According to consumer opinion, poor welfare leads to lower quality animal products. The stunning method plays a very important role as far as animal welfare, meat quality, and public health are concerned. The aim of the presented study was to assess the effect of two different stunning methods on the blood stress indicators and the quality of rabbit meat. The underlying goal was to improve the welfare of rabbits at the time of slaughter. The study was conducted on a commercial rabbit farm in Poland. The hybrids used in this study were obtained crossing Hyplus PS19 females with Hycole males (genotype I) and Jordan × Hycole females with Hyla males (genotype II). According to the presented findings, the genotype groups of rabbits differed in meat performance, but the differences in meat quality were minor. The examination of the blood stress biomarkers showed that both stunning methods are optimal when taking the welfare of rabbits into consideration. The presented research revealed some differences in the physiochemical traits of meat, with only slight differences between genotypes and stunning methods.
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