Effetto dell'epoca di nascita sulla produttività delle lepri durante il primo anno di attività

Abstract

Reproductive performances of 541 hares in the first year of production and intensively bred in four different farms were montored for three years. Results showed that the performances of the young reproducers were not influenced by the day of the birth till July. On the contrary, the hares born in August were less fertile than the earlier born (14 fertile hares on 28 hares born in August vs 345 on 513 hares, born in the earlier months). The number of weaned hares produced per fertile doe was also reduced (4.43 young hares per doe born in August vs 7 young hares per doe born in the earlier months). Authors conclude that no reductionof performance is linked to the selection of the doe born in the middle of the reproductive cycle. The reduction of fertility observed in the last born doe is probably more linked tothe hot temperature of this period than the earlier age of the doe at the first delivery while the reduction of the number of weaned hares per doe per year is mainly related to the younger age