Reproductive Diseases in Farmed Rabbit Does

Area of Science:

• Theriogenology
• Animal Reproduction
• Veterinary Science

Background:

• Reproductive diseases pose significant challenges to commercial rabbit farming.
• Understanding the prevalence and risk factors for reproductive issues in does is crucial for improving herd health and productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the occurrence of reproductive diseases in does across Spain and Portugal from 1994-2019.
• To identify individual and farm-level risk factors influencing reproductive performance in lactating does.
• To establish optimal body condition scores (BCS) and reproductive rhythms for enhanced fertility.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of data from 1373 farms (1994-2019) to assess disease prevalence.
• Prospective study involving pregnancy checks, health assessments, and body condition scoring of 17,297 does on 142 farms (2014-2019).
• Analysis of a large dataset (190,508 does) to establish baseline infertility rates and evaluate the impact of reproductive rhythm and BCS on pregnancy rates.

Main Results:

• Apparent infertility prevalence varied, with a median of 35% in cases of infertility visits and a baseline of 14.5% in a large subset.
• Identified risk factors included mastitis and a shorter postpartum servicing interval (≤25 days).
• Optimal body condition score (BCS) for reproduction was inferred to be 6/9, yielding a higher pregnancy rate (82.6%) compared to BCS 5/9 (79.3%) or BCS 4/9 (73.1%).

Conclusions:

• Reproductive diseases, particularly infertility, are prevalent in commercial rabbit farms.
• Optimizing doe body condition score to 6/9 and extending the postpartum servicing interval to ≥32 days are recommended for improved reproductive efficiency.
• Implementing changes in female rabbit health and husbandry practices can enhance reproductive performance and animal welfare.