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[EN] This study investigated the effect of housing enrichments (scratching card, gnawing material and a platform), of a change in height and in the type of flooring on the live weight, reproductive performance and behaviour of female rabbits, as well as on the feed intake and spatial distribution of females and their kits. A total of 40 multiparous female rabbits were monitored in three consecutive reproductive cycles (48-d intervals). Four days before parturition in each reproductive cycle, the females were randomly assigned to one of the five types of housing: Control (CNT: 102×47×30 cm, L×W× H); Scratching card (SCT: containing a scratching card); Gnawing materials (GNW: CNT dimensions plus a compressed lucerne hay block and a wooden stick); Platform (PLT: 102×47×60 cm, including a platform with a plastic floor) and Combination (CBN: PLT dimensions with the scratching card, the gnawing materials and a platform). Data were only recorded during the first and third reproductive cycles. The living conditions did not significantly alter the females’ live weight (4889 g at housing; 4890 g at mid-lactation; 4867 g at weaning), reproductive performance (9.0 kits born alive), survival of the kits (90%), nor the feed intake of females and their litters (542 g/day). Providing animals with a gnawing block stimulated Gnawing behaviour (median frequency per group: CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=4.69, PLT=0.00, and CBN=2.34; PRearing up behaviour (median frequencies per group: CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=0.00, PLT=2.08, and CBN=3.12; P=0.06), and when a platform was present, the rabbits used it (mean values per group: CTL=0.00, SCT=0.00, GNW=0.00, PLT=1.79, and CBN=4.91; P=0.003). Regarding the type of floor, females appeared to prefer the plastic mesh flooring (31.2%) to the wire mesh flooring (18.8%). To sum up, providing female rabbits with simple enrichments appears to stimulate specific behaviours like Gnawing and Rearing up and may contribute to their wellbeing.

[EN] Simplified diets are based on maximum incorporation of fodder and/or by-products into animal feed, thus minimizing the formulation and the costs. This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of feeding fattening rabbits with a simplified diet composed of only two agro-industrial by-products inexpensive and locally available: brewer’s grain and wheat bran. At weaning (35 days), 68 rabbits were divided into two identical groups (mean weight = 833 g) and housed in individual cages until slaughter (77 days). Each of the two groups (B0 and SF) was fed ad libitum either a commercial pelleted feed (control), or a simplified pelleted experimental diet "SF" containing 72% wheat bran and 27% brewer’s grain. The feed conversion was within the standards and similar in the two groups (3.55 on average). The growth rate and feed intake of B0 group were 12% higher (P <0.001) than that of the SF group (35.2g vs 31.2 and 128.3 vs 113 g/d). The cold carcass yield and the carcass weight were respectively higher (P <0.001) by 4 units and by 9% in the control group. The carcass of SF group was less fatty (perirenal fat: -23%, inguinal fat: -41% and scapular fat:-14%). The economic efficiency was 40% better for SF diet with almost 50 Algerian Dinar more benefit (/kg of meat) in current local market conditions.

[EN] The nutritive value and potential use of sun-dried common reed (Phragmites australis) leaves (CRL), for growing rabbits was studied by comparing 3 diets (regression method) containing an increasing incorporation rate of CRL: 0% (control, CRL0), 15% (CRL15) and 30% (CRL30) in substitution for the control diet (356 g neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and 197 g crude protein (CP)/kg). Three groups of 37 rabbits (individually caged) were fed the 3 diets ad libitum from weaning (35 d, mean weight: 722±142 g) to 77 d of age. The faecal digestibility of the diets was measured between 42 and 46 d of age in 10 rabbits per group. CRL can be considered high-fibre roughage, as it contained 64% of NDF (38% of ADF and 10% ADL) and 10.2% of CP. The digestible energy (DE) content of CRL calculated by regression was null (–1.8±0.29 MJ/kg as fed). CP digestibility reached 29%, corresponding to a digestible crude protein concentration of 29.0±5.6 g/kg as fed basis. The fibre digestibility was reduced with CRL incorporation. Dietary incorporation of CRL impaired the rabbit growth (34.2 vs. 31.5 g/d during the period 35-77 d without CRL or with CRL (CRL15 and CRL30), respectively; P=0.002). Consequently, feed conversion was impaired with the high incorporation rate in feed (30%). Health status or main slaughter traits were not affected by CRL incorporation rate. Thus, the sun-dried common reed leaves had a poor nutritive value for growing rabbits and it can be considered a high-fibre feedstuff, interesting to supply low digested fibres (cellulose) and lignin.

[EN] The aim of this work was to study the effect of tropical green forage on rabbit growth performance and apparent digestibility. Thirty rabbits weaned at 35 d of age were individually caged and allotted to 2 dietary treatments. From 35 to 90 d of age, the control group C was fed ad libitum with commercial pelleted diet C only, while the test group was fed the C diet and forage Pueraria phaseoloides (Pp) ad libitum. Individual water and feed intake, body weight gain, nutrient apparent digestibility, red and white blood cells were studied. Mean housing temperature was 27.7°C. Water intake (35-90 d) did not differ between the 2 groups (mean=128 mL/d), whereas feed intake (35-90 d) was twice as high, with Pp (114 vs. 56 g; P=0.02). Forage intake doubled every 2 wk, averaging 50% of the total intake from 35 to 90 d of age. The growth rate was higher (+30%) in the Pp group after weaning (35-49 d) but did not differ between groups thereafter. The feed conversion was higher for the Pp group after weaning only (+ 87%; P<0;05). Weight of rabbits and feed efficiency were not affected by forage addition. Organic matter digestibility of diet C alone was roughly twofold higher compared to C+Pp (P=0.03). Red blood cells were not affected by treatments (4.1×1012 cells/L). However, the white blood cell count was higher in Pp than in C group (7.4×109 vs. 3.9×109 cells/L; P<0.01). P. phaseoloides may be used as a complement to a balanced pelleted feed, but further studies with a large number of rabbits are necessary to analyse the potential impact on health status.

[EN] The aim of the trial was to study the effects of replacement of a soybean meal-alfalfa-maize based diet by a mixture of field bean (g/kg as fed: 257 crude protein [CP], 139 neutral detergent fibre [NDF]) or pea (g/kg as fed: 203 CP, 122 NDF) combined with hard wheat bran (g/kg as fed: 140 CP, 396 NDF) and without supplementation of synthetic DL-methionine, on diet digestibility, growth and slaughter traits of growing rabbits. Three diets were formulated: a control diet mainly consisting of 15% of soybean meal, alfalfa and maize (SBM15 diet; g/kg as fed: 161 CP and 267 NDF) and 2 experimental diets based on 26% of field bean (FB26 diet; g/kg as fed: 167 CP and 250 NDF) or 30% of pea (P30 diet; g/kg as fed: 167 CP and 255 NDF) as main protein source, and completed with hard wheat bran (34 and 40%, respectively for FB26 and P30 diets) partly replacing alfalfa and maize. Diets were distributed ad libitum to 3 groups of 40 mixed-sex growing rabbits of Algerian white population, placed in collective cages (4 rabbits/cage) from weaning (28 d, mean weight: 614±112 g) until 77 d of age (slaughter). Faecal digestibility was measured between 42 and 46 d of age in 7 rabbits/group. Gross energy and crude protein digestibility coefficients were similar for SBM15 and FB26 diets (78.6 and 86.4%, respectively) and lower for P30 diet (75.1 and 83.6%, respectively; P≤0.03). Treatments had no effect (P=0.12) on mortality rate, which was on av. 9.2%. Treatments did not affect growth performance from 28 to 77 d of age (30.8 g/d) or feed intake (mean 94.6 g/d), but feed conversion ratio was higher for rabbits fed FB26 and P30 diets compared to those fed SBM15 diet (3.13 vs. 2.94; P=0.006). The dressing out percentages (mean 66.6%) and the muscle/bone ratio (6.8) were similar for the 3 groups of rabbits. In conclusion, the substitution of soybean meal-alfalfa-maize by a combination of field bean or pea with hard wheat bran, without methionine supplementation, does not seem to affect g

[EN] The nutritive value and potential use of sun-dried grape pomace (g/kg as fed: 140 of crude protein (CP), 529 of neutral detergent fi bre (NDF), 460 acid detergent fi bre , 293 acid detergent lignin) for fattening rabbits was studied by comparing 3 experimental diets containing a low but increasing incorporation rate of grape pomace (GP): 0% (control, GP0), 3% (GP3), and 6% (GP6) in substitution to the control diet (251 g NDF and 175 g CP/kg) formulated with raw materials available in the area of Tiaret (Algeria): barley, wheat bran and straw, soybean meal and faba bean. Three groups of 30 rabbits (individually caged) were fed ad libitum the three diets from weaning (35 d, mean weight 460±83 g) to 77 d of age. The dry matter digestibility was obtained from total and individual faecal collection on all animals (3 x 30), during four consecutive days each week from 42 to 77 d of age. Then, faeces from 10 rabbits per group were selected for nutrient analyses. Intake and weight gain were recorded twice a week during the whole fattening period. Incorporating 3 or 6% of GP in a low fi bre diet impaired from 35 to 77 d growth rate (-8.8% for GP3 and GP6 vs. GP0, P<0.01), feed conversion (+8.5% for GP6 vs. GP0, P<0.01), and dressing out percentage (-2.5% for GP3 and GP6 vs. GP0, P<0.001). The digestibility of organic matter was linearly reduced from 72.8 to 70.0% with the GP incorporation rate (P<0.01), while crude protein digestibility remained unaffected and averaged 78.7%. The predicted nutritive value of sun-dried GP calculated by regression was high but highly variable for digestible energy (9.33±2.01 MJ DE/Kg, raw basis), and particularly for the digestible protein content (81.8±77.2 g DCP/kg). Thus, the sun-dried whole grape pomace could be considered as an alternative fibre source for the rabbit feeding in Magrebian area.

[EN] This study aimed to assess the anaerobic status of the caecal biotope in the rabbit through the measurement of its redox potential (Eh). Since the caecal content has a high viscosity, the duration of the Eh measurement is high (10 to 20 min) and two methods were compared in 10 week- old rabbits: in vivo vs. post-mortem. In addition, Eh, pH and temperature of the caecal digesta were analysed according to caecotrophy and three periods in the day (soft faeces production: 08:00-10:00 h and 12:00-14:00 h; hard faeces production: 17:00-19:00 h) were compared, using 34 rabbits aged 65 d and weighing 2.3 kg. Caecal Eh decreased 2 min after measurement began, and then stabilised from 20 min onwards (from -152 to 221 mV, P<0.001), in contrast to caecal pH which remained constant over time. Mean values for Eh (at 20 min) and pH were - 219 mV and 6.2 respectively, and did not change according to method or collection period. Only the caecal temperature was 2°C higher (P<0.001) for the in vivo (39°C) than for the post-mortem (37°C) method. Average caecal dry matter and total volatile fatty acid were on average 22 % and 106 mmol/L, and were affected neither by the method nor by the collection period. Caecal Eh was negatively correlated to caecal pH (R²=0.22; P=0.006, n=34), but not to other biotope traits. The Eh measurement in rabbit caecal content could be performed with a minimum recommended duration of 20 min, under anaesthesia or post-mortem. We confi rmed that the rabbit caecal ecosystem is highly anaerobic.

[EN] This work was aimed at evaluating the contribution of intensive rabbit breeding to sustainable development using a semi-quantitative method. Nine sustainability indicators were defined for the environmental (energy use, antibiotic use, and biodiversity), economic (profit, specialisation rate, and transmissibility) and social scales of sustainable development. A score (-1, 0 or +1) was given for each indicator using data from French rabbit farms (12,000 farms for economic results and 100 farms for social and environmental data). Scores were added within each scale to obtain a final score. It was revealed from the data analysis that intensive rabbit breeding had some negative contributions to sustainable development, due to the high cost of indirect energy, high use of antibiotics, low biodiversity and little respect for animal welfare, in particular in the scale of environmental sustainability (total score: -2). But it also had positive contributions to sustainable development, particularly in the economic and social scales (total score: +1 each). Indeed, the mean profit, life and working conditions were good and the rabbit meat is of good quality. Therefore, the challenge for rabbit production will be to manage the lawful development and to face the market trends while preserving the maximum of its advantages

[EN] The aim of this paper was to draw up a set of recommendations for applied nutrition and feeding trials with rabbits, in relation to certain aspects such as determining the nutritive value of raw materials or diets in growing or reproducing animals, studying digestive physiology and obtaining growth and reproduction parameters. We deal first with animals, size of the sample, housing conditions, diets, handling, measurements, and the data analyses relevant to the design of the experiment are described. Secondly, we give a list of recommended items and include some comments.

[EN] Rate of passage was measured on 12 rabbits, either allowed to practice caecotrophy (Control period, from 56 to 60 days of age) or prevented from consuming soft faeces by wearing a plastic collar (without soft faeces intake = WSF periods, 63-66 d old and 70-73 d old). Measurements of digestive transit of the solid phase of the digesta were carried out by analysing the kinetics of faecal excretion of a fibre particles labelled with 141Ce. The excretion pattern of hard and soft faeces, hourly quantified during three complete 24-h cycle during WSF periods, showed that hard faeces excretion averaged 35.3 ± 3.2 g/day DM, while caecotrophes excretion was meanly 10.7 ± 2.6 g DM/d for a mean feed intake of 113.7 g DM/d. During the control period, daily hard faeces excretion was not significantly different (36.4 ± 3.0 g DM/d, for a feed intake of 110.8 g DM/d). The DM digestibility did not differ during control and WSF periods (67.2 and 67.8%). If caecotrophe production is included in the DM digestibility calculation, coefficient fell by 10.5 units (mean = 57.3%). When soft faeces intake was prevented (period WSF), the mean retention time in the whole tract evolved from 23 h (Control) to 15 h (-34%) and the minimal transit time was 50% shorter. The caecal mean retention time passed from 17 h in Control to 10 h (-40%) in WSF period. Caecal retention of large particles seemed less affected (CRlp:- 23%) than fine (CRfp:-48%).

[EN] In four laboratories, a total of 52 adult rabbits were fitted with a single T glass cannula at terminal ileum. After surgery recovery, animals were fed ad libitum with the same batch of a diet labelled by the addition of ytterbium attached to fibre particles. The effect of time during the ileal digesta collection period (morning and evening) on ileal digesta composition and ileal digestibility of DM, CP, NDF and ADF was evaluated. Compared with the evening samples, the morning samples had higher content of ytterbium (+5%) and CP (+43%) but lower contents of NDF (-9%) and ADF (-11%). Consequently, ileal digestibility for DM, NDF and ADF resulted in higher figures when calculated from the morning samples as opposed to those from the evening samples. However, CP ileal digestibility results were just the opposite. When compared with the results obtained as a reference value from the 24-hour samples (a pool of collections obtained in the morning, evening and night), the data average from the morning and the evening samples did not differ significantly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of collections and simplify ileal digesta sampling by avoiding night collections.