Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.5713/ajas.20.0540

Effects of environmental enrichment on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and hair follicle development of Rex rabbits  

Feng, Yang (College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University)
Shi, Hao (College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University)
Gun, Shuangbao (College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University)
Publication Information
Animal Bioscience / v.34, no.9, 2021 , pp. 1544-1551 More about this Journal
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and hair follicle development of growing Rex rabbits as affected by different environmental enrichment materials. Methods: A total of one hundred and twenty Rex rabbits were randomly assigned to four groups; reared in conventional cages (not enriched) and in enriched cages with either willow stick (WS), rubber duck, or a can containing beans (CB), for 44 days. Results: The average daily gain of the CB group was the highest and had a significant difference from that of the other groups (p<0.05). The spleen and cecum weight of the CB group was greater than those of the WS and control groups (p<0.05). The redness (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage a*) of the meat sample of the control group was lower than those of the enriched cage groups (p<0.05). Moreover, the hue value of the CB group was significantly lower than that of the other groups (p<0.05). The tenderest meat belonged to the CB group. In addition, more secondary (p<0.05) and primary follicles were found in the CB group than in the control group. Conclusion: Environmental enrichment increased the average daily gain and improved some carcass traits, meat quality, and hair follicle density. Among the three environmental enrichment materials, CB could be recommended for rabbit husbandry.
Keywords
Carcass Trait; Environmental Enrichment; Growth Performance; Hair Follicle; Meat Quality; Rex Rabbits;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Brewer MS, Zhu LG, Bidner B, Meisinger DJ, McKeith FK. Measuring pork color: effects of bloom time, muscle, pH and relationship to instrumental parameters. Meat Sci 2001; 57:169-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1740(00)00089-9   DOI
2 Maertens L, Tuyttens F, Van Poucke E. Grouphousing of broiler rabbits: performances in enriched vs barren pens. In: Proceedings of the 8th World Rabbit Congress; 2004 Sep 7-10: Puebla, Mexico.
3 Princz Z, Szendro Z, Dalle Zotte A, et al. Effect of different housing on productive traits and on some behaviour patterns of growing rabbits. In: Proceeding of the 17th Hungarian conference on rabbit production 2005: Kaposvar, Hungary. pp. 95-102
4 Kermauner A, Zgur S, Jordan D, Stuhec I. The influence of environmental enrichment with different kind of wood on carcass quality of individually caged rabbits. Acta Agric Slov 2004;Suppl 1:81-6.
5 Morisse JP, Maurice R. Influence of stocking density or group size on behaviour of fattening rabbits kept under intensive conditions. Appl Anim Behav Sci 1997;54:351-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01188-4   DOI
6 Paci G, Dalle Zotte A, Cecchi F, De Marco M, Schiavone A. The effect of organic vs. conventional rearing system on performance, carcass traits and meat quality of fast and slow growing rabbits. Anim Sci Pap Rep 2014;32:337-49.
7 Yokoyama S, Takenaka N. Statistical and molecular analyses of evolutionary significance of red-green color vision and color blindness in vertebrates. Mol Biol Evol 2005;22:968-75. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msi080   DOI
8 Jordan D, Gorjanc G, Kermauner A, Stuhec I. Wooden sticks as environmental enrichment: effect on fattening and carcass traits of individually housed growing rabbits. World Rabbit Sci 2008;16:237-43.
9 Aguayo-Ulloa LA, Pascual-Alonso M, Gonzalez-Lagos C, et al. Behaviour and welfare of fattening lambs supplemented with varying sizes and types of straw. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr 2019;103:1747-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13205   DOI
10 Meyer MM, Johnson AK, Bobeck EA. A novel environmental enrichment device improved broiler performance without sacrificing bird physiological or environmental quality measures. Poult Sci 2019;98:5247-56. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pez417   DOI
11 Princz Z, Orova Z, Nagy I, et al. Application of gnawing sticks in rabbit housing. World Rabbit Sci 2007;15:29-36. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2007.607   DOI
12 Mohammed H, Nasr M. Growth performance, carcass traits, behaviour and welfare of New Zealand White rabbits housed in different enriched cages. Anim Prod Sci 2017;57:1759-66. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN15865   DOI
13 McNitt JI, Lukefahr SD, Cheeke PR, Patton NM. Rabbit production. Wallingford, UK: CABI; 2013.
14 Benaroya-Milshtein N, Hollander N, Apter A, et al. Environmental enrichment in mice decreases anxiety, attenuates stress responses and enhances natural killer cell activity. Eur J Neurosci 2004;20:1341-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03587.x   DOI
15 Stan F. Anatomical particularities of the cecum in rabbits and chinchillas. Bull Univ Agric Sci Vet Med Cluj Napoca 2014;71:406-12.
16 Arck PC, Handjiski B, Peters EMJ, et al. Stress inhibits hair growth in mice by induction of premature catagen development and deleterious perifollicular inflammatory events via neuropeptide substance P-dependent pathways. Am J Pathol 2003;162:803-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9440(10)63877-1   DOI
17 Lan L, Wu H. Animal science professional training course. Beijing, China: China Agricultural University; 2017.
18 Robertson AR. The CIE 1976 color-difference formulae. Color Res Appl 1977;2:7-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1520-6378.1977.tb00104.x   DOI
19 Nithianantharajah J, Hannan AJ. Enriched environments, experience-dependent plasticity and disorders of the nervous system. Nat Rev Neurosci 2006;7:697-709. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1970   DOI
20 Lebas F, Coudert P, De Rochambeau H, Thebault RG. The rabbit: husbandry, health, and production. Rome, Italy: FAO;1997.
21 Luzi F, Ferrante V, Heinzl E, Verga M. Effect of environmental enrichment on productive performance and welfare aspects in fattening rabbits. Ital J Anim Sci 2003;2(Suppl 1):438-40.
22 Hadshiew IM, Foitzik K, Arck PC, Paus R. Burden of hair loss: stress and the underestimated psychosocial impact of telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia. J Investig Dermatol 2004;123:455-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-202X.2004.23237.x   DOI
23 Fokidis HB, Hurley L, Rogowski C, Sweazea K, Deviche P. Effects of captivity and body condition on plasma corticosterone, locomotor behavior, and plasma metabolites in curve-billed thrashers. Physiol Biochem Zool 2011;84:595-606. https://doi.org/10.1086/662068   DOI
24 Day JEL, Spoolder HAM, Burfoot A, Chamberlain HL, Edwards SA. The separate and interactive effects of handling and environmental enrichment on the behaviour and welfare of growing pigs. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2002;75:177-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00199-X   DOI
25 Bozicovich TFM, Moura ASAMT, Fernandes S, Oliveira AA, Siqueira ERS. Effect of environmental enrichment and composition of the social group on the behavior, welfare, and relative brain weight of growing rabbits. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016;182:72-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2016.05.025   DOI
26 Baumans V. Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: requirements of rodents, rabbits, and research. ILAR J 2005;46:162-70. https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.46.2.162   DOI
27 Winfield JA, Macnamara GF, Macnamara BLF, et al. Environmental enrichment for sucker and weaner pigs: the effect of enrichment block shape on the behavioural interaction by pigs with the blocks. Animals 2017;7:91. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani7120091   DOI
28 Paus R, Cotsarelis G. The biology of hair follicles. New Engl J Med 1999;341:491-7. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199908123410706   DOI
29 Arck PC, Handjiski B, Hagen E, Joachim R, Klapp BF, Paus R. Indications for a brain-hair follicle axis: inhibition of keratinocyte proliferation and up-regulation of keratinocyte apoptosis in telogen hair follicles by stress and substance P. FASEB J 2001;15:2536-8. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.00-0699fje   DOI
30 Allison B, Rebecca M, Georgia M. Environmental enrichment reduces the likelihood of alopecia in adult C57BL/6J mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2011;50:171-4.