THE INFLUENCE OF THE SEASON ON THE REALIZATION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE CAPACITY OF RABBITS OF THE POLTAVSKA SILVER BREED

Abstract

According to the results of the study of the indicators of the reproductive capacity of female rabbits of the Poltava silver breed (n=50) in the conditions of the rabbit farm of the Cherkassy Experimental Station of Bioresources of the National Academy of Sciences, the peculiarities of realizing the potential of the reproductive capacity of rabbits depending on the breeding season were established. The obtained data make it possible to assert that, despite keeping rabbits in a room with a regulated microclimate, the degree of realization of the index of reproductive ability of female rabbits of the silver breed largely depends on the breeding season. According to the results of the study, it was established that when comparing the average values of the fertility index, a probable predominance of the quantitative parameters of the investigated nests was registered in female rabbits in the spring and autumn periods - 7.1 heads, and the lowest - in winter (5.9 heads) (p<0.001). The average value of the indicator in the summer period was 6.9 goals. The results of the study of the nest mass indicator in different periods of the postnatal development of the young showed the existence of a difference in the average values depending on the season of the year. It was established that the minimum of this indicator of nest weight was registered in winter (350.4 g), and the maximum in autumn (434.9 g), in spring and summer - 432.4 g and 422.1 g, respectively, the difference when compared to the minimum value was revealed significant (p<0.001). A similar trend was observed throughout the study period. Juveniles obtained from spring and autumn feeding had the advantage in terms of indicators of changes in the live weight of the nest. The results of the study of the percentage of survival of the young during the period from birth to weaning showed that this indicator, depending on the season of the year, had a slight variability and was for the studied females: in winter - 94.9%, in spring - 93.0%, in summer - 92.9% and in autumn - 94.4%, which should be taken into account when planning work on reproduction of livestock.