Browsing by Subject "Outdoor run"

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Untersuchungen zum Einfluss eines Auslaufes in einer strukturierten Bodenhaltung auf ethologische, klinische und leistungsbezogene Parameter bei Mastkaninchen
(2014) Woodrow, Julia; Reiter, Klaus
The aim of the study was to investigate and evaluate the effect of a covered outdoor run in a structured pen housing system, on both ethological and clinical parameters as well as productive performance of growing rabbits. During this study new insights were gained into the use of the outdoor runs as well as into the optimization of the slaughter age, taking the frequency and severity of sexual and aggression based injuries as well as the productive performance of the bucks into account. 960 hybrid rabbits were used for this study over four experiments. During the first and second experiments the type of housing was primary investigated in male and female groups. In the third and fourth experiment only bucks were housed and the slaughter date was varied between 11, 12 and 13 weeks of age. Each group consisted of 24 animals, with an available space of 1275 cm2 per animal in the structured pen housing system. Rabbits with access to an outdoor run had an available area of 2317 cm2. The animals were weaned at an age of 5 weeks and assigned into the housing systems, where they remained to a maximum age of 13 weeks. The pen housing system had fully perforated plastic flooring and was structured with raised platforms, gnawing sticks and racks for straw and hay. The runs were littered. The ethological parameters collected during this study included information of the use of the outside run with RFID technique as well as the observed behaviour monitored and recorded via video cameras. The clinical parameters captured the mortality and the aggression related injuries as well as the blood tests. Additionally the productive performance was measured and the carcass traits were analysed. The experiments showed that the rabbits spent on average two hours a day in the run. 95% of the rabbits visited the run at least once during the day. The use of the outdoor run was lower during the winter months when the temperatures were lower in comparison to the spring and summer. The penned housing system with access to an outdoor run had a positive impact, as higher levels of slow movement were observed during all four experiments in this type of system. In comparison fast movements were shown rarely and there was no difference in regards to behaviour between the housing systems. When using sawdust as a litter in the run there was no significant difference in the exploratory behaviour between the two housing systems. The use of straw however had a positive impact on the occurrences of exploratory behaviour in the groups held in the pen housing system with an outside run. The frequency of sexual and aggressive behaviour resulting in injuries was significantly higher in the male rabbits in contrast to the female. There was a continual increase in the sexual and aggressive behaviour of the bucks observed between the age of 8 and 13 weeks. The mortality varied between the different experiments as well as individual groups. Over the course of all the experiments the average mortality was 9.5% for the animals held in the pen housing system and 13.0% of the animals held in the system with additional outdoor run. Over all four experiments the housing system showed no significant effect on the mortality. The percentage of injured rabbits increased from the 10th to the 13th week of age for both the males as well as the females. However at an age of 12 weeks a significantly higher number of bucks were injured in comparison to female rabbits. The percentage of heavily injured bucks increased on average over all four experiments from 0.2% at 10 weeks of age to 6.2% at 13 weeks of age. However the pen housing system with an outdoor run showed significantly lower numbers of heavy injured bucks in comparison to the groups with no access to an outdoor run at an age of 13 weeks. The productive performance did not significantly differ across all four experiments when considering the structured pen housing systems with or without an outdoor run. The daily weight gain of the male rabbits increased and peaked at the age of eight weeks where it held till ten weeks and then began to decrease again. The weight gain was the lowest and the feed conversion at its worst between 12 and 13 weeks of age. The carcass traits of the bucks were not influenced by the housing system at all three slaughtering ages. The absolute weights of the back and the hind legs did not differ significantly between 12 and 13 weeks of age. The structured pen housing system with an outdoor run has a positive effect on the welfare of the animals and is an alternative to the housing in cages. A covered outdoor run in the structured pen housing system is positive in regards to animal welfare. With an earlier slaughtering age of bucks with 12 weeks, the frequency and severity of animal welfare specific injuries were reduced whilst maintaining the same carcass quality and reducing the economic effect of lower growth performance within the last fattening week.