Under intensive farming conditions, rabbit does are currently house individually in cages that does not satisfy their behavioural patterns due to the small size. The lack of enough space contribute to stereotypes appearance with reduction of animals’ welfare. Moreover, the most common insemination technique is based on artificial fertilization with fresh or chilled semen simultaneously with intramuscular administration of GnRH to induce ovulation which involves double containment of the animal. This procedure is usually performed at 11 days postpartum: this approach results in high production rates, but requires high yearly replacement of animals that cannot sustain the enormous energy demand, due to the overlapping between lactation and pregnancy. Rabbit does that are in energy deficit have relatively short reproductive careers.
In view of the ongoing effort to move to an animal-friendly rearing system, our research group aimed at evaluating alternative reproductive managements and housing systems to contribute improving the sector, introducing also less invasive and stressful practices, more respectful of the physiology and well-being of rabbit does.
The researches were carried out at Cascina Campora farm (Buttigliera d’Asti).
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• Ricerca Locale, Università degli Studi di Torino 2017 - Rabbit Alternative Breeding System: well-being and productivity
• Ricerca Locale, Università degli Studi di Torino 2018
• Ricerca Locale, Università degli Studi di Torino 2020

• Munari C., Ponzio P., Elkhawagah AR., Schiavone A., Mugnai C. - Effect of a GnRH analogue administration method on rabbit reproductive parameters and welfare - Theriogenology 2019, 125:122-128.
• Munari C., Ponzio P., Macchi E., Elkhawagah AR., Tarantola M., Ponti G., Mugnai C. - A multifactorial evaluation of different reproductive rhythms and housing systems for improving welfare in rabbit does - Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2020, 230:105047.

• Endocrinology laboratory – Department of Veterinary Sciences – University of Turin
• Neuroendocrinology laboratory - Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi

• Dr. Ahmed Reda Elkhawagah - Benha University – Egypt