Effect of genotipe, housing and feeding on productive and carcass traits of growing rabbits

The aim of the experiment was to examine the combined effect of genotype, housing condition and feeding method on productive performance and carcass traits of growing rabbits, to get information about the difference among the different combinations of treatments. Pannon Ka does were inseminated with semen of Pannon Large and Hungarian Giant bucks. The crossbred rabbits (n=336) were weaned at 5 weeks of age. Half of them were housed in cages, the other half in pens. Two other subgroups were formed based on the feeding method: only pellet or pellet plus hay. Data (between 5 and 12 wk) were evaluated. A clear tendency in weight gain, body weight at 12 wk and dressing out percentage can be detected in groups of PLarge rabbits: Cage-Pellet > Cage- Pellet+hay > Pen-Pellet > Pen-Pellet+hay, however in HGiant rabbits only the Cage-Pellet rabbits differed from the other three groups. The ratio of perirenal- and scapular fat showed similar tendencies in both genotypes. Between groups Cage-Pellet and Pen-Pellet+hay, the ratios of hind and fore part to reference carcass showed increasing tendency, while that of mid part decreased. The highest ratios of ear lesions were observed in groups of HGiant-Pen-Pellet (55.3 %) and PLarge-Pen-Pellet (50 %), followed by PLarge-Pen-Pellet+hay (31.7%), however in the other groups no lesions occurred