Fearfulness in meat type rabbits at different stocking densities

The effects of housing on fearfulness of fattening rabbits were evaluated using a tonic immobility (TI) test. The rabbits were stocked at 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 or 20 animals/m2 in wire cages. For the lowest five densities, half of these cages were enriched with a U-shaped wooden structure that could be used for hiding, gnawing and resting. Contrary to our expectations, the enrichment did not influence fearfulness, whilst the animals stocked at the lowest density were more fearful than those at all other densities (F1,74.2=5.3, p=0.024). These findings may have been influenced by a more active resistance to catching in the weeks before the test, leading to the need for more strict restraint whilst animals were carried to the test area