Recent Advances in World Rabbit Technology

The analysis of the recent tendencies in rabbit production and technology was established in relation to about 270 congress communications and articles published in 1998 and 1999. Communications were mainly presented during the 7 French Rabbit days (Lyon France May 1998), the 1 Rabbit Conference of the Americas (Mexico September 1998), the 2 International Conference on Rabbit Production in Hot Climates (Adana Turkey, September 1998), the 11 Symposium on housing and diseases of rabbit, furbearing animals and pets animals (Celle Germany, May 1999), the 11 Hungarian conference on rabbit production (Kaposvar, May 1999) and the 8 French Rabbit days (Paris France , June 1999). Articles were mainly those published in World Rabbit Science, the journal of the WRSA but also in technical European rabbit journals. The first remark concerns the subjects of the communications or articles : about 1/4 are devoted to rabbit nutrition and feeding, 21% to reproduction control; 15% are specialised on genetics and selection but only 10% are devoted to pathology, 9% to meat quality and 12% to management and rabbit production economy. Ultimately it must be emphasised that 4% of the papers are devoted to rabbit "welfare" and behaviour. Subjects on genetics and selection are dedicated mainly the quantitative improvement of rabbit production (number of kits, growth rate) by utilisation of crossbred rabbits, but the number of criteria considered at this occasion increased (associated response to selection of other criteria). One part is also devoted to knowledge of old traditional European breeds and to adaptation of European selected rabbit lines in other countries and environmental conditions. Studies on rabbit reproduction are mainly devoted to rabbits does bred under a " single band" system with artificial insemination, i.e. all does of the same rearing unit (building, .) inseminated every 42 days (or 35 days). Research and technical efforts are made to improve the low results (mainly low % of kindling) observed after insemination of lactating does. The methods studied concern PMSG utilisation and more recently utilisation of bio-stimulators such as temporary mother-litter separation or bringing does together just before insemination. For the first time in 1996, the average productivity of French breeding units managed under the "band" technique with artificial insemination (180 000 breeding does under official control) produced more rabbits per doe and per year than more traditional units with natural mating once a week or more frequently (245 000 breeding does under control) : 50.0 vs 49,1 ready-to-slaughter rabbits produced per doe and per year. Pathology subjects are mainly devoted to enteritis and pasteurellosis control. A lot of work is made on Contagious Rabbit Enterocolitis; but, if the practical consequences (mortality and morbidity) can be correctly controlled with antibiotics, up to now,the infectious agent has not be isolated and no specific prevention or treatment methodology can be proposed. Nevertheless, at this occasion the general hygienic prevention methods including all the rabbitry management, have proved their great efficiency. Studies on nutrition are dedicated to various subjects : feeding of the pregnant-and-lactating does, nutrients requirement of growing rabbits, nutritive value of various raw materials, etc. New tables on nutritive value of the most common European feeds were published. Studies on meat quality are now included as a "normal" part of the results of studies on genetic, nutrition or management systems. Meat quality is studied on the basis of the chemical and dietetic composition, but also on the basis of technological parameters and sensory evaluation of the cooked meat. Publications on management can be classified in 2 categories 1 description of complete management systems employed in different regions or countries, and 2 comparison of different variants of one part of a rabbit unit management, i.e. feeders length per young, density in cages during fattening, reproduction control (see above), type of housing (dimension of cage and type building), temperature control and response to heat stress, etc. New studies on rabbit welfare are mainly devoted to the number of rabbits per cage (for breeding as during fattening period), to the dimension of cages (surface available per rabbit, height of the cage) or type of floor. Surprisingly, growing rabbits prefer a (good) wire mesh floor and neglect the straw litter if they have choice: more than 80% of the rabbits are observed on the wire mesh part of the pens (1.6 m2) and growth rate of rabbit with free choice was reduced by 10% when compared to rabbits reared in the same pens with only wire mesh floor (44,0 vs 44.5 /day). Annual meeting of the Chinese Branch of the WRSA Meijin (China) , 15-17 Oct. 1999 Recent Advances in World Rabbit Technology Page 2