Bigler L, Oester H
Bundesant für Veterinärwesen, Prüfstelle für Stalleinrichtungen, Zollikofen.
Berl Munch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 1994 May;107(5):150-6.
In the present study three new group housing systems for fattening rabbits kept in smaller and larger units were evaluated with respect to the animal welfare as stated in the Swiss Regulations about animal protection. Judgement of animal welfare was based on the results of two practical examinations in which abnormal behaviour and injuries were elevated. To determine proper keeping evaluation criteria and their limits were set. In the examined housing systems no problems concerning locomotory and occupation behaviour, resting and hiding places were found. But in a few larger groups social problems occurred by the end of the fattening period. Hence heavy injuries were found before day 80 of life. These problems concerning aggressive behaviour and injuries may be explained by the accelerated sexual development (determined by strain, by housing conditions or by the presence of adult females) or the difficulty for the young rabbits to establish steady dominance hierarchies in this social environment and under the given conditions. These findings raise the question which factors are responsible for the difficulties.
在本研究中，根据瑞士动物保护法规中所述的动物福利，对用于饲养育肥兔的三种新的群体饲养系统进行了评估，这些系统分别用于大小不同的饲养单元。动物福利的评判基于两次实际检查的结果，在检查中异常行为和受伤情况有所增加。为了确定合适的饲养评估标准，设定了相应的限度。在所检查的饲养系统中，未发现有关运动和占据行为、休息和藏身之处的问题。但在一些较大的群体中，育肥期结束时出现了社会问题。因此，在80日龄前发现了重伤情况。这些有关攻击行为和受伤的问题，可能是由于性发育加速（由品种、饲养条件或成年雌性的存在决定），或者是由于幼兔在这种社会环境和给定条件下难以建立稳定的优势等级制度所致。这些发现引发了一个问题，即哪些因素导致了这些困难。
