Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T00:42:22.251Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An analysis of pre-weaning deaths in rabbits with special emphasis on enteritis and pneumonia. II. Genetic sources of variation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

W. C. Rollins
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Husbandry, University of California, Davis, California, U.S.A.
R. B. Casady
Affiliation:
Animal Husbandry Research Division, U.S.D.A., Beltsville, Maryland, U.S.A.
Get access

Extract

Heritability estimates of death from enteritis or pneumonia, the two major causes of pre-weaning death at the U.S. Rabbit Experiment Station, Fontana, California, have been estimated. The data consisted of 15,329 observations made at the station from 1946 to 1961.

From birth to 14 days of age the death rate over the years increased from 0·2 to 6·1% During the period from 15 days to 56 days of age (weaning) the enteritis death rate was quite constant over the years (7·5%) while that of enteritis or pneumonia increased from 8·3% to 13·2%.

Heritability of death from enteritis or pneumonia for the period 15 to 56 days of age was estimated on the basis of paternal half sib analysis to be 0·12 ± 0·02. Based on an analysis of differences between dams within sires the corresponding estimate was 0·58 ± 0·05. The difference between the two estimates was attributed to maternal and non-additive genetic effects.

The genetic correlation between the two diseases under discussion was estimated to be 0·66 and 0middot;57 on the basis of differences among sires and among dams within sires respectively.

Breeding plans are suggested on the basis of the parameters estimated.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1967

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Cochran, W. G., 1943. Analysis of variance for percentages based on unequal numbers. J. Am. statist. Ass., 38: 287301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dempster, Everett R., & Lerner, I. Michael, 1950. Heritability of threshold characters. Genetics, 35: 212236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickerson, Gordon E., 1959. Techniques for research in quantitative animal genetics. Techniques and Procedures in Animal Production Research, pp. 56105. Am. Soc. Anim. Prod.Google Scholar
Harvey, Walter R., Casady, Robert B., Suitor, A. E., & Mize, K. E., 1961. Prenatal and postnatal effects in rabbits. J. Anim. Sci., 20: 907 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Lush, Jay L., 1947. Family merit and individual merit as bases for selection. Am. Nat., 81: 241261, 362379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, Alan, & Lerner, I. Michael, 1949. The heritability of all-or-none traits: viability of poultry. Genetics, 34: 395411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rollins, W. C., & Casady, R. B., 1967. An analysis of pre-weaning deaths in rabbits with special emphasis on enteritis and pneumonia. I. Non-genetic sources of variation. Anim. Prod., 9: 8792.Google Scholar