ABSTRACT
This study was to examine the body compact indices of some breeds of rabbits. The experiment was carried out at the rabbitry section of the University of Benin Farm Project, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria. A total of twenty rabbits (fifteen females and five males), of which five belong to one breed, were used for this experiment. The breeds used were New Zealand White, Chinchilla, Hyla and Dutch. The rabbits, which were 3 months of age, were kept for a duration of 18 weeks. Data on body weight and morphometrics (body length, ear length, ear width, head length, head width, head height, forehead width, rump width, shoulder width, tibia width, thoracic circumference and abdominal circumference) were collected for 10 weeks. Three compact indices and massiveness were estimated. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using GENSTSAT 12th edition and means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test. Means and standard error of mean were obtained for the four breeds of rabbits for the body weight, 12 morphometrics and four body indices. The results obtained from this study revealed that breed has an effect on the biometric traits and these values increase with age. The results also revealed that body compact indices are affected by breeds, with Hyla and New Zealand White having overall high index values. This indicates that the two breeds have promising potential for body compactness as a trait and meatiness.
