Genetic analysis of some economic traits in a composite breed of domestic rabbits reared in a tropical environment

Records of 224 kits produced by fifteen dams and five sires were used to estimate covariance and correlations of litter traits in composite breed rabbit using paternal and maternal half-sib method. The traits studied were total litter size at birth (TB), litter size born alive (BA), litter birth weight (LBWT), 7-day body weight (7BWT), 21 day body weight (21BWT) and weaning weight (42BWT). The analysis of variance was done in a nested design with equal number of subclass. The estimates of covariance were generally low 0.002 and 0.004,0.004 and 0.009,0.001 and 0.001 for LBWT and BA, TB and 7BWT, LBWT and 42BWT while positive and significant genetic correlations (rG) (P > 0.05) was obtained for LBWT and BA (0.94 and 0.67), BA and 42BWT (0.89 and 0.61), LBWTB and 21BWT (0.88 and 0.63) from sire and dam components respectively. Phenotypic (rP) and environmental (rE) correlations between the traits studied were mostly non-significant (P < 0.05). This report shows that there exists positive genetic correlation/relationship between litter size at birth and litter weight at weaning.