Assessment of Rabbit Does’ Growth under Different Building Conditions

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate does weights’ performances during and at post-gestation periods at different building systems. Factors considered in the study were building orientations, BO, (45º and 90º to prevailing wind directions), ventilation openings, VO, (20, 40, 60 and 80% side openings) and different seasons of a year (dry and rainy seasons). The experimental set up was a 2 × 4 factorial design with a doe each in a pen (n=32). The control experiment building had 100% side opening with four does (n=4), each in a pen. Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) values, effectiveness of openings and airflow rates were computed in different pens. The weights’ gains and losses were evaluated for does during and during post-gestation at different seasons and parities. The results showed that each of the pair of openings in an orientation was dissimilar to the other one in the other orientation in the same season (26.87±0.36, 27.09±0.43 respectively in dry and rainy seasons for 20% in first week). There were different airflow rates in different pens (3.975±0.03, 3.098±0.36 m3/s for 90º orientation; 2.671±0.01 and 2.595±0.14 m3/s respectively for 60 and 80% at 90º orientation) as a result of different openings’ effectiveness. Weight gains in does during and at post-gestation at different ventilation openings and orientations were affected by seasons. Ventilation opening 80% at 90º orientation had average of 0.061 kg/day weight increase per doe with lesser weight profile fluctuations and could be adjudged the best combination to rearing does.