Effect of Genotype on Pre-Weaning Growth Performance of the Domestic Rabbit in a Humid Tropical Environment

Growth traits were measured weekly on 83 progeny of multiparous does and the data used to determine the influence of genotype on pre-weaning growth performance of the domestic rabbit. The genotypes were New Zealand White (NZW) x New Zealand White, Chinchilla (CHIN) x Chinchilla, Dutch (DUT) x Dutch, NZW x CHIN, NZW x DUT and CHIN x DUT. The experiment was randomized complete block design with genotype as the factor of interest. Traits measured were body weight (BW) and linear body measurements-body length (BL), heart girth (HG), shoulder-to-tail (ST), length of hind limb (LHL), ear length (EL) and height at withers (HTW) from 3-8 weeks of age. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) among the genotypes for pre-weaning growth performance at all ages studied. CHIN x CHIN was significantly superior (P < 0.05) to other genotypes for most of the growth parameters studied, followed by NZW x NZW. The result of this study demonstrates plausible improvement of body weight and growth traits of rabbits in the study population at early ages.