ENCREASING MEAT PRODUCTIVITY OF RABBITS USING INDUSTRIAL CROSSBREEDING

Abstract

The research was conducted at the Cherkasy Agricultural Research Station of Bioresources of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The genotype of rabbits used in the research: Poltava Silver, Soviet Chinchilla, New Zealand White
and their crosses.

The study found that the third group of domestic young (1/4PS1/4NB1/2RSh) at 28 days of age significantly (p<0.001) exceeded the analogues of the 1st control
group (PS) in terms of live weight by 107 g. The fourth group of domestic young (p<0.01) exceeded the control by this indicator by 83 g. The highest intensity of
development up to 28 days of age (p<0.001) was observed in the litter of young
animals of 1/4PS1/4RSH1/2NB origin - 609±28.26 g, which is 116 g more than the control.
In terms of live weight at the age of 90 days, the second group of domestic
young animals (1/4PS3/4RSh) exceeded (p<0.05) the first control group of young animals of the Poltava Silver breed by 117 g, the third by 156 g (1/4PS1/4NB1/2RSh) (p<0.05), the fourth by 80 g (1/4PS3/4 NB), and the fifth was significantly (p<0.05)
(1/4PS1/4RSh1/2NB) by as much as 207 g.
The chest girth index (90 days) had a significant difference in the young rabbits of the fourth and fifth experimental groups (p<0.01, p<0.001) genotype: 1/4PS3/4 NB, 1/4PS1/4RSh1/2NB and exceeded the rabbits of the control group by 1.9; 2.2
cm. This indicator was influenced by the heredity of the New Zealand white, which was 50.75% in the crossbred young of these groups.
In-life meat assessment - loin width, at 90 days of age, was the best in crossbred young rabbits of groups 2, 3, 4 and 5. The measurement of loin width is an important
indicator, it is positively correlated with indicators of slaughter weight, slaughter yield. It was the highest in the fifth group 5.95 cm (p <0.05) and exceeded the control by 4%.

An objective indicator that positively correlates with slaughter and meat qualities - the crushing index - absolutely prevailed in the crossbred young rabbits
of the 5th experimental group (1/4PS1/4RSh1/2NB). Rabbits of this group by this indicator prevailed over their counterparts of the 2nd group by 9.17%; 3-0th by
4.36%; 4th by 2.24%; and purebred young rabbits of the 1st group by 10.23%. According to the results of the research, the best tendency to high fattening,
lifetime meat and constitutional indicators was observed in the domestic young rabbits of the following origins: 1/4PS3/4 NB, 1/4PS1/4RSh1/2NB.
The index of general heterosis by groups according to the growth intensity of young rabbits in the experimental groups was: 4.2; 5.6; 2.9; 7.5%. The index of general heterosis according to the waist width indicator was 2.1; 3.5; 1.9; 4.0%.
The decrease in the cost of feed per 1 kg of gain to the 1st control group (32.4 UAH) occurred to the 5th group: 2nd experimental 31.05 UAH; 3rd experimental
30.6 UAH, 4th experimental 30.78 UAH. The cost of feed in the cost structure of the 5th experimental group turned out to be the lowest - 29.78 UAH. Such dynamics
affected the net profit indicator and profitability of production. The highest profitability of production, in terms of direct costs, was in young
rabbits of group 5 and amounted to 63.2%. Animals of this group were three-breed crosses by origin - 1/4PS1/4RSH1/2NB.
Studies have shown that the use of Poltava Silver rabbit dams as maternal breeds and Soviet Chinchilla and New Zealand White males as paternal breeds in
industrial crossbreeding allows for increased fattening and meat performance of young rabbits, especially of three breeds: 1/4PS1/4NB1/2RSH; 1/4PS1/4RSH1/2NB.