Effects of parity order and reproductive management on the efficiency of rabbit productive systems

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the effect of parity order and reproductive management systems on rabbit production performance. A total of 73 rabbit does (I group) were submitted to a 35-day intensive rhythm [artificial insemination (AI) on day 4 post-partum (pp) and weaning at 25 days of lactation], and 108 rabbit does (SI group) were submitted to a 42-day semiintensive rhythm (AI on day 11 pp and weaning at 35 days of lactation) during 9 months. Primiparous does had the lowest live body weight at parturition (P<0.0001) and at 21 days of lactation (P< 0.0001). They also had lower milk production (P< 0.0001) than does with later parities. I group animáis needed a higher number of AI than SI group to become pregnant (1.70 ± 0.03 vs. 1.39±0.03; P<0.0001: especially after the third). Prolificacy was not affected by the management system. Parturition interval (PI) was longer than expected in both groups [56.0± 1.4 and 50.9± 1.38 days in I and SI groups, respectively (P<0.05)]. Mean productivity, estimated as number of weaned rabbits per female and year, was 12 kits higher in rabbit does of the SI group (P<0.05). From the third parturition onward, an increase in live body weight of kits at different ages was observed. At 21 (P<0.05) and 25 days of age (P<0.01), kits from the I group rabbit does weighed more than those from the SI group; however, the latter showed a higher weight at 35 (P<0.05) and 60 days of age (P<0.05). Rabbit does with two or three parturitions had higher litter size at 21 and 25 days of age (P<0.0001 and P<0.001, respectively). Kit mortality between 21 and 25 days of age and between 35 and 60 days of age was not affected by treatments but was higher in the I group between 25 and 35 days (18.2 vs. 5.03% in the I and SI groups, respectively; P<0.0001) and as age of does increased (P<0.05). In light of these results, we could conclude that long term doe reproductive performance is negatively affected and litter viability decreased when using intensive compared to a semi-intensive reproductive management.

Effect of Light Colour and Reproductive Rhythm on Rabbit Doe Production

“…As expected, body weight of females at 0 and 23 d of lactation increased with the age (P<0.001) and litter performance (size and weight) was lower at first parturition than thereafter. Similar results were previusly reported in the literature (Szendrő and Maertens, 2001;Xiccato et al, 2004;Rebollar et al, 2009;Tuma et al, 2010).…”

Effect of dietary supplementation with arginine and glutamine on the performance of rabbit does and their litters during the first three lactations

“…The effects observed for the parity order were those expected and similar to those previously described (Pascual et al, 1999;Xiccato et al, 2004;Rebollar et al, 2009). Highly productive does tended to have less fat content at the beginning of the experiment, and showed a numerically lower fat mobilization before the first parturition (but not significant) and a similar fat restoration from birth to next insemination than the average obtained considering all the rabbit does, which agrees with the results reported by Savietto et al (2016).…”

Effect of light intensities on reproductive performance, nursing behaviour and preference of rabbit does

“…In accordance with the literature (Xiccato et al, 2004;Rebollar et al, 2009;Tůma et al, 2010), the reproductive performance of does was affected by the parity order (Table 1). The kindling rate of primiparous does was lower than that of the nulliparous and multiparous does, which can be explained by the negative energy balance of simultaneously lactating and pregnant primiparous does (Xiccato et al, 1996).…”