0.01) in the first period while in the second period also KN8 group showed milk intake different in respect of KT8 (p<0.01) and KT6 (p<0.05) groups. Solid feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) lower in group KT6 (23.1 vs. 26.2 vs. 26.8 g/d, respectively for groups KT6, KN8, KT8). At weaning the kits of group KN8 always weighed more (966 vs. 894 vs. 888 g; p<0.01, respectively for groups KN8, KT6, KT8). After weaning, no parameter considered (daily weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, mortality and risk sanitary index) was affected by birth weight and litter size.

Performance of Suckling Rabbits Fed a Low Fibre Concentrate

Piccolo, Giovanni,Bovera, Fulvia,Meo, Carmelo Di,Gazaneo, Maria Pia,Nizza, Antonino Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.10

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two diets different in crude fibre content and ingredients on performance and on caecal characteristics of rabbits around weaning. Thirty litters from thirty New Zealand White does were divided at Day 18 in two groups fed, respectively, a low fibre concentrate (LFC, consisting mainly of soybean meal, delactated whey, barley) from Day 18-28 followed by a creep feed (CF, consisting mainly in alfalfa meal, barley and wheat bran) from Day 29-32, and a CF from Day 18-32. After weaning (32 days) both groups were fed the CF ad libitum for two weeks. During the pre-weaning period, mortality, milk intake and solid feed intake (from Day 20) were recorded daily, while the live weight of kits was recorded twice, at 18 and 32 days. At day 28, one rabbit/litter was slaughtered in order to obtain data on caecal content characteristics. After weaning, the rabbits were located in collective cages, feeding ad libitum CF; feed intake, live weight and mortality were recorded weekly for two weeks. During the preweaning period, there were no differences between the groups in milk and solid feed intake and, by consequence, in live weight at weaning; instead, the mortality was higher (12.5 vs 4.5%) for the group (A) that changed diet at 28 days. Group A showed also a higher caecal pH (6.12 vs. 5.72), propionate to butyrate ratio (0.73 vs. 0.46), ammonia content (9.3 vs. 7.1 mmol/l), but a lower total volatile fatty acid content (66.8 vs. 82.1 mmol/l) than B Group, probably due to the dried milk whey in the concentrate. After weaning, there were no significant differences between the two groups. The authors concluded that the use of a low fibre concentrate for suckling rabbits is not recommended.

Comparison of Rabbit Caecal Content and Rabbit Hard Faeces as Source of Inoculum for the In vitro Gas Production Technique

Bovera, Fulvia,D'Urso, Simona,Di Meo, Carmelo,Piccolo, Giovanni,Calabro, Serena,Nizza, Antonino Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.11

In order to find an alternative source of inoculum to caecal content for studying the fermentation activity of rabbit hindgut, caecal content and faeces of 25 hybrid Hyla rabbits were used as inocula for an in vitro gas production trial. About 1 g of three substrates (dehydrated alfalfa meal, dehydrated beet pulp, barley) was weighed, in quadruplicate per inoculum, in 120 ml bottles; 75 ml of anaerobic medium and 4 ml of reducing solution were added and bottles were placed at $39^{\circ}C$. Caecal content and faeces were diluted respectively 1:2 (CI) and 1:8 (FI) with anaerobic medium and were introduced in the respective bottles (10 ml). Gas production was recorded 20 times at 2-24 h intervals throughout fermentation (96 h). The fermentation characteristics (i.e. degraded organic matter, OMd; potential gas production, A; fermentation rate, Rmax; time at which it is reached, Tmax; pH, volatile fatty acid, VFA) were studied by inoculum and feedstuffs. The feedstuffs, according to their chemical composition, showed very different fermentation characteristics. In particular, OMd, A and Rmax allowed feedstuff classification as follows: barley>beet pulp>alfalfa. The inocula differ (p<0.05) in Tmax, were higher for CI (15.53 vs. 11.96 h) and in VFA production. In particular, CI produced higher levels of acetate (38.9 vs. 33.4 mM/g OM incubated, p<0.01) and isobutyrate (0.72 vs. 0.42, p<0.01) but less propionate (7.1 vs. 10.3, p<0.01) and butyrate (11.3 vs. 14.0, p<0.01). However, the trend of gas production, similar for the inocula according to the fermented substrate, and the good regression equation to estimate some caecal fermentation parameters from faeces suggest that, after standardisation, the faeces could be used as an alternative inoculum for gas tests in rabbit.

Influence of Age at Weaning on Caecal Content Characteristics and Post-weaning Performance and Health of Rabbits

S.Taranto,CDiMeo,G.Stanco,G.Piccolo,M.P.Gazaneo,A.Nizza 아세아·태평양축산학회 2003 Animal Bioscience Vol.16 No.10