Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T05:57:03.180Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of nursing by two does on the performance of sucking and growing rabbits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

Zs. Szendrö ,
T. Gyarmati ,
L. Maertens ,
E. Biró-Németh ,
I. Radnai ,
G. Milisits  and
Zs. Matics
Zs. Szendrö
Affiliation:
University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Science, PO Box 16, 7401 Kaposvár, Hungary
T. Gyarmati
Affiliation:
University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Science, PO Box 16, 7401 Kaposvár, Hungary
L. Maertens
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Husbandry, Section of Small Stock Husbandry, Merelbeke, Belgium
E. Biró-Németh
Affiliation:
University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Science, PO Box 16, 7401 Kaposvár, Hungary
I. Radnai
Affiliation:
University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Science, PO Box 16, 7401 Kaposvár, Hungary
G. Milisits
Affiliation:
University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Science, PO Box 16, 7401 Kaposvár, Hungary
Zs. Matics
Affiliation:
University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Science, PO Box 16, 7401 Kaposvár, Hungary
Get access

Abstract

Five hundred and eighty-four Pannon White kits of 73 newborn litters were submitted to one of five treatments. Control litters (SS) were nursed once a day for 35 days post partum (traditional method of nursing). DD litters were raised by two does and the kits were nursed both in the morning and in the evening until day 35 post partum. DS litters were nursed twice a day for 23 days, and then once a day until weaning at 35 days. Part of the DS litters were nursed at 08:00 and 20:00 h (i.e. every 12 h, DS12), the rest were nursed at 08:00 and at 16:00 h (DS8). Kits of the fifth treatment (D0) were nursed twice a day until day 23, and then immediately weaned.

Rabbit kits that were nursed twice a day (DD, DS12, DS8, D0) consumed on average 1·89 more milk compared with SS individuals until day 23 (overall treatment effect P < 0·001). The 21-day body weight of these young was 1·7 times greater than that of the SS kits (overall P < 0·001). D0 rabbits were weaned early and their growth curve showed a slight break at this point. However, they compensated for this lag by the end of the fattening period. SS rabbits and DD ones were respectively the first and the last to start consuming solid food. The food consumption of DS rabbits was similar to that of DD until day 23 and from then until day 35 it was not significantly different from that of SS. After having been weaned on day 23, D0 kits consumed only very small quantities of pellets for 2 days. Afterwards their food intake increased abruptly. Rabbits that were nursed twice a day (DD, DS12, DS8 and D0) consumed more food as compared with the SS individuals throughout the total period of fattening (157 v. 137 g/day; P < 0·05). The weight at 10 weeks of age was 2·49 v. 2·88 kg (overall P < 0·001), respectively for SS and doublenursed (DD, DS, D0) rabbits. Nursing twice a day did not affect dressing proportion but the proportion of the carcass in the front part of the body decreased slightly (318 v. 323 g/kg; P < 0·05) while that in intermediate part increased (321 v. 307 g/kg; P < 0·05). Nevertheless, rabbits that were nursed twice a day had more (P < 0·05) perirenal + scapular fat and produced heavier livers. Total fat content of the empty body, however, was not significantly higher, with the one exception of the DD rabbits which had higher levels than any other group. The results of our experiment show clearly that the growth potential of rabbit kits is strongly limited by the milk availability during the first weeks post partum.

Keywords

carcass compositionlive-weight gainrabbitssuckling
Type
Non-ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 74 , Issue 1 , February 2002 , pp. 117 - 125
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blasco, A., Ouhayoun, J. and Masoero, G. 1993. Harmonization of criteria and terminology in meat rabbit research. World Rabbit Science 1: 3–10.Google Scholar
Gyarmati, T., Szendrö, Zs., Maertens, L., Biró-Németh, E., Radnai, I., Milisits, G. and Matics, Zs. 2000. New possibilities of raising rabbit young by alternative nursing methods. Proceedings of the eighth international symposium on animal products and human health, University of Osijek, Croatia. Agriculture 6: 136–139.Google Scholar
Hardman, M. J., Hull, D. and Oyesiku, I. 1970. The influence of birth weight and nutrition on postnanal growth of rabbits. Biology of the Neonate 16: 306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herczeg, B. 1981. Effect of number of sucklings on the milk production of does. Diplomwork, Pannon University, Kaposvár.Google Scholar
Hoy, S., Seitz, K., Selzer, D. and Schüddemage, M. 2000. Nursing behaviour of domesticated and wild rabbit does under different keeping conditions. Proceedings of the seventh world rabbit congress. World Rabbit Science 8: (suppl. 1, vol. B), pp. 531–536.Google Scholar
Hudson, R. and Distel, H. 1982. The pattern of behaviour of rabbit pups in the nest. Behaviour 79: 255–271.Google Scholar
Lebas, F. 1969. Alimentation lactée et croissance pondérale du lapin avant sevrage. Annales de Zootechnie 18: 197–208.Google Scholar
Lebas, F. 1975. Le lapin de chair: ses besoins nutritionnels et son alimentation pratique, pp. 50. ITAVI, Paris.Google Scholar
McNitt, J. and Moody, G. L. 1988. Milk intake and growth rates of suckling rabbits. Journal of Applied Rabbit Research 11: 117–120.Google Scholar
Maertens, L. and Groote, G.de. 1990. Feed intake of rabbit kits before weaning and attempts to increase it. Journal of Applied Rabbit Research 13: 151–158.Google Scholar
Maertens, L. and Groote, G.de. 1991. The nutrition of highly productive rabbit does and kits before weaning. Revue de l’Agriculture 44: 725–737.Google Scholar
Padilha, M. T. S., Licois, D., Gidenne, T., Carre, B., Coudert, P. and Lebas, F. 1996. Caecal microflora and fermentation pattern in exclusively milk-fed young rabbits. Proceedings of the sixth world rabbit congress, Toulouse, vol. 1, pp. 247–251.Google Scholar
Padilha, M. T. S., Licois, D., Gidenne, T., Carre, B. and Fonty, G. 1994. Evolution de la microflore et de l’activite fermentaire caecale chez le lapereau pendant la période péri-sevrage: premiers résultats. Proceedings de Vlémes Journées de la Recherche Cunicole, La Rochelle, France, vol. 2, pp. 341–346.Google Scholar
Piattoni, F. and Maertens, L. 1999. Effect of weaning age and solid feed distribution before weaning on the caecal fermentation pattern of young rabbits. 11. Arbeitstagung über Haltung und Krankenheiten der Kaninchen, Pelztiere und Heimtiere. Celle, pp. 97–105. Deutsche Vet. Med. Gesellschaft e. V., Giessen.Google Scholar
Spencer, A. and Hull, D. 1984. The effect of over-feeding newborn rabbits on somatic and visceral growth, body composition and long-term growth potential. British Journal of Nutrition 51: 389–402.Google Scholar
Szendrö, Zs. 1986. [Examination of production traits of rabbit in point of view of improvement.] Ph.D. thesis, Gödöllö. Google Scholar
Szendrö, Zs. and Benke, M. 1991. [The behaviour of does and young during suckling.] Proceedings of the third Hungarian conference on rabbit production, Kaposvár, pp. 161–170.Google Scholar
Szendrö, Zs., Biró-Németh, E. and Radnai, I. 1998a. Development of the Pannon White rabbit breed and changes in results for production between 1988 and 1997. Zbornik, suppl. 30, pp. 125–130.Google Scholar
Szendrö, Zs., Kustos, K. and Szabó, S. 1985a. The study of feed consumption and weight gain in suckling rabbits. Proceedings of the 13th conference on meat rabbit breeding, Nitra, pp. 33–44.Google Scholar
Szendrö, Zs., Milisits, G., Papp, Gy., Gyarmati, T., Lévai, A., Radnai, I. and Biró-Németh, E. 1998b. [Milk intake and weight gain of rabbits nursed twice a day.] Proceedings of the 10th Hungarian conference on rabbit production, Kaposvár, pp. 35–41.Google Scholar
Szendrö, Zs., Szabó, S. and Kustos, K. 1985b. Studies on milk production, weight change and feed consumption of rabbit does during suckling period. Proceedings of the 13th conference on meat rabbit breeding, Nitra, pp. 105–117.Google Scholar
Xiccato, G., Trocino, A., Sartori, A. and Queaque, P. I. 2000. Early weaning of rabbits: effect of age and diet on weaning and post-weaning performance. Proceedings of the seventh world rabbit congress, July 4-7, Valencia. World Rabbit Science 8: (suppl. 1, vol. C), pp. 483–490.Google Scholar
Zarrow, M. X., Denenberg, V. M. and Anderson, C. O. 1965. Rabbit: frequency of suckling in the pup. Science 150: 1835–1836.Google Scholar