Evaluation of the reproductive performance of eight rabbit breeds on experimental farms

Abstract

The reproduction traits of 544 does from eight breeds were evaluated and compared to a control strain (INRA 9077) on three experimental farms, one of which used artificial insemination. The founders came from 110 French, Swiss and Italian breeders. These breeds were the following, in the order of decreasing body weight at amting: Argent de Champagne, INRA 9077, Thuringer, Vienna White, Fauve de Bourgogne, Belgian Hare, Chinchilla, English and Himalayan. The overall reproductive performances of these eight breeds were lower than the control but differed markedly in the components of productivity. The three small-sized breeds had low prolificacy but good fertility and the survival rate between birth and weaning (within weaned litters) was as high as in the control. The Fauve de Bourgogne and Argent de Champagne were the most productive among the mediumsized breeds. The least productive breeds were the Belgian Hare, in spite of its good prolificacy, because of the low survival rate of the young rabbits, and the Vienna White, because of poor fertility and the low rate of weaned litters. In spite of its poor fertility, the Thuringer had an intermediate productivity, due to good viability of the young rabbits. The recording of production data on the original farms would make it possible to better understand these results in order to improve them.