Breeding and keeping rabbits at home can be a very promising and interesting activity. Starting with just a few individuals, in a few years you can get a whole rabbit farm, which will begin to bring uninterrupted income for its owner. Valuable fur, skin, as well as delicious dietary meat - all this is highly appreciated in the market.
It is also worth noting that rabbits do not require large financial investments, therefore, with the competent distribution of the initial capital, you can build an excellent business with virtually no risk.
Breed classification
Keeping, raising and caring for rabbits at home is at first glance a rather difficult task that will take a lot of time and energy. However, this is not the case. The main thing that a beginner breeder needs to do is not to neglect the recommendations from experienced farmers (you will find them in our article) and put your heart and soul into your favorite business.
Before you start breeding, care and keeping rabbits at home, you must first determine the breed for breeding. This choice should be entirely based on the goal that we will pursue when breeding rabbits. In total, there are about 200 breeds of these wonderful animals in the world, which are usually divided into three categories:
- furry - bred to get beautiful fur;
- meat-skins - the best option if the breeder wants to get high-quality meat and skin;
- meat - breeds that produce the largest amount of meat.
Where to start breeding
Breeding, keeping and feeding rabbits is a simple science, initially based on the right approach. You can start building your small business by buying both adult individuals (males and females) and small rabbits. The latter can be purchased much cheaper, but in this case it will take much more time to get the first offspring.
It should be understood that only healthy young animals will bring stable profit. That is why when buying rabbits, you need to pay attention to some farm properties. Professional breeders recommend:
- learn from the seller the features and nuances of the breed being purchased;
- visually assess the condition of animals;
- Ask for advice on growing and caring for young animals.
Most farmers will be happy to share some of the secrets to raising, caring for and keeping rabbits at home with a novice breeder, but you shouldn’t completely rely on people's words. It is important to constantly look for new knowledge about a particular breed in the specialized literature in order to avoid material losses when doing business.
To assess the external state of individuals, it is necessary to pay attention to some requirements that must be met by acquired animals:
- the upper row of teeth in rabbits should be powerful and advanced;
- the nose is wet;
- ears are even, covered with hairs outside;
- the genitals are pink, the abdomen is soft;
- the back is flat, without visible deformations;
- ears and eyes are clean;
- strong and well-built physique;
- the fur coat is even and smooth, without tangles and bald patches;
In general, rabbits should also be active rather than sitting on their hind legs. Do not forget about the requirements for thoroughbred characters: skin color, body weight and size.
As a result of lengthy breeding, a large number of different breeds of rabbits were bred. The most popular of them are European silver, Rex, Californian, New Zealand red, rizen, flanders. Of the selfish category, species are particularly distinguished: silver, downy white, Angora, Vienna blue.
It is recommended that novice breeders acquire representatives of unpretentious breeds: it is a gray or white giant, Russian ermine, New Zealand white. Productive returns in conjunction with easy care will allow you to start getting the first profit from animals in the shortest time. After about 3-4 months, individuals reached a weight of 3-4 kg, provided that the breeding, keeping and feeding of rabbits was carried out in accordance with all the rules.
French ram
This breed was first bred as a result of crossing a huge German rabbit with a fold in the 19th century. The result of the experiments was an individual of large size with long hanging ears, as well as a thick and beautiful fur. This breed is characterized by a large head, a wide body, as well as high-quality meat.
The color of the French sheep can be very diverse:
- white;
- the black;
- spotted;
- blue;
- gray and others
Keeping and raising rabbits The French ram can provide the breeder with a good profit, provided that the animals are well looked after. Lop-eared animals of this species are calm. There is a popular belief that due to long ears the animal does not hear well, so scaring a French rabbit with a loud sound is very difficult. Due to its large size, the animal is not recommended to be kept in a cage. An open-air cage or even an apartment is best. The French ram has a very friendly character, so he can easily become a pet of the whole family.
The content of French sheep
Creating comfortable conditions for keeping rabbits is of great importance, especially if the breeder wants to get a beautiful and attractive fur. First of all, young animals should be separated from adults. Also, if you have such an opportunity, it is recommended to divide the animals by gender. The breeding and keeping of French ram rabbits "includes quality care for animals.
Cages for French rams should be made exclusively of wood (this also applies to all internal partitions and floors). The minimum size of this design: 800 x 800 x 500 cm (when breeding and keeping giant rabbits, the sizes increase). It is recommended to install a pallet with a depth of about 15 cm on the floor so that the lop-eared can take a bath in the hot season. As a flooring, it is best to use blank newsprint (without printing ink) or hardwood sawdust. In no case should peat be used for these purposes, since it forms a lot of dust, which irritates the mucous and respiratory systems of animals.
The cage must be located in the shadow of the yard. Timely disinfection of aviaries is an important part of rabbit care. It is also not recommended to block animals with a metal mesh, as they can injure their paws on it. However, if it is not possible to choose another material for building the cage, it is worthwhile to fence off the net part of the house with plywood or a wooden board.
In winter, sheep are best moved to a greenhouse or to a barn with equipped windows for ventilation. The best material for building such a house will be cellular polycarbonate. It is a good enough insulator from cold drafts and at the same time transmits daylight. On frosty nights, the greenhouse will have to maintain a positive temperature. For this, any type of heater is perfect.
What to feed sheep
According to age categories, lop-eared rabbits should be fed 2 to 3 times a day (best at the same time). Breeding and keeping sheep rabbits at home involves creating a balanced diet. The right diet includes:
- purified drinking water;
- fine hay of various composition;
- fruits - bananas, pears, pitted apples;
- vegetables - boiled potatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots;
- cereals - wheat, oats;
- green food - plantain, dandelion, nettle, yarrow.
As a rule, young animals begin to be fed with vegetable crops from 12 weeks of age. Vegetables are introduced into the diet gradually. As individuals grow, their number gradually increases.
The following foods should be avoided:
- Tomatoes
- rhubarb;
- cauliflower and white cabbage;
- beans;
- some types of salad.
Californian rabbit
This is a fairly unpretentious and fairly versatile breed of rabbits, which can easily adapt to any type of climate and living conditions. In order to ensure a promising livestock, it is necessary to constantly monitor the health of individuals, as well as regularly conduct hygiene procedures in aviaries, which are an integral part of care. Keeping and breeding rabbits in California should not be a bother even for a novice breeder.
Caring for animals involves:
- accurate cutting of claws (so that the pulp is not touched);
- shearing of tangles, combing of wool;
- monitoring the skin condition (checking for the absence of peeling and spots);
- regular examination of the ears and eyes (if it is dirty, it is important to rinse them on time).
Breeding and keeping a rabbit of the Californian breed has become a very popular activity. All this is due to the unpretentiousness of these animals.
Conditions of detention
In breeding rabbits, it is of great importance how suitable conditions have been created by the breeder for pets. The closer they are to ideal, the greater productivity can be expected from animals.
The cage for rabbits should be in a well-lit and enclosed area. It is imperative to avoid exposure to direct sunlight, as well as strong drafts. Significantly facilitate the process of feeding and caring for animals can be if planted in neighboring cells of animals of approximately the same size.
If the farmer's main task is to obtain meat, then keeping rabbits will be most advantageous in the pits, since such conditions will be as close as possible to natural ones. The animals will dig their own holes for themselves, breed and care for their offspring.
For breeding and keeping rabbits "California" will need to build a suitable home. You can build it by going through several stages:
- We dig a pit with dimensions of 2 x 2 x 1 m (per 100 individuals).
- We strengthen the walls with the help of powerful material, such as concrete, mesh or slate. One of the walls should not be completely fenced so that the animals can dig holes in it.
- We lay the boards on the floor and sprinkle them on top with sand.
- We enclose a pit with a fence.
- We are building a comfortable roof with a small hatch for feeding.
It is worth noting that building pits in places with rocky soil, as well as in areas with a high content of surface groundwater, is extremely impractical. In such conditions, the animals will constantly experience a feeling of discomfort. Drinking bowls and feeders should be placed in such a way that even the smallest rabbits can easily reach them.
Feeding rules
Breeding and keeping California rabbits includes proper feeding. Animals have excellent appetite. Adults, for example, should be fed 3 times a day, and rabbits should be fed up to 5. In order to provide themselves with quality meat and wool in the future, it is necessary to properly balance the daily diet. It should include:
- vitamins and minerals;
- fiber - fruits, vegetables, branches, bark;
- carbohydrates - bran, oats, wheat, corn, melons;
- fats - sunflower, hemp and flax seeds;
- proteins - meat, bone and fish meal, fresh grass, hay, legumes, cake.
It is very important to provide animals with constant access to water (even in the winter season). It must be fresh and clean, and in winter also warm. Care must be taken to prevent dirt, food and stool from entering it. It is best to use nipple drinkers.
Rabbits flanders
This breed is considered the largest in the world, so the breeding and keeping of rabbits flanders is slightly different from growing other breeds. It is in great demand among farmers both because of dietary meat, and because of good skins. Animals are characterized by unpretentiousness, calmness and good adaptation to new conditions of detention. In addition, these rabbits were increasingly bred as decorative, at home
The first representatives of this breed were much smaller than modern individuals. They had an uneven gray-red color with bright areas, and also had huge ears.
Now flanders have weight:
- maximum - 25 kg;
- individual individuals - 10-12 kg;
- average - 7 kg.
These Belgian giants are large and look very clumsy, but in fact the animals boast excellent agility and great paw strength. Flanders are distinguished by a long body (about 67 cm), a deep and wide chest (girth 37 cm), a slightly concave or straight back, a large head, dense and long ears, voluminous cheeks. The ears of the Belgian giant can reach 25 cm in size.
Representatives of this breed also differ in thick, high and dense fur with various colors:
- gray metal;
- dark gray;
- yellow gray;
- grayed out.
Sometimes you can find white flanders, but this color is not considered standard. The length of the fur in such an animal is about 3.5 cm, and the color of its claws most often matches the color of the coat.
By the way, the ears of the Belgian giant resemble burdock in shape, which gives the animals a kind of cute and homely look. This feature of appearance perfectly suits their slightly awkward appearance.
Conditions of detention
Due to the unique characteristics of the representatives of this breed, they began to breed more and more often at home, abandoning dogs and cats. However, this does not mean that breeders do not pay attention to these giants. Quite the opposite! 10 kg of pure meat from one individual and high-quality fur will make any farmer think about growing flanders in his farm.
Due to the fact that this breed has a very impressive size, housing should also be spacious and large. A cage for rabbits must be equipped with a drinking bowl and a clean feeder.
The best option for breeding giants would be to use a mini-aviary, where there is no limit in height, but there is a large area for walking. However, such structures require too much space in the open, so for breeders who do not have a summer house or private house, it is recommended to use spacious cells for growing flanders. For breeding and keeping rabbits at home, it is necessary to build a cage, the minimum size of which should be:
- for a female with offspring - 170 x 110 x 50 cm;
- for male - 110 x 70 x 50 cm.
As litter in the cells, hay is most often used. Before cleaning the cages, animals pre-sit in another place in order to conduct cleaning work more efficiently. It is also recommended to regularly disinfect cells with a special disinfecting solution. To do this, it is best to use a mini sprayer. Thus, raising flanders rabbits is a very interesting and profitable activity.
Feeding the Flanders
Belgian giants are unpretentious in food. However, this does not mean at all that the feeding process will not cause some difficulties for the breeder. These animals are very voracious, so they are constantly looking for something to chew. So you should stock up on feed in large quantities.
Despite this feature, it is necessary to make sure that the diet is balanced and complete - this will allow you to grow large and healthy animals. When the slightest symptoms of malaise appear (hair loss, trembling in the limbs, itching, lack of appetite, lethargy), it is recommended to immediately seek help from a veterinary clinic.
Adults should be fed twice a day. It is important that the flandra diet contains feed every day - grain mixtures and grains, as well as root vegetables and vegetables - cabbage, beets, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin. Too wet and juicy foods should be given with great care, because they have laxative properties and can cause diarrhea in the animal.
In the summer, it is worth adding tree branches and grass to the diet. However, it is not worth overfeeding the flanders with hay (it will be enough to use about 30 grams of dried feed per individual). Also, do not forget about the constant access to fresh and clean water.
The rules for feeding flanders are as follows:
- It is strictly forbidden to give animals spoiled food (with traces of freezing, rot or mold);
- fresh cabbage must be included in the diet with a small amount of dry feed;
- root crops should be washed thoroughly from dirt, and cut into small pieces;
- Before giving the animal legumes, they must be soaked in water for 3-4 hours;
- fresh grass is recommended to wither a little;
- new food should be introduced into the diet gradually, in small portions.
Subject to all the above conditions, as well as with timely cleaning of the cells, you can practically not worry about the health of pets.
Hygiene and Care
Speaking about breeding and keeping rabbits at home, one can not help but say a few words about the rules of hygiene. Belgian giants are considered unpretentious animals, so they will not require complicated personal care. Also, this breed practically does not differ in some features of the content (not counting the need for large cells). Therefore, it will be sufficient only in time to change the litter in the home and monitor cleanliness, avoiding the appearance of unpleasant odors. Also, do not forget about the timely vaccination of animals.
In the hot season, it is necessary to clean the cage with the animals in a cool room, in which direct sunlight does not penetrate, since prolonged exposure of the animals to the sun can lead to heat or sunstroke. Also, cells or aviaries can simply be covered with grass, branches or straw, so that the sun does not bother your pets. In the cold season, it is necessary to increase the layer of litter, as well as protect animals from exposure to strong drafts.
If animals are constantly indoors, then one should not forget about regular ventilation, as well as access to sunlight, because the complete absence of vitamin D can also negatively affect the health of rabbits.
As you can see, breeding and keeping rabbits at home can be not only interesting, but also very profitable. The main thing to do is to properly care for your household and constantly develop.