The Rabbit
Research Program at TAMUKThe Rabbit
Research Program at TAMUK
A rabbit research program was established in 1994 at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
The facility is 80 feet long and 17 feet wide. The building is narrow to help
improve air flow to keep
the rabbits cool. The barn faces a southeast direction
to maximize the prevailing wind air flow for better circulation. Engineers have
designed the barn to be 10° F cooler inside than the outside temperature.
This facility has a metal roof with insulation underneath to help keep inside
temperature cooler. These interventions are especially important with the extreme
high temperature that do occur quite often in south Texas. During the cooler
months there are adjustable plywood panels on both the southeast and northwest
sides of the barn that can be lowered to protect the rabbits against drafts
or storms.
fryers
per year. For example, a doe will be bred and 14 days later she will be palpated
for pregnancy. If the doe is pregnant, 14 days later a nest box will be placed
in her cage. The same doe would be serviced again 14 days postpartum. If the doe
is not pregnant, she will be bred back immediately and palpated again 14 days
later. The replacement does and bucks are first mated at 5 or 6 months of age.
All rabbits are housed in commercial wire cages that are equipped with an
automatic watering system. A part-time student manager maintains the research
facility and keeps the operation going smoothly. Graduate students conduct
research experiments as part of their specialization training.
the commercial
meat rabbit industry, was obtained in the mid-1980's from Pel-Freez. However, in recent
years, this line has been crossed with commercial lines from Florida and
Louisiana. This composite maternal line is well adapted under hot and humid
conditions. There is little to no fancy or show NZW breeding in this line. Does exemplify
desirable maternal characteristics, such as large litters, well developed nests,
good milking ability, and strong maternal instincts, for which commercial
selection has been applied. The breeding management regime
involves a 14-day breed-back system that allows for 8 litters per doe per
year. When purchasing NZW stock, always ask to see production and pedigree
records. Avoid show stock when breeding rabbits commercially for meat. Do
not be impressed by show ribbons and trophies. We sell young NZW rabbits (2-3
months of age) for $35
each at the door. These rabbits have been very productive for both families with small backyard operations and large commercial operations.
Inquiries can be sent by e-mail to Dr. Lukefahr
(s-lukefahr@tamuk.edu).
Altex - This is a commercial sire breed of rabbit that was
first developed at Alabama A&M University and later at Texas A&M
University-Kingsville by Dr. Lukefahr and his former students. Foundation
breeds were Flemish Giant, Champagne d' Argent, and Californian.
The Altex was genetically selected for heavy 70 day market weights for over 20
generations. Color markings are that of a Californian (CAL), but weights are heavier
ranging from 10 to 20 pounds. Altex x New Zealand White crossbred fryers
typically reach market weight a week earlier than NZW purebred fryers. Another
recommended cross is the mating from an Altex buck to a CAL X NZW crossbred doe.
It is emphasized that the Altex is a commercial-bred rabbit. They were not developed for exhibition at rabbit shows. Rather, these rabbits are long-bodied with large ears, non-dense fur, etc., so as to be more heat tolerant to allow for better production. For more information about the Altex breed, the following paper can be read which was published in Domestic Rabbits Magazine (Sep.-Oct. 1996, 24(5):20-21).
Altex breeding stock: My university is not in the breeding stock business, but rather has the mission of teaching students and doing research. WE sold out the last of our Altex stock to commercial breeders a few years ago, mostly so that we would have more cages available to initiate more research projects. There are two major breeders and suppliers of Altex breeding stock in the U.S. The first is Debbie and John Mays. Their business is located near Clarksville, Tennessee. They prefer to sell at the door, but they do know of an area driver who can ship by road transportation. The May's e-mail address is info@chiggerridge.net and their phone number is 615-219-3204. The other breeder is Beth and Dave Seeley who are from Ocala, Florida. Their e-mail address is seelyark1@aol.com and their phone number is 352-489-8353. They too prefer to sell only at the door.
It is emphasized that the Altex is a commercial-bred rabbit. They were not developed for exhibition at rabbit shows. Rather, these rabbits are long-bodied with large ears, non-dense fur, etc., so as to be more heat tolerant to allow for better production. For more information about the Altex breed, the following paper can be read which was published in Domestic Rabbits Magazine (Sep.-Oct. 1996, 24(5):20-21).
 | Development of a New Commercial Sire Breed:
The Altex
|
Also, Dr. James McNitt (Professor, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA) has developed a PowerPoint Presentation on the Altex.
Genetically furless rabbits - A rare line of furless rabbits is
maintained at TAMUK. The original Mini-Lop
rabbit, "Fuzz", who was furless (left photo), was owned by Harold and
Melba Schuetze, who own The Pet Center in El Campo, Texas. The Schuetze's kindly
loaned Fuzz to TAMUK. A month later, over 100 of his offspring were born to NZW
does. About 6 months later, matings of his offspring (half-brother to
half-sister) resulted in about 1 out of four furless rabbits, suggesting a
recessive gene mode of inheritance. Although these rabbit's appearance is
something that only a mother could love, our research has demonstrated that
furless rabbits are more comfortable and perform better during hot summer
conditions in south Texas. Of course, they are house indoors, so there is no
risk of the animals being sun-burned, which is a common question we are asked.
Here is a link for more information from our research:
http://users.tamuk.edu/kfsdl00/operation_fuzz.htm.
In the summer of 2012, we sold all of our furless rabbits to a lab company
(Sinclair) in Missouri.
A new composite breed -
Over
25 years ago, Dr. Lukefahr began crossing different breeds for backyard meat
production to feed his own family. Another objective was steady production,
which is enhanced by hybrid vigor due to crossbreeding. Yet another aim was
choosing breeds that harbored major genes for coat color. As a result of
crossing seven breeds over the years (in chronological order: New
Zealand Red, Siamese Satin, Californian, New Zealand White, Dutch, Champagne d’Argent,
Harlequin, and Havana), this composite
breed now possesses all of the major genes for coat color. In the photo to the
left, nine rabbits from the same litter are each of a different color! Examples
of colors in this population include agouti and black, blue, chocolate, and
lilac, creme and opal, seal and siamese, chinchilla, himalayan and albino, and
steel, harlequin (japanese and magpie), and red. As a family activity, this
color feature will hopefully pique the curiosity and active interest of
children. Also, the skins can be tanned using the natural colors (without
dyeing) and made into products that can be sold, for example, at farmers
markets. Lastly, this population was more recently crossed with our commercial
NZW stock to infuse genes for production for vital traits such as fertility,
litter size, milk production, and growth. It should also be pointed out that
these rabbits are heat tolerant with adaptive characteristics that include long
ears and thin fur coats. Try a breeding trio!
| Appropriate breeding stock |
| Benefits of backyard rabbit production |
| Heat stress management |
Photos from 2011 visit of the rabbit industry in China (link to photo slide show)
| Lukefahr, S.D. 2004. Sustainable and alternative systems of rabbit production. (Invited paper). Proc. 8th World Rabbit Congress, Sept. 7-10, 2004. Puebla, Mexico. (http://world-rabbit-science.com; Section: Alternative and Sustainable Production Systems). |
| Lukefahr, S.D. 2007. The small-scale rabbit production model: Intermediate factors. (Paper presented at the 3rd Rabbit Congress of the Americas, Aug. 21-23, 2006. Maringa, Brazil). Published in Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 19, Article #69. (http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd19/5/luke19069.htm). |
| Lukefahr, S.D. 2007. Strategies for the development of small- and medium-scale rabbit farming in South-East Asia. (Paper presented at the International Conference on Rabbit Production, July 24-25, 2007. Bogor, Indonesia). Published in Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 19, Article #138. (http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd19/9/luke19138.htm). |
A Heifer International Publication. This book was written as a series of lesson plans for professionals (e.g., extension workers, missionaries, Peace Corps volunteers, and social workers) who train poor people, especially in the lesser developed countries, how to start small-scale, backyard rabbit operations that are supported by on-farm resources to produce inexpensive meat, to improve small farms, and to increase family income. A section of the book covers the steps in designing and implementing sustainable, grassroots level rabbit projects. Copies are available by directly contacting Heifer International. The website is https://shop.heifer.org. From the menu, click on Books and DVDs, then scroll down and click on page 2 where the book appears. Heifer sells the book for only 10 USD.
A popular book by the eminent French rabbit research team: Drs. F. Lebas, P. Coudert, H. deRochambeau and R.G. Thebault (1997, 2nd Edition). This is an outstanding text that covers technical aspects of rabbit production (published by the FAO).
By McNitt, J.I., S.D. Lukefahr, P.R. Cheeke, and N.M. Patton
A new publisher (CABI) has just published the 9th edition of Rabbit Production. Link to contents and order form for new 9th edition.
Sample Publications
McNitt, J.I., S.D. Lukefahr, P.R. Cheeke, and N.M. Patton. 2013. Rabbit Production. 9th Edition. CABI. Oxfordshire, UK.
Lukefahr, S.D. 2010. Developing Sustainable Rabbit Projects. Heifer International. 2nd Edition. Little Rock, AR.
Lukefahr, S.D., M. Kaplan-Pasternak, B. Jasmin, M. Olivier, and J.I. McNitt. 2012. Present status of the WRSA-supported rabbit development project in Haiti. Proc. 10th World Rabbit Congress, September 3-6, 2012. Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. (pdf version).
Lukefahr, S.D., Garza, M.T., Schuster, G.L., and K.C. McCuistion. 2012. Meat rabbits finished on sweet potato forage looks good in Texas research. Stockman Grass Farmer, May, 2012 (pdf version).
Lukefahr, S.D., G. Schuster, K.C. McCuistion, T. Verma, and R. Flores. 2010. Self-sustaining rabbit projects: A pilot study involving feeding of sweet potato forage. Proc. 4th Rabbit Congress of the Americas, September 21-24, 2010. Cordoba, Argentina. (pdf version).
Lukefahr, S.D. 2010. Partners of the Americas/Farmer to Farmer Trip Report. (Status of Rabbit Project in Haiti). July 24-August 4, 2010. (pdf report version).
Lukefahr, S.D. 2010. Planning Sustainable Rabbit Projects (2nd Ed.). Heifer International Publishers. Little Rock, Arkansas.
Samkol, P., and S.D. Lukefahr. 2008. A challenging role for organic rabbit production towards poverty alleviation in South East Asia. (Invited paper). Proc. 9th World Rabbit Congress, June 10-13, 2008. Verona, Italy. http://world-rabbit-science.com/WRSA-Proceedings/Congress-2008-Verona/Papers/M0-Samkol.pdf
Lukefahr, S.D.
2007. Strategies for the development of small- and medium-scale rabbit
farming in south-east
Lukefahr, S.D. 2007. The small-scale rabbit production model: Intermediate factors. Livest. Res. for Rural Dev. Volume 19, Article #69. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd19/5/luke19069.htm
Gonzalez-Mariscal, G., J.I. McNitt, and S.D. Lukefahr. 2007. Maternal care of rabbits in the lab and on the farm: Endocrine regulation of behavior and productivity. Horm. Behav. 52:86-91.
Jackson, R., A.D. Rogers, and S.D. Lukefahr. 2006. Inheritance of the naked gene and associations with postweaning performance and thermotolerance characters in fryer rabbits from an F2 generation. World Rabbit Sci. (Spain) 14(3):147-155.
Rogers, A.D., C.J. Lupton, and S.D. Lukefahr. 2006. Fiber production and properties in genetically furred and furless rabbits. J. Anim. Sci. 84:2566-2574.
Lukefahr, S.D. 2005. Genetics of the Commercial Meat Rabbit: The U.S. Experience. (Invited paper). Baromfi Agarat 4(Dec.):77-80. (In Hungarian).
Lukefahr, S.D., P.R. Cheeke, J.I. McNitt, and N.M. Patton. 2004. Limitations of intensive meat rabbit production in North America. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 84:349-360.
Lukefahr, S.D. 2004. Sustainable and alternative systems of rabbit production. (Invited paper). Proc. 8th World Rabbit Congress, Sept.7-10, 2004. Puebla, Mexico. (http://world-rabbit-science.com).
Linga, S.S., S.D. Lukefahr, and M.J. Lukefahr. 2003. Feeding of Lablab purpureus forage with molasses blocks or sugar cane stalks to rabbit fryers in subtropical south Texas. Livest. Prod. Sci. (The Netherlands) 80:201-209.
Lukefahr, S.D. 2002. Opportunities for rabbit research and human development in the Western Hemisphere: A rabbit revolution? World Rabbit Sci. (France) 10(3):111-115.
Lukefahr, S.D, and C.A Ruiz-Feria. 2002. Rabbit growth performance in a subtropical and semi-arid environment: effects fur clipping, ear length, and body temperature. Livest. Res. for Rural Development (Colombia) 15(2):HTML version. (http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd15/2/luke152.htm)
Medellin, M.F., and S.D. Lukefahr. 2001. Breed and heterotic effects on postweaning traits in Altex and New Zealand White straightbred and crossbred rabbits. J. Anim. Sci. 79: 1173-1178. (http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/79/5/1173)
Rastogi, R.K., S.D. Lukefahr, and F.B. Lauckner. 2000. Maternal heritability and repeatability for litter traits in rabbits. Livest. Prod. Sci. (The Netherlands) 67:123-128.
Linga, S.S., and S.D. Lukefahr. 2000. Feeding of alfalfa hay with molasses blocks or crumbles to growing rabbit fryers. Livest. Res. for Rural Development (Colombia) 12(4):HTML version. (http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd12/4/ling124.htm)
Lukefahr, S.D., H.I. Nkwocha, H. Njakoi, E. Tawah, J.M. Akob, F.A. Kongyu, R.M. Njwe, and D. Gudahl. 2000. Present status of the Heifer Project International-Cameroon rabbit program: Back to the future. World Rabbit Sci. (France) 8(2):75-83.
Lukefahr, S.D. 2000. The National Rabbit Project population of Ghana: a genetic case study. In: Workshop on Developing Breeding Strategies for Lower Input Animal Production Environments, September 22-25, 1999. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome. ICAR Tech. Series No. 3:307-318.
Lukefahr, S.D. 1999. Teaching International Animal Agriculture. J. Anim. Sci. 77:3106-3113. (http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/77/11/3106.pdf)
Lukefahr, S.D., and T.R. Preston. 1999. Human development through livestock projects: alternative global approaches for the next millennium. Wld. Anim. Rev. (Italy) 93(2):24-35.
Lukefahr, S.D. 1998. Review of global rabbit genetic resources: Special emphasis on breeding programs and practices in the lesser developed countries. Animal Genetic Resources Information (FAO, Rome). 23:49-67.
Brzozowski, M.L., S.D. Lukefahr, A. Frindt, H. Jasiorowski, and J. DeVries. 1998. Factors influencing rabbit production on small farms in Poland. Wld. Anim. Rev. (Italy). 90:47-53.
Lukefahr, S.D., H.B. Odi, and J.K.A. Atakora. 1996. Mass selection for 70-day body weight in rabbits. J. Anim. Sci. 74:1481-1489.
Lukefahr, S.D., and P.R. Cheeke. 1991. Rabbit project development strategies in subsistence farming systems: 1. Practical considerations. Wld. Anim. Rev. (Italy) 68:60-70.
Lukefahr, S.D., W.D. Hohenboken, P.R. Cheeke, and N.M. Patton. 1983. Characterization of straightbred and crossbred
rabbits for milk production and associative traits. J. Anim. Sci. 57:1100-1107.
Back to Steven Lukefahr's Faculty Page
Updated: May22, 2013
