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Rabbit genetic resources of Egypt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2011

M.H. Khalil
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production & Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, King Saud University, Buriedah, Qassim P. O. Box 1482, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia On Secondment from Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture at Moshtohor, Zagazig University, Moshtohor, Qalyoubia, Egypt
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Summary

In Egypt, there are three breeds of rabbits, Giza White, Baladi and Gabali. For Baladi rabbits, there are three strains; Baladi Red, Baladi White and Baladi Black, while Sinai Gabali and Desert Gabali are considered the two strains of Gabali rabbits. Giza White rabbits are usually called improved Giza or El-Giza El-Mohassan. These Egyptian rabbits are medium-sized breeds and used mainly for meat production. Giza White and Baladi rabbits are docile, while Gabali rabbits are moderately tractable. Origin, physical description, and census data for these Egyptian genetic resources were described. Also, they were characterized with regard to their performance (e.g. reproductive efficiency, lactational and maternal abilities, growth rate, feed conversion ratio, carcass traits and meat composition, hair and fur quality, etc.) and adaptability to heat stress.

Resumen

En Egipto existen tres razas de conejos, Giza White, Baladi y Gabali. Dentro de la raza Baladi tenemos tres grupos: Baladi Red, Baladi White y Baladi Black; mientras que la Sinai Gabali y la Desert Gabali vienen consideradas como dos grupos de la raza Gabali. La raza Giza White viene llamada normalmente Giza mejorada o El-Giza El-Mohassan. Estos conejos son de un tamaño medio y vienen utilizados principalmente para carne. Las razas Giza White y Baladi son dóciles, mientras que la raza Gabali lo es mucho menos. Se presenta el origen, la descripción física y el censo de este recurso genético animal en Egipto. También se presentan sus características de rendimiento (eficacia de reproducción, capacidad de lactación y materna, índice de crecimiento, índice de conversión, elementos de la canal y composición de la carne, calidad del pelo y de la piel, etc.), así como la resistencia al estrés producido por el calor.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1999

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