Growth, carcass and meat quality traits of two South African meat rabbit breeds

Abstract

Rabbits could contribute to meat production in South Africa. However, little research has been done on rabbit farming in the country, including on the performance of locally available meat breeds. This study examined the meat production of the New Zealand White (NZW) and Phendula rabbit breeds. The live weights (LW) and average daily gains (ADG) of 80 (44 male, 36 female) NZW and 40 (22 male, 18 female) Phendula rabbits, housed in single-sex groups of three, were recorded from weaning (5 weeks) until slaughter (11 weeks). The slaughter weight, and carcass, organ, and carcass portion weights were recorded for 10 male rabbits and 10 females of each breed, and the physical and proximate chemical quality of the loin meat was determined. The breeds differed for the reference carcass (RC) yield (NZW: 85.3 ± 0.14%; Phendula: 84.9 ± 0.24%) and the proportions of the low-value fore (NZW: 38.6 ± 0.26%; Phendula: 37.6 ± 0.28%) and high-value intermediate (NZW: 19.6 ± 0.16%; Phendula: 20.4 ± 0.28%) parts. Females had greater LW and ADG at 11 weeks old, and reduced dressing percentages, but greater RC yields owing to lighter heads and red offal. Females also had smaller proportions of the fore part. Meat quality did not differ between the breeds or sexes. Overall, both breeds compared well to previous reports. However, they appeared to mature relatively early, as indicated by the significant sex differences, and the high carcass and meat fat content.

Proximate Chemical Composition, Amino Acids Profile and Minerals Content of Meat Depending on Carcass Part, Sire Genotype and Sex of Meat Rabbits

“…Therefore, the slightly higher IMF content in hind leg meat of MS sired rabbits was not different from that found in H rabbits. However, the IMF content of LTL meat was higher in males of the present study, which also was observed ( p ˃ 0.05) by North et al [ 38 ] in the LTL of meat rabbit genotypes. It seems that male rabbits may in some cases deposit more IMF into the LTL muscle with advancing age.…”

Putting the Spring back into the Hare (Pedetes capensis): Meat Chemical Composition of an Underutilized Protein Source

“…Similarly, the male springhare showed slightly higher values for their forearms (~98 g vs.~91 g), LTL (~227 g vs.~195 g), HL (~650 g vs.~614 g) and tails (~67 g vs.~65 g) compared to the female springhare; a trend to note in future studies. Similar results were seen for meat rabbits where the male animals tended to have heavier weights for the different cuts compared to females [22]. Furthermore, it is possible that the lack of sex effect could be linked to age, but due to sampling bias, it was not possible to determine the age of the animals during the night cull.…”

“…As springhares breed year-round, breeding breaks or associated changes in body weight due to pregnancy or changes in body condition were not apparent. The weights were the same as those reported for New Zealand and Phendula meat rabbits [22]. Mature springhares typically weigh 3-4 kg [23,24], which are at the higher end of the dead weights recorded for the springhare of this study (Table 1).…”

Intensive teaching technology of imported rabbit meat in Uzbekistan

“…Rabbit meat is good for health and differs from other meats by its taste and dietary properties. The ability to use fresh frozen rabbit meat in all seasons enhances its dietary properties [4,5].…”

“…Depending on the direction of production, rabbits are divided into two groups, namely meat and meat skins. In the meat direction, rabbits are slaughtered at 60-70 days of age, and in the meat-skin direction at 3-5 months of age [5]. Each mother rabbit can give birth to 5-6 times a year.…”