Analysis of factors affecting the final body weight in selected rabbit breeds

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of breed, feed type and sex, on the final body weight in New Zealand white and Blanc de Termonde rabbits. The experiment was conducted on a farm in the Małopolska Province in the south of Poland. Rabbits of both breeds were kept in identical conditions up to the age of 90 days. However, they were fed using two different methods – with commercial balanced (granulated) feed (9.75 MJ, 155 g protein) and farm-made feed (9.54 MJ, 157 g protein). Among New Zealand White rabbits, commercial balanced feed was given to 38 males and 42 females, whereas farm-made feed to 37 males and 38 females. Among Blanc de Termonde rabbits, commercial balanced feed was given to 65 males and 68 females, and farm-made feed to 54 males and 60 females. Daily gains were determined for both examined breeds divided into sexes. Then, we calculated interactions between breed and feed type, between breed and sex, as well as between feed type and sex. The mean body weights on the 90th day of fattening differed for both sexes and feed types. For both rabbit breeds, the higher mean final body weight was observed in case of feeding with the commercial balanced feed, whereas the highest body weight (2515.13 g) was registered for the females of Blanc de Termonde rabbits.