EFFECT OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEW ZEALAND WHITE RABBITS IN BENIN SOUTHERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Data on ambient temperature and performance of 37 New Zealand White female rabbits reared at the University of Benin farm project were studied. Data collected span from May 1997 to July 1998. Dab were on ambient temperature (ATEMPT), litter size at birth (LITSB), litter size at weaning (LITSW), litter birth weight (LITBW), litter weaning weight (LITWW), gestation length (GLT), morality (MORT)
and number of young born alive. Mean values of 29.230C, 4.89(g) 3.62, 50(g), 280(g), 3132(days) 3.82 and 23.65(%)
were obtained for ATEMPT, LITSB, LITSW, LITBW, LITWW, GLT, NBA and MORT respectively. ATEMPT had negative phenotypic correlation with other traits. R2 value from the analysis of variance of regression analysis indicated that the recorded ATEMPT could not account for the variance observed in the traits. The results of this study thus suggest that there are other more important factors that influence performance of rabbits at ambient temperature of less 30°C in the tropical rainforest zone of southern Nigeria.