DF-REML genetic assessment of milk production and efficiency of New Zealand white and Baladi Black rabbits
Abstract: A two years breeding plan involving New Zealand White (NZW) and Baladi Black (BB) rabbits was carried out.
Traits evaluated were total milk yield (TMY) at 21 and 28 days for 97 NZW female and 82 BB female as well as mean bunny weight at 21 and 28 days and milk efficiency ratio (kg of litter gain per kg of milk suckled) at 21 and 28 days, for 134 NZW and 155 BB litters. Derivative Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DF-REML) Animal Model was used for obtaining reliable variance components and hence heritability estimates. The DF-REML animal model analysis included year season combinations (YS) as fixed effect and litter si=e at birth as a covariate as well as animals and common litter effect as random effects.
Flocks of the two evaluated breeds were raised at the Experimental Rabbitry, Animal Production Research Institute, Sakha. Kafr EI-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt. NZW rabbits recorded relative superiority in performance over that of BB ones for the milk efficiency and mean bunny weight traits. Year-season combination exerted significant effect on TMY and MBW at 21 and 28 days in NZW rabbits while the significant effects were on most traits studied in BB rabbits. Heritability estimates were low and ranged from 0.17 to 0.16 and from 0.13 to 0.08 for ME traits in NZW and BB, while it varied from 0.06 to 0.04 and from 0.19 to 0.08 for TMY, and from 0.14 to 0.13 and from 0.59 to 0.22 for mean bunny weight (MBW) in the two breeds respectively. Estimates of correlations among traits were higher in BB than those of NZW While the NZW recorded a higher transmitting ability ranges in the three sorts of traits studied.
KeyWords: Rabbit, Milk Efficiency, Heritability, correlation and transmitting ability.
Publication year 2005
Availability location معهد بحوث الانتاج الحيوانى- شارع نادى الصيد- الدقى - الجيزة
Availability number
Organization Name
City الاسماعيلية
serial title Agricultural Research Journal ; Suez Canal University
Author(s) from ARC
Agris Categories Animal husbandry
AGROVOC
TERMS		 Efficiency. Genetic resources. Heritability. Milk production. Rabbits.
Proposed Agrovoc correlation ability;transmitting ability;
Publication Type Journal
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