Keeping and breeding rabbits in large and small farms is becoming popular among Russian livestock breeders. But rabbit breeding has both significant advantages and serious disadvantages. In the article we will talk about how to start economic activity, and what breeds are best suited for farmers. In addition, we will consider the key aspects that the breeder will have to face in practice.
Prospects for rabbit breeding
Most farmers decide to go into rabbit farming because of the high nutritional value of rabbit meat. Another factor is the shortage of a dietary product on the Russian market. Moreover, the demand for rabbit meat far exceeds the supply. And foreign livestock breeders successfully sell their products to our compatriots.
Breeding rabbits will be the beginning of an effective business, but you need to responsibly approach the implementation of the idea. First of all, a novice farmer is obliged to calculate the risks of the chosen type of activity:
- low labor productivity;
- sudden temperature fluctuations in some parts of the country;
- viral and bacterial infections in animals.
When planning to raise rabbits, pay attention to these factors in order to avoid fatal mistakes.
Rabbit farm is a promising and profitable business. Each eared for a year brings 50 times more meat than its own weight. And by choosing meat-skin breeds of rabbits, you will make the economy completely waste-free.
Advantages and disadvantages
Breeding and keeping rabbits on a farm has advantages and disadvantages based on the biological characteristics of these animals.
Let's start with the pros of raising rabbits:
- high payback rate;
- profitability;
- the resulting products are useful and in demand among potential consumers;
- business versatility.
The advantage of keeping eared animals lies in the precocity of animals. The body weight of a newborn rabbit is 60-80 g, and after a month it increases 8-10 times. At 4-6 months, the animals become mature and ready for procreation.
Young rabbits are slaughtered when they reach the age of 3-4 months. Just during this period, the phase of active growth ends, and the deposition of fat begins, which reduces the quality of rabbit meat. Read more about the intricacies of slaughter in the article "Slaughtering a rabbit: how and when."
It's time to consider what disadvantages rabbit breeding has.
Care is complicated by the cleanliness of animals - the cages are cleaned often and thoroughly. Although, this is more of a feature that you will encounter when breeding rabbits than a significant minus.
For breeding rabbits, you need to provide animals with comfort. First of all, we are talking about the absence of stress factors - other animals, harsh noises, and the like.
The peculiarities of breeding eared ears include their susceptibility to various infections. Therefore, it is important to keep all necessary vaccinations according to the vaccination schedule.
Breeding features
You should start breeding rabbits with a general understanding of this matter. Theoretical knowledge of how to keep rabbits, what to feed them and how to care for them will be useful and will help to quickly increase the number of livestock.
It is worth starting a business with a choice of a specific direction. Which breed of rabbits to choose for the farm depends on the goals - valuable meat, fluff, skins, or the whole complex.
The advantage of the industry is the high fertility of animals. Therefore, the initial costs of business development are minimal. For example, 4 thoroughbred breeding rabbits increase the herd size by an average of 120 heads in one year.
How to breed rabbits, each breeder decides for himself. With a sparing scheme that does not deplete the body of a female, she gives birth to offspring 3-4 times a year. The break between mating is 2.5 months.
There is a more aggressive scheme, when a breeding rabbit is admitted to a lactating rabbit, and the next offspring is obtained immediately after the previous one is deposited. The disadvantage of the method is that the change of breeding individuals is carried out at least once a year.
The summarizing result is the breeding of rabbits, this is an activity that brings quick results. The main thing is to provide animals with good living conditions.
How to start breeding eared rabbits from scratch, you can read more in the article "About breeding rabbits at home for beginners."
Suitable Breeds
The profitability of the farm is affected by the conditions of keeping rabbits, and the breed of animals. The choice of rabbit breeds is varied. You can and should take advantage of the experience of rabbit breeders living in your area. They will be able to reasonably talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each line in terms of growing in certain climatic conditions.
Other characteristics to consider when choosing which rabbits are best bred on a farm:
- meat quality;
- growth indicators;
- dietary requirements.
For example, meat hybrids are distinguished by a high growth rate and an impressive meat yield, but there are difficulties with reproduction. Purebred offspring can be obtained under the condition of artificial insemination. In addition, caring for a rabbit of a hybrid breed involves the inclusion of special concentrated high-quality feed in the diet.
Hybrid lines are extremely disadvantageous for home breeding, and for farms are considered one of the most cost-effective options.
Before you start breeding hybrids, you will have to seriously invest in the arrangement of special premises and the purchase of breeding individuals, but the costs will quickly pay off.
Eared meat breeds popular among domestic livestock breeders are the gray and white giant, the New Zealand line. Among the breeds of the meat-skin direction, we single out the following - flandre, butterfly, Russian chinchilla, Poltava silver.
Signs of a healthy animal
To begin with, study the characteristic external signs of the eared. They must exactly meet the breed standard.
When choosing individuals for breeding animals on a farm, pay attention to their appearance:
- the body is proportional, strong;
- fur - clean, uniform, shiny;
- ears are clean, of the same size, without kinks, the inner surface is pink;
- the genitals and the area near the anus are clean, without signs of diarrhea or washing;
- nose and eyes - without mucus and pus.
If animals are bred for the purpose of selling breeding individuals, then each of them has its own passport, which accurately indicates all the characteristics, as well as information about vaccinations. Working with professionals, you will receive detailed instructions on how to keep and properly breed furry pets.
But it is not always possible to choose a breeding herd from a professional nursery, so it is important to still highlight the key selection criteria.
It is not recommended to buy a representative of the breed as a small rabbit, the optimal age is 3-4 months.
In the following sections of the article, we will talk about how to properly care for rabbits.
Rapid breeding
A novice livestock breeder must learn the following rule - mating is carried out on the territory of the male. If a separate cage is used for these purposes, then the crawl is launched first, and after a while the rabbit. Otherwise, the female will guard the territory and may not let the rabbit in.
Rabbits are selective, and if the "groom" is not liked, he will be rejected. Mating is not carried out in an open aviary on the street. Extraneous noises and smells will distract animals.
A common mating and birthing scheme that allows you to quickly breed a herd involves 4 offspring per year from one female. The break between mating is 2.5-3 months. While the second brood is growing up near the rabbit, the first one is slaughtered.
The main condition of the scheme is the full care of the rabbit and a balanced diet. If the body weakens, the female will not give strong offspring. As well as if the rabbit and the rabbit are blood relatives.
For breeding eared pets, special cages with queen cells and aviaries for young animals are needed. At the age of 2 months, the rabbits are transplanted from their mother into a separate cage of a suitable size. At the age of 3 months, the young are seated according to gender. Females can be kept all together, males - only one at a time. The exception is castrated males, which get along well in the same territory.
Crossbreeding between representatives of different breed lines is allowed. But a novice rabbit breeder, due to insufficient experience, will not be able to correctly predict what the selection result will be. Spontaneous crossing is not always successful. If the breed is really profitable for growing, it is better to abandon experiments at the initial stages of activity and devote more time to keeping animals and caring for them.
More about content
There are several ways to keep rabbits on a farm. The most popular are shed, aviary and cage systems. Although, at the moment, enclosures are used less and less. This is due to the fact that with this method it is more difficult to control the process of mating, which negatively affects the quality of the breed as a whole. Although the care of rabbits, when choosing this method, is greatly simplified.
Cages are usually made from wood and metal mesh. In regions where the air temperature rarely drops below -20 degrees in winter, year-round keeping of rabbits on the street is practiced.
The shed system is ideal for large livestock farms. The mechanization of the processes of feeding and watering rabbits allows just one worker to serve about 120 rabbits, including their offspring, the number of which exceeds 1000 heads. Naturally, the grown up rabbits, which were placed in separate cages, will require additional time.
You can get acquainted with the features of breeding rabbits according to the shed system in the article "Keeping rabbits in sheds".
Animal care
Unpretentious rabbits, the care of which cannot be called difficult or problematic, nevertheless requires the attention of the owner. First of all, constant monitoring of their health is necessary. Inspection of each individual is recommended to be carried out once every 3-4 days. Wounds on the body, scabs in the ears, discharge from the nose and eyes, diarrhea - these are all signs of the disease. Their appearance indicates the need to isolate the animal from the rest of the herd.
Speaking about how to raise rabbits, one cannot bypass the topic of livestock vaccination. All animals must be vaccinated against viral hemorrhagic disease, myxomatosis and pasteurellosis. It will not be superfluous to introduce a rabies vaccine. Especially if the contact of the eared with mice and rats, which are carriers of this disease, is possible.
The health of rabbits largely depends on the cleanliness in the cages. The litter is changed daily, the feeders and drinkers are cleaned with the same frequency. In addition, regular disinfection of cells is required. If the animals are kept indoors, then once every 3 months it must be disinfected.
How and what to feed
Rabbits are very picky about the contents of their feeders. If the feed is poor quality, stale or dirty, animals may refuse to eat it.
Despite the fact that eared animals are herbivores, a large amount of fresh greens in their diet can cause problems with the digestive system. It is better to pre-dry the grass in the sun, and only then use it as food.
For grinding teeth and as a vitamin supplement, branches of trees - willow, birch, elm, oak - should be given to animals.
An important component of the diet is juicy food, which includes vegetables and fruits. Rabbits eat carrots, beets, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, peas with great pleasure.
It is absolutely impossible to replace hay with straw in winter. Hay is rich in fiber. Which is necessary to ensure a normal digestive process. Whereas straw simply fills the stomach, which leads to a slowdown in metabolic processes. Then the animals eat less and gain weight poorly. Grain mixtures and mineral components should also be present in the daily menu of rabbits.
Read more about nutrition and the percentage of components of the diet in the article "What can I feed rabbits."
As mentioned above, it is allowed to keep rabbits outside in winter. But for the cold period, the cells are insulated with foam or other suitable materials. There are certain features of feeding and watering animals during this period. For more information on which breeds of rabbits to choose for breeding without a winter hut, read the article “Is It Possible to Keep Rabbits Outdoors in Winter”.
Tell us in the comment what you know about breeding eared on farms.
You may also be interested
Today, rabbits have become record holders for breeding at home due to their fecundity and precocity. In addition, their meat is very dietary. Therefore, it is very important to know all the subtleties of their cultivation.
Meat, skins, fluff and fertilizer are products that can be obtained by breeding rabbits. This occupation is less expensive than, for example, raising pigs or cows. During the year, a healthy female reproduces offspring 6 times. The result will be more than 25 cubs and close to 70 kg of meat when they grow up.
Three rabbits in a cage
Rabbit is a rodent mammal belonging to the Zaitsev family. The domestic rabbit is descended from the wild South European. By mating a domestic and wild rabbit, you can get good offspring. Crossing a rabbit with a hare is impossible, because they have different biological characteristics.
Cubs can do without the help of a rabbit at 3-4 weeks of age. They begin to eat food on their own, without stopping drinking milk. The time that the rabbits spend in the mother liquor depends on the amount of milk the mother has. You can determine milkiness by the type of cubs. If they have smooth skin, without wrinkles, they lie quietly, then milk production is high. The highest happens after 4 births.
Obesity and low physical activity of the animal can reduce milk production. An obese female cannot get pregnant. To avoid this problem, you need to reconsider her diet: increase the amount of greenery, limit the use of grain and animal feed. And give her more space to move around.
Rabbits see much worse than they distinguish smells. If the rabbit throws someone else's cub, then she will determine it by smell, regardless of color. She will not accept strangers. Rabbits also get used to new foods by sniffing for a long time.
Breeding rabbits at home
The rabbit gnaws exclusively on plant foods, so it has a peculiar structure of teeth. He has molars and incisors that grow throughout his life. The animal has no fangs. The incisors in front are covered with a ball of enamel, and in the process of eating food they are sharpened.
The digestive system in rabbits is well developed. The stomach is voluminous and is characterized by high digestibility of food due to the high acidity of the gastric secretion. Feed can be in the animal's stomach for 3-10 hours. The intestines of a rabbit are 10 times longer than the length of the animal (up to 6 meters).
Another feature of rabbits is that they eat their nightly excrement. They have a large amount of protein and vitamin B. So the rabbits have adapted to replenish the required trace elements by the body.
The cubs are born blind, and after 10 days they are already able to see. Down in rabbits appears on the 7th day. They are completely covered with full-fledged wool closer to a month. Then they start eating on their own.
Replacement of milk teeth with permanent ones occurs from the 18th day. It ends in a month. Rabbits shed all year round. In the first month - the first, at 4 months - the second, at 7.5 - the third. In addition, there are seasonal molts.
At birth, the cub has a weight of 40 - 60 g, and after 2 days it is already twice as much. In a month it already increases 10 times. This is due to the high content of useful components in rabbit milk.
After 3-5 months, the weight of a healthy rabbit becomes 2-3.5 kg. The most accelerated growth occurs between 3 and 4 months of age.
Rabbits have a delicate spine and thin tubular bones of the limbs. This feature leads to injuries, especially rabbits. A spinal injury or a broken leg can paralyze a rabbit.
On average, a rabbit lives 8 years. For divorce, the animal can be used for a maximum of 4 years.
Even before the rabbits appear, they already need to be taken care of. In advance, you should take care of the organization of the premises for cultivation, the necessary equipment.
See cell types and sizes here.
How to make a cage for rabbits with your own hands, read by clicking on the link http://kroliki-prosto.ru/sdelat-kletku-dlya-krolikov.html.
The essence of preparing for mating is to select healthy rabbits with high milk production for it. Individuals that eat rabbits are taken from the herd.
If there are a lot of rabbits, then all the information about them is difficult to keep in mind. To do this, on each cage it is better to nail a plate with the date of birth of the rabbit, and from which parents she was born. This information is important to prevent mating of related individuals. It is necessary to record the dates of matings, births, the number of cubs, including stillborns. On the male’s plate, all the necessary records are also made (date of birth, parents, whether the rabbits eat).
Male and female, which are intended for mating, must have good fatness. Weakly well-fed females are poorly fertilized, and cubs are born weak and develop slowly. In order for underweight animals to become well-fed, 3 weeks before mating they are fed with oats, hay, bran with potatoes. But individuals with obesity become less active in the genital area and are poorly fertilized. They, on the contrary, need to reduce the amount of feed.
A pregnant female needs to be well fed. The food should be the same as in the diet of an ordinary rabbit, only its quantity is larger.
Before preparing rabbits for mating, all individuals with defects are culled. One male is assigned to 8 females.
There is no seasonal breeding in rabbits. They can breed all year round. An unfertilized female rabbit shows signs of estrus every 5-6 days. In summer, estrus lasts about 9 days, in winter - about 6. During the hunting period, females have a poor appetite, they are in an excited state. At mating, 3-9 eggs are released from each ovary. The number of cubs during birth can be 6-12 pieces. A day or two after giving birth, the female can already be fertilized.
Male spermatozoa are produced in the testes. When the testes are retracted into the abdominal cavity, if they do not descend into the scrotum, the rabbit is considered infertile. During mating, the male produces up to 1.5 cm 3 of sperm. In the genital tract of a rabbit, sperm is active for no more than 24 hours.
The first mating in rabbits is best done at 4-6 months after birth. Previously, it is not recommended so as not to harm the health of parents and their future offspring.
Rabbit cages
The cage for young animals should consist of 2 compartments: the first is for walking, the second is as a shelter where the animal gets through the manholes. The flooring should be mesh with cells 18x18 mm. You can make it wooden from slats. Feeders, drinkers and nurseries are placed in the cage. The roof can be made single-pitched. On the front wall, the height is 60-70 cm, on the back - 30-40 cm.
For growing young on skins, the cage design may differ. Its dimensions reach 3x0.7m. It is divided in half by a wooden partition. In each half, 12 individuals are kept up to 3.5 months of age of the same sex, age and weight. Then they make more partitions so that each rabbit has a separate compartment. The width of each is 25 cm. Animals are kept in such compartments until slaughter.
During birth and during the period of rearing the cubs, a mother liquor is placed in a cage with the female, the dimensions of which are 50x30x27 cm. The dimensions of the loophole are 18x18 cm. It also maintains a constant temperature. The lid of the mother liquor should also be easily removed and fixed with locks so that the female cannot open it.
It is necessary to provide for the possibility of warming the floor in winter. For this, a special film is laid with built-in heaters of low power. You can install a temperature control sensor. If it is not there, then you need to carefully heat the floor, since an excessive increase in temperature can lead to the death of the cubs.
Rabbit cages
The cage intended for mating must be disinfected and cleaned in advance. From it you need to remove the feeder, drinker and other items. Basically, mating takes place in the morning on the territory of the male. If you place him in the female's cage, he will develop the territory for a long time, which will delay the mating procedure.
When the male rolls off the female rabbit to the side or back and purrs, the mating can be considered successful. It is necessary to make an appropriate entry in the notebook about the time of mating, and which male it was produced.
Rabbits need to be fed in a balanced way so that they can produce good offspring, meat and wool. A rabbit can eat continuously throughout the day. First, it is better to feed the animal with ready-made compound feed, in which all the necessary trace elements are balanced.
In summer, the basis of the diet is greens - branches, foliage, grass, etc. Branches of fruit trees, acacia, birch, and willow are especially useful for rabbits. You can also give tops of garden crops. The animal loves bitter and fragrant herbs: wormwood, chicory, dill. In addition, they protect against worms and improve appetite. For young animals, dried garlic stalks are recommended for the prevention of stomatitis and gastrointestinal diseases.
Nettle is rich in vitamins, which is collected before flowering and dried in the shade. It is recommended to give it as the first spring greens. Since it can sting an animal, it must first be crushed and chopped. Willow branches are also useful for young growth, as they protect against diarrhea. They are fed to rabbits before switching to greens.
In winter and early spring, rabbits are given fortified top dressing., which are contained mainly in root crops. This is especially important for lactating rabbits. Rowan berries are rich in vitamins.
In late autumn, rabbits can eat vegetable tops, dry flower stems. In early November, when the green leaves, the animals are transferred to mineral feed in granules. During this period, rabbits are fattened, giving a lot of compound feed and feed grains.
In winter, tree branches can be added to hay for forage. They replace half of the hay in the diet. Grain can be replaced with potato peelings or grain waste.
It should also be borne in mind that rabbits have difficulty adapting to new foods. Therefore, they need to be accustomed to it gradually, increasing the dose over time.
Annual feed requirement per adult rabbit
To determine the annual feed requirement of rabbits, a number of factors must be taken into account:
- duration of feeding in summer and winter;
- the number of rounds per year;
- age of sale of young animals (slaughter, sale or replenishment of the herd);
- live weight of rabbits;
- diet in different seasons.
Average amount of feed per year in kilograms for adults:
- rough: for a female 35-40, for a male 23-35;
- juicy: for a female 50-60, for a male 40-50;
- green: for a female 200-250, for a male 150-160;
- concentrated feed: for a female 35-35, for a male 22-25.
To eliminate possible infections, rabbits are vaccinated. The most common diseases myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease. They are not treated and in almost 100% of cases lead to death. Against them, it is necessary to do routine vaccination. Before you vaccinate, you need to make sure that the animal is completely healthy, otherwise it may not survive the vaccination. In addition, it is necessary to carry out prevention from worms. To do this, use means that are harmless to the body of a rodent: Parasicide-suspension or Dirofen-paste.
Vaccinate a rabbit
A vaccinated rabbit retains immunity against infection for 6-9 months. The best age for vaccination is the seventh week of life, when rabbits tolerate the procedure most easily. Body weight must be more than 0.5 kg. It is better not to vaccinate a pregnant or lactating female.
A vaccinated rabbit must be isolated from others for 2 weeks to avoid catching an infection from a sick animal. After this time, the risk of infection disappears. Feeding remains the same, it is only necessary to increase the amount of water.
- the first (for viral hemorrhagic disease) is carried out in 45 days;
- the second (from myxomatosis) after 14 days;
- the third (repeated from myxomatosis) after 3 months (not earlier) from the previous one;
- the fourth (for viral hemorrhagic disease) 14 days after the third.
Re-vaccinations are carried out throughout the life of rabbits every six months. Alternately vaccinated against myxomatosis, and after 2 weeks from viral hemorrhagic disease.
Content:
If you decide to start rabbit breeding, then first you need to read more than one article about breeding these animals. At first, it will seem that this is a very costly and time-consuming business. However, do not be afraid, because the result will amaze you. No livestock sector can boast of quadrupling the initial livestock population in just six months. And in rabbit breeding it is possible.
What do you need it for?
Before you take the first steps, you need to decide on the purpose of breeding rabbits. If you decide to keep them in order to occasionally eat dietary meat, then you do not need to acquire great professional skills. But to create a commercial project that can pay off and generate income, it is worth eating more than one pood of salt.
The advantages of raising rabbits are:
- minimum investment at the initial stage;
- rapid increase in livestock;
- there is always a demand for products;
- high costs for maintenance, care and breeding are not required;
- little competition;
- high prices for products (meat, fur, skins).
A big risk throughout the entire process is the possible high mortality of young animals from infectious diseases. To prevent such a development of events, it is necessary to carry out high-quality care and take care of the correct diet of animals.
We start with the basics of rabbit breeding
A beginner rabbit breeder should know the physiological characteristics of animals, existing breeds and their directions, types of keeping, the basics of care and feeding, and possible diseases. The best way to get this information is to visit a rabbit farm or the household of an experienced rabbit farmer.
After the introductory tour, you need to choose: what conditions will be in your farm. You can raise rabbits indoors or in cages set outdoors. They are sometimes kept in enclosures or pits. Each method has its own characteristics and requirements. For beginners, cell breeding is recommended.
The algorithm for further actions is as follows: equipping the premises for keeping, harvesting feed, buying rabbits and vaccines, searching for a market for the product. With a competent approach, unpleasant surprises and surprises can be avoided.
Comfortable home
- for keeping young animals in a team;
- for individual keeping of individuals;
- for keeping a female with offspring.
How to make a cage according to all the rules, read the article:
The street keeping of rabbits in cages is designed taking into account the terrain. Animals are afraid of humidity and drafts, so it is better to select small hills with artificial or natural barriers from the winds. A wall of buildings, trees or shrubs can provide the necessary barrier. Particular attention is paid to the arrangement of the floor, feeders and drinkers.
Nutrition is an important point
Only high-quality balanced nutrition can make your first steps in rabbit breeding profitable. The main food for rabbits is grass in summer and hay in winter. In addition, the eared are fed: succulent feed (vegetables and fruits), grains of cereals and legumes, bran or compound feed, vitamin and mineral supplements (bone meal), shrub branches.
A beginner rabbit breeder needs to know:
- the transfer of animals to a new type of feed is carried out gradually;
- rabbits welcome a constant feeding schedule on time;
- you need to give portions of food of such a size that the animals eat them completely;
- for rabbits, eating the following plants is fatal: hemlock, hellebore, celandine, foxglove, spurge, poisonous milestones;
- drinking water should be warm and clean;
- grass for feed is used only in dried form.
It is forbidden to feed moldy or rotten food to rabbits, including grain affected by various diseases.
How to choose a breed for breeding?
All types of these animals are conditionally divided into downy, meat and meat-skin breeds. Those who want to raise rabbits at home must decide what kind of product they want to see in the end result.
When choosing, the following factors are also taken into account:
- climatic fitness of the animal;
- conditions of detention;
- health.
Pioneers are encouraged to start breeding with breeds that are unpretentious in care and do not require special conditions of detention, for example, California rabbits. When buying, it is important to pay attention to the appearance of the animal: wool, the inside of the ears, soles of the paws, eyes. A dry nose, a downed plump body, shiny fur, pink clean ears and an active behavior will indicate good physical health of the rabbit. You also need to find out from the seller about eared vaccination and his pedigree.
Do not rush (the main mistakes of beginners)
Even a beginner who has all the necessary information about breeding rabbits still makes mistakes. Experienced farmers note that the first of these is the mishandling of newborn offspring. Female rabbits after childbirth are very susceptible to stress, and any manipulation for them serves as a factor provoking the cessation of milk production. To prevent this, it is recommended not to touch the offspring at all on the first day. You can only observe and control the behavior of the female. If the rabbit behaves aggressively or does not feed the babies, then you need to pick up the offspring and decide on artificial feeding.
Experienced rabbit breeders criticize younger colleagues for the impracticality or even unsuitability of cages for rabbits. The fact is that in the pursuit of quick profits, beginners only think about reducing the initial cost of building structures. This leads not only to the aggravation of the process of caring for animals, but also to their death due to diseases and injuries.
Do not forget that rabbits tend to get sick. Carrying out preventive measures is an integral part of rabbit breeding. Banal mistakes in pet hygiene sometimes lead to the extinction of all offspring. A novice farmer must understand that only work and care will help to increase the invested capital.
Rabbits are one of the most profitable animals in terms of domestic breeding. They grow and gain weight very quickly, and they multiply just as quickly. Of course, the success of the enterprise will depend on many different factors. For animals, you will need to purchase spacious cages and develop the right diet. So let's see how to breed rabbits.
Varieties of rabbit farms
Furry animals are bred for meat or skins. Both methods are considered quite cost-effective. Also recently breeding of decorative rabbits has become very popular. In this case, the animals are not slaughtered, but sold as pets. Breeding meat and decorative rabbits in our time is considered the most profitable.
Business plan
If you want to take out a bank loan to open a rabbit farm, you will have to write a business plan. Usually, its development is entrusted to specialists. A rough business plan for breeding rabbits consists of the following items:
- Market analysis. It is indicated that it is far from being saturated with rabbit meat and fur.
- Advantages. It is worth noting, for example, that rabbit meat has excellent taste characteristics and belongs to healthy dietary products.
- Costs and profits.
- Conclusions.
This is, of course, an extremely simplified scheme. A more detailed business plan is quite large, and a huge number of very different rules are observed in its preparation.
What breed to choose
The question of how to breed rabbits comes down primarily to the correct choice of breed. The most popular meat in our time are:
- Soviet chinchilla. The average weight of adults is 5 kg.
- Gray giant. Weight - 7kg.
- White giant. Weight 5-6 kg.
- Risen (German giant). Weight up to 12 kg.
The most commonly used skinned rabbit breeds for breeding are:
- Viennese blue.
- Soviet marder.
- Chinchilla.
All rabbits belonging to skin breeds have thick, even and beautiful fur. Animals are slaughtered in winter, after the end of the molt. Processing skins is a rather complicated process, which includes several stages.
As for decorative breeds, domestic rabbits are the most popular among breeders, such as:
- Hermelins.
- Lop-eared.
- Colored smooth-haired.
- Long-haired foxes.
- Rexes are shorthaired.
There are several ways to keep rabbits:
- In cells. This is the most common way. Usually, rabbits of meat breeds, as well as skin and decorative rabbits, are bred in this way on private farms.
- Aviary. In the 50s, this method was very popular when breeding meat rabbits. Now rarely used. Animals are kept in a spacious enclosure with wooden "houses" arranged along it.
- In the pits This is another rarely used method. They dig a large hole and mark the location of the holes in it. Run rabbits there and cover with chain-link on top. Animals make their own homes. However, it will be very difficult to catch them later.
What should be the cells
Cages for breeding rabbits should be sufficiently spacious, dry and warm. The best option is considered a prefabricated battery. Frame size for her:
- Width - 0.5 m.
- Length - 6.5 m.
- Height - 1.8 m (front wall), 1.6 m (rear wall).
A frame is made from a 10x10 timber. The cages are arranged in three tiers on a 5x5 cm beam. Each tier is divided into compartments (5 compartments of 70 cm wide and one meter wide for young animals). For a large farm, of course, you will have to arrange several such blocks.
We buy rabbits
Rabbit breeding as a business will only be successful if the right breeders are chosen. Don't buy them at the market. Animals sold by private traders are probably not vaccinated and are unlikely to be purebred. It is better to overpay and purchase animals on a licensed farm. Remember also that there should be at least two or three females and no more than nine per male when breeding.
Feeding rabbits in a non-roaming period
Breeding rabbits as a business will also be successful only with proper feeding of animals. You should develop a diet with sufficient amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and mineral elements. In a non-random period, rabbits of meat breeds are given (per head):
Rabbits are fed three times a day. And in the morning they give juicy feed, in the afternoon - concentrated (oats, barley), and in the evening - rough (hay, branches). Hay must be kept in cages at all times.
How to feed during the breeding season
Rabbits whose breeding (maintenance, care, feeding, cleaning of cages, etc.) is a rather troublesome procedure, should receive maximum attention during the breeding season. In particular, a protein-rich diet should be developed for them. Something like this:
concentrated feed | |
alfalfa hay | |
Hay of other species and branches | Unlimited |
succulent feed | Unlimited |
Salt, shells, flour, branches are given in the same quantities as in the non-candidate period.
At what age can mating be carried out
Different breeds reach sexual maturity at different times. Rabbits begin to breed at the age of about 5-8 months. Usually, the larger the breed, the later it reaches maturity. Females usually mature earlier than males. When organizing such an enterprise as a rabbit breeding farm, of course, you need to know about this.
How to conduct a mating
For mating, the rabbit is put into the cage with the male. In this case, he feels more confident. Sometimes females are capricious and do not accept the "cavalier" they do not like. This is how domestic rabbits, both meat and skin rabbits, can behave. In this scenario, the manufacturer will most likely have to be replaced. However, this rarely happens.
Leave the female in the male's cage for half an hour. After about one and a half to two weeks, a control mating should be carried out. Place the female next to the rabbit again. If she starts to growl, worry and bite, then the pregnancy has come. If not, leave her with the male for another half an hour.
Pregnancy and childbirth
Female rabbits carry from 28 to 35 days. There are usually 4-12 cubs in a litter. You can find out about what will happen soon by the behavior of the rabbit herself. As soon as the estimated due date approaches, keep an eye on your pet. If she starts dragging hay and straw into the mother liquor and tearing fluff out of her chest, then, most likely, cubs will appear at night. In any case, childbirth will occur within the next few days.
Rabbits of meat breeds give birth, as well as skins, as well as decorative ones, very easily, and there is no need to interfere in this process. In the event that you properly and adequately fed the female during pregnancy, most likely, all babies will be born alive and strong. However, you should not be particularly upset if you find one or two stillborns in the litter. For rabbits, this is quite normal.
First days of life
Baby rabbits are born completely helpless - blind and naked. However, after a couple of days, their skin begins to darken, becoming covered with wool. At the age of two weeks, all babies already know how to walk and jump, and their eyes are open. These two weeks are the most responsible and difficult period in the life of both the rabbit and the cubs. If the female did not receive enough food during pregnancy or it was monotonous, she may not have enough milk for the entire litter. In this case, she will throw the weakest cubs out of the nest.
Why does the female gnaw on rabbits
A very big disappointment for those who wondered how to breed rabbits and set up their own farm can be eating rabbit droppings. The female can bite the cubs for the following reasons:
- Disease of the nipples. Mastitis can cause the rabbit to experience unbearable pain while feeding. As a result, she will get rid of her source.
- The rabbit has no milk. Often, even with proper feeding, in some females that have hatched for the first time, such a problem occurs. If there is no milk in the second litter, such a rabbit is not suitable for producers. Then it will have to be rejected.
- Too close presence of another rabbit. Sometimes, enraged by the intrusion of a competitor into the territory that she considers her own, the female gnaws at the cubs.
- Bad living conditions. The female can also bite the rabbits when she considers that there is simply not enough space for such a large “family”.
- The female rabbits can also eat because of the foreign smell. Only one person should check the health status of newborns. Preferably one that usually feeds animals. Before handling rabbits, put on rubber gloves to avoid leaving your own smell.
In general, the question of why the female eats rabbits has not been studied well enough. The above reasons are mostly just pretty confident assumptions by experienced rabbit breeders.
How to feed a pregnant rabbit
So, the mating was successful, and new little rabbits will soon appear on your farm. Breeding, growing, feeding - all this is interconnected in such a business. It is very important, for example, to correctly compose the diet of a rabbit in the second period of pregnancy. In the first, the fetus develops slowly, and the mother's body copes well with a normal diet. To exclude diseases, the cage should be constantly cleaned and periodically disinfected. A week before birth - in order to avoid the possibility of developing obesity (which can cause unsuccessful births) - voluminous feed is excluded from the diet. For example, a female is not given silage. Also reduce the amount of roughage. In the second half of pregnancy, the rabbit's diet should be something like this (per head):
We brought the diet of a full-grown female rabbit. For young first-crooks, these volumes are increased by about 20%.
Feeding a lactating female
Rabbit milk is very fatty. And no wonder. After all, the cubs grow and develop very intensively, and therefore they need a lot of protein. The older the rabbits, the richer in proteins their mother's diet should be. The feed rate is as follows:
Sunflower cake | |
sunflower meal | |
feed yeast | |
Fish fat | |
Bone flour | |
forbs | |
Roots | |
Oats, barley |
The share of concentrated feed in the rabbit's diet should be 70-80%. The number of feed units fed depends on the lactation period:
How to feed the young
The rabbits are weaned from their mother at about one month of age. However, they begin to eat on their own as early as two weeks. At first, the rabbits are given the same food that they ate with their mother. New foods are introduced into the diet gradually, in small doses. This condition is very important to comply with. Otherwise, digestive disorders and, as a result, the case cannot be avoided. Small rabbits are given easily digestible food - young green grass, vitamin hay, boiled potatoes, carrots. You can also give bran, but in small quantities. Rabbits are transferred to an adult diet at the age of five months.
How to prevent falling
So, we have examined in sufficient detail the question of how to breed rabbits. However, it is important not only to increase the livestock, but also to keep it until the age of slaughter. The real scourge of rabbits are all sorts of infectious diseases, as well as colds. This is the main reason for the death of animals. In order to prevent infection, the cells should be kept clean and periodically treated with disinfectants (once a week). Drafts should not be allowed in rabbit dwellings. Feed should be purchased only from trusted farms. Basically, the infection is transmitted through them. In years that are unfavorable in terms of diseases, even one purchase of feed at the market can lead to the death of most of the livestock.
Breeding rabbits is a profitable business, but also quite troublesome. If you are not afraid of difficulties, buy producers and arrange your own farm. Of course, at first there may be failures. However, everything comes with experience. We hope everything works out for you.
Breeding rabbits is a profitable business that does not require large investments from the breeder. The productivity of livestock at home, the quality of meat (and other parameters) depends on the observance of simple rules of keeping and the absence of errors, and the income received also depends on established trade relations. People start breeding rabbits at home (on the balcony), in the country or on a farm in the village.
Rabbits can be bred even on the balcony
If the rabbit breeder correctly approaches the maintenance and reproduction of animals, then the result will be a variety of products. From one copy, the owner receives meat with a low level of cholesterol (net yield - 4.5 kg per head), skin and fluff (more than a kilogram annually from a lactating rabbit). Another source of income is growing young animals, which are sold to other breeders.
Choice of direction
At the disposal of the rabbit breeder - more than two hundred breeds of animals. It’s better to start by defining a priority goal - why are you going to breed rabbits? Depending on the chosen direction, the owners acquire the following breeds:
- meat (best indicators by weight of carcasses);
- meat-skin (give both meat and skins);
- skin (down) - grown to obtain fluff or skins.
Rabbit breeders are advised to choose meat varieties - they are characterized by calm behavior, they are easier to care for, meat productivity is better. Having decided on the direction, get the young. Do not buy rabbits younger than a month old - cubs weaned too early are characterized by low immunity and poor productivity in the future. Pay attention to the following signs in healthy animals:
- wool grows densely and shines;
- eyes are clear, without discharge;
- the body is strong;
- fatness (not exhaustion and not overfed);
- activity, mobility.
A healthy rabbit should be active
Future producers meet breed standards. Do not take animals that have deficiencies:
- twisted limbs;
- elongated head;
- prominent hip joints;
- hanging tips of the ears;
- sagging belly, uneven ridge;
- coat problems (tousled or falling out).
Select the type of rabbit breeding at home. Content technology is divided into two types. Animals are bred in a country house or farm in closed rabbitries or in the open air (in cages, pits, aviaries).
If you don't know where to start, combine both methods: keep your pets indoors in the winter, and take them outside in the spring and summer. Light day lasts at least 16 hours.
Remember that animals get sick with excessive humidity and drafts. They are suitable for clean, lit, dry rooms. Regular cleaning required. Cubs from two months are kept separately from adults. Until they are three months old, leave the litter together, then determine the sex and seat. Provide females with a separate cage with a mother liquor.
Rabbits can be kept in an aviary
Rabbit breeding cages are available at pet stores. Some breeders, in order to save money, make them on their own, for which you will need:
- cellular mesh (2 by 2 cm);
- slats, bars or boards made of wood;
- metal corners.
For the manufacture of structures, it is not recommended to use plywood - it gets wet. The boards are tightly fitted to each other to avoid drafts. Do not forget to reinforce the inner corners with metal fragments so that the pets do not gnaw on the wood. Choose a dry piece of land on a hill to install cages, avoid direct sunlight.
Plant climbing plants around the cage complex - this will create both peace and addition to the rabbit's diet.
The advantages of homemade houses are their cheapness and lightness. The owner himself determines the size, based on the number of future residents. The disadvantages of such cells are the cellular floor, which causes irritation and diseases of the limbs. When kept outdoors in the country, insulate the walls and ceiling of the structures. In the premises for young animals, two sectors are made: walking and sleeping (nest).
Homemade cage for rabbits
other methods
Aviaries are also used as a house. With this method of keeping pets, it is easier to care for them, they move more and breathe fresh air. Immunity is strengthened, the level of diseases is reduced.
In the country, breeding rabbits is also possible in pits. This type of breeding has several advantages:
- high fertility;
- great physical activity (digging holes);
- rational feed consumption;
- reduced incidence of disease;
- saving space, materials, care efforts: up to 200 heads are kept in a two-by-two meter pit.
This method is not suitable for rocky, clay soils or in the presence of groundwater in the upper layers. It is characterized by the following disadvantages:
- mating occurs immediately after birth, and this exhausts the rabbits;
- it is difficult to control inbreeding, and the stock degenerates;
- some specimens outgrow slaughter terms;
- the inhabitants of the pit run wild.
pit for rabbits
winter period
With the onset of cold weather, move the pets to the barn. If you leave the cages on the street, then take measures to insulate: cover with a gable roof, tighten the passages with foil. Insulate the floor and walls. Attach framed lifting glasses to the door grille. When severe frosts come, use an electric heater.
In the room, maintain humidity up to 70% and temperature up to 20 degrees. Avoid drops, overheating and drafts.
Light day lasts no more than ten hours. Monitor the operation of the ventilation system so that no harmful emissions are concentrated in the air.
In the cold period, animals need a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Give high-quality compound feed (preferably made on your own), root crops (fodder beet, cabbage), green food. It is useful to feed with coniferous branches (up to 150 g per day). Do not forget about mineral supplements - bone meal, salt, crushed chalk.
In winter, rabbits are kept indoors.
Care rules
Breeding rabbits at home in a country house or farm requires hygiene and monitoring the condition of the wards, for which follow the rules:
- clean the premises every day, wash the containers for food and water;
- after a week and a half, carry out a general disinfection of equipment;
- control ventilation;
- eliminate sources of drafts;
- regularly inspect animals, note changes in behavior and appetite;
- make sure that pets are not stressed (from children, dogs, cats and other sources of irritation).
Raising rabbits requires injections for diseases (myxomatosis, viral varieties). Vaccinations at home will be done correctly by a professional, for which breeders call a veterinarian.
Vaccinations are required for rabbits
diet
A varied menu will ensure good health and high productivity. In the village or in the country, it is easier to stock up on hay or fresh grass cut far from the highway (dried dandelions, clover, alfalfa). Add grains (oats, barley, wheat), wheat bran, and juicy root vegetables (carrots, kale, potatoes, and peelings) to your diet.
During the year, a mother rabbit with cubs consumes (in kg):
- forbs - 412;
- hay - 107;
- compound feed - 330;
- root crops - 120.
If you make compound feed (from a mixture of grains, grass meal, minerals) yourself, this will reduce food costs. Install feeders, and for hay, which is always in a cage, a nursery. Do not forget to add minerals and vitamins to food 2-3 times a week. Instances on the eve of mating, in the stage of pregnancy and after childbirth, feed more intensively.
Be careful not to overfeed the animals. This leads to obesity and decreased sexual activity.
Well-fed females of large breeds refuse to mate even during the hunting period due to excess weight. Giants weighing 9 kg or more are culled.
Place drinking bowls with clean fresh water in the cages and change it periodically. These containers are cleaned regularly. To prevent the inhabitants of the cells from spilling water, firmly fix the drinkers. Add iodine solution, potassium permanganate to water to avoid coccidiosis. For pregnant rabbits, give apple cider vinegar (two to three drops per liter of drink). If you give animals compound feed, then water consumption increases.
Compound feed can be made independently
reproduction
Rabbit breeding continues throughout the year. Immediately after giving birth, the female is ready to start mating (to prevent this from happening, isolate the males). Conduct mating with several pairs at the same time. This is convenient for calculating the timing of pregnancy and monitoring the young. If the mother rabbit refuses to feed, the cubs are placed on another female.
Table of readiness for mating.
The hunting period for rabbits lasts up to five days, with a break of one and a half weeks. At this time, they behave excitedly, lose their appetite, and the genitals increase and turn pink. A male sire at home covers up to four females daily, but don't make the mistake of letting him rest (every other day).
Pick specimens of the same color and breed (if you breed for sale). Avoid inbreeding. Avoid sick, lethargic, defective and obese or malnourished representatives.
The rabbit is placed next to the male (so as not to waste time while he gets used to the new environment). Before this, the room is disinfected, containers for food and water are hidden, freeing up space. After mating is completed, the female is taken away and a control mating is carried out a few days later. If the female is female, she does not allow the male to approach her.
In a year, a female rabbit brings up to 30 heads of offspring (live weight - up to 70 kg). Within twelve months, a family of 3 females and 1 male will increase twenty-five times. But if you do not want the rabbit to quickly lose the ability to reproduce and die of exhaustion, do not allow more than two births per year.
A female rabbit can bring up to 30 babies per year
Selection Methods
For purebred reproduction, representatives of the same breed with the best performance and with stable transmission of traits by inheritance are selected. Breeders-scientists bred a number of varieties and fixed productive characteristics from ancestors to descendants, crossing in accordance with the compatibility of family lines (grandchildren with great-grandchildren, and so on).
At the amateur level, without appropriate conditions and special knowledge, such closely related ties often lead to degeneration, a decrease in tribal qualities.
If you want to start breeding animals in a country house or farm not for sale, but for experimental purposes over productivity, then cross-breeding is allowed. You will get hybrids that stand out for early maturity, quality of meat and skins. This method is also used in rabbit farms. However, such specimens are not suitable for further reproduction - the offspring of hybrids is characterized by a deterioration in performance.
The best individuals are selected for crossing
Castration
In order to quickly grow and improve the gastronomic qualities of meat, some specimens are castrated when they are 3 months old. Correct operation at home will be performed by a veterinarian. The following removal technologies are used:
closed (the testis is removed without breaking the membranes);
open (the shells are dissected, the spermatic cords are cut off).
15 hours before the procedure, animals are not fed or given water. Wounds after the procedure are sprinkled with streptocide.
Fattening and slaughter
For weight gain, the diet is based on cereals (more protein). Animals gain mass faster if they reduce their daylight hours and the brightness of lighting. For these purposes, animals are castrated.
Grain makes rabbits gain weight
Growing rabbits for meat and skins means slaughtering sooner or later. The breeders do it themselves. To kill the animal, they take it by the hind legs with one hand, lift it into the air and strike with a heavy object on the head, in the area of the ears.
To obtain meat products, animals are killed when they are 4 months old. For skins, the owners wait until the molt ends (from six months to 8 months old).
If you properly care for pets, avoiding mistakes, breeding rabbits will become an interesting activity that brings additional profit. Unpretentious productive animals are universal for keeping in a country house or a private courtyard. At home, subject to the rules of care, they multiply well and produce high-quality meat, down and skin products.