Rabbit growth performance, carcass traits and hind leg bone characteristics as affected by the sire breed, season, parity order and sex in an organic production system

Live performance, carcass traits and hind leg bone characteristics of crossbred rabbits of both sexes (Sx) of two sire breeds (SB): Vienna Blue – (VB) and Burgundy Fawn – (BF) born with different parity orders (P: 1, 2, ≥3), reared organically and slaughtered in the spring and summer, when they reached 2.8 kg, were evaluated. The slaughter age of VB crossbreds increased between P1 and P2 (P<0.05). During the summer, the rabbits exhibited a higher slaughter age (P<0.01), reference carcass yield (P<0.01), and hind leg meat-to-bone ratio (P<0.05). The P2 crossbreeds exhibited the lowest incidence of scapular fat (P<0.05). The weights of the full gastrointestinal tract and skin were 2.4% higher and 1.5% lower in females, respectively (P<0.01), and head proportion was higher in males (P<0.05). Females exhibited a longer femur and thicker tibia than did the males (P<0.05). The results confirmed the slow growth rate of the crossbreds evaluated, which may represent an interesting genetic resource for organic production of rabbits.