Performance Test
Title: Does Artificial Selective Breeding Change a Species?
Description: Raising rabbits for meat and fur has become a popular and profitable pastime. To be successful one must raise animals that have selectable and desirable traits.
Materials:
List of desirable traits in rabbits, Chart Rabbit Breeding Data, Copies of questions (these are printed below)
Classroom Procedures
1. Students may be unfamiliar with the use of rabbits for meat and fur. Remind them that this activity could be applicable to any animal used by people and selectively bred.
2. Go over the list of desirable traits with the class, answer questions students may have.
3. Briefly explain data chart and assign questions.
Desired Traits for Rabbit Breeding:
1. Large Litters: Some rabbits are more productive than others. A doe or female rabbit should produce a litter of seven to ten offspring.
2. Milk production: For three weeks, the young rabbits exist only on the doe's milk. They receive all of their nourishment from the doe's milk. The size of the offspring at three weeks is important. It indicates that size the rabbits will be at maturity. So, a doe must have a good milk supply to fatten up her many young.
3. Consistent reproduction: A good breeding doe should bear five litters per year.
4. Heavy meat type: Eight weeks is the age of marketable rabbits to be used as a meat source (fryers). At that age, a young rabbit should weigh about two kilograms. The entire litter should weigh about 15 kilograms.
5. Disease resistance and long life: Seven or eight of the offspring should survive the first eight weeks. A good doe should bear twelve or more litters in her lifetime.
Student Sheet Name______
Directions: Study the data chart, which shows averages for four different does for one year and then answer the following questions.
Questions:
1. Which doe(s) produce the desired litter size?
2. Which doe(s) produce the desired number of litters per year?
3. Which doe's litter has the largest average weight after three weeks?
4. Which doe's litter has the largest average weight after eight weeks?
5. Which doe's litters have the highest survival rate?
6. If you could only keep one doe which one would you keep and why? Give your reason based on the facts in the data chart.
7. If you were selecting offspring for breeding purpose, which litter would take them? Why?
8. What risk would you take to cross offspring from the same litter?
9. What benefits might you get if you crossed offspring from the same litter?
Scoring Guide.
Students will be graded on the accuracy of their answers on the questions.
Answers to questions:
1. does 2, 3, and 4 all have between 7 and 10 on average
2. Does 1, 3, and 4 produce five litters per year
3. Doe 1
4. Doe 3
5. Doe 4
6. Doe 3 which has the highest average litter weight. The meat available is related to weight.
7. Doe 3 Why? highest weight and tied with 4 for number per litter.
8. You would risk inbreeded the rabbits and concentrating undesirable traits.
9. You might concentrate desirable traits and get even better rabbits.