CBL - Campus del Baix Llobregat

Projecte llegit

Títol: Efecte de la densitat de càrrega i de l'alçada de les gàbies en el benestar dels conills d'engreix durant el transport a l'escorxador en condicions hivernals suaus

Estudiant que ha llegit aquest projecte:

Tutor/a o Cotutor/a: CONTRERAS JODAR, ALEXANDRA

Departament: DEAB

Títol: Efecte de la densitat de càrrega i de l'alçada de les gàbies en el benestar dels conills d'engreix durant el transport a l'escorxador en condicions hivernals suaus

Data inici oferta: 27-01-2026      Data finalització oferta: 30-01-2026

Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    GR ENG ALIMENT 2016
    GR ENG CIEN AGRONOM

Lloc de realització:
EEABB

Paraules clau:
Conills, Benestar, Transport, Densitat de càrrega, Espai disponible, Alçada de la gàbia, Estrès tèrmic, Hivern

Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
-Recopilar dades de sensors de temperatura, humitat relativa, anemòmetres, acceleròmetres i sonòmetres ubicats en camions per caracteritzar el transport comercial de conills a escorxador.
-Registrar el comportament dels conills dins els contenidors de transport mitjançant observacions de vídeos.
-Avaluar la resposta termofisiològica (temperatura rectal, pèrdua de pes, estat tèrmic, letàrgia, mortalitat) i metabòlica dels conills (hematocrit, glucosa, CK, LDH, AGNEs, corticosterona).
-Analitzar estadísticament les dades i discutir els resultats

Overview (resum en anglès): Transport to the slaughterhouse is a critical stage for animal welfare, yet empirical
evidence on the effects of stocking density and transport crate height on rabbit welfare
is virtually non-existent. Despite this lack of evidence, the European Union is currently
revising its transport legislation, and the draft proposal recommends reducing the
maximum stocking density to 47 kg/m2 - 50 kg/m2 and establishing a minimum crate
height of 35 cm for rabbits of typical Spanish commercial weight (2 kg - 2.5 kg). These
recommendations are based primarily on planimetric estimates rather than on speciesspecific experimental evidence. To address this knowledge gap, this study evaluated
whether reducing stocking density and increasing crate height improve the welfare of
fattening rabbits during commercial transport under autumn conditions. Three stocking
densities were tested: LOW (50 kg/m2 - 51 kg/m2
), MED (72 kg/m2 - 73 kg/m2
) and HIGH
(87 kg/m2 - 89 kg/m2
), combined with two crate heights: H20 (20 cm) and H40 (40 cm).
Two batches of rabbits were monitored throughout the pre-slaughter process, from pretransport to arrival at the slaughterhouse (approximately 6.5 h), while the truck
microclimate (temperature, relative humidity, air velocity and vibration) was continuously
recorded in different truck subzones. Animal welfare was assessed through behavioural
observations, thermophysiological indicators (body weight loss, change in rectal
temperature, thermal status, urine-soiled fur, lethargy and dead-on-arrival), and
metabolic biomarkers (haematocrit, glucose, LDH, CK, NEFAs and corticosterone).
Mixed-effects models were used to analyse the effects of stocking density and crate
height, including truck subzone nested within batch as a random effect to account for
spatial variability. Microclimatic conditions inside the truck were highly variable
throughout transport, with temperatures ranging from 10 ºC to 15 °C, relative humidity
between 30 % and 80 %, air velocity between 4 m/s and 4.5 m/s, and vibration levels
between 1.4 m/s2 and 1.5 m/s2
. Under autumn conditions, rabbits transported at the LOW
stocking density generated a greater amount of unused space because of huddling in
response to cold, suggesting that nominal stocking density does not necessarily reflect
the actual use of space during transport. Furthermore, rabbits transported in H40 made
very limited use of the additional vertical space, with inactivity predominating throughout
the journey. Overall, reducing stocking density from 87 kg/m2 - 89 kg/m2
to 47 kg/m2 -
50 kg/m2 and increasing crate height from 20 cm to 35 cm did not improve rabbit welfare
according to any of the thermophysiological or metabolic indicators evaluated.

Aquest projecte està relacionat amb l'adaptació al Canvi Climatic? No

Aquest projecte està relacionat amb la digitalització del seu àmbit de treball? No

© CBLTIC Campus del Baix Llobregat - UPC