Multiple Natural and Hormonal Methods Improve Reproductive and Productive Performance of Naturally Mated Multiparous Rabbit Does

This experiment illustrates the impact of various natural and hormonal methods on the reproductive and productive performance of naturally mated multiparous rabbit does. 180 multiparous does were randomly and equally allotted on six experimental treatments (1) DLS (doe litter separation); (2) DG (does gathering), (3) CC (cage change), (4) OP100 (estradiol 27 µg and progesterone 270 µg/kg body weight), (5) OP300 (estradiol 80 µg and progesterone 800 µg/kg body weight), and (6) control group, the experiment was repeated on three-time points (2, 7, and 14 days postpartum). All used treatments, either natural or hormonal, induced significant positive effects on receptivity and fertility compared with control treatment, with the superiority of the natural methods to hormonal one. Although DLS group significantly decreased average fryer weaning weight, OP300 group increased it significantly compared with the control group. All experimental treatments achieved significantly higher weaning numbers than the control. It’s better to apply these methods on days 2 and 7 postpartum than on day 14 postpartum. It concluded that the CC and DG methods are effective in improving multiparous rabbit production. However, these treatments must only be applied to healthy herds as animal contact may serve as a source of contamination. Moreover, estrogen and progesterone can be used as good hormonal methods for improvement of rabbit production although further studies are necessary to determine how it affects the other blood hormones and whether prolonged usage of these hormones can impair ovarian function and trigger an immunological response.