Cages vs courtyard Effect of the housing conditions on behaviour, stress and performance of growing rabbits
Résumé
Rabbit welfare is a concern for society. It is strongly influenced by living conditions. We compared the welfare (behaviour and stress), growth and viability of 60 rabbits (♀ Hycole x ♂ PS119 Hypharm), reared in two different housing conditions from 38 (weaning) to 70 days: standard dual-purpose cages (Cage group) versus pen with a winter garden (Courtyard group). The growth was higher in Courtyard group (2.75kg vs 2.46kg at 70 days, P < 0.01), the viability was similar for both housing conditions (97% vs 97.5%, NS). The hair corticosterone levels at 70 days tended to be higher in Courtyard group than in Cage group (2.48 vs 1.76 pg/mg hair, P= 0.08). In the Courtyard group, rabbits were more active and expressed more exploration behaviours (walking; running; rearing) and more grooming behaviours while in the Cage group, rabbits rested more and had more contact interactions (P < 0.05). Access to a courtyard gave the rabbits a richer behavioural repertoire. In conclusion, the present results showed that access to a courtyard could be a good solution to improve rabbit welfare, by diversifying the behavioural repertoire and increasing growth without increasing stress or reducing animal viability.
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