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Keywords = hygiene of slatted floors

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12 pages, 6378 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Two Different Flooring Designs for Rabbit Housing in Accordance with German Welfare Regulations: Soiling and Mortality
by Sally L. Rauterberg, Joana Bill, Sarah Kimm, Nicole Kemper and Michaela Fels
Agriculture 2019, 9(12), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9120257 - 4 Dec 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5607
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate a new housing system for fattening rabbits with two different flooring designs (F1 and F2) in accordance with new legal requirements in Germany (11 mm slats and 11 mm gaps, elevated platform with 15% [...] Read more.
The aim of the present study was to investigate a new housing system for fattening rabbits with two different flooring designs (F1 and F2) in accordance with new legal requirements in Germany (11 mm slats and 11 mm gaps, elevated platform with 15% perforation), in comparison with an established system with wire mesh flooring (C). While F1 flooring was made of punched slatted plastic panels, F2 consisted of fixed single rods with a rounded surface. In six batches with F1 and C housing, and subsequently three batches with F2 housing, soiling of rabbits’ hind feet, pens, and cages as well as mortality rates were recorded. While pens and rabbits in F2 conditions were assessed as being cleaner than F1, neither reached the cleanliness of C rabbits and cages. Mortality was highest in F1 housing (18.1%) and comparable between F2 (10.3%) and C housing (11.7%). The present investigations showed different results in terms of soiling and mortality for different implementations of the German regulations. Nevertheless, both floors in accordance with these requirements revealed hygienic disadvantages compared to the established cages. Further research is necessary in order to keep rabbits under good hygienic conditions and in compliance with legal requirements. Full article
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17 pages, 3738 KiB  
Article
Effect of A New Housing System on Skin Lesions, Performance and Soiling of Fattening Rabbits: A German Case Study
by Sally L. Rauterberg, Joana Bill, Sarah Kimm, Nicole Kemper and Michaela Fels
Animals 2019, 9(9), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9090650 - 4 Sep 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3477
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a new housing system for fattening rabbits. Data were collected on a farm with rabbits housed either under new conditions (NC) or established (conventional) conditions (CC). NC housing was characterized by large [...] Read more.
The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a new housing system for fattening rabbits. Data were collected on a farm with rabbits housed either under new conditions (NC) or established (conventional) conditions (CC). NC housing was characterized by large groups (Ø 58 rabbits, max. 12 rabbits/m2), slatted plastic floor (11 mm slats and 11 mm gaps), elevated platforms with partly solid floor, boxes and different enrichment materials. CC rabbits were kept in small groups (eight rabbits, 23 rabbits/m2) in cages with wire-mesh floor, an elevated platform, a box and one gnawing stick. Skin lesions and weight gain of 524 rabbits, cleanliness of their hind feet as well as their mortality and morbidity were investigated from weaning to slaughter in five batches. The evaluations showed higher daily weight gain (46.3 ± 6.0 g vs. 43.1 ± 5.5 g) and final weight (2878 ± 328 g vs. 2707 ± 299 g), as well as a lower cumulative lesion score at the middle of the fattening period in NC than in CC rabbits. Nevertheless, cleanliness of hind feet was assessed to be worse and mortality was higher in the NC housing. The NC system provided some benefits in terms of animal welfare compared to the conventional system, but hygienic challenges posed by this system make further adjustment necessary. Full article
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17 pages, 5156 KiB  
Article
Feasibility Study: Improving Floor Cleanliness by Using a Robot Scraper in Group-Housed Pregnant Sows and Their Reactions on the New Device
by Peter Ebertz, Manuel Stephan Krommweh and Wolfgang Büscher
Animals 2019, 9(4), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9040185 - 22 Apr 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6321
Abstract
Successful pig farming needs the best conditions of cleanliness in the housings. The present study examined for the first time whether a robot scraper usually applied in dairy farming is usable in sow housings for cleaning the slatted floors and improving hygiene and [...] Read more.
Successful pig farming needs the best conditions of cleanliness in the housings. The present study examined for the first time whether a robot scraper usually applied in dairy farming is usable in sow housings for cleaning the slatted floors and improving hygiene and thus animal welfare. For evaluating the suitability of the robot scraper with regard to the cleaning performance (polluted surface area and occluded slots), the whole housing area was divided into score-squares, which were individually scored at defined intervals. Selected excrement quantities removed by the robot were weighed. In order to assess the animals’ interactions with the robot scraper, their behaviour towards the device was observed. Although the faeces of pigs had a firmer consistency than bovine excrement, excrement quantities of up to 1.4 kg m−2 were almost completely removed. Even 6 h after the cleaning its effect was still visible. Dry-cleaning led faster to nonslip surfaces for the sows than wet-cleaning. Within half an hour of observation, up to 8.2 of 120 sows were occupied with the robot scraper, but without harming it. The use of robot scrapers in pig housings is recommended, although slight technical modifications should be made to the robot scraper. Full article
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