Productivity of Young Rabbits of a Newly Created Breed

The goal of the study was to identify the best mating strategy for the creation of a new rabbit breed according to the results of the assessment of productivity and phenotype in young animals of the fourth generation. Selective breeding for the creation of a new rabbit breed has been ongoing since 2018 with the involvement of animals of Rodnik cross parental form as the original herd. The experiments were conducted at the Afanas’ev Research Institute of Fur Farming and Cuniculture in 2021. A total of 86 does and 26 bucks were divided into the following groups: ( 1 ) outbred buck × outbred doe (inbred mating), ( 2 ) inbred buck × outbred doe, ( 3 ) outbred buck × inbred doe; 238 heads of kits were produced. The live weight of young rabbits at the age of 45 and 77 days in the second group was by 200 g higher ( p < 0.001) than in the first and third groups; it was 400 and 300 g higher at 90 days, respectively ( p < 0.001). Young animals at the age of 45 and 90 days in the second group had longer bodies than those in the first and third groups by 2.6 and 2.7 cm and 1.6 and 2 cm, respectively ( p < 0.001) Thoracic circumferences of young rabbits at 77 and 90 days in the second group were larger than those in the first and third groups by 1.2 and 1.3 ( p < 0.001) cm and 0.4 and 1.3 cm ( p < 0.001), respectively. Blockiness index in young rabbits of the experimental groups was 56.9–58% without statistically significant difference. A mating strategy design applied in the second group ensured the highest productivity of young rabbits and fixation in the offspring of desired traits, such as, phenotypic homogeneity, live weights of 2.4 ± 0.03 kg ( p < 0.001) and 2.9 ± 0.03 kg ( p < 0.001) at 77 and 90 days, respectively, and the average daily gain of 43 ± 0.8 g ( p < 0.001). At 77 days old, dressing percentage (the yield of slaughter weight) was at a high level and peaked at 50.9 ± 0.5% ( p < 0.01).