Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T06:47:26.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Lactational performance of Giza White rabbits and its relation with pre-weaning litter traits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. H. Khalil
M. H. Khalil
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture at Moshtohor, Zagazig University, Moshtohor, Qalyoubia Governorate, Egypt
Get access

Abstract

An experiment was carried out in Egypt using Giza White rabbits to investigate their lactational performance and to estimate the repeatabilities of milk yield and other litter traits. Data on 325 litters from 115 does fathered by 40 sires were used. Lactation traits involved milk yields during the first 7 days, 21 days and 35 days. Litter traits included litter size and weight at birth, number born alive, litter weight and gain at 21 days, litter size and weight at weaning and pre-weaning litter gain. Linear mixed models were used for analysing such data.

Phenotypic variation in milk yield was relatively high during the first 7 days, and decreased thereafter with advance of lactation stage. Year-season effects were significant for most litter traits, while month of kindling affected litter weight and gain at 21 days and milk yield during the first 7 days (P < 0·05 or P < 0·001). Litters kindled during winter had the highest milk yield compared with litters kindled in the other seasons. Milk production, litter size and weight and litter gain had curvilinear relationship with parity (P < 0·05 or P < 0·001). Sire of doe had no significant effects on litter traits studied. Repeatabilities of all traits were low and ranged from 0·001 to 0·134. Litter size and weight at birth were residually correlated with milk yield. Litter weight and gain at 21 days were significantly correlated with the lactational performance of the doe (P < 0·001).

Keywords

litter traitsmilk yieldrabbitsrepeatability
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , August 1994 , pp. 141 - 145
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ballay, A., Szombathy, E., Szabo, E. and Fulop, M. 1988. Relationships between the milk production and fertility of Angora does. Proceedings of the fourth world rabbit congress, Budapest, Hungary.Google Scholar
Baselga, M., Gomez, E., Cifre, P. and Camacho, J. 1992. Genetic diversity of litter size traits between parities in rabbits. Proceedings of the fifth world rabbit congress, Oregon, Corvallis, USA.Google Scholar
Cowie, A. T. 1969. Variations in the yield and composition of the milk during lactation in the rabbit and the galactopoietic effect of prolactin. Endocrinology 44: 28.Google ScholarPubMed
Garcia, F., Baselga, M., Blasco, A. and Deltoro, J. 1982a. Genetic analysis of some productive traits in meat rabbits. I. Numeric traits. Proceedings of the second congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Madrid, Spain, vol. 7, pp. 557–562.Google Scholar
Garcia, F., Baselga, M., Blasco, A. and Deltoro, J. 1982b. Genetic analysis of some productive traits in meat rabbits. II. Ponderal traits. Proceedings of the second congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Madrid, Spain, vol. 7, pp. 575–579.Google Scholar
Harvey, W. R. 1990. User's guide for LSMLMW. Mixed model least squares and maximum likelihood computer program. PC-version 2. Ohio State University, Columbus, USA (Mimeograph).Google Scholar
Henderson, C. R. 1984. Applications of linear models in animal breeding. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.Google Scholar
Khalil, M. H., Afifi, E. A., Emara, M. E. and Owen, J. B. 1988. Genetic and phenotypic aspects of doe productivity in four breeds of rabbits. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 110: 191–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khalil, M. H. and Mansour, H. 1987. Factors affecting reproductive performance of female rabbits. Journal of Applied Rabbit Research 10: 140–145.Google Scholar
Khalil, M. H., Owen, J. B. and Afifi, E. A. 1987. A genetic analysis of litter traits in Bauscat and Giza White rabbits. Animal Production 45: 123–134.Google Scholar
Linzell, J. L., Peaker, M. and Taylor, J. C. 1972. The effects of prolactin and oxytocin on milk secretion and on the permeability of the mammary epithelium, in the rabbit. Journal of Physiology 253: 547.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lukefahr, S., Hohenboken, W. D., Cheeke, P. R. and Patton, N. M. 1983. Characterization of straightbred and crossbred rabbits for milk production and associative traits. Journal of Animal Science 57: 1100–1107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McNitt, J. I. and Lukefahr, S. D. 1990. Effects of breed, parity, day of lactation and number of kits on milk production of rabbits. Journal of Animal Science 68: 1505–1512.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McNitt, J. I. and Moody, J. L. 1988.Google Scholar
McNitt, J. I. and Moody, J. L. 1988. Milk intake and growth rates of suckling rabbits. Journal of Applied Rabbit Research 11: 117–119.Google Scholar
Yamani, K. A. O., Daader, A. H. and Asker, A. A. 1991. Non-genetic factors affecting rabbit production in Egypt. Option Mediterraneennes-Serie Seminaires vol. 17, pp. 159–172.Google Scholar