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Les recherches sur l'Alimentation du lapin: Evolution au cours des 20 dernières années et persepectives d'avenir.
Abstract
RESEARCHES ON RABBIT FEEDING AND NUTRITION : EVOLUTION DURING THE LAST 20 YEARS AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE FUTURE.
From the analysis of 250 original articles published between 1959 at 1978, it appears an irregular increasing of the yearly number of articles (fig. 1). Nutrition of reproducing rabbit is poorly represented with only 16 p. 100 of the total. The principal subject of those publications is nitrogen nutrition, mainly since 1970. On the contrary the number of publications on minerals is going down (fig. 3).
Mainy studies. are conducted with a very small (5 to 10) number of rabbits. Thus, growth or reproducing performances differing by 15. to 20 p. 100 from each other are considered to be equivalent. The practical consequence is the lack of precise requirements. Variations of the quality of feed materials are also responsible of a part of the variability between observed performances obtained with the same receipt..
Practical recommendations for the feed composition may be in some case different from the true minimum requirements. This is caused by the absence of knowledge about interactions between nutrients. Practical recommendations are proposed (Table 5).
For the scientific and producer's rabbit world, it will be of great interest that during the next 10 years the maximum difference between two performances considered as equivalent will be progressively reduced from the actual 13 p. 100 to 5 and 2-3 p. 100. This can easily be obtained with an increase of the number of animals allocated to the experiences. Efficiency of research on rabbit feeding may also be improved if the period of observation is great enough as compared to the practical fattening or reproducing length. May be, it will be of some interest to consider 2 or 3 periods between weaning and slaughter weight.
Because of the high capacity of rabbit to retain dietary nitrogen as meat proteins, work on nitrogen nutrition must be developed. Digestibility of fibre by rabbit is very low when compared with other herbivorous animal. But a high fibre diet may be ingested in very great quantities. Then, rabbit will be valuable to employ very efficiently plants and other materials with a high level of both protein and fibre. This will be a good direction for research on rabbit nutrition during the next 10 years.
... However, mean pup weight was heaviest (not significantly) in does fed 13.17% CP diet than the other higher levels of CP (16.64 and 21.00%) diets. Heavier individual pup weight was found as results of smaller litter size (Lebas 1980;Yono et al., 1986). Average litter size (2.0, 4.0 & 3.6) and litter weight (690, 1191 & 1164 g) at weaning, also did not affected. ...
Reproductive performance of rabbit does was studied under different feeding regimens. The study was conducted over a 125 days period with 150 does which were randomly assigned to three treatment groups of 50 does each. The does were fed one of the diets containing 13.17, 16.64 and 21% crude protein (CP) supplementation with ad libitum green grass (Hymenachne pseudointerrupta, CP=6.6%). Gestation period, litter size and litter weight (at birth & weaning), individual pup weight at birth and weight gain up to weaning (28 d) did not differ (P>0.05) among the treatment groups. The pregnancy rate of does and mortality of pups up to weaning were significantly affected (P<0.05) among the treatment groups. Mean of the pregnancy rate was highest (100%) in group fed on 21.00% CP diet, while number of pup alive up to weaning was highest (100%) in group fed on 13.17% CP diet. Based on these findings, diet containing 21% CP along with ad libitum green grass may be suggested for better reproductive performance of does under tropical condition.
... It has long been known that dietary fibre supply plays a major role in the prevention of digestive troubles in growing rabbits (Lebas, 1980). Moreover, due to improved analytical methods to measure fibre fractions and intensive research, the different fractions (insoluble fibre, soluble fibre) and their roles are now much better defined (Gidenne et al. 2003;Trocino et al., 2013). ...
Soluble fibre (SF) is an important nutrient to enhance fermentative activity and gut health in rabbits. The main source of SF in rabbit diets is sugar beet pulp (SBP), whereas, due to its high content of SF (34%), dried chicory pulp (ChP) could be an alternative to SBP. In a fattening trial with 192 hybrid weanlings 32 d old weighing 837 45 g, chicory pulp was used in replacement of SBP to study effects on production performances and slaughter characteristics. Rabbits were fed one of 4 iso-energetic (9.65 MJ digestible energy/kg) and iso-nitrogenous (15.6% crude protein) diets: a negative control (NC) diet with a low dietary SF content (7.3%), a positive control diet with quite a high SBP level (13.5%) and SF content (10.6%) and 2 diets with respectively 10% and 20% of chicory pulp (ChP10: 9.9% SF and ChP20: 13.7% SF). The SF content was measured as the difference between total dietary fibre and neutral detergent fibre, the latter corrected for ash and protein content. Each dietary treatment consisted of 12 replicates of 4 rabbits. Weight gain was high (on ay. 54 g/d) and comparable for the NC, SBP and ChP diets. However, feed conversion ratio was improved (P<0.05) with the ChP20 diet compared to the NC diet (2.88 vs. 2.97). Mortality was low and not influenced by the dietary treatment. Slaughter data were very similar and no effect of the SF level on caecal weight or slaughter yield was observed. It was concluded that chicory pulp is a good alternative soluble fibre source in balanced diets for rabbits and can be used at least up to 20% inclusion rate.
... The importance of mineral requirements for fattening rabbits was the subject of few recent works. Effectively the majority of works are mainly related with the contribution of fibres, energy or proteins and their effects on growth as it was underlined a long time ago (Lebas, 1980). In Algeria, the recent published works concerned mainly the protein and fibre contribution in fattening rabbit feeding (Berchiche et al., 2000). ...
One hundred twenty rabbits of the Algerian locally called «white population» were distributed at weaning (35 d) between two equivalent groups according to weaning weight (590 g on average) and litter origin. Rabbits were placed in collective cages of six. The control group received ad libitum during the 5 weeks of the study a commercial pelleted diet (36% alfalfa, 25% barley, 26% hard wheat bran, 12% soybean meal, 1% of minerals and vitamins), and fresh water through automatic nipple drinkers. The experimental group was caged and fed in the same conditions, but in addition a commercial mineral block (Blocs Harmony, Inzo, France) was fixed along a wall in each cage. New blocks were placed every week even if blocks were "consumed" within a shorter time. Mineral blocks (225 g, 47% total ash) contained mainly calcium (12%), trace elements (Cu, Mn, Zn and Se) and few total phosphorus (1.5%) and sodium (2%). An average mortality of 17.5% was observed during the experiment (the first 3 weeks) but without difference between treatments. In presence of mineral blocks, average pelleted feed intake was increased by 16% (68.3 vs. 59.0 g/d.; P=0.008) as was the growth rate (33.6 vs. 28.3 g/d; P=0.001). Feed conversion ratio was not significantly modified (2.84 with blocks and 2.92 for the control; P>0.05). At 10 weeks of age, the final live weight of rabbits with mineral block was 188 g higher than that of the control rabbits (1767 vs. 1579 g; P=0.02). Despite the high inclusion level of alfalfa in the commercial diet, its analytical calcium content was lower (0.6%) than recommended for fattening rabbits. The positive effect of the mineral blocks addition was most probably a consequence of the calcium deficiency alleviation: consumption of blocks trebles the average calcium intake of rabbits. New experiments are necessary to test the effects of mineral blocks utilisation in addition to pelleted feeds correctly balanced for the calcium content. This experiment also demonstrate that for rabbit feeding mineral supply can be separate from the main feed providing fibre, proteins and energy
... 1), formularam-se três dietas experimentais (Tab. 2), seguindo-se as recomendações nutricionais para coelhos das principais tabelas de exigências nutricionais (Lebas, 1980;De Blas e Mateos, 1998), sendo que a PB e a energia digestível (ED) foram fixadas acima dos níveis recomendados, objetivando-se obter dietas com maior densidade nutricional, visto que elas seriam fornecidas na forma farelada aos animais. Os melhores coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente da FDN para os tratamentos CS e PC são reflexos da menor lignificação, do maior teor de hemicelulose (casca de soja) e da maior quantidade de fibra solúvel (polpa de cítrus) (Tab. 1) dessas fontes e, possivelmente, do maior tempo de retenção para atividade fermentativa, aliado ao maior efeito antiperistáltico, contribuindo para melhor colonização e ação enzimática da microflora do ceco-cólon sobre a fração fibrosa (De Blas e Wiseman, 1998). ...
The influence of fiber - alfalfa hay, citrus pulp, and soybean hulls - in diets of rabbits was studied on performance, digestibility coefficients, blood parameters, and meat characteristics. The animals were allotted into three treatments that consisted in: control diet, with alfalfa hay; total substitution of alfalfa hay by citrus pulp; and total substitution of alfalfa hay by soybean hulls. The different fiber fractions from citrus pulp and soybean hulls did not affect animal performance at the 89th day; thus, these ingredients can be used as substitute of alfalfa hay on diet of rabbits. Fiber quality of citrus pulp decreased blood triacylglycerol, cholesterol, and hemoglobin levels. Lower amount of lignin in relation to cellulose and hemicellulose of soybean hulls provided better nutrient digestibility coefficients and higher tenderness meat, however, lower protein deposition when compared with the citrus pulp diet.
Rabbits are members of the class Mammalia, order Lagomorpha, and family Leporidae. Wild European rabbits live in extensive networks of interconnected burrows with multiple entry points. Rabbits are obligate herbivores. An appropriate starting point is to base pet rabbits' diet on the high‐fibre, low energy‐density herbivorous diet that they have evolved to eat. Rabbits are social animals; their motivation for companionship is almost as high as that for food. Whether human contact can be enjoyable for rabbits is unclear, although some owners report that their rabbits follow them in the garden, indicating that rabbits are choosing to spend time with a human in that context. Acute pain may prompt behaviours such as flexing their whole body, huddling tightly, and shuffling their hind legs, while reducing the occurrence of many normal behaviours. Rabbits' level of anxiety or fear, and perhaps their overall emotional state, may be indicated by their behaviour in open spaces.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the management of rabbits within a research setting. It discusses the housing, caging, feeding, and the environmental conditions required for it. The housing of rabbits in the laboratory setting is conceptually the same as housing them for meat production, show, or pet purposes. The primary difference comes in the steps taken to preserve their health status or to contain infectious agents used within these animals for research purposes. Feed distribution systems may be incorporated into the cage design or food may be provided in separate dishes on the cage floor. Most commercial caging for research use incorporates a "J" type feeder. Water may be provided via water bottles, automatic watering systems, or water bowls. As with any other equipment that enters the rabbit's primary housing environment, enrichment materials must meet the same rigorous sanitation standards as the caging itself. Rabbits seem to perform better when fed pellets than when they are fed mixed grains, meal diets, or textured feeds. Dietary toxins are generally of low concern in the laboratory setting when high-quality, laboratory-grade feeds are provided.
Four rabbit diets were formulated to study the effect of a progressive inclusion (0, 100, 200, and 300 g kg − 1) of sugarbeet pulp (SBP) substitute for alfalfa hay (AH). The control diet contained 500g kg−1 of AH and 190 g kg−1 acid detergent fibre (ADF) on a DM basis. In Experiment 1, 32 Californian x New Zealand White rabbits were used to determine dietary nutrient digestibility. The inclusion of SBP quadratically increased (P < 0.01) digestibility coefficients of NDF, ADF and gross energy, showing a maximum for the diet containing 200g kg−1 of SBP. Crude protein digestibility linearly increased with SBP inclusion (P < 0.05). In Experiment 2, 36 rabbits fed the same diets as in Experiment 1 were used to determine several digestive traits and the efficiency of utilization of dietary energy for growth. Dietary inclusion of SBP did not affect either the concentrations of ammonia (66 mg of N-NH3 per litre) and total VFA (50.3 mmol l−1) or the molar proportion of VFA (767, 62 and 171 mmol mol−1 VFA of acetate, propionate and butyrate, respectively) in the cecal digesta. The concentration of starch in the ileal digesta was also unaffected by diet (7.7 g kg−1 of DM, as average). The weight of cecal contents increased (P < 0.05) and the pH of cecal contents decreased (P < 0.05) when SBP proportion in the diet increased. The efficiency of utilization of dietary digestible energy for growth was not influenced by dietary SBP inclusion (0.224, as average).
The aim of this work was to compare digestibility of nutrients between transgenic and non-transgenic groups of rabbits from different lines. The experiment was carried out on a population of transgenic and non-transgenic rabbits. The population of transgenic animals (n=5) was presented by the New Zealand White rabbit F1 offspring that were born after breeding of transgenic founders (WAP-hFVIII gene construct) with non-transgenic rabbits of the same breed. Non-transgenic animals were represented by four different
populations of meat rabbits. The faeces were collected individually during 4 consecutive days (every hours) according to the European reference method for rabbit digestion trials. Chemical analysis of the diets and faeces for dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat, nitrogen free extract, ash, organic matter, ADF and NDF was carried out according to the same method. The population of transgenic rabbits in our experiment showed the lowest coefficients of digestibility of crude fibre, ash, ADF and a higher digestibility of crude protein, crude fat and organic matter, but the differences were not statistical significant comparing with
non-transgenic rabbits. This study showed that the integration of the WAP-hFVIII gene into rabbit genome does not affect significantly the digestibility of nutrients in commercial rabbit diet.
Four diets were formulated to study the effect of a progressive substitution of grape pomace (GP) for alfalfa hay (AH) at the rates 0, 100, 200 and 300 g/kg total weight. The control diet contained 500 g AH and 192 g acid-detergent fibre per kg dry matter (DM). In experiment 1, 32 Californian × New Zealand White rabbits were used to determine dietary nutrient apparent digestibility. The inclusion of GP decreased the apparent digestibility of crude protein (P < 0·001) and energy (P < 0·05). However, the digestible energy (DE) contents of the diets were similar because GP had a greater gross energy content than AH. In experiment 2, 36 rabbits given the same diets as in experiment 1 were used to determine several digestive and productive traits and chemical body composition (at 20kg live weight). Dietary inclusion of GP linearly decreased ammonia (P < 0·01), total volatile fatty acid concentration (P < 0·001) and the molar proportion of acetate (P < 0·05) in the caecum. Starch content in the Heal and caecal contents was low but linearly increased (P < 0·05) with increasing dietary concentration of GP. The average daily gain (from weaning at 30 days of age to 2·0 kg live weight) was not significantly affected (P > 0·10) by the diet, but the ratio gain: food linearly decreased (P < 0·001) with the GP inclusion. Dietary inclusion of GP linearly increased (P < 0·10) the fat content of the empty body of the rabbits. The efficiency of utilization of dietary DE and protein for growth were calculated by the comparative slaughter method, using the chemical body composition data of 22 suckling rabbits slaughtered at 30 days of age for the initial body composition. The efficiency of utilization of DE was not influenced by dietary GP inclusion, but GP linearly increased (P < 0·01) digestible crude protein utilization. The decrease in crude protein apparent digestibility may be the main reason that gain: food ratio was impaired in diets containing GP substituted for AH.
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