Directed work on breeding of high-blooded rabbit litters in the rabbit breeding laboratory of Belgorod GAU

Belgorod State Agrarian University named after V.Ya. Gorina, Belgorod, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: umat_05@mail.ru

Abstract

The rabbit is one of the most common types of laboratory animals used in a number of experimental studies in general biology, medicine and veterinary medicine. And today, the most actively discussed strategy is the policy of import substitution as a factor in ensuring the growth of domestic agribusiness, and of course rabbit breeding is the most promising and rapidly developing industry. Therefore, we believe that the creation of crossbred rabbits of domestic selection that are not inferior in their characteristics to their European counterparts is an extremely urgent task, which served as the driver for the development of the issue of creating a highly productive herd of rabbits (high-blooded crossbreeds) in a relatively short time: until 2024. It should be noted that the selection process began in 2013 and systematically developed until the present time, when it became obvious and relevant for the development of the food cluster of the Belgorod region, including the work on the creation of a specialized, fully adapted line of rabbits. As a result of systematic selection work aimed at growth energy, milk production in rabbits and white dermis, we have a rabbit with a given phenotype (white color with a thickness of 9-15 microns in the area of the withers of the epidermis, dermis -250-350 microns, in accordance with the requirements for the production of resorbing membranes from dermis of rabbits for the dental industry), the live weight of male sires over 8 months of age on average is 4.8-5.8 kg, female rabbits - 4.7-5.5 kg. Today, the obtained economically useful characteristics are being stabilized and consolidated in the offspring.