The effects of reducing the remating interval after parturition on the reproductive performance of the commercial doe rabbit

Abstract

ABSTRACTFour groups of does (16 per group) were remated either 1, 7, 14 or 21 days after parturition over a 1-year production cycle. Doe mortality rate was independent of treatment and overall was 0·27. The remating interval after parturition had no effect on conception rate, which was high on all treatments (0·86 to 0·93). The high overall conception rate resulted in more litters being born as the parturition to remating interval decreased. Expressed on a common 365-day experimental period the number of litters per doe was 8·9, 8·5, 7·8 and 6·7 (average s.e. of difference 0·33) for treatments 1, 7, 14 and 21 respectively. Litter size was not significantly affected by treatment and consequently the number of pups born per doe per year increased as remating interval decreased: 75·0, 73·4, 67·4 and 591 respectively. Pup mortality rate at birth and subsequently was high (0·42) on all treatments and the number of pups weaned per doe per year for treatments 1, 7, 14 and 21 was 48·3, 43·5, 40·0 and 33·3 respectively. Pup birth weight, 21-day litter weight and weaning (25-day) weight were all unaffected by treatment, as was doe body-weight change.