Effect of different rearing systems and pre-kindling handling on behaviour and performance of rabbit does

The aim of this study was to ascertain how collective cage and pre-kindling handling (training does to go into their own nest) practices, in comparison to standard housing (single cage rearing), modify the behaviour and the performance of rabbit does. To this aim, 40 nulliparous New Zealand White does were artificially inseminated, where the pregnant ones were assigned to three groups with the following treatments: eight does, kept in single standard cages (group S); eight does kept in two colony cages and trained to recognise their own nest (group TC); eight does kept in two colony cages, but not trained to recognise their own nest (group UC). Performance and behaviour, with particular attention to the social relationships of animals, were evaluated for one year. The housing system and training practice affected the behaviour of animals. Does kept in colony cages showed a wider behavioural repertoire, as well as fewer stereotyped and social behaviours. However, the interactions between animals were not always friendly; in particular, the UC group showed the highest incidence of aggressiveness: attack (26.61% vs. 13.55%) and dominance (12.98% vs. 8.81%) and lower allo-grooming (4.16% vs. 19.56%) in comparison to TC does. Negative correlation values between feeding and moving behaviours were obtained (-0.37 and -0.28) for TC and UC does, respectively. UC does showed significant correlation coefficients between stereotyped, moving and static behaviours (0.50 and -0.61, respectively). Different correlation values between moving and social interactions were shown for TC (-0.44) and UC does (0.48). In UC does, stereotypies were also correlated with social relationships (0.40) and, in particular, with attack (0.57; data not shown). Smelling one other was one of the major social activities, but while animals in the UC group exhibited a stable trend in the days close to kindling, in the TC group, the values increased from 20% (3 days before partum) to 75% (3 days after partum). Dominant and submissive features in TC does showed the same trends and decreased to about 0% after kindling; in contrast, in the UC group, dominant behaviours were performed even after kindling (4.8%) and submissiveness reached values similar to that of the first day of observation (about 35%). Reproductive performance and productivity of colony does were lower than S does. This reduction was lessened if does were trained to recognise their own nest. In the UC group, does had very low sexual receptivity (49.8%) and fertility rates (40.8%), a higher annual replacement of does (83.3%) and low rabbits sold/year/doe (17.7), probably due to the higher social pressure and aggressiveness, as confirmed by the percentage of does replaced due to severe injury (8.3%). In conclusion, breeding does in a colony cage, without the training to recognise their own nest, renders the animals disagreeable to social encounters, does not assure adequate welfare or a productive performance and increases the possibility of suffering from injuries caused by attacks from other does.