THE IMPACT OF LITTER SIZE ON THE BODY WEIGHT OF RABBIT
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BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The wild species of Oryctolagus cuniculus, from which domestic rabbits descended, is native to the western Mediterranean basin. Domestic rabbits are descended from this species. Recent domestication of the rabbit has resulted in the majority of varieties being established by humans and dating back no more than 300 years (Heath, & Olusanya, 2021).
Since the beginning of the 20th century, researchers in the fields of genetics and reproductive physiology have made extensive use of rabbits as test subjects. However, it wasn't until 1950 that the first discoveries on quantitative genetics were made public (Jackson, 2021). Breeders should employ local rabbits, either native or imported populations that have been locally acclimated, in order to improve the performance of rabbits. Additionally, they should take use of the genetic variety that is now accessible (source) (Lawrence, 2021). Research on rabbit production in rural areas and backyards should be given top priority since these types of production demand just a little initial investment and make use of local resources that are economically viable for production (Finzi, 1992).
The ability to have progeny and ensure the survival of one's own species is one of the primary goals of every animal. Therefore, if the high demand for meat in the future years is going to have to be met, a significant portion of the increase in production is going to have to come from short cycle animals such as rabbits, which have a gestation period that ranges between 30-32 days and a rapid growth rate that makes them ready for breeding at the age of five (5) months and under good management conditions, which compares favourably with the growth rate of other animals such as chickens. In other words, if the high demand for meat (FAO, 1991).
It would appear that raising rabbits is the most environmentally friendly and sustainable method of generating high-quality animal protein for the growing populations of less developed nations like Nigeria. Consumption of rabbit meat has never been considered a violation of any religious or social taboos; consequently, rabbits appear to have good potential as meat-producing animals and also as suitable solutions to the problem of a lack of protein, particularly when productive and reproductive efficiency are considered (Heath, & Olusanya, 2021).
For this reason, it is important that young rabbits be appropriately maintained in order to minimise delays in the beginning of puberty (FAO, 1992). Both the turnover from an animal's output and the ratio of that animal's growth rate are affected, to some degree, by the reproductive performance of the animal. Different breeds of animals have different rates of growth, which can offer information on the genetic variety that exists among animals, which can be helpful when selecting breeding stock (Jackson, 2021).
There is a wide range of variation in the litter size of rabbits, however domestic rabbit litters typically include between six and ten young.
Although it has been suggested that the amount of milk produced by mammalian mothers is, at least in part, adapted to variations in litter size through the adaptive stimulation of pre-partum mammogenesis, this is not always the case (Fossyth and Hayden, 1977, Jameson, 1998). There is evidence from a diverse variety of animals indicating that the proportion of milk acquired by individuals decreases with the number of other siblings in the group increases. As a consequence, there is an inverse relationship between the size of the litter and the rates of growth of the dependent kits (Mendl, 1998,Mock and Parker, 1997, Hudson and Trillmich, 2007) There is a distinct inverse correlation between the number of siblings a rabbit has and either its development rate or its weight at weaning in domestic breeds (Drummond et al. 2000), as well as in European rabbits that are raised in natural breeding settings (Radel et al 2008).
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