For beginner rabbit breeders, the question often arises as to which breed of rabbit to choose for breeding. Today, one of the most popular is considered California. Information about who and when the breed was bred, its description, features, reproduction, rules for caring for its representatives, we will provide in this article.
Origin
This breed of rabbits was created in the 20s of the last century by the best rabbit breeder of America - George West, who lived in California (hence the name). When creating the California rabbit (see photo in the review), breeders used New Zealand white, ermine, large chinchilla animal breeds. The resulting rabbits inherited from the parents the most outstanding qualities:
- large strong physique from New Zealand;
- excellent quality fur from ermine;
- valuable taste from chinchillas.
California rabbits belong to the precocious meat breed, which was officially recognized as independent in 1928. In our country, they first appeared in the 70s. Rabbits are successfully grown throughout the Russian Federation. They are bred both in personal farms and in industrial enterprises, where they show themselves perfectly. All this contributed to the spread of animals around the world. Currently, the breed occupies one of the leading positions, occupying second place among rabbits of meat breeds.
California rabbit: description
Representatives of this breed should be attributed to medium-sized eared. The weight of an adult male usually does not exceed the mark of 4.5 kilograms, and the female more often has a more rounded shape and weight up to 5.2 kg. The look of the Californian is very elegant and attractive. It can be determined that this is a representative of a California rabbit from the description below:
- thick, snow-white, elastic, silky fur;
- black or dark brown ears, paws, tail, as well as the tip of the nose (spots are well defined, pronounced);
- red eyes;
- small head;
- low erect ears (11 centimeters);
- humpback nose;
- very short neck;
- short paws;
- strong muscular body.
Sometimes rabbits of this breed are confused with a butterfly similar to them. But the Californian has an even spot on his nose, while the second clearly shows the wingspan of a butterfly. Also, do not confuse rabbits of this breed with animals living in the wild in their homeland.
How to choose a rabbit
Facing such a difficult choice, you need to know that you can only buy animals from experienced breeders or in breeding farms. It is good if the seller of animals has positive recommendations received from previous buyers. It is necessary to pay attention to the conditions in which rabbits are kept, and what the parents of the chosen animal represent. Close attention should be paid to the behavior of the acquired rabbit. A healthy animal is always active and inquisitive.
Especially good should consider the appearance of the animal. He should have a thick silky coat without combing and bald patches. Various discharge from the eyes and nose should not be observed. Do not forget to look under the tail of the animal: this will let you know if it has diarrhea. The rabbit's ears should be clean, without secretions, without brown crusts, their presence may indicate the presence of an ear tick in the rabbit.
The acquired animal must have all the characteristic qualities of this breed: have a peculiar color characteristic of rabbits of the Californian breed, body proportions and have all the characteristic qualities. You need to know that adults are most susceptible to stress, there were such cases that when moving to a new place of residence, rabbits died. That is why, probably, it makes sense to buy animals of a more tender age.
Productivity
The California rabbit is one of the most beloved rabbit farmers. This is due to the high yield of meat, fertility, and the quality of the fur.
Meat
This breed is considered precocious. Born rabbits by the age of 3.5-4 months reach a weight of up to three kilograms. The slaughter yield of meat during slaughter reaches a bar of 60%.
Fertility
Despite the fact that the breed is primarily meat, it has high productivity indicators. The female is very prolific, in one breeze she can bring 10 rabbits. For a year from one rabbit you can get about 35 babies. The rabbit is distinguished by innate kindness: she perfectly nurses not only her cubs; if necessary, she makes a good adoptive mother.
Skin
Due to the beautiful high-quality fur, this breed is very popular among manufacturers engaged in fur products. High quality allows its widespread use in the meat-and-peel direction. Due to the fact that the rabbit is not too large, the skins are small.
Breeding
The first stages of breeding California rabbits will be the creation of a family. We should not forget that for this purpose animals of different lines are used to avoid inbreeding (kinship). Five to ten females can be left per male. For a year, from such a family usually receive up to 5 aprons. In that case, when the female is allowed into the mating and gets okrol more often, the life of the rabbit is reduced.
Mating is allowed for females who have reached the age of five months, males a month later. In one nest, females of the Californian breed of rabbits, photos of which are in the article), there are from 8 to 12 cubs, which mother is well fed. She is distinguished by high milk and excellent maternal qualities. Little rabbits are first white or smoky in color, and then acquire a color corresponding to this breed.
Rabbits are not recommended to overfeed; overweight females are not suitable for the reproduction of offspring. Small California rabbits differ from others in their high growth energy. After five months, the growth rate decreases sharply.
Rabbit breeders are encouraged to conduct breeding work, not allowing mating. It is necessary to infuse new blood, regularly changing males. The average life expectancy of rabbits is 10 years, therefore, once having acquired breeding animals, you will no doubt make a profitable investment.
Californian rabbit weight chart for months
Usually rabbits by the age of seven months already reach their maximum size and their further maintenance becomes inappropriate. Most rabbit breeders clean animals at the age of five months, at which time their intensive growth ends. We suggest using the example of a table to trace the dynamics of the increase in weight of a California rabbit.
| Age (month) | Elite | 1 class | 2nd grade | 3rd grade |
| 2 | 1.8 kg | 1.6 kg | 1.5 kg | 1.3 kg |
| 3 | 2.6 kg | 2.3 kg | 2.1 kg | 1.8 kg |
| 4 | 3.2 kg | 2.8 kg | 2.5 kg | 2.1 kg |
| 5 | 3.7 kg | 3.2 kg | 2.8 kg | 2.3 kg |
| 6 | 4 kg | 3.5 kg | 3.1 kg | 2.5 kg |
| 7 and older | 4-5 kg | 3.5-3.9 kg | 3-3.4 kg | less than 3 and more than 5 kg |
Vaccinations for rabbits
In order to avoid infectious and other diseases and not to lose the number of rabbits, timely vaccination of animals is necessary.
The first vaccine is given on the 28th day after an okrol from one of the most common and dangerous diseases - myxomatosis, at the age of 1.5 months, vaccination is needed to prevent HBV (viral hemorrhagic disease). Re-vaccination of California rabbits is carried out after three months, then once every six months.
Vaccines are available only in pharmacies. Before use, be sure to read the instructions. Drugs stored under inappropriate conditions can be not only useless, but also harmful.
Maintenance and care
Rabbits of this breed are considered a universal breed, since they do not require special care. Well adapt to various climatic conditions. Paws of animals are well covered with thick, hard hair, which makes it quite easy to organize the content of California rabbits in cages. Mesh floors, which are very convenient to use, do not cause them pododermatitis (popularly - corns), which, of course, is also a big plus. Due to the fact that the animals are not too large, they can be kept in cages of not very large size: 0.3 m 2 per individual, 0.4 m 2 cage with mother liquor. In the event that rabbits are kept in net blocks, it is recommended that animals of close age be placed nearby. This will greatly facilitate their care and veterinary care.
Californian rabbit breeding females are best kept indoors. They should have daylight, moderate air temperature and, of course, ventilation. Cells should be placed at a height of 70 centimeters above floor level. When keeping rabbits outdoors, it is necessary to choose enclosed places that are protected from wind and sunlight. It should be noted that these animals tolerate dampness very poorly.
If your goal is not to breed the breeding herd, and animals are raised exclusively for meat, then it is easier and more profitable to raise rabbits in a pit. To arrange such housing is quite simple, it is the closest to the natural habitat. To make such a dwelling, you need to dig a deep hole, strengthen its walls with slate or concrete, make a mesh or wooden floor. Around the pit to make a fence, be sure to make a roof. California rabbits will dig their own minks, mate, breed and grow their own rabbits.
The owners will need a minimum of effort: to deliver food and water, to conduct selective selection from time to time. With this kind of breeding, kinship should be avoided; this can lead to degeneration of rabbits. To avoid this, it is necessary to do the following: when the young growth reaches puberty, the old adult rabbit (parent) should be replaced by another.
Care
The hair and skin of rabbits serves as a barrier against the following types of exposure:
- dampness;
- fungi;
- cold
- toxic substances;
- bacteria.
Therefore, it is necessary to monitor them very carefully. At least once a week, it is necessary to inspect the skin and coat of animals. The pet should not have any wounds, scratches, suppurations, and the coat should be silky and shiny. It is recommended to comb the animals with a variety of brushes.
Rabbit eyes are inspected daily. If there is dry discharge in the corners of the eyes, they are cleaned with a clean cloth dipped in warm water. With irritation, the eyes are buried in drops on a plant basis.
It is necessary to care for the ears, they must always be clean. If necessary, they are treated with a swab dipped in a solution of boric acid.
Feeding
In order to have a healthy and strong herd of California rabbit (pictured), you should provide him with balanced, nutritious nutrition. We will learn how to properly feed rabbits, are there differences between winter and summer diets. For the accelerated growth of representatives of this breed, it is necessary to provide them with protein-rich feeds. The rabbits are given granular compound feeds, crackers. Be sure to include bone, meat or fish meal, protein supplements, and, of course, dairy products. It is necessary to ensure that the animals always have warm water, even in winter. Very convenient to use nipple drinkers.
In winter, at home, Californian rabbits are fed root crops, hay, and are given branch feed. In summer, a large amount of herbal feeds are rich in protein. It is necessary to ensure that all products are of good quality. In order to avoid digestive problems, it is recommended to use a probiotic (cellobacterin).
A very important parameter in the commercial use of animals is the average feed consumption per kilogram of gain in live weight. In California, it is from 3 to 5 kilograms of feed units, which is an excellent indicator. At that time, when the backbone of giant rabbits is growing, the mid-size ones are already gaining excellent muscle mass by the age of 5 months.
Breeding rabbit breeding
When breeding in rabbits, individuals undergo a very strict selection. Culling options are much stricter than dogs. Participation in various exhibitions is not allowed if the animal:
- weight less than 3.5 and more than 5.5 kilograms, it must comply with the parameters of the California rabbit;
- the size of the ears cannot exceed 13.5 cm, they should not hang;
- a large spot on the nose, almost reaching the eyes;
- additional spots on the fur;
- rare, not elastic fur;
- eyes are not red.
Reviews
We bring to your attention reviews of California rabbits. Owners of animals note: when comparing the development of small rabbits of this breed with others, it turns out that Californian are more tenacious, quickly gain weight, and develop well. Rabbits belong to the precocious broiler breed. Animals are equally well bred both in small private courtyards and in industrial enterprises. With special fattening products can be obtained after 3-4 months. Rabbit breeders note another feature of this breed - an interesting color similar to that of a Siamese cat. Young mothers consider rabbit meat the best first meat lure even for the smallest children.
We can say with confidence that the Californian breed is rightly the leader. Having carefully studied all its features, having heard reviews of California rabbits, watching a video, it can be noted that the breed represents some advantages, and it has practically no shortcomings.