Environmental Enrichment in Rabbit Husbandry: Comparative Impacts on Performance and Welfare
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Environmental Stress on Rabbits
3. Environmental Enrichment for Rabbits
4. Future Perspectives
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Abd El-Aziz, A.; Abo Ghanima, M.; Mota-Rojas, D.; Sherasiya, A.; Ciani, F.; El-Sabrout, K. Bee products for poultry and rabbits: Current challenges and perspectives. Animals 2023, 13, 3517. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- El-Sabrout, K.; Dantas, M.R.; Souza-Júnior, J.B. Herbal and bee products as nutraceuticals for improving poultry health and production. World’s Poult. Sci. J. 2023, 79, 223–242. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Belz, E.E.; Kennell, J.S.; Czambel, R.K.; Rubin, R.T.; Rhodes, M.E. Environmental enrichment lowers stress-responsive hormones in singly housed male and female rats. Pharm. Biochem. Behav. 2003, 76, 481–486. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Jaén-Téllez, J.A.; Sánchez-Guerrero, M.J.; Valera, M.; González-Redondo, P. Influence of stress assessed through infrared thermography and environmental parameters on the performance of fattening rabbits. Animals 2021, 11, 1747. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Saxmose Nielsen, S.; Alvarez, J.; Bicout, D.J.; Calistri, P.; Depner, K.; Drewe, J.A.; Garin-Bastuji, B.; Gonzales Rojas, J.L.; Gortázar Schmidt, C.; et al.; EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) Health and welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems. EFSA J. Europ. Food Saf. Auth. 2020, 18, e05944. [Google Scholar]
- Nannoni, E.; Buonaiuto, G.; Martelli, G.; Lizzi, G.; Trevisani, G.; Garavini, G.; Sardi, L. Influence of increased freedom of movement on welfare and egg laying pattern of hens kept in aviaries. Animals 2022, 12, 2307. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Poggiagliolmi, S.; Crowell-Davis, S.L.; Alworth, L.C.; Harvey, S.B. Environmental enrichment of New Zealand White rabbits living in laboratory cages. J. Vet. Behav. Clin. Appl. Res. 2011, 6, 343–350. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jacobs, L.; Blatchford, R.A.; de Jong, I.C.; Erasmus, M.A.; Levengood, M.; Newberry, R.C.; Regmi, P.; Riber, A.B.; Weimer, S.L. Enhancing their quality of life: Environmental enrichment for poultry. Poult. Sci. 2023, 102, 102233. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Elsayed, M.; Soliman, F.; Elghalid, O.; El-Sabrout, K. Using different cage enrichments to improve rabbits’ performance, behavior, and welfare. Animals 2024, 14, 2271. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Council Directive 2008/120/EC of 18 December 2008 Laying Down Minimum Standards for the Protection of Pigs. Off. J. L 47. 2009, pp. 5–13. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/120/oj (accessed on 7 May 2024).
- Baumans, V. Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: Requirements of rodents, rabbits, and research. ILAR J. 2005, 46, 162–170. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mellor, D.J. Updating animal welfare thinking: Moving beyond the “Five Freedoms” towards a life worth living. Animals 2016, 6, 21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Zahoor, M.S.; Ahmad, S.; Usman, M.; Dawood, M.; El-Sabrout, K.; Hashmi, S.G.M.D.; Khan, E.U.; Hussain, M.; Maqsood, M.A.; Latif, H.R.A. Effects of mirror and coloured balls as environmental enrichment tools on performance, welfare and meat quality traits of commercial broiler. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 2022, 54, 151. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Morgado, J.N.; Lamonaca, E.; Santeramo, F.G.; Caroprese, M.; Albenzio, M.; Ciliberti, M.G. Effects of management strategies on animal welfare and productivity under heat stress: A synthesis. Front. Vet. Sci. 2023, 10, 1145610. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Veissier, I.; Boissy, A. Stress and welfare: Two complementary concepts that are intrinsically related to the animal’s point of view. Physiol. Behav. 2007, 92, 429–433. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Möstl, E.; Palme, R. Hormones as indicators of stress. Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 2002, 23, 67–74. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Szendrő, Z.; Mcnitt, J.I. Housing of rabbit does: Group and individual systems: A review. Livest. Sci. 2012, 150, 1–10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liang, Z.L.; Chen, F.; Park, S.; Balasubramanian, B.; Liu, W.C. Impacts of heat stress on rabbit immune function, endocrine, blood biochemical changes, antioxidant capacity and production performance, and the potential mitigation strategies of nutritional intervention. Front. Vet. Sci. 2022, 9, 906084. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kumar, B.; Manuja, A.; Aich, P. Stress and its impact on farm animals. Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed.) 2012, 4, 1759–1767. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Terenina, E.E.; Cavigelli, S.; Mormede, P.; Zhao, W.; Parks, C.; Lu, L.; Jones, B.C.; Mulligan, M.K. Genetic factors mediate the impact of chronic stress and subsequent response to novel acute stress. Front. Neurosci. 2019, 13, 438. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gormally, B.M.G.; Fuller, R.; McVey, M.; Romero, L.M. DNA damage as an indicator of chronic stress: Correlations with corticosterone and uric acid. Compar. Biochem. Physiol. Part A Mol. Integr. Physiol. 2019, 227, 116–122. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Herbet, M.; Korga, A.; Gawrońska-Grzywacz, M.; Izdebska, M.; Piątkowska-Chmiel, I.; Poleszak, E.; Wróbel, A.; Matysiak, W.; Jodłowska-Jędrych, B.; Dudka, J. Chronic variable stress is responsible for lipid and DNA oxidative disorders and activation of oxidative stress response genes in the brain of rats. Oxid. Med. Cell. Longev. 2017, 2017, 7313090. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- El-Sabrout, K. Effect of rearing system and season on behaviour, productive performance and carcass quality of rabbit: A review. J. Anim. Behav. Biometeorol. 2018, 6, 102–108. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Iraqi, E.; Hady, A.A.; Elsayed, N.; Khalil, H.; El-Saadany, A.; El-Sabrout, K. Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions. Poult. Sci. 2024, 103, 103257. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Fares, W.A.; Ahmed, M.R.M.; Rizk, R.E.; Shahein, E.H.A.; Boutrous, N.G.; El-Sabrout, K. Influence of non-ventilating intervals during early incubation stage on egg hatching process. Vet. World 2023, 16, 1534–1540. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Alexa, A.I.; Zamfir, C.L.; Bogdănici, C.M.; Oancea, A.; Maștaleru, A.; Abdulan, I.M.; Brănișteanu, D.C.; Ciobîcă, A.; Balmuș, M.; Stratulat-Alexa, T.; et al. The impact of chronic stress on behavior and body mass in new animal models. Brain Sci. 2023, 13, 1492. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chu, B.; Marwaha, K.; Sanvictores, T.; Ayers, D. Physiology, Stress Reaction. In StatPearls; StatPearls Publishing: Treasure Island, FL, USA, 2024. Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/ (accessed on 7 May 2024).
- Hansen, L.T.; Berthelsen, H. The effect of environmental enrichment on the behavior of caged rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2000, 68, 163–178. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Trocino, A.; Zomeño, C.; Filiou, E.; Birolo, M.; White, P.; Xiccato, G. The use of environmental enrichments affects performance and behavior of growing rabbits housed in collective pens. Animals 2019, 9, 537. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jekkel, G.; Milisits, G. Comparison of the behaviour of growing rabbits reared on wire net or combined floor at different stocking densities. Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 2009, 8, 202–204. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Siloto, E.V.; Moura, A.S.A.M.T.; Zeferino, C.P.; Fernandes, S.; Sartori, J.R.; Siqueira, E.R. Temperatura e enriquecimento ambiental sobre o bem-estar decoelhos em crescimento. Ciênc. Rural 2008, 39, 528–533. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Feng, Y.; Fan, H.; Liang, X.; Wang, X.; Gao, G.; Gun, S. Environmental enrichment changes rabbits’ behavior, serum hormone level and further affects cecal microbiota. PeerJ 2022, 10, e13068. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Berthelsen, H.; Hansen, L.T. The effect of hay on the behaviour of caged rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Anim. Welf. 1999, 8, 149–157. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Huang, Y.; Breda, J.C.; Savietto, D.; Debrusse, A.; Bonnemère, J.M.; Gidenne, T.; Combes, S.; Fortun-Lamothe, L. Effect of housing enrichment and type of flooring on the performance and behaviour of female rabbits. World Rabbit Sci. 2021, 29, 275–285. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Princz, Z.; Dalle Zotte, A.; Radnai, I.; Bíró-Németh, E.; Matics, Z.; Gerencsér, Z.; Nagy, I.; Szendrő, Z. Behaviour of growing rabbits under various housing conditions. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2008, 111, 342–356. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rashed, R.R.; El-Edel, M.A. Behavior and performance of growing rabbit under various floor types. Glob. Vet. 2015, 14, 149–155. [Google Scholar]
- Mastellone, V.; Bovera, F.; Musco, N.; Panettieri, V.; Piccolo, G.; Scandurra, A.; Di Meo, C.; Attia, Y.; Lombardi, P. Mirrors improve rabbit natural behavior in a free-range breeding system. Animals 2019, 9, 533. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Musco, N.; Lombardi, P.; Addeo, N.F.; Secci, G.; Parisi, G.; Pero, M.E.; Piccolo, G.; Nizza, A.; Bovera, F. Mirrors can affect growth rate, blood profile, carcass and meat traits and caecal microbial activity of rabbits reared in a “small group” free-range system. Animals 2019, 9, 639. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Dalle Zotte, A.; Princz, Z.; Matics, Z.; Gerencsér, Z.; Metzger, S.; Szendrő, Z. Rabbit preference for cages and pens with or without mirrors. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2009, 116, 273–278. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Edgar, J.L.; Seaman, S.C. The effect of mirrors on the behaviour of singly housed male and female laboratory rabbits. Anim. Welf. 2010, 19, 461–471. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- 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, 438–440. [Google Scholar]
- Zucca, D.; Marelli, S.P.; Redaelli, V.; Heinzl, E.U.; Cardile, H.; Ricci, C.; Verga, M.; Luzi, F. Effect of environmental enrichment and group size on behaviour and live weight in growing rabbits. World Rabbit Sci. 2012, 20, 89–95. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Buijs, S.; Keeling, L.J.; Tuyttens, F.A. Behaviour and use of space in fattening rabbits as influenced by cage size and enrichment. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2011, 134, 229–238. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bozicovich, T.F.; Moura, A.S.; Fernandes, S.; Oliveira, A.A.; Siqueira, E.R. 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, 72–79. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Da Silva, K.G.; Stange, M.G.; Pergorara, M.; Sotomaior, C.S.; Weber, S.H.; Borges, T.D.; Costa, L.B. Cardboard and rubber objects as means of environmental enrichment for rabbits. World Rabbit Sci. 2021, 29, 109–114. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gharib, H.S.; Khattab, N.; Youssef, M.I.; Saleem, A.Y.; Mohammed, H.H. Effect of cage floor type on behaviour, performance and carcass traits of growing rabbits. Zagazig Vet. J. 2015, 43, 10–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jones, S.; Phillips, C. The effects of mirrors on the welfare of caged rabbits. Anim. Welf. 2005, 14, 195–202. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wells, D.L. Sensory stimulation as environmental enrichment for captive animals: A review. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2009, 118, 1–11. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mondin, C.; Trestini, S.; Trocino, A.; Di Martino, G. The economics of rabbit farming: A pilot study on the impact of different housing systems. Animals 2021, 11, 3040. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- de Greef, K.H.; Rommers, J.M.; Lavrijsen, S. Market and society driven innovations in the Dutch rabbit production system. In Proceedings of the 11th World Rabbit Congress, Qingdao, China, 15–18 June 2016; Volume 1, pp. 953–956. [Google Scholar]
- Chiron, P.; Doré, A.; Lamothe, L.F. Factors affecting French rabbit farmers’ adoption of pro-welfare innovations. World Rabbit Sci. 2022, 30, 249–265. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mukaila, R. Measuring the economic performance of small-scale rabbit production agribusiness enterprises. World Rabbit Sci. 2023, 31, 35–46. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Petracci, M.; Soglia, F.; Leroy, F. Rabbit meat in need of a hat-trick: From tradition to innovation (and back). Meat Sci. 2018, 146, 93–100. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Siddiqui, S.A.; Adli, D.N.; Nugraha, W.S.; Yudhistira, B.; Lavrentev, F.V.; Shityakov, S.; Feng, X.; Nagdalian, A.; Ibrahim, S.A. Social, ethical, environmental, economic and technological aspects of rabbit meat production—A critical review. Heliyon 2024, 10, e29635. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dockès, A.C.; Kling-Eveillard, F. Farmers’ and advisers’ representations of animals and animal welfare. Livest. Sci. 2006, 103, 243–249. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Michel-Guillou, E.; Weiss, K. Representations and behaviours of farmers with regard to sustainable development: A psycho-environmental approach. In Sustainable Development Research Advances; Larson, A.B., Ed.; Nova Science Publishers, Inc.: New York, NY, USA, 2007; pp. 207–221. [Google Scholar]
- Borges, J.A.; Domingues, C.H.; Caldara, F.R.; Rosa, N.P.; Senger, I.; Guidolin, D.G. Identifying the factors impacting on farmers’ intention to adopt animal friendly practices. Prev. Vet. Med. 2019, 170, 104718. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Le Bouquin, S.; Rouxel, G.; Mihoc, E.; Chauveau, V.; Terrade, F.; Chauvin, C. Human factors and antibiotic use in rabbit production: A study of some psychological determinants. In Proceedings of the 15e Journées de la Recherche Cunicole, Le Mans, France, 19–20 November 2013; Volume 1, pp. 115–119. [Google Scholar]
- Benhmad, T.; Ben Abdennour, A.; Darghouthi, A.; Belgacem Rhaimi, C. Remote control of environmental parameters in rabbitry based on IoT. Inter. Things Cyber-Phys. Sys. 2022, 2, 111–119. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Huang, Y.; Gigou, M.; Goby, J.; Roinsard, A.; Savietto, D.; Gidenne, T. Digital breeding and assisted management in organic rabbit farming: The first results. In Proceedings of the 12th World Rabbit Congress, Nantes, France, 3–5 November 2021. [Google Scholar]
- Park, M.; Britton, D.; Daley, W.; McMurray, G.; Navaei, M.; Samoylov, A.; Usher, C.; Xu, J. Artificial intelligence, sensors, robots, and transportation systems drive an innovative future for poultry broiler and breeder management. Anim. Front. 2022, 12, 40–48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Negretti, P.; Bianconi, G.; Finzi, A. Visual image analysis to estimate morphological and weight measurements in rabbits. World Rabbit Sci. 2007, 15, 37–41. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lashari, M.H.; Karim, S.; Alhussein, M.; Hoshu, A.A.; Aurangzeb, K.; Anwar, M.S. Internet of things- based sustainable environment management for large indoor facilities. PeerJ Comp. Sci. 2023, 9, e1623. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ogunjimi, L.A.; Oseni, S.O.; Lasisi, F. Influence of temperature-humidity interaction on heat and moisture production in rabbit. In Proceedings of the 9th World Rabbit Congress, Verona, Italy, 10–13 June 2008. [Google Scholar]
- Finzi, A.; Daader, A.; Yamani, K.; Soliman, A.; Askar, A. Influence of chronic high relative humidity on semen quality of hot stressed bucks. In Proceedings of the 7th World Rabbit Congress, Valencia, Spain, 4–7 July 2000; pp. 117–123. [Google Scholar]
- Marai, I.; Habeeb, A.A.; Gad, A. Rabbits’ productive, reproductive and physiological performance traits as affected by heat stress: A review. Livest. Prod. Sci. 2002, 78, 71–90. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stewart, M.; Webster, J.; Schaefer, A.; Cook, N.; Scott, S. Infrared thermography as a non-invasive tool to study animal welfare. Anim. Welf. 2005, 14, 319–325. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- De Lima, V.; Piles, M.; Rafel, O.; López-Béjar, M.; Ramon, J.; Velarde, A.; Dalmau, A. Use of infrared thermography to assess the influence of high environmental temperature on rabbits. Res. Vet. Sci. 2013, 95, 802–810. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- McCafferty, D.J. The value of infrared thermography for research on mammals: Previous applications and future directions. Mammal Rev. 2007, 37, 207–223. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rafel, O.; De Lima, V.; Piles, M.; Velarde, A.; Ramón, J.; López-Béjar, M.; Dalmau, A. Use of infrared thermography to assess heat stress in rabbits. In Proceedings of the 10th World Rabbit Congress, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, 3–6 September 2012; pp. 1081–1085. [Google Scholar]
- Ludwig, N.; Gargano, M.; Luzi, F.; Carenzi, C.; Verga, M. Technical note: Applicability of infrared thermography as a non invasive measurements of stress in rabbit. World Rabbit Sci. 2007, 15, 199–206. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Luzi, F.; Ludwig, N.; Gargano, M.; Milazzo, M.C.; Carenzi, C.; Verga, M. Evaluation of skin temperature change as stress indicator in rabbit through infrared thermography. Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 2007, 6, 769. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Vadlejch, J.; Knížková, I.; Makovcová, K.; Kunc, P.; Jankovská, I.; Janda, K.; Borkovcová, M.; Langrová, I. Thermal profile of rabbits infected with Eimeria intestinalis. Vet. Parasitol. 2010, 171, 343–345. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ye, Y.; Hu, Y.; Zhao, X.; Jiang, S.; Sun, B.; Chen, Y. Design and implementation of production supervising system for large scale rabbit farm. Trans. Chin. Soc. Agric. Eng. 2015, 31, 229–234. [Google Scholar]
- Curti, P.F.; Selli, A.; Pinto, D.L.; Merlos-Ruiz, A.; Balieiro, J.C.C.; Ventura, R.V. Applications of livestock monitoring devices and machine learning algorithms in animal production and reproduction: An overview. Anim. Reprod. 2023, 20, e20230077. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chen, Y.; Niimi, M.; Zhang, L.; Tang, X.; Lu, J.; Fan, J. A simple telemetry sensor system for monitoring body temperature in rabbits—A Brief Report. Animals 2023, 13, 1677. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Navarrete, E.; Díaz-Villaseñor, A.; Díaz, G.; Salazar, A.M.; Montúfar-Chaveznava, R.; Ostrosky-Wegman, P.; Caldelas, I. Misadjustment of diurnal expression of core temperature and locomotor activity in lactating rabbits associated with maternal over-nutrition before and during pregnancy. PLoS ONE 2020, 15, e0232400. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, H.; Qian, S. Network architecture for intelligent identification of faults in rabbit farm environment monitoring based on a biological neural network model. Comput. Intell. Neurosci. 2022, 6377043. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Noor, M.Z.H.; Baharuddin, M.S.; Rahiman, M.H.F.; Taib, M.N.; Dom, M.S.M. Design and development of Automatic Rabbit Feeding System (ARFES) using PIC microcontroller. In Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE Symposium on Industrial Electronics & Applications (ISIEA), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, 28 September–1 October 2014; pp. 153–156. [Google Scholar]
- Yingdong, Q.; Wenshen, J. Real-Time monitoring system for rabbit house environment based on NB-IoT network. Smart Agric. 2023, 5, 155–165. [Google Scholar]
- Mora, M.; Riaboff, L.; David, I.; Sanchez, J.P.; Piles, M. Classifying active and inactive states of growing rabbits from accelerometer data using machine learning algorithms. J. Anim. Sci 2024, hal-04621966v2, In press. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ma, Y.; Liang, F.; Wang, P.; Yin, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. Research on identifying different life states based on the changes of vital signs of rabbit under water and food deprivation by UWB radar measurement. In Proceedings of the 2019 Photonics & Electromagnetics Research Symposium—Fall (PIERS—Fall), Xiamen, China, 17–20 December 2019; pp. 397–403. [Google Scholar]
- Schuh, D.; St, H.; Selzer, D. Vocalization of rabbit pups in the mother-young relationship. In Proceedings of the 8th World Rabbit Congress, Puebla, Mexico, 7–10 September 2004; pp. 1266–1270. [Google Scholar]
- Sánchez, J.P.; Perucho, O.; Pascual, M.; Rafel, O.; Piles, M. Electronic feeder to record individual feed intake on rabbits raised in collective cages. In Proceedings of the 12th World Rabbit Congress, Nantes, France, 3–5 November 2021. Communication O-11, 4 p. [Google Scholar]
- Psiroukis, V.; Malounas, I.; Mylonas, N.; Grivakis, K.; Fountas, S.; Hadjigeorgiou, I. Monitoring of free-range rabbits using aerial thermal imaging. Smart Agric. Technol. 2021, 1, 100002. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Adedeji, O.J.; Abayomi-Alli, A.; Arogundade, O.T.; Abayomi-Alli, O.; Omoyiola, B.O. Deep transfer learning for classification of rabbit behaviour using publicly available datasets. In Proceedings of the 2023 First International Conference on the Advancements of Artificial Intelligence in African Context (AAIAC), Arusha, Tanzania, 15–16 November 2023; pp. 1–10. [Google Scholar]
- Ipek, N.; Van Damme, L.G.W.; Tuyttens, F.A.M.; Verwaeren, J. Quantifying agonistic interactions between group-housed animals to derive social hierarchies using computer vision: A case study with commercially group-housed rabbits. Sci. Rep. 2023, 13, 14138. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Jiang, W.; Hao, H.; Fan, J.; Wang, L.; Wang, H. Rabbit feeding robot: Autonomous navigation and precision feeding. Biosyst. Eng. 2024, 239, 68–80. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Eiben, C.; Tobias, G.; Kustos, K.; Gódor-Surmann, K.; Kotány, S.; Gulyas, B.J.; Szira, G. The change of nursing for oestrus induction (Biostimulation): Effect of contact between rabbit doe and its young. Livest. Sci. 2007, 111, 193–203. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Habibu, B.; Aliyu, A.; Idris, S.Y.; Buhari, H.U.; Galadanchi, F.A.; Abdulrahman, M.; Yaqub, L.S. Thermoregulation in periparturient rabbit does and their neonatal kits with different litter sizes during West African winter. Anim. Biotechnol. 2023, 34, 4357–4366. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ilès, I. Vocalizations as an indicator of pregnancy in local domestic rabbit does: Preliminary study. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 2018, 30, 84. [Google Scholar]
- Ren, G.; Lin, T.; Ying, Y.; Chowdhary, G.; Ting, K.C. Agricultural robotics research applicable to poultry production: A review. Comput. Electron. Agric. 2020, 169, 105216. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Olejnik, K.; Popiela, E.; Opaliński, S. Emerging Precision Management Methods in Poultry Sector. Agriculture 2022, 12, 718. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- El-Sabrout, K.; Khalifah, A.; Ciani, F. Current applications and trends in rabbit nutraceuticals. Agriculture 2023, 13, 1424. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Type of Enrichment | Housing | Reference |
---|---|---|
Shelter and raised height | Group cage | Hansen and Berthelsen [28] |
Platform and tube | Collective pen | Trocino et al. [29] |
Wire net and straw litter | Collective pen | Jekkel and Milisits [30] |
Straw litter | Group cage | Siloto et al. [31] |
Willow-stick, rubber duck, and bean can | Group cage | Feng et al. [32] |
Hay as gnawing material | Group cage | Berthelsen and Hansen [33] |
Platforms and gnawing materials | Group cage | Huang et al. [34] |
Gnawing sticks | Group cage | Princz et al. [35] |
Gnawing sticks | Group cage | Rashed and El-Edel [36] |
Mirrors | Group cage | Mastellone et al. [37] |
Mirrors | Group cage | Musco et al. [38] |
Mirrors | Group cage and pen | Dalle Zotte et al. [39] |
Mirrors | Single cage | Edgar and Seaman [40] |
Wooden stick | Colony cage | Luzi et al. [41] |
Wooden stick | Group cage | Zucca et al. [42] |
Shelter | Open-top wire cages | Buijs et al. [43] |
Wooden stick | Group cage | Bozicovich et al. [44] |
Plastic colored balls | Group cage | Elsayed et al. [9] |
Reference | Type of Technology | Measured Output |
---|---|---|
Ludwig et al. [71] | Infrared thermography | Thermal stress condition |
Luzi et al. [72] | Infrared thermography | Skin temperature changes |
Rafael et al. [70] | Infrared thermography | Skin temperature changes |
De Lima et al. [68] | Infrared thermography | Body temperature and heat losses |
Vadlejch et al. [73] | Infrared thermography | Parasite infection |
Jaén-Téllez et al. [4] | Infrared thermography | Body temperature |
Chen et al. [76] | Telemetry | Body temperature |
Navarrete et al. [77] | Telemetry | Body temperature, activity |
Zhang and Qian [78] | Wireless sensor networks | Environmental monitoring |
Noor et al. [79] | PIC microcontroller | Automatic feeding system |
Yingdong and Wenshen [80] | Internet of Things | Environmental monitoring |
Mora et al. [81] | Accelerometer | Activity |
Ma et al. [82] | Ultra-wideband radar | Respiratory frequency |
Schud et al. [83] | Infrared video technology | Doe–kit contact |
Sánchez et al. [84] | Electronic feeder | Feeding behavior |
Psiroukis et al. [85] | Thermal imaging | Localization |
Adedeji et al. [86] | Deep learning | Behavior |
Ipek et al. [87] | Computer vision | Behavior |
Jiang et al. [88] | Robotics | Automatic feeding |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
El-Sabrout, K.; Sherasiya, A.; Ahmad, S.; Aggag, S.; Nannoni, E.; Cavallini, D.; Buonaiuto, G. Environmental Enrichment in Rabbit Husbandry: Comparative Impacts on Performance and Welfare. Animals 2024, 14, 2367. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162367
El-Sabrout K, Sherasiya A, Ahmad S, Aggag S, Nannoni E, Cavallini D, Buonaiuto G. Environmental Enrichment in Rabbit Husbandry: Comparative Impacts on Performance and Welfare. Animals. 2024; 14(16):2367. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162367
Chicago/Turabian StyleEl-Sabrout, Karim, Anjum Sherasiya, Sohail Ahmad, Sarah Aggag, Eleonora Nannoni, Damiano Cavallini, and Giovanni Buonaiuto. 2024. "Environmental Enrichment in Rabbit Husbandry: Comparative Impacts on Performance and Welfare" Animals 14, no. 16: 2367. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162367