Research Article

Influence of age, sex and evaluation year on conformation traits of standard chinchilla

Jacek Zawiślak, Natasza Święcicka, Dariusz Piwczyński, Henryka Bernacka

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 13(1), 2014, 67‒80

Abstract. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of age, sex and evaluation year on conformation traits in the Standard chinchilla. Data for the analysis was collected over the years 2007-2010 and comes from conformation assessments performed on 1657 Standard chinchillas (976 females and 681 males) raised on farms in the north of Poland. The analysis revealed that the best rated traits of conformation included belly belt, age, and size. The study also showed that the effects of age, sex, and the year of evaluation on chinchilla conformation scores were statistically significant. Moreover, it was observed that for different ages (from 6 to more then 15 months) the results achieved by particular animals for the size and shape, color type, or quality of fur were significantly different and reached the highest values for chinchillas at age 7-10 and 11-14 months. Also a significant effect of sex was found in relation to color type and purity of fur, and better scores were attained by males. A significant interaction was found between age and sex in relation to color purity of fur.

Keywords: chinchilla, conformation traits, phenotype correlations