03/11/2011 Table of Contents The Rabbit - Husbandry, Health and Production Table of Contents FAO Animal Production and Health Series No. 21 (new revised version) D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 1/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents by F. Lebas Agricultural Engineer P. Coudert Veterinary Surgeon H. de Rochambeau Agricultural Engineer R.G. Thébault Engineer (INRA) ISSN 1010-9021 FAO - FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1997 D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 2/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents Rabbits reared with techniques adapted to specific environments can do much to improve the family diet of many of the neediest rural families, at the same time supplying a regular source of income. The purpose of this work is to bring together as fully and objectively as possible all the available data on rabbit husbandry, health and production. It is also intended as a contribution to the preparation and execution of rabbit development programmes, particularly in developing countries. A team of scientists from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), a world-renowned rabbit authority, was marshalled to cover the many and varied aspects of rabbit production. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 3/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. David Lubin Memorial Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Lebas, F. The rabbit: husbandry, health and production (new revised version) ISBN 92-5-103441-9 (FAO Animal Production and Health Series, no. 21) ISSN 1010-9021 1. Rabbits 2. Animal husbandry 3. Pathology I. Title II. Series III. FAO, Rome (Italy) D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 4/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents IV. Coudert, P. V. de Rochambeau, H. VI. Thébault, R.G. FAO code: 21 AGRIS: L01 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Information Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. © FAO 1997 This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software and careful manual recorrection. Even if the quality of digitalisation is high, the FAO D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 5/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version. Table of Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND World production and trade Historical background World production International trade Rabbit meat quality Chapter 2 NUTRITION AND FEEDING Anatomy and physiology D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 6/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents Feeding behaviour Nutritional needs Feeding systems Chapter 3 REPRODUCTION Anatomy of the genitals Reproduction physiology Reproduction and environment Rates of reproduction Chapter 4 GENETICS AND SELECTION Introduction Genetics of rabbit breeds and populations Genetics of breeding characters Genetic improvement: Selection and crossing Conclusions Chapter 5 PATHOLOGY D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 7/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents Introduction Appearance and development of diseases Intestinal diseases Respiratory diseases Other disorders of the rabbit Zoonoses Trypanosomiasis Reproductive diseases and disorders Preventive hygiene Chapter 6 HOUSING AND EQUIPMENT Biological considerations Rabbitry equipment Buildings Unconventional housing Uses for waste Chapter 7 RABBITRY MANAGEMENT The production cycle D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 8/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents Handling rabbits Organizing and managing a rabbitry Some production targets Chapter 8 PRODUCTION OF RABBIT SKINS AND HAIR FOR TEXTILES Rabbit skins: A by-product of meat Production of quality furs Collection, preservation and storage of pelts Curing and glossing Conclusions on fur production Angora Angora: Characteristics Raising Angora rabbits Sources of variation in angora hair production Prospects for angora wool production Chapter 9 RABBIT BREEDING AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT The mexican "family packages" programme D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 9/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents The situation in 1993 A development programme using rabbits BIBLIOGRAPHY FURTHER READING SPECIALIZED REVIEWS AND PERIODICALS WHERE TO PURCHASE FAO PUBLICATIONS LOCALLY - POINTS DE VENTE DES PUBLICATIONS DE LA FAO - PUNTOS DE VENTA DE PUBLICACIONES DE LA FAO Foreword Despite considerable progress in food production in the last 30 years, 800 million people in the world are still undernourished. This is not only because of food deficits and inadequate distribution: the D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 10/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents incomes of the poorest are too small to allow them to procure wholesome food in sufficient quantities. Livestock production is a major component of farm economies in developing countries, contributing not only food but also hides, fibres, fertilizer and fuel, as well as a modest, interest-producing capital which can easily be mobilized when unforeseen needs arise. In addition, livestock, whether large or small, are part of the social and cultural reality of several million small farmers, for whom husbandry represents an element of economic stability and sustainability. Both human and livestock populations have grown considerably in the last 30 years, but the rates in developed and developing countries are not comparable. Whereas the global human population has risen by 75 percent since 1960, in the developing countries the rate of increase was 97 percent and in the industrialized countries 28 percent. All species of livestock populations increased, but monogastrics (pigs and poultry) much more than ruminants. Small-animal husbandry can be a very lucrative operation for both D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 11/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents landed and landless small farmers; providing work for women, children and the handicapped (the least privileged social strata), producing substantial income and helping to upgrade the family diet. Many small domesticated species (guinea-pigs, capybara, cane rats, etc.) meet these objectives, but rabbit husbandry is far more prevalent, particularly in the Mediterranean area. Certain traditional rabbit production systems particularly adapted to hot, dry, semi-arid countries have been successfully developed. Backyard rabbitries are particularly well suited to small farmers, whether they own land or not. The advantages are closely related to the reproductive and feeding behaviour of rabbits and the fact that the species is both profitable and easy to integrate: • as a small monogastric herbivore, the rabbit easily accommodates a fairly wide range of cellulose-rich foods; • it is adaptable to the family diet and food preservation techniques available on small rural and peri-urban farms; • it is highly productive in terms of offspring (kg/year/dam) D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 12/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents thanks to mating-induced ovulation, short gestation and lactation periods and great prolificacy; • it produces highly nutritious, low-fat, low-cholesterol meat; • it is easy to transport and market and the recurrent costs for maintaining animals beyond the optimum marketing age are low; • labour costs are low and the work can be done by family members: women and children, or perhaps aged or handicapped people, usually the most vulnerable and least privileged social strata, for whom rabbit husbandry, like that of other small animals, represents an attractive and remunerative occupation; • it represents a contribution to the family income; • investment is low: infrastructure and equipment can easily be put together by the breeder and not much space D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 13/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents is needed. Backyard rabbitries are the perfect answer to today's demand for sustainable development projects. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and governmental and non-governmental development organizations have given firm and virtually universal support to rabbit projects in the developing countries. In the last ten years, FAO's Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) has supported and developed rabbit projects in Egypt, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Mexico, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire). However, projects which have been successful have not had the expected catalytic effect and others have heavily regressed or completely disappeared. It would be a good idea to pinpoint the reasons for these failures and seek the most appropriate solutions before attempting to relaunch such activities. Constraints may concern: D:/cd3wddvd/NoExe/…/meister10.htm 14/293 03/11/2011 Table of Contents • social, cultural and economic factors: customer acceptance of rabbit meat and ease of marketing; • a lack of local resources available