Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T07:47:24.287Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of selection for litter size and feeding programme on the performance of young rabbit females during rearing and first pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

F. Quevedo ,
C. Cervera ,
E. Blas ,
M. Baselga ,
C. Costa  and
J. J. Pascual
F. Quevedo
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
C. Cervera
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
E. Blas
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
M. Baselga
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
C. Costa
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
J. J. Pascual*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
*
†E-mail: jupascu@dca. upv. es
Get access

Abstract

A total of 166 crossbred young female rabbits were used to study the effect of two types of crossbred does (H1 v. H2, old and current generations, respectively) from the cross of different generations of maternal lines selected for litter size, the use of a feeding programme based on a low energy rearing diet (F) and the presentation of a high-energy diet pre-partum (E) on the performance of young rabbit females until their first parturition and on the main litter traits at first kindling. Perirenal fat was thicker at the age of 3 months for H2 than for H1 does, but this difference disappeared at the first insemination (4·5 months). H2 does had a significantly larger total number and number of live pups at birth (+2·06 live pups) than H1, higher than expected (+1·06). As this greater foetal growth was obtained for a similar energy intake of does, possible differences may exist in partitioning and/or effficiencies of dietary and body energies in favour of foetal growth as the genetic propensity for litter size increased. The use of a low-energy diet significantly reduced the growth of does during the rearing period (−294 g), but they showed a greater compensatory growth during the first 4 weeks of gestation (+79 g) as a consequence of their higher energy intake, without any retardation in their reproductive development. Does receiving diet F until 28th day of gestation showed a significantly greater pre-partum energy intake and their number of pups born alive was lower (−1·3 pups). Finally, the litters of females receiving diet E pre-partum and during lactation had lower mortality during the 1st week (26·9 v. 42·9% dead pups) and throughout lactation than those receiving a moderate energy diet.

Keywords

litter sizenutrition programmespregnancyrabbitsselection
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 80 , Issue 2 , April 2005 , pp. 161 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2005

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

Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1991. Official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 16th edition.Association of Ofifcial Analytical Chemists, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Bishop, T. C., Stahly, T. S. and Cromwell, G. L. 1979. Effect of supplemental fat vs. starch during late gestation on subsequent sow and pig performance. Journal of Animal Science 49: (suppl.1) 104 (abstr. ).Google Scholar
Boyd, R. D., Moser, B. D., Peo, E. R. Jr and Cunningham, P. J. 1978. Effect of energy source prior to parturition and during lactation on piglet survival and growth and on milk lipids. Journal of Animal Science 47 : 883–892.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costa, C., Baselga, M., Lobera, J., Cervera, C. and Pascual, J. J. 2004. Evaluating response to selection and nutritional needs in a three way cross in rabbits. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics I press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elphick, M. C. and Hull, D. 1977. The transfer of free fatty acids across the rabbit placenta. Journal of Physiology 264 : 751–766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
European Group on Animal Nutrition. 2001. Technical note: attempts to harmonize chemical analyses of feeds and faeces for rabbit feed evaluation. World Rabbit Science 9 : 57–64.Google Scholar
Farghaly, H. M. 2000. Effect of inbreeding on doeés performance traits in closed commercial rabbit populations in Egypt. Proceedings of the seventh world rabbit congress, Valencia, Spain, vol. A, pp. 375–379.Google Scholar
Fortun-Lamothe, L. and Lebas, F. 1996. Effects of dietary energy level and source on foetal development and energy balance in concurrently pregnantand lactating primiparous rabbit does. Animal Science 62 : 615–620.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García, M. L. and Baselga, M. 2002a. Estimation of genetic response to selection in litter size of rabbits using a cryopreserved control population. Livestock Production Science 74 : 45–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García, M. L. and Baselga, M. 2002b. Genetic response to selection for reproductive performance in a maternal line of rabbits. World Rabbit Science 10 : 71–76.Google Scholar
García-Ximénez, F., Vicente, J. S., Cifre, P. and Baselga, M. 1996. Foundation of a maternal rabbit line using hysterectomy and embryo cryopreservation. Proceedings of the sixth world rabbit congress, Toulouse, vol. 2, pp. 285–288.Google Scholar
Groeneveld, E. 1990. PEST user's manual. Institute of Animal Husbandry and Animal Behaviour, Federal Agricultural Research Centre, Germany.Google Scholar
Jackson, J. R., Hurley, W. L., Easter, R. A., Jensen, A. H. and Odle, J. 1995. Effects of induced or delayed parturition and supplemental dietary fat on colostrums and milk composition in sows. Journal of Animal Science 73 : 1906–1913.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lebas, F., Coudert, P., Rouvier, R. and De Rochambeau, H. 1984. Le lapin: elevage et pathologie. FAO, Rome.Google Scholar
Maertens, L. 1992. Rabbit nutrition and feeding: a review of some recent developments. Journal of Applied Rabbit Research 15 : 889–913.Google Scholar
Minvielle, J., Monvoisin, J. L., Costa, J., Frenot, A. and Maeda, H. 1999. Changes in heterosis under within line selectio or reciprocal recurrent selection: an experiment on early egg production in Japanese quail. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 116 : 363–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nizza, A., Di Meo, C. and Esposito, L. 1997. Influence of the diet used before and after the first mating on reproductive performance of rabbit does. World Rabbit Science 5 : 107–110.Google Scholar
Parigi-Bini, R. and Xiccato, G. 1998. Energy metabolism and requirements. In The nutrition of the rabbit (ed. de Blas, C. and Wiseman, J.), pp. 103–131. CABI Publishing, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Parigi-Bini, R., Xiccato, G. and Cinetto, M. 1991. Utilization and partition of digestible energy in primiparous rabbit does in different physiological states. Proceedings of the 12th symposium on energy metabolism of farm animals, Zurich, pp. 284–287.Google Scholar
Partridge, G. G., Daniels, Y. and Fordyce, R. A. 1986. The effects of energy intake during pregnancy in doe rabbits on pup birth weight, milk output and maternal body composition change in the ensuing lactation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 107 : 697–708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Partridge, G. G., Lamb, I. C. and Findlay, M. 1985. The use of a synthetic prostaglandin analogue (cloprostenol) to control parturition in the commercial rabbit. Animal Production 42 : 281–286.Google Scholar
Pascual, J. J., Blanco, J., Piquer, O., Quevedo, F. and Cervera, C. 2004. Ultrasound measurements of perirenal fat thickness to estimate the body condition of reproducing rabbit does in different physiological status. World Rabbit Science 12 : 7–22.Google Scholar
Pascual, J. J., Castella, F., Cervera, C., Blas, E. and Fernández-Carmona, J. 2000. The use of ultrasound measurement of perirenal fat thickness to estimate changes in body condition of young female rabbits. Animal Science 70 : 435–442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pascual, J. J., Cervera, C., Blas, E. and Fernández-Carmona, J. 1999. Effect of high fat diets on the performance, milk yield and milk composition of multiparous rabbit does. Animal Science 68 : 151–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pascual, J. J., Cervera, C., Blas, E. L. and Fernández-Carmona, J. 2003. High energy diets for reproductive rabbit does: effect of energy source. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B: Livestock Feeds and Feeding 73 : 27R–39R.Google Scholar
Pascual, J. J., Cervera, C. and Fernández-Carmona, J. 2002. A feeding program for young rabbit does based on all lucerne diets. World Rabbit Science 10 : 7–13.Google Scholar
Pérez, J. M., Lebas, F., Gidenne, T., Maertens, L., Xiccato, G., Parigi-Bini, R., Dalle Zotte, A., Cossu, M. E., Carazzolo, A., Villamide, M. J., Carabaño, R., Fraga, M. J., Ramos, M. A., Cervera, C., Blas, E., Fernández-Carmona, J., Falcao e Cunha, L. and Bengala Ferre, J.. 1995. European reference method for in vivo determination of diet digestibility in rabbits. World Rabbit Science 3 : 41–43.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, J. E. 1981. Supplemental dietary fat for peripartal sows: a review. Journal of Animal Science 53 : 107–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seerley, R. W., Pace, T. A., Foley, C. W. and Scarth, R. D. 1974. Effect of energy intake prior to parturition on milk lipids and survival rate, thermostability and carcass composition of piglets. Journal of Animal Science 38 : 64–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tudela, F., Hurtaud, J., Garreau, H. and Rochambeau, H. de. 2003. Comparaison des performances zootechniques des femelles parentales issues d'une souche témoin et d'une souche sélectionnée pour la productivité numérique. 10`mes Journées de la Recherche Cunicole, Paris, pp. 53–56.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J., Robertson, J. B. and Lewis, B. A. 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber and non starch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science 74 : 3583–3597.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xiccato, G., Bernardini, M., Castellini, C., Dalle Zotte, A., Queaque, P. I. and Trocino, A. 1999. Effect of postweaning feeding on the performance and energy balance of female rabbits at different physiological states. Journal of Animal Science 77 : 416–426.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed