Windschnurer Ines, Waiblinger Susanne, Hanslik Stefan, Klang Andrea, Smajlhodzic Fehim, Löwenstein Michael, Niebuhr Knut
Institute of Animal Welfare Science, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Institute of Pathology, Department for Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Animals (Basel). 2019 May 4;9(5):216. doi: 10.3390/ani9050216.
Cage housing of growing rabbits is associated with welfare concerns. An alternative system that has already been introduced involves pens with non-wire floors. An important aspect of group pens, for which the best solution has not yet been clearly demonstrated, is the choice of floor material. The study investigated effects of two ground floor types-slatted plastic floor versus concrete floor with straw litter-on health-related parameters and weight of rabbits reared in large group pens on a commercial rabbit farm, i.e., with preventive coccidiostatic, and if required, additional therapeutic medical treatment. Pens were identical in dimensions, equipment (including platforms), and initial group size (60 animals/pen). Four pens were studied per ground floor type in three consecutive rearing periods (in total, 12 pens per floor type). A higher percentage of rabbits per pen had clean fur if reared on straw ( < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the load of coccidial oocysts in collective faecal samples, mortality, pathological alterations, or causes of loss ( > 0.05). Thus, often-expressed concerns that parasitic load and mortality would be higher in groups kept on straw were not confirmed when rabbits were housed under otherwise equal conditions. Average slaughter weight was higher in rabbits reared on a slatted plastic floor ( < 0.05), confirming previous findings of a negative impact of straw litter on weight gain.
生长兔的笼养存在福利问题。一种已被引入的替代系统是带有非金属网地板的围栏。群养围栏的一个重要方面是地板材料的选择，而目前尚未明确证明最佳解决方案是什么。本研究调查了两种底层类型——塑料板条地板与铺有稻草垫料的混凝土地板——对商业兔场大群围栏中饲养的兔子的健康相关参数和体重的影响，即采用预防性抗球虫药，并在必要时进行额外的治疗性药物治疗。围栏在尺寸、设备（包括平台）和初始群体规模（每围栏60只动物）方面相同。每种底层类型在三个连续的饲养期内研究四个围栏（每种地板类型总共12个围栏）。如果在稻草上饲养，每围栏中毛发干净的兔子比例更高（<0.05）。在集体粪便样本中的球虫卵囊负荷、死亡率、病理改变或损失原因方面未发现显著差异（>0.05）。因此，当兔子在其他条件相同的情况下饲养时，经常表达的关于在稻草上饲养的群体中寄生虫负荷和死亡率会更高的担忧并未得到证实。在塑料板条地板上饲养的兔子平均屠宰体重更高（<0.05），这证实了先前关于稻草垫料对体重增加有负面影响的研究结果。
