The effect of a one week quantitative feed restriction on the muscle fibre development, tenderness and meat cooking loss of the growing rabbit was studied. Rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Group ADL was fed ad libitum, group R50 was restricted on 50 g per rabbit per day between 42nd and 49th days of age and group R65 was restricted at the same time on 65 g per rabbit per day. Before and following restriction, rabbits were fed ad libitum. Samples of biceps femoris and musculus longissimus dorsi were taken at 70 days of age from slaughtered rabbit for histochemical muscle fibre parameters determination by method of Brooke and Kaiser (1970) and musculus longissimus dorsi for determining Warner-Bratzler tenderness and meat cooking loss. Rabbits with the most intensive feed restriction had the significantly (P