The maternal form of modern rabbit crosses is obtained by crossing ancestral lines. Therefore it is relevant to investigate the effect of using males of the parental line of the Hyla cross with different weight indices on the performance of the main breeding traits of the female rabbits of the parental form of the cross. The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of productivity of rabbits of the maternal form of cross by reproduction signs and to consider the dynamics of the main breeding traits for a number of births. The experiments used 223 rabbits of the maternal form of the Hyla cross, which came from males with different weight indices. To achieve this goal, groups of rabbits were formed, depending on the value of their father's weight Index – Group 1 – ≤ 100 units, Group 2 – from 100 to 120 units, Group 3 – ≥ 120 units. The live weight of rabbits after kindling, multiparity, the weight of newborn rabbits, milk yield, and the live weight of rabbits at the time of weaning were determined. Female rabbits that came from males with a high weight index at first kindling significantly outnumbered their peers in multiparity by 1.16-1.23 animal units (p ≤ 0.05), and in milk yield – by 6-6.5%. Rabbits whose parents were males with a high weight index according to the results of the 3rd kindling prevailed over their peers from other males in multiparity (p ≤ 0.05), milk yield (p ≤ 0.05), and also had significantly higher values of complex indices (p≤0.05). From the 1st to the 3rd kindling, the multiparity of rabbits increases, on average, by 6.5%. Live weight at birth of rabbits in Groups 2 and 3 had a positive trend and increased by 3.2% and 4.2%, respectively. On average, the milk yield of rabbits increased by 38.6% from the first to the third kindling. The practical significance of the results lies in the fact that to obtain highly productive rabbits of the maternal cross form, it is advisable to use males of the ancestral form with a weight index ≥ 120 units
crossbreeding; live weight; multiparity; fertility; milk yield; breeding
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