Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8502009 | Livestock Science | 2018 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
Pre-slaughter transportation of rabbits under commercial conditions may influence their mortality, routinely recorded at the slaughterhouse as DOA ('dead-on-arrival' rate). The aim of this study was to identify potential risk factors for DOA, including batch size (number of rabbits loaded), season, stocking density, and transport and lairage duration. A retrospective analysis of 6411 fattening rabbit and 450 breeding rabbit batches transported in a 3-year period to a major abattoir of Northeast Italy was performed. At least one dead animal was recorded in 62% of fattening batches and 14% of breeding batches. Average DOA was 0.08% for fattening rabbits, but in transports with at least one dead rabbit the average DOA was 0.13%. For fattening rabbits, significantly increased DOAs were observed in batches with <â¯1201 or >â¯3508 rabbits, mainly during the summer, and at a stocking density higher than 29.3â¯kg/crate. The highest number of batches at high stocking density was found in winter (61% of all batches). Batches with high stocking density showed a higher DOA even in winter, suggesting that the reduction of space availability does not protect against low temperatures. Regarding travel duration, transports longer than 3â¯h increased significantly DOA by ââ¯40% compared to transports shorter than 1â¯h. A lairage longer than 7â¯h doubled the DOA compared to a lairage shorter than 2â¯h. The interaction between travel and lairage duration showed that a journey shorter than 1â¯h can significantly reduce DOA associated with a long lairage. For breeding rabbits, the average DOA in batches with at least one dead rabbit (nâ¯=â¯65), was 1.79%; no significant association with variables was detected.
Keywords
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Animal Science and Zoology
Authors
Claudia Caucci, Guido Di Martino, Katia Capello, Matteo Mazzucato, Angela Trocino, Gerolamo Xiccato, Nadia Lago, Michele Brichese, Lebana Bonfanti,