Rabbits, as they say, is not only a valuable fur. Today, the rabbit is one of the leading positions in the farm.
These little animals grow quickly and have a valuable dietary meat and fur. Additionally, such employment is less expensive than, for example, pig and so on.
With rabbits you can also obtain a good fertilizer, especially if the breeder has and allotments.
Some features of breeding rabbits
So, a rabbit is a mammal, a rodent that belongs to the family Zaitsevs. Modern domesticated rabbit is a descendant of the southern European wild rabbit. By the way, the pairing of these two rabbits you can: according to experienced farmers, such an Alliance gives a very good seed. But, to bring home rabbit and hare, as they have a completely different biology.
As for rabbits, they are already quite independent by the 4 th week of life, they themselves can eat food, while not ceasing to drink a mother’s milk. Rabbits and their rabbit-mom should be in the liquor (special cell) according to the level of milk yield from the rabbit. To determine this level is simple: if the kids lay quietly, and their skin is smooth and has no folds, so the yield is quite high. It is believed that the highest level of milk production accounts for period 4 delivery.
Low yield usually catches up with those bunnies, which almost do not move and are overweight. By the way, obesity is very bad for reproduction: such rabbit can’t have offspring. To correct this situation, a novice breeder, you need to change the diet of their charges: less fodder and grains, more greens, more space for movement.
Despite the fact that all domestic rabbits have low vision, they perfectly distinguish odors. So, if you put rabbit baby from another litter, she quickly define foundling at the smell and would never accept it. In the same way these animals sniff and new feeds for a long time getting used to them.
These furry animals have a peculiar structure of the teeth, as throughout life, they eat only vegetarian food. So, each animal has incisors and molars teeth. Incisors grow all my life, they have the enamel coating, which eventually sharpened. Canines in domestic rabbits there.
These animals are very well-developed digestive system due to the volume and high acidity of the stomach, in which food is kept from 3 h to 10 h. The intestines of a rabbit 10 times longer than the animal and reaches 6 m.
Another important feature of these Pets is eating its own night feces, as in those contains large amount of vitamin B and other useful minerals that are required by a living organism.
Breeding rabbits: growth and development
Breeding rabbits involves a constant replenishment of young, so novice breeders should know the peculiarities of their growth and development.
The kids are always born blind, but to see begin on the 10th day of life. First bloom appears on the 7th day, and in 1 month the rabbits completely covered with fur. In this period, there was self powered.
Milk teeth are changed for permanent around the 18th week of life, the entire process is completed already by the 1st of the month.
But shedding in these animals occurs all year round:
- the first molt occurs in the first month of life;
- the second falls on the 4th month;
- the third molt occurs in 7.5 months.
In addition, all domestic rabbits originate and seasonal shedding.
All babies are born with a weight of 40-60 g, but two days later this figure doubled, and a month – 10 times. Such rapid development is not accidental, because the milk of the mother-rabbit is very nutritious, it is full of trace elements and other useful substances, contributing to the development of children.
Already between 3 and 5 months of life the young rabbit weight is 2 kg minimum and 3.5 high, and most of all, these animals grow to between 3 and 4 months.
Contain young animals need extra care, because during this period their bones and spine are still very weak, so the injury risk is very high, and any fractures simply can paralyze the animal. In General, rabbits are very fine tubular limbs and gentle ridge.
The lifespan of pet rabbits is 8 years, 4 of which have on the reproductive period.
Breeding rabbits at home for beginners
All beginner keepers need to take care about the inventory, namely the cells, the scales for measuring body mass and other things.
The young offspring should be kept in separate cells with good cross light, they also need to be cleaned regularly.
Adults should be in bigger cages in the fresh air, where are the compartments with the drinkers and feeders.
Fresh air is a necessary condition for the maintenance of rabbits, thus they have stronger immune system, and various kind of disease is bypassed. But in winter rabbits are best to carry in a specially constructed for this purpose room where they will not be cold, because at low temperatures, these animals can easily get frostbite on the extremities.
Rabbit at home: preparing for breeding
In order to get good offspring, it is necessary to select from the common herd of the most healthy animals with high yield. Those rabbits that have been spotted eating their own offspring, it is necessary to separate the od of the total mass.
Advice for beginners: rabbit provides a clear separation of the animals by date of birth and which parents they came to light.
This is necessary in order to prevent mating between relatives. To the breeding of these animals didn’t look like a meal, each cell needs to hang a sign with the date of birth and fill in all necessary details. It should be done as the cells of females and males. Females indicates the number of date of mating, kindling, number of young rabbits, including a stillborn and a penchant for eating such. Males when you were born, from what parents, do not eat a small rabbit.
For mating are selected the most well-fed males and females.
But it is important to do without the extremes
- too fat individuals are not able to beget offspring in force inactive reproductive system;
- the rabbits were underweight reproductive function is significantly reduced, so the offspring may be born very weak, followed by problems in development.
If rabbits are a little gleaning in weight, then 3 weeks before mating they should be feeding the following products:
- hay;
- bran;
- oats;
- potatoes.
Animals with some degree of obesity should be put on a diet.
For pregnant females it is necessary to select only the best food and in greater numbers than other rabbits.
As a rule, 8 bunnies is assigned one male rabbit.
Reproduction
Rabbits are able to bear offspring year-round, and the rabbit, which has long not been pregnant, looking for a partner every 5-6 days. In one breeding may be from 6 to 12 baby rabbits. It is interesting that already two days after birth, a female rabbit can get pregnant again. The first mating can be produced already at 5 months of age, previously not recommended, as it can have a negative impact both on the female rabbit and her offspring.
The keeping of rabbits in cages for beginners
Mandatory condition for growing rabbits and their content are cells, and there should be several types.
On conventional cells was already discussed a bit above, now it is necessary to pay attention to the cages for mating and for the detention of juveniles:
- cells for mating is a prerequisite for breeding animals. This cage should be thoroughly disinfected and generally cleaned of foreign debris. It should not be drinkers and feeders. Such cell should be a male that hooked the females. If you do the opposite, then the male in someone else’s space will begin to learn the territory before you begin your duties, and this will delay the whole process. Breeding involves monitoring the pairing process capturing details in a Notepad: if the male fell off the female and growling, that means everything went successfully. It is also necessary to record and which male was mating;
- Queen cells are special areas for rabbits and their progeny, which are installed inside the cage. Their size should be 50×30×27 cm and the dimensions of the loopholes – 18×18 cm Cells should be taken out easily from the General cells, it is necessary that the farmer was easily able to see the rabbits. It is important to maintain a constant temperature in the liquor. In winter such a room for a mother rabbit and her offspring should be insulated with special heaters low power;
- cages for young animals – these premises imply two compartments, one of which will serve as a refuge and the second is a place for walking. Between these two spaces shall be provided with special loopholes. In such a cell it is necessary to lay flooring from which cells are with a diameter of 18×18 mm. there must be a manger, waterers and feeders. If the youngsters are grown for pelts, such cell should look different: it is divided by a wooden partition, and each compartment contained rabbits of the same weight and sex, in equal amounts. Over time, the cell is subdivided into many compartments, thus, each individual should have their own space.
Thus, the growing rabbits includes different types of cells and the content in these animals.
How to keep rabbits: feeding
Breeding involves proper feeding of animals to obtain good progeny, and meat and skins. Food for these Zverkov must be completely balanced and nutritious. In the first months of life youngsters the best way to feed forage. It is worth noting that a healthy rabbit eats almost continuously, and it is considered normal.
Growing rabbits should be based on the seasons, i.e. in summer, the animals have to get fresh grass, leaves, twigs and other greenery.
Speaking of branches: very useful for rabbits will be fruit, for example, twigs of Apple, cherry, and locust, birch or willow. Perfect for this purpose, fresh vegetable leaves from the garden. Surprisingly, rabbits have great respect bitter, astringent and aromatic herbs and plants, such as chicory, dill, parsley and even tarragon (such plants are perfectly fighting with the worms and increase the appetite of animals). Experienced breeders and vets suggest to feed the dried young stems of garlic that will help to protect the animals from disease.
The growing rabbits especially useful in rural areas with a rich fauna, because there you can gather the young leaves of nettle for rabbits. To collect them you need until flowering, drying must be done in the shade. If nettle’s stinging a little bit, you can mash or chop. And willow twigs, which have already been mentioned before, good help these animals from diarrhea.
How to keep rabbits in the cold season? In winter, these animals needed feeding, which contains a lot of useful vitamins. Rich in these vitamins is the root. They are also useful to give and lactating rabbit. Also in the winter very useful Rowan berries.
In the autumn of rabbits should keep vegetable leaves and dried stalks of flowers, and in November slowly to translate into mineral feed (just in this period leaves all the greens).
Treatment of rabbits
All rabbits must be taught, this will prevent the risk of disease and infection. The most dangerous disease of rabbits is myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease.
They are not treated, are fatal, so vaccination must be done on time, and exactly on the 7th week of life when the body weight of not less than 0.5 kg. Vaccinated rabbit can resist disease 6 to 9 months.
After vaccination of a rabbit should be put in a separate cell. Power it at the same time, should remain the same, but should be increased amount of water consumed. Pregnant and nursing rabbits vaccinated is not recommended.
The scheme of vaccination:
- the first vaccination is carried out in 45 days.
- second – after 14 days (myxomatosis);
- third – after a further 3 months;
- fourth – 2 weeks after the third (from viral haemorrhagic disease).
Repeat vaccination is required every six months throughout the life of animals. Vaccinations should be done serially: first myxomatosis, and then (2 weeks later) – from viral haemorrhagic disease.
