Eniwaiye Adenike Adetutu, Rani-Kamwendo Zikhona Theodora
School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jun 5;15(11):1670. doi: 10.3390/ani15111670.
This study was conducted on New Zealand White male and female rabbits over a period of 133 days to ascertain their potential growth rates, body composition for major body parts, and chemical makeup. A total of 220 New Zealand White rabbits, evenly distributed between males and females, were used for this study. One hundred rabbits for potential growth were weighed from day 14 to day 140, while twelve rabbits, six males and six females, were randomly selected at days 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 56, 70, 84, 112, and 140 for carcass analysis. Although the rate of maturation was faster in females than in males, the Gompertz equation fitted separately to the growth data for males and females indicated that the body weights were similar throughout the trial (0.0243 vs. 0.0239), but males had a higher mature weight (315 g) than the females (309 g). Mature body protein weights averaged 1497 g in males and 843 g in females, and mature body lipid contents averaged 252 and 227 g, respectively. The rate of maturation per day of pelt-free body protein of males and females was 0.0103 and 0.0172, while that of body lipids was 0.0410 and 0.0471, respectively. Separate equations were required for males and females to describe the allometric relationship between protein and lipids in the pelt-free body. The rate of maturation of pelts in females was higher than in males (0.0249 vs. 0.0214/d), and the mature weight was lower (456 vs. 523 g, respectively).
本研究以新西兰白兔雄性和雌性为对象，历时133天，以确定它们的潜在生长速率、主要身体部位的身体组成以及化学组成。本研究共使用了220只新西兰白兔，雌雄均匀分布。100只用于研究潜在生长的兔子在第14天至第140天称重，而在第14、21、28、35、42、56、70、84、112和140天随机挑选12只兔子（6只雄性和6只雌性）进行胴体分析。尽管雌性的成熟速率比雄性快，但分别拟合雄性和雌性生长数据的冈珀茨方程表明，在整个试验过程中体重相似（0.0243对0.0239），但雄性的成熟体重（315克）高于雌性（309克）。雄性成熟体蛋白重量平均为1497克，雌性为843克，成熟体脂含量平均分别为252克和227克。雄性和雌性无皮身体蛋白的每日成熟速率分别为0.0103和0.0172，而身体脂质的每日成熟速率分别为0.0410和0.0471。需要分别用方程来描述雄性和雌性无皮身体中蛋白质和脂质之间的异速生长关系。雌性皮的成熟速率高于雄性（0.0249对0.0214/天），成熟体重较低（分别为456对523克）。
