Data on 355 does gave 1430 purebred litters of Bouscat (B), Californian (CAL) and New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were used to quantify doe variance components and repeatability values for litter size at birth (LSB), litter weight at birth (LWB) and mean bunny weight per litter at birth (LWB), 21-day litter size (LS21), 21-day litter weight (IL W21,), mean bunny weight per litter at 21 days (MB W21), weaning litter size (LSW), weaning litter weight LWW, mean bunny weight per litter at weaning (MB WW and gain in litter weight up to 21 days (LG21) and up to weaning (LGW). The common litter effects on these litter traits were investigated for each breed separately Doe breeding values (DBV) were predicted for these traits using a single-trait Animal Model (AM). Estimates of doe variance component for litter traits, in general, were low or moderate and they were higher in B rabbits than in CAL and NZW ones. Common litter effect showed significance on litter traits in B and NZW rabbits except LW21 and LG21 in NZW rabbits, while did not prove significance on most litter traits of CAL rabbits. Percentages of variance component of common litter effect for most litter traits were low or moderate. Repeatability estimates .for these traits were also low or moderate. Estimates in B rabbits were relatively higher than those in NZW and CAL rabbits. Percentages of does having positive estimates of DBV for litter traits were mostly less than 509. In general, DBV ranged from -1.31 to 1.08 young for litter size traits, from -385.7 to 494.3 grams for litter weight traits, from -61.9 to 84.6 grams for mean bunny weight per litter traits and from -356.1 to 448.5 grams for gain in litter weight traits. |
