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Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University, Mannuthy, Thrissur, INDIA

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GENETIC AND NON GENETIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE LITTER TRAITS OF BROILER RABBITS*

B. Ekambaram, V. Prabhakar Rao, A. Sreerama Murthy1, A. Satyanarayana2, B. Ramesh Gupta

Affiliations

¹Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary Science, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad - 500 030, India

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Cite article:- Ekambaram B., Rao Prabhakar V., Murthy1 Sreerama A., Satyanarayana2 A., Gupta Ramesh B. (2025). GENETIC AND NON GENETIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE LITTER TRAITS OF BROILER RABBITS*. Indian Journal of Animal Research. 40(1): 9 - 14. doi: .

ABSTRACT

The data on pre-weaning and post weaning litter weights and litter size at birth and weaning
age of 4 weeks of 512 bunnies born in 109 kindlings of New Zealand White (NN), Soviet Chinchilla
(SS), Grey Giant (GG) and Flemish Giant (FF) were analyzed. Genetic group had significant effect on
litter weights at 1, 2, 3, 8, 10 and 12 weeks of age. Litter size influenced the pre-weaning and post
weaning litter weights significantly, while the month of birth affected the litter weights of bunnies
from 3 to 12 weeks of age. The effect of sex of bunny was not significant. The milk yield up to 18
days in NN, SS, GG and FF does averaged 1267.34±23.78, 1043.67±23.95, 1534.34±56.34
and 1423.67±118.44 g, respectively. The phenotypic correlations among the pre-weaning and
post weaning litter weights were positive and ranged from moderate to high in magnitude. The R2-
values of the multiple regression equations developed to predict the weaning weight of bunnies
based on the litter size at birth, milk yield during first week of lactation and dam weight of kindling
ranged from 58 to 72 per cent.

KEYWORDS

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