Crusader improving efficiency & structure of the meat rabbit industry in Aust.

Snowy Mountains Gourmet Rabbit Company

  • Project code: PRJ-000086

  • Project stage: Closed

  • Project start date: Sunday, July 1, 2007

  • Project completion date: Thursday, December 30, 2010

  • National Priority: NAP-Enhance industry success through targeted industry-specific RD&E

Summary

1. Introduce new traits to the existing industry breeding program, Crusader, to improve enterprise profit. Traits under investigation will be feed efficiency, doe longevity, improved doe health and meat quality. The hypothesis being tested is that economic returns from a selection index that currently includes growth rate, litter size and resistance to bacterial infection can be improved by the inclusion of additional traits.
2. Establish the importance of genetic and environmental factors on eating quality of rabbit meat. Effects under investigation are – length of travel time before slaughter, sire genetic potential for growth rate, and maturity/age at slaughter. As well as testing each hypothesis this objective will provide basic information on the level of phenotypic variation in quality of rabbit meat in Australia.
3. Compare the performance of unselected rabbits (fed feed mixtures supplemented with antibiotics) with Crusader stock (on un-supplemented feed) that have been selected for resistance to bacterial infection. The hypothesis being tested is that the level of genetic resistance in Crusader rabbits is high enough to allow a comparable level of performance and health to unselected rabbits fed prophylactic antibiotics.

Program

New and Emerging Animal Industries

Research Organisation

Snowy Mountains Gourmet Rabbit Company

Objective Summary

1. Introduce new traits to the existing industry breeding program, Crusader, to improve enterprise profit. Traits under investigation will be feed efficiency, doe longevity, improved doe health and meat quality. The hypothesis being tested is that economic returns from a selection index that currently includes growth rate, litter size and resistance to bacterial infection can be improved by the inclusion of additional traits.
2. Compare the performance of unselected rabbits (fed feed mixtures supplemented with antibiotics) with Crusader stock (on un-supplemented feed) that have been selected for resistance to bacterial infection. The hypothesis being tested is that the level of genetic resistance in Crusader rabbits is high enough to allow a comparable level of performance and health to unselected rabbits fed prophylactic antibiotics.