Economic values of rabbit traits in different production systems

KRUPOVÁ, Zuzana, WOLFOVÁ, Marie, KRUPA, Emil and VOLEK, Zdeněk. Economic values of rabbit traits in different production systems. animal, 2020, 14, 1943-1951. ISSN 1751-7311.
Year2020
CathegoryScientific publication in impacted journals
Internal link20096.pdf
Abstract

In animal breeding, genetic parameters along with economic weights of traits are applied. Profit functions currently used to calculate rabbit traits economic weights do not consider nutrient requirements based on animal weight, growth rate, and doe reproductive status. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a flexible bioeconomic model of rabbit-production systems and implement it in a computer program in order to calculate economic values and relative economic weights for rabbit traits. The bioeconomic model includes calculation of the doe age structure in the stationary state of a doe population; calculation of progeny structure; modelling growth, digestible energy, feed and water requirements for does in different reproductive statuses and for all progeny groups using a normative approach; calculation of the total feed and non-feed costs, revenues, and profit per doe and per year; calculation of marginal economic values for up to 20 production and functional traits; and estimation of the relative economic weights of selected traits. The application of the program is shown through an example calculation of trait economic values for a typical Czech commercial rabbit-production system. The trait economic value expresses the change in profit per doe and per year when the trait mean is increased by one unit. The program developed is primarily useful for selection purposes in rabbit-breeding systems. Using this program, some economic analyses of the impact of production, management, and economic circumstances on the economic efficiency of various rabbit-production systems can also be performed.