REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF CHINCHILLA RABBITS UNDER DIFFERENT THREE-BREED CROSSBREEDING SCHEMES

Rabbit breeding is a distinct and promising sector of animal husbandry, characterized by its specific biological and economically valuable traits. The present study was conducted at the Cherkasy Agricultural Research Station of Bioresources of NAAS. The farm employs an intensive rabbit meat production system. The article presents the development of new, highly productive genetic populations of rabbits and identifies the most effective three-breed crossbreeding schemes for both maternal and paternal lines. The study involved three rabbit breeds and their crossbreeds, which are optimally suited for intensive rabbit meat production: Chinchilla, Grey Giant, and New Zealand White. The research established that crossbreeding two-breed hybrid does (½ Chinchilla × ½ New Zealand White and ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant) with purebred sires of the Chinchilla (Ch), Grey Giant (GG), and New Zealand White (NZW) breeds had a significant positive impact on the reproductive traits of the does. Due to combinatorial inheritance and adaptation to the conditions of the Cherkasy Research Station, the highest milk yield was recorded in crossbred does of the ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant × NZW combination, reaching 2.93±0.04 kg, which was significantly higher (p<0.001) than that of the control group (Ch × Ch) by 250 g. The highest number of weaned kits was observed in the ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant × GG group (9.9±0.32 kits; p<0.05), exceeding the control group (9.1±0.26 kits) by 0.8 kits and surpassing the other experimental groups by 0.3–0.8 kits. In terms of average kit weight at weaning (28 days of age), the does from the ½ Chinchilla × ½ NZW × NZW and ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant × NZW groups exhibited significantly superior results (585±16.11 g and 582±15.48 g), surpassing the control group by 93 g and 90 g, respectively (p<0.01). The total litter weight at weaning was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the ½ Chinchilla × ½ NZW × GG, ½ Chinchilla × ½ NZW × NZW, ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant × GG, and ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant × NZW groups (5.15±0.12 kg, 5.31±0.14 kg, 5.21±0.11 kg, and 5.65±0.16 kg), exceeding other groups by 700–1110 g. The highest Index of Viability and Average Kit Weight (IVAK) was recorded in the ½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant × NZW (135), ½ Chinchilla × ½ NZW × Ch (134.1), and ½ Chinchilla × ½ NZW × GG (134.2) groups. The results indicate that the use of domestically selected Chinchilla does as a maternal breed in industrial crossbreeding with sires of the Chinchilla, Grey Giant, and New Zealand White breeds improves the maternal performance of two-breed crossbred does (½ Chinchilla × ½ Grey Giant and ½ Chinchilla × ½ NZW), thereby enhancing their meat productivity.