TRAINING ENVIRONMENT FOR RABBIT BUCKS: AN INTEGRAL REQUIREMENT IN ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY TOOL BOX

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi using 10 matured rabbit bucks with an average weight of 2.7kg which were 26weeks of age, 5each of exotic and local breeds. The bucks were managed in their cages for easy identification. The rabbits were fed ad- libitum. The trial was a 2*5 factorial design using 2 breeds and 5 replicates. The data generated were subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA). From the result, it was concluded that significant differences (P<0.05) between the semen harvested from the bucks in training crate and those from non-training crate or environment of previous trials in some of the seminal traits. Therefore, the use of training crates enriches the environment of the bucks and also increases convenience for the trainer to collect semen without difficulties. It is however, recommended that further study be conducted to elucidate this findings.