This study aimed to evaluate effect of stage of feed restriction on performance and productivity of pregnant does. New Zealand white female rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. Control group was provided daily with 185 g of food increased to 200 g from the 15th day of gestation. R 1 was offered daily a restricted amount of food (60% restriction, 111 g) for the first half of pregnancy and then offered 200 g of food daily till parturition. R 2 was provided with 185 g of food daily through the first half of pregnancy and then offered daily a restricted amount of food (60% restriction, 120 g) for the second half. After parturition, food was provided adlibitum. Maternal body weights, litter size, litter weight, and average body weight of kits at kindling of R 1 showed no change, whereas R 2 showed significant reduction in the weights of does at the 4th week of pregnancy and at kindling. The birth weight and weaning weight of R 2 were significantly reduced. The highest mortality was recorded in kits of R 2. No significant differences in blood parameters or serum prolactin were observed. The serum protein was significantly reduced R 2.
This work was carried out at the experimental animal center belonging to Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University through the period from July 2017 to the end of February 2018 to study the effect of season of year on behavior, reproductive and productive performance of breeding rabbits using 24 New Zealand White rabbits (18 females & 6 males) with age of 7 months. These animals were randomly assigned to two equal groups. One of these groups was reared during summer season under hot ambient temperature ranged from 28.7° C to 31.8° C and relative humidity ranged from 44.1 to 65.7 %, while the other group was reared during winter season under temperature ranged from 13° C to 20.4° C and relative humidity ranged from 51.55 to 63.3 %. All rabbits were reared under the same managerial conditions. Does were mated with mature bucks. Rabbits under heat stress during summer season showed low frequency of feeding, grooming and investigatory behaviors and low birth & weaning weight of kids. While there was no effect of the season on gestation length, litter size at birth ,conception rate, kindling rate or mortality rate. from this work, we can conclude that the behavior, reproductive and productive performance were negatively affected during summer season than during winter season.
Six hundreds of unsexed Arbor Acres chicks were used and housed in symmetrical 9 pens with three levels of stocking12 bird/m 2 , 15 bird/m 2 and 20 bird/m 2. Productive performance parameters were measured including, average daily Feed intake, average body weight, average weekly weight gain, feed conversion rate (FCR), mortality rate, dressing yield and visceral organs weight. Behavioral observations including feeding, drinking, leg scratching, leg-wing stretching, preening, litter eating and dust bathing were done by scan sampling, birds were observed 3 days /week. Results revealed that the growth performance within the first and second weeks, the high stocking density group (20 bird/m2) showed a high feed intake, body weight and body weight gain, followed by medium stocking density group (15 bird / m2) and the lowest performance parameters through the first two weeks were recorded in the control group. From the fourth to the fifth weeks, medium density group (15 bird / m2) showed a higher feed intake body weight and body weight gain. The moderate stocking density achieved a higher final body weight was 1954 ±1.73 g, body weight gain 1911.75 ±1.73 g, also feed intake passed in the same direction MSD consumed 3117.19 ±11.4 g/ bird. Finally, all group showing the same feed conversion ratio as all different stocking densities showing no significant differences in FCR. The results carcass characteristics showed that the moderate stocking density group (15 bird/ m2) achieve the highest dressing weight and higher dressing percentage compared with other two groups. Regarding to internal organ weight the control group showed the highest gizzard, liver, and heart weights followed by moderate and high stocking density group respectively. the results clearly showed that increasing SD significantly reduced the weights of the lymphoid organs. Behavioral Indicators showed that within the first two weeks, the feeding and drinking behavior was significantly differ, as the moderate and high density groups showing the higher feeding than control group. The final feeding and drinking behavior within the whole experimental period, there was no statistical significant difference between the different groups. The welfare behavior indicators, including leg and wing stretch, leg scratch, preening and resting behavior were recorded within five weeks and also from total means for all group it was clear that from the first week till the end of experiment the stocking density negatively
The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of housing system and sex ratio of quails on egg production, fertility and hatchability. A total number of 305 quails of five weeks old were divided into two groups, The first group (96 birds) was housed on battery cages and divided according to sex ratio into 2 equal subgroups of ratio (1: 2) male to females and 1: 3, the second one (209 birds) was housed on floor pens and divided according to sex ratio into 2 equal subgroups of ratio (1: 2) male to females and 1: 3. Eggs were collected daily for one month to estimate egg production percentage of each group. 200 eggs from each group were artificially incubated for detection the effect of housing on fertility, hatchability and embryonic mortality. The obtained results showed that the total egg production percentage was significantly higher (P<0.001) in case of battery cages (63.54±1.68%) than those in floor system (46.67±1.68%), it was higher but not significant at sex ratio 1:3 (57.01±1.68%) than those at 1:2 (53.21±1.68%). The fertility percentage was significantly higher (P<0.001) in case of floor pens (80.67±0.75%) than those in battery cages (73.67±0.75%) and significantly higher (P<0.01) at sex ratio 1:2 (79.17±0.75%) than those at 1:3 (75.17±0.75%). The hatchability percentage of total eggs set was higher but not significant in floor pens (52.00±1.89%) than those in battery cages (49.50±1.89%), it was higher but not significant at sex ratio 1:3 (52.00±1.89%) than those at 1:2 (49.50±1.89%). The hatchability percentage of fertile eggs set was significantly higher (P<0.001) in battery cages (70.40±0.90%) than those in floor pens (64.45±0.90%) and significantly higher (P<0.001) at sex ratio 1:3 (70.12±0.90%) than those at 1:2 (64.75±0.90%).
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