AbstrAct:The aim of our study was to examine the influence of wooden sticks for gnawing as environmental enrichment on fattening, carcass and meat quality traits of growing rabbits. Forty-eight rabbits of SIKA sire line (Slovenian line for meat production) of both sexes were housed individually in wire-mesh cages equipped only with a feeder and a nipple drinker. Half of the cages were enriched with wooden sticks of Norway spruce (Picea abies). That was the experimental group whereas the other half was the control group. Animals had free access to feed and water, daily duration of lighting was 12 h. The experiment lasted from 44 th to 103 rd d of age. The consumption of wood was less than 0.5 % of the total feed intake. Results indicate that fattening and carcass traits, as well as meat quality were not influenced by environmental enrichment, although in the experimental group a smaller large intestine percentage (−0.21±0.13 %; [Pr(|difference|>0)=0.94]) was observed. Additionally rabbits in experimental group had redder meat values [Pr(|difference|>0)=0.92]. However, given that wooden sticks had no negative impact on rabbits' performance, sticks made of Norway spruce can still be treated as appropriate environmental enrichment for growing rabbits.

ABSTRACT:In vitro gas production kinetics of eight different commercially available pectin isolates from apple (4), citrus (2) and sugar beet (2), with a degree of methyl esterifi cation (DMet) ranging from 9 to 73%, were determined twice using the mixture of caecum contents of two rabbits of 78 d of age per repetition as inoculum. The cumulated gas production over 60 h of incubation was modelled with the Gompertz model and the estimated and calculated kinetic parameters of each substrate compared. Total potential gas production (B), gas production till 10 h of incubation, maximum fermentation rate (MFR) and time of maximum fermentation rate (TMFR) were affected (P<0.001) by the DMet, but not by the pectin source. Increasing the DMet of pectins increased total potential gas production. The highest B value was determined for Citrus pectin with 72% DMet (Citrus72, 376 mL/g dry matter (DM)), while the lowest for Citrus pectin with only 10% DMet (Citrus10, 289 mL/g DM). Similar trends were also established for the amount of gas produced up to 10 h of incubation, as Citrus72 produced the highest volume of gas (261 mL/g DM) and Citrus10 the lowest (103 mL/g DM).Increasing DMet increased MFR from 9.9 mL/h for Citrus10 to 34.6 mL/h for Citrus72, while TMFR was shortened with the increasing DMet of pectins from 10.3 h for Citrus10 to 6.0 h for both Citrus72 and 60% DMet Apple pectin.

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Seventy-three rabbits of four genotypes (A - SIKA maternal line; C - SIKA sire line; AxC - hybrids between line A and C; AxCal - crossbreds between line A and the Californian breed) were used to evaluate the effect of genotype on carcass traits. Rabbits were weaned at 35 days and slaughtered at 93 days of age. Rabbits were fed standard feed mixture ad libitum. The highest live weight at slaughter and dressing percentage was achieved by line C, and the lowest in line A. Hybrids between line A and C exhibited slightly worse carcass traits than rabbits in line C, but the differences were not statistically significant. The Californian breed gave worse results than crossbreeding with line C, though in most cases the differences between AxC and AxCal were not significant. The differences between genotypes in hind leg tissue composition, pH and meat colour were not statistically significant

Growth rate of 4 genotypes, two lines of Slovene SIKA meat rabbit (maternal line A and sire line C, both 50 rabbits), hybrid AxC (50 rabbits) and crossbred AxCal (A and Californian, 38 rabbits) was recorded from weaning (35 days of age) to slaughter (93 days). Growth performance and slaughter traits of AxC were different from line A (live weight at 91st day: A 2720, C 3158, AxC 3043 g (P£0.05), heterosis effect (H) +3.38%; carcass weight: A 1490, C 1787, AxC 1716 g (P£0.05), H +5.65%; dressing percentage: A 54.1, C 55.6, AxC 55.5% (P£0.05); H +1.26%. Weaning weight of AxCal was significantly lower than of AxC (AxCal 843, AxC 1050 g, P£0.05), but at the end of the experiment the weight of AxCal rabbits was very close to AxC (AxCal 2958, AxC 3043 g, P>0.05). Other growth and slaughter traits did not differ between AxC and AxCal group