Effects of Season, Generation, Number of Mating, Parity and Doe Number of Teat on Doe and Litter Birth Characteristics in Domestic Rabbit

Records of 866 kits born in 203 litters over a period of 132 weeks were used to evaluate the effects of season of birth (raining, dry) on litter birth characteristics under a tropical humid climate with rainy and dry season temperature and relative humidity of 30.40c and 81.8% and 34.80c and 61.1%, respectively. The effects of generation of birth (1, 2), number of mating (1, 2), parity (1, 2, 3, 4) and doe number of teat (8, 9, 10) were also investigated on traits such as gestation gain (GG), kindling loss (KL), litter size at birth (LSB), neonatal mortality (NEOM), live birth percent (LB %), mortality per litter (ML), litter weight (LWT) and mean kit weight (MKW). Of the 866 kits produced in two generations, 371 were born in the rainy season (April to September) and 495 in the dry season (October to March), Season of birth did not significantly (p>0.05) influence litter size at birth, percent live birth and mean kit birth weight, although the percent survival was slightly higher during the dry season. The percent survival at birth for the first four parities were 4.07 + 1.63, 4.04 + 1.29, 3.96 +1.10 and 3.56 + 1.46, respectively, corresponding values for gestation length were 31.6 + 2.7, 31.6 + 1.8, 31.9 + 1.6 and 32.2 + 1.7, respectively. Litter size at birth and mean kit birth weight for single mating were 3.95 + 1.36 and 38.95+7.87, respectively. Corresponding values for double mating were 3.82+1.45 and 39.14+10.22, respectively. Litter size at birth and mean kit birth weight for Does with 8, 9 and 10 numbers of teats were 4.12 and 41.73g, 4.11 and 42.31g and 4.48 and 41.01g, respectively. Second generation kits were born in lower litter size and litter weight, they had lower mean kit weight and live birth per litter. Parity, number of mating and doe number of teats had no significant effect (p>0.05) on the investigated bio-economic traits. The present results showed that selection of replacement does may not be done with accuracy using external characteristics like doe number of teats. It may also be possible to undertake an all year round breeding in commercial rabbitry, under tropical condition.