At the end of the experimental period,which lasted 50 days, 10 rabbits
per group were weighed and then slaughtered in an experimental
slaughterhouse. The carcasses were prepared by removing the skin,
genital organs, urinary bladder, digestive tract and the distal part of
the legs, as recommended by Blasco, Ouhayoun, and Masoero (1993).
The weights of the skin and paws and full gastrointestinal tract were
recorded and expressed as a percentage of slaughter weight (SW). Carcasses
(with head, thoracic cage organs, liver, kidneys) were chilled at
+4 °C for 24 h in a refrigerated room. The chilled carcass weight
(CCW), dressing out percentage (CCW as percentage of SW) and the
ratio of liver, kidneys and thymus, trachea, heart and lungs (TTHL)
were expressed as a percentage of CCW.