Effects of Breed and Air Conditioning on some Productive and Reproductive Performance during Hot Summer Season in Rabbits | ||||
| Journal of Animal and Poultry Production | ||||
| Article 4, Volume 9, Issue 3, March 2018, Page 163-174 PDF (326.99 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jappmu.2018.38969 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
Y. K. Badawi  ; T. A. El-Aasar
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| Animal Production Research Institute, Agric. Res. Cent., Min. of Agric., Dokki, Giza, EGYPT | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Two hundred and twenty weaned rabbits of New-Zealand White (NZW) as exotic breed and Baladi Black (BB) as a local breed were used in the present study. The study included two experiments, where rabbits in the first and second groups were housed in unconditioning and conditioning rabbitry, respectively. The first experiment (lasted for 35 days post weaning) was designed to evaluate growth performance of rabbits as affected by breed and conditioning of the rabbitry. The 2nd experiment was carried out to evaluate mature rabbit reproductive traits by using 30 male rabbits, 15 of each NZW and BB in each group, during pre-mature period. The experiment lasted 3 months and aimed to estimate some blood serum constitutes and body thermoregulation, as well as age and weight at first mating and some parameters indicated fertilizing ability of bucks. Results showed that, daily weight gain , feed intake, feed conversion and final body weight of rabbits were significantly (P≤0.05) better in BB and in conditioning rabbitry than those of NZW rabbits and in the control – unconditioning group, respectively. Dressing percentage, carcass weight and relative internal organs weight, as well as, blood pictures of growing rabbits were significantly (P≤0.05) higher in conditioning and BB than in unconditioning rabbitry and NZW rabbits, respectively. Conditioning rabbitry significantly (P≤0.05) improved values of each of total protein and its fractions, some enzymes indicated liver activity, some physiological aspects indicated physiological ability of body-thermoregulation. Also, conditioning rabbitry significantly (P≤0.05) improved net revenue and relative economic efficiency as compared to unconditioning group. Results of the second experiment indicated that, scrotal circumference, testicular index and mating activity, as well as, female and male sexual hormones were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher in BB and in conditioning rabbitry than NZW and unconditioning rabbitry, respectively. Baladi Black rabbits showed libido; physical semen quality; conception and kindling rates; litter size and bunny weight at birth and at weaning and pre-weaning mortality rates significantly (P ≤ 0.05) better than NZW rabbits, using natural mating or artificial insemination. Libido and physical semen quality of bucks, and fertility traits of does mated naturally or inseminated artificially were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved by conditioning the rabbitry, in each breed. Using air conditioning in rabbitries showed a significant improvement in the economic efficiency of rabbit production. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Rabbits; breed; Growth; carcass; productive; reproductive; fertility | ||||
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