How to raise a rabbit in the country. Simple ways to optimize your rabbitry. Rabbits feeding norms

02.03.2020

most accessible and effective way raising rabbits is their content in summer cottages. On a small area (up to 10 sq.m.) during the warm period of the year, up to 50-60 animals can be grown. At the same time, weeds from the site can be used for feeding. In order to maximize the use of the available space, it is necessary to install 2-3 tiered cages (batteries), each of which should have a tray for animal waste, a feeder, a drinker and a bunker (nursery) for hay. They should be located in calm and quiet places. Approximate cage size: 60x100x55 cm. In the absence of suitable premises, cages are installed outdoors. At the same time, a canopy is made above them to protect from the sun and rain.

For starters, you can purchase 1 pregnant rabbit and 2 males. After 4 months, the offspring will be ready for mating. At one time, each female can bring 5-6 rabbits. Acquire animals in late winter - early spring. To get the maximum amount of meat, you can purchase 3-4 females of breeds such as New Zealand White and Red, California. At the same time, males can be of the Gray and White giant breeds, Lop-eared ram. When crossing these breeds, a fast-growing offspring is obtained, which matures very quickly and gains weight (at the age of 3 months - up to 3.5 kg). In one summer season, you can get up to 60 kg of meat. In the event that the cottage has suitable outbuildings in which cages can be placed, rabbits can also be raised in winter. At the same time, the temperature in the room should not fall below + 6 °C.

In winter, animals need to provide additional lighting with LED lamps. With year-round breeding, up to 30 rabbits are obtained from one female. At the same time, up to 5-7 females should fall on 1 male. In summer, mating is done in the morning and evening, and in winter - in the afternoon.

Juicy feeds are used for feeding, such as vegetables (except tomatoes), root crops, fruits (except fruits containing grape acid), herbs, gourds and roughage (hay, dry leaves, twigs), concentrated feeds (bran, compound feed, cereals and legumes (except peas, soybeans and beans), food waste). Also in the diet it is necessary to include feed of animal origin (fish oil, milk, bone flour), mineral supplements. Plants such as celandine, radish, mustard, dope, ranunculus, poisonous milestones, hemlock, henbane, and chaff should not be given to animals, as they are poisonous.

After the end of the molting of rabbits (November), they are fattened and prepared for slaughter. Animals are not fed for 12 hours before slaughter. To prevent various diseases of rabbits (myxamatosis, etc.), they need to be vaccinated in a timely manner. Cells must be regularly treated with special preparations to prevent the appearance of blood-sucking insects.

Raising rabbits in the garage

Who does not have a summer cottage or a personal plot can breed rabbits in the garage. Of course, this requires a fairly spacious garage that can accommodate several cages. Animals can be placed both indoors and in its basement. The place where the rabbits will be should not be cluttered, as foreign objects will make cleaning difficult. One of the main conditions for raising rabbits in the garage is the presence of forced ventilation. It should be borne in mind that the more animals are kept, the stronger the smell from them will be. Garage breeding of rabbits provides for moderate lighting of the room. To do this, you can install a LED lamp that runs on 12 V.

In the garage, rabbits are kept in cages with a slatted bottom. Drinkers, feeders, a hay bin are installed in them. For females, you need to equip a nesting compartment. Mounted queen cells with nests that can be removed from the cage are very convenient. In cages for young animals, 2 compartments must be provided, one of which is used for walking animals, and the second as a shelter.

In a brick or reinforced concrete garage, animals can be grown all year round, and in a metal garage only when there is no threat of overheating in the sun. In the cold season, space heating may be required (especially if there are small rabbits). In a 4x6 m room with forced ventilation, up to 20 rabbits can be raised at the same time.

As a rule, people raising rabbits in the garage pay attention to animals 1-2 times a week. At this time, they remove the waste products of the rabbits, fill the drinkers, feeders and hay bin.

The countryside is the perfect place to breed rabbits

The countryside is the best place for intensive breeding of rabbits. At the same time, here you can not only raise animals on a personal plot, but also create entire rabbit farms. The benefit lies not only in obtaining dietary meat, but also in skins that can bring additional income rabbit breeder.

The maximum benefit is brought by such breeds as the White and Gray Giant, Californian, Belgian and German Giant (Rizen), Chinchilla. These rabbits are very large, and therefore their skins are valued higher than others.

Cellular batteries must be placed on a surface foundation. They must be arranged in a special way: from north to south - in length; deaf side - to the west; the front side of the cells - to the east. The dimensions of the frame of a 3-tier battery, made of timber with a section of 10x10 cm: width - 0.5 m; length - 6.5 m; the height of the back wall is 1.6 m, and the front wall is 1.8 m. The frame is divided into 5 cells 0.5x0.7x0.5 m in size for young animals and 1 cage, 0.5x1x0.5 m in size - for the female. At the points of contact of the cells, free gaps of 20 cm are left. Nursery feeders for succulent feed are mounted in them. The entire structure is sheathed with mesh, plywood or board. Any cells must have a walking room (0.5x0.5 m) and a corner. The front wall (door) attached to the base with hinges and the floor in the walking room are sheathed with a welded or galvanized mesh (1.5x2 cm). Bunker feeders and drip drinkers are attached to it. The roof of the cell battery is sloping (the angle of inclination is about 20 degrees). best material for her - galvanized iron.

To get the maximum amount of meat, you can breed accelerated rabbits that live in special structures - mini-farms. These animals can be of different breeds. Their difference from ordinary rabbits lies in the technology of their cultivation for many generations. The mini-farm occupies approximately 6 sq.m. land plot. Taking into account all passages, its area is 20 sq.m. Accelerates grow much faster in such dwellings, have tasty meat and high-quality fur. At the same time, accelerator rabbits require less feed. So up to 4 months (slaughter age) the animal eats only 11-12 kg of feed and 6-7 kg of hay. Such animals have a strong immune system, so they can not be vaccinated. Accelerator rabbits are practically odorless, which allows them to be grown on a personal plot without causing discomfort to neighbors.

Some villagers breed rabbits in specially dug holes.

This method is not welcomed by specialists, since the general keeping of animals leads to uncontrolled crossing and the rapid spread of diseases. This method of cultivation is applicable only to medium-sized breeds.

For any breed of rabbits, you can use the following universal feed:

oats, wheat - 30%;
barley, corn - 30%;
wheat bran - 15%;
meal and cake - 15%;
meat and bone and fish meal - 3%;
premixes (according to the norm per 1 kg of feed);
salt - 1%.

In rural areas, it is possible to harvest hay on their own, which significantly reduces the cost of keeping rabbits. The healthiest hay comes from alfalfa (rich in calcium and growth-promoting protein). In the meadows, you can harvest timothy grass, dandelion leaves, cereals, clover, sow thistle, yarrow, plantain, nettle. Fresh grass needs to be dried a little in the sun. Also in the villages, you can harvest sprigs of various trees, vegetables and root crops in sufficient quantities. The cost of feed in rural areas will be noticeably lower than in urban areas, and therefore rabbit breeding is more profitable there. To increase the productivity of animals, chalk and sprouted grain are added to their diet. Special vitamins and probiotics can be added to clean water, which have a beneficial effect on animal health and metabolism. In the presence of succulent feed, the need for water in rabbits decreases slightly, and increases in winter and spring. In winter, warm water is poured into the drinkers after each feeding.

Rabbits in the country house are a great alternative for those who live in an apartment and cannot organize a household right in their yard, as is possible in a private house. Also, breeding rabbits in the country is a great opportunity to make a profit and provide your family with high-quality meat products.

However, like other branches of farming, rabbit breeding has its own nuances. Therefore, before purchasing animals, you will need to study the recommendations for their maintenance. Today we will talk about how to keep rabbits in a summer cottage.

First you need to decide on the purpose of breeding animals, because all breeds of rabbits are divided into the following groups:

skins - they are grown only to obtain a valuable skin (fluff);
meat - are characterized by rapid growth in a short period;
meat-skins - universal breeds rabbits.

Often, farmers start breeding with a few rabbits, it is not necessary to immediately purchase a large number of individuals. You can gradually replenish the farm with new pets.

Breeds of rabbits for initial breeding

For breeding individuals in the country, it is advisable to choose the most unpretentious breeds. Such animals have good health, are distinguished by good survival. Below we will talk about which rabbits are recommended for beginners to start in summer cottages.

Meat breed New Zealand white

The grown individuals of this breed have an average body size, their weight reaches about 4.5 kilograms. Representatives of this breed do not have excess body fat, and therefore their meat is very tender and is considered dietary.

External features:

short neck;
tight ears;
Red eyes;
massive back;
white wool.

The females of this breed are quite prolific - there are up to 12 rabbits in one litter, and each weighs about 46 grams. Therefore, it is extremely profitable to breed such rabbits - from two or three females you can get all the other inhabitants of the mini-farm.

Meat breed French sheep

Cells will need to be prepared in accordance with the following rules:

It is advisable to place the front side of the cage to the east - this will protect the individuals from the unwanted effects of the sun.
The air temperature should be from 16 to 19 degrees, it is unacceptable to leave animals in the cold or in the heat.
The humidity in the cages should be around 65-67%. Excessive dampness leads to the development of various infections that provoke the death of animals.
Cages are recommended to be installed in a place protected from constant drafts.

It is important to provide optimal space for each individual. You should not keep livestock in cramped conditions, otherwise it will negatively affect their productivity. In addition, because of such errors, rodents can begin problems with the joints.

If in the summer and in the off-season the rabbits will feel good in street cages, then for the winter you need to provide them with a warm room - a rabbitry.

Pet accommodation options

There are the following ways of keeping rabbits:

floor;
cellular.

The first option is convenient for those who do not have to spend money on the creation and arrangement of cells. The livestock is placed in any barn, aviary. However, the room will have to be carefully prepared, protected from external enemies.

However, this method has its downsides:

a high probability of closely related crossing (males and females are kept in different rabbitries);
the rapid spread of diseases during the epidemic;
conflicts over territory between individuals.

Most rabbit breeders prefer to keep animals in cages. You can choose both stationary and portable designs. Portable cages are especially convenient for winter maintenance, they can be placed in a heated room at any time.

The following advantages of cell content are distinguished:

rational consumption of feed mixtures;
the possibility of breeding selection of individuals;
there is no mass spread of diseases.

Therefore, saving on the construction of cells is inappropriate. The best option for country maintenance is a cellular battery in several tiers.

Cell battery dimensions

frame rabbit cages is a massive structure that has the following dimensions:

length - 6.8 meters;
width - 60 centimeters;
front wall in height - 2 meters;
the back wall in height is 1.8 meters.

The platform on the front side of the cages should be 35 cm above the floor level. This will help facilitate the process of cleaning the top row.

For the manufacture of cages, timber and metal are used. The second option is the most wear-resistant, in addition, metal structures are much easier to clean from contamination.

In the middle part of the frame there are boards for fixing the cells:

1st row - 30 cm from the floor level;
2nd row - 50 cm from the floor level;
3rd row - 50 cm from the floor level.

Install the cell battery on the foundation or iron racks. The foundation can be built from bricks, stones. It will be necessary to build cages of different sizes - for young rabbits - 50x70x30 centimeters, for giving birth to females - 50x100x30 centimeters.

Arrangement of the cell

The internal arrangement of the cells includes straw or hay bedding, as well as a feeder and drinker. For females, the cages should be more spacious, each of them has a “room” for walking and a nest for childbirth with a blank front wall. A maternity room must be provided in all cages where rabbits and young animals are kept - animals like to hide in such a nook from various dangers.

For each tier, pallets are usually provided at an angle - they are periodically taken out and cleaned of dirt. The cages also have feeders and drinkers. There are many ready-made purchased options for this utensil, and the simplest feeder can be made by hand.

Table 1. Feeder for rabbits from a sewer pipe: step by step instructions

Illustration	Description
	Step one: a PVC pipe of the required diameter is selected and cut to the desired length.
	Step two: plugs are installed on both sides of the pipe (they can be purchased in the same department, next to the pipes).
	Step three: a piece of plastic is cut out in one of the longitudinal sides so that the pipe resembles a gutter - food will be located in it.
	Step four: the pipe is screwed to the wooden base legs with screws so that the feeder is stable and the rabbits cannot turn it over.

Feeding rabbits

With the right diet, high productivity of individuals can be achieved. Typically, the rodent menu consists of the following products:

concentrates: cereals, combined feed, protein production waste;
roughage: dry grass, branches of birch, poplar, willow;
green fodder: fresh herbs, including nettle, dandelion, yarrow, tops of root crops;
succulent feed: boiled and raw potatoes, sugar beet, cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke.

When feeding livestock with green fodder, it is important to consider that there are herbs that are dangerous to the health of rodents. These include:

elder;
larkspur;
celandine;
horse dill;
wild rosemary.

Rabbits need plenty of water to grow properly. But there are certain nuances of supplying liquid to the drinker:

Water must be changed at every feeding.
it is advisable to give individuals water heated to 30 degrees, especially small rabbits;
It is not recommended to give pets tap water, it should stand for several hours.

Animals must receive all the nutrients in the right amount all year round, so it is important to take into account the peculiarities of the summer and winter diet. In winter, when animals do not have enough fresh herbs, you need to “strengthen” the menu with vegetables and fruits.

summer feeding

In the warm season, the diet of rabbits is green food, tree branches, root crops. The exact amount of food is calculated individually, depending on the age of the individual.

Table 2. Calculation of the summer diet for each group of individuals

Important point! If the rabbit's diet contains a large amount of succulent feed and branches, then grass consumption should be reduced. In addition, it is recommended to dry the herbs a little before feeding.

winter feeding

In the winter season, rabbits have to waste energy on heating their own bodies, which is why more concentrates and roughage are included in the diet.

Table 3. Calculation of the winter diet for each group of individuals

You can buy ready-made feed for rabbits in veterinary pharmacy, but some farmers prefer to prepare their own mixtures. We offer a simple recipe for universal compound feed for adult rabbits below.

Table 3. Ingredients for rabbit feed

Ingredient/Proportion	Illustration
Barley flour - 20%
Shredded corn - 10%
Crushed wheat - 10%
Herbal flour - 40%
Oilseed cake - 10%
Ground soybeans - 5%
Meat and bone meal - 2.7%
Feed yeast - 2%
Salt - 0.3%

The ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and poured with water. It is desirable to add warm water to the mixture, because the steamed feed is better absorbed in the body of rabbits.

Important point! Animals should have constant access to a drinking bowl with water, especially if there is dry food in the diet.

Video - Feeding rabbits

Rabbit Care

To ensure that the animals are comfortable, it is important to regularly clean the cages or enclosures. Such measures will help to avoid the spread of various infections.

Cleaning involves the following steps:

daily cleaning of pallets;
bedding replacement;
complete disinfection of the premises every 60 days.

To protect rodents from various infections, veterinarians recommend vaccinating the entire livestock. The first vaccination is given to rabbits at the age of 1.5 months, because before this period, young animals have strong immunity, which rodents receive through mother's milk.

Despite the fact that rabbits are quite unpretentious to negative environmental changes, as a result of an epidemic, the entire livestock may die. Sick individuals or rabbits with suspicion of any ailment should be immediately placed in a separate cage for quarantine and invite a veterinarian to them.

Reproduction of individuals

Puberty in rabbits occurs rapidly. Closer to 5 months of life, they are ready to bear offspring on their own. The degree of fertility of females depends on the breed, usually they bring from 6 to 12 rabbits (some rabbits have 15 cubs in a litter).

In summer conditions, it is advisable to start breeding individuals from the end of winter. So for the warm period of the year there will be an opportunity to grow individuals. Rabbits do an excellent job of mating on their own - you just need to plant sexually mature males and females together.

Is it worth it to breed rabbits in the country?

You can highlight the obvious advantages of breeding rabbits in your summer cottage:

the opportunity to have additional income from the sale of meat products and skins;
high demand for farm products;
minimum costs for feed in the summer season;
high fertility in females.

Rabbit breeding also has its negative sides:

predisposition of animals of certain breeds to infections;
costs for the purchase of feed, equipment, vaccines;
high mortality rate among young animals;
the cost of calling a veterinarian.

It is important to calculate the profitability of the farm in advance, and only then buy the first rabbits. Experts advise giving preference to highly productive breeds. However, some summer residents keep a small number of rabbits just as a hobby - then they become full-fledged pets.

Summing up

Every person without special skills can breed animals such as rabbits in the country. It is only important to prepare a room for keeping rabbits in accordance with all the rules and calculate how much food they will need in order to provide them with comfortable conditions.

Video - Features of breeding rabbits in the country

Interview with Mikhail Kuryakhov, CEO LLC "Ural-MIAKRO"

Mikhail Kuryakhov, General Director of Ural-MIAKRO LLC, told the portal about the intricacies of doing business for beginner rabbit breeders.

- What is the main thing in this business and what aspects are less important? What is most often forgotten or overlooked?

First of all, a beginner rabbit breeder must decide who will buy his products. The main thing in this business, and in many other types of business, is the ability to soberly assess your resources on initial stage. Most often, people simply do not fully understand who their products are made for, do not calculate all the costs, do not develop a strategy in detail, and suffer losses and burn out on this.

- What profit can you get if you breed rabbits not just for the soul, but master intensive technologies?

- The amount of profit can be estimated only when you know the size of investments. With the introduction of advanced technologies, the profitability is more than 70%.

How common is “home” rabbit breeding in our country now? And what is the average farm size (if we talk about small ones)?

Farm rabbit breeding has been developing quite successfully in recent years. In my opinion, the average size of modern farms 30 to 50 nesting rabbits.

- There is an opinion that it is possible to breed rabbits even in a city apartment if there is a desire and free space. Is it so?

Of course not ... rabbits can be kept, and not bred in a city apartment, - says Mikhail Alexandrovich, - and it is precisely decorative rocks. Breeding rabbits is an agricultural business associated with many inconveniences. It is unlikely that your neighbors apartment building will be delighted with the smells of your pets' waste from the balcony. That's why land plot essential for such a business.

Is it really possible to build a cage for rabbits with your own hands? Or is it not so much about the ability to make cells, but about some special technology?

Cells can really be built with your own hands. Most farmers do just that. Moreover, there is a certain stereotype of rabbit cell models. During construction, it is important to arrange everything in such a way that it would be convenient for the animal to live there, develop and breed there, Kuryakhov sums up.

The best cages for rabbits are the ones that I made myself.

If you want to get a rabbit hutch for cheap, your best bet is to make your own. It is ease of manufacture, low cost and ease of maintenance that should become the main criteria when choosing a drawing for the construction of a rabbit cage.

Pay special attention to the arrangement of the cell floor!

In the feeding section for rabbits of the main herd and replacement young animals, it is better to make slatted floors, while using hardwoods (oak, maple, beech) or plastic. In the nesting compartment and in the plug-in nest, the floors can be made of solid wood. In all other cases, cages should be built with solid board floors, and even better, a double floor should be arranged.

It should be remembered that it is impossible to keep rabbits on a mesh floor for a long time - this leads to paws and the development of pododermatitis. The best solution in this case would be the organization of removable removable floors that can be regularly cleaned of dirt.

If you make solid plank floors in rabbit cages, they must necessarily have a slope towards the back wall. The difference in floor height (slope) should be approximately 5 cm. A double floor can be arranged in several ways, for example, by laying a removable tessel floor on a slatted or mesh floor. In the second case, the cage is the most hygienic.

“There are no ideal cells, to be honest,” Mikhail Alexandrovich believes, “everyone has his own offspring closer. The rabbit breeding technology includes, in addition to certain cage designs, a number of technological processes, the introduction of which together gives very good results.

This article will be useful for beginner rabbit breeders. After all, breeding rabbits is interesting and profitable - it is not only valuable fur, but also several kilograms of dietary, very tasty meat. To make your rabbit farm as profitable as possible, you need to know a lot of interesting things. In this article, you will learn how to grow and maintain them, fight diseases, take preventive measures, methods of treatment and features of their biology.

Fig / Photo 1 to the article: Breeding rabbits in the country

In home gardens and farms, rabbits are raised both for meat and for using skins for fur. There are about 200 breeds of rabbits. Breeds such as the white giant, gray giant, Californian breed, Risen - German giant, Belgian giant, chinchilla, silver are large, grow quickly, give good fur.

Rabbits are bred not only in the country and in rural areas suburban areas but also in cities. Rabbits must be kept in cages. This allows breeding work to be carried out correctly, feed calculation, treatment and prevention, new breeds were bred. Nowadays, many undertake to raise rabbits, some for themselves, and some for business.

Legends are told about their incredible fertility. In one Riga village, a resident grew so many eared ears that he could not count them. Very strong fecundity of rabbits was noted on the Australian continent, where they multiplied very quickly, due to the lack of predators. The Americans made the rabbit the symbol of the men's Playboy magazine because of the speed of reproduction. Rabbits are very prolific, they can bring up to 80 or more rabbits per season. Rabbits at the age of 4-6 months are already able to give offspring 4-5 litters per year, each with 5-6 rabbits. Experienced rabbit breeders get offspring from one female to 60-70 heads. About 1-1.5 kg of valuable fluff is obtained from the Angora breed.

Fig / Photo 2 to the article: Breeding rabbits in the country

What and how to feed rabbits? They feed rabbits with hay, fresh grass, root crops, because they contain many vitamins they need.

limited rabbit food.

The most useful is alfalfa hay. It contains a lot of calcium and protein, which promotes the growth of rabbits. Timothy grass hay and, of course, oats are also useful.

Fig / Photo 3 to the article: Breeding rabbits in the country

You need to gradually add vegetables to the hay, such as carrots, parsley, lettuce, dandelion greens, grass - euphorbia. It is undesirable to feed rabbits with tomatoes, beans and even, as many people think, cabbage. It is better to feed rabbits with a balanced diet - vegetables and hay, vegetables should be given more than hay and chopped feed. In winter, top dressing should be added - chalk, salt, sprouted grain, bran. Lactating rabbits are fed according to a special regime, rabbits begin to feed from the 16th day.

Fresh, green food used for feeding - cereals, clover, burdock, plantain, dandelion, wormwood, spurge, sow thistle, yarrow, nettle, beet leaves and some trees. Before feeding, the grass should dry out in the sun. Grass, peas, vetch, clover should be given very carefully so as not to cause intestinal diseases. It is given no more than 60 g with cereal herbs per adult rabbit per day. A quick transition from dry food to fresh herbs causes flatulence in young animals, and can cause death. Starting from 50 gr., Gradually bring the amount of fresh grass to 500 gr. yes 10 days, and then - and up to 1 - 1.5 kg per day. For young animals from 1 to 4 months, these norms are 100 - 800 gr. per day.

The need of rabbits for water.

An important place for proper nutrition of rabbits is clean water. For rabbits to be healthy, they need to regularly receive a certain amount of fresh, fortified with vitamins and probiotics water. It improves metabolism and digestion of food. Protects against flatulence, dehydration and hypovitaminosis in rabbits. In summer and autumn, rabbits get a lot of liquid along with succulent feed, and as for winter and spring, rabbits need more water during these periods, especially in combination with dry food. If the rabbits are not drinking water, try changing the drinkers.

Fig / Photo 4 to the article: Breeding rabbits in the country

It is necessary to pour water into the feeders after each feeding, but so that it cannot become ice. It is better to use warm water, or you can use snow.

Very convenient and low-cost method at home breeding rabbits in pits. This is only possible if the groundwater in your area is low enough to avoid flooding.

Giant rabbits are not suitable for this method, pit breeding method is effective for medium sized rabbits. Rabbits can also be bred in a basement or cellar. To breed rabbits in pits, it is necessary that there are at least a few dozen of them initially, then this will give a good result.

The first step is to prepare a hole measuring 2x2 meters and a depth of at least 1 meter. The floor and walls of the pit should be bricked up, and at the bottom of the wall it is important to mark the beginning of the hole with a shovel, which the rabbits will dig. It is important to make the entrance to the hole a few centimeters above the floor level in order to leave room for manure and earth. If you make a shutter for the hole, then this will make it easy to catch rabbits. It is important to install a roof over the pit to protect it from rain. The pit itself must be prudently protected from predators. Manure and earth must be periodically raked out with a shovel. Feeders and drinkers should be placed along the wall. The large size of the drinkers will protect the rabbits from being crushed. Rabbits themselves will dig holes, increasing their living space.

Diseases of rabbits.

According to statistics, an average of 10% of rabbits die from the herd every year, and 25% are culled due to diseases. Rabbits are sensitive to the presence of ammonia in the air, poor-quality feed, and infectious diseases.

At healthy rabbit good appetite, coat shiny, smooth. There are no discharges from the nose and mouth, even breathing, normal temperature, mucous membranes without deviations.

sick rabbits they can be anxious at the sight of people, or do not react to sound and are inactive, they can be lethargic, their hair is without shine, disheveled. There may be purulent and mucous discharge from the eyes and nose. there may be constipation, diarrhea, vomiting. The most common diseases:

Some examples infectious diseases of rabbits :

Ear scabies of rabbits - posroptosis (caused by a scabies mite), the incubation period is 1-5 days, the disease is easily treatable with ointments, emulsions and aerosols.

Coccidiosis is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract. The incubation period is 2-3 days! For prevention purposes, it is not recommended to keep hay warm near the cages.

Cysticercosis is a liver disease of rabbits. For the purposes of prevention, it is forbidden to keep dogs on a rabbit farm, with the exception of a guard dog. There are homeopathic preparations for the prevention of this cysticercosis.

This is only a small part of the possible diseases of rabbits. It is necessary to focus on the prevention of various diseases and providing immunity to your pets, then you will not have to personally get acquainted with a huge list of possible rabbit diseases.

For rabbit disease prevention, you should observe the hygiene of feeding, maintenance, provide rabbits with ecological, varied food, rich in vitamins and minerals. Saturate food with probiotic cultures. Check the herd for health problems. If there are signs of illness, contact your veterinarian immediately. Inspect rabbits and mammary glands of females for staphylococcus aureus. Isolate diseased rabbits and treat their cages, disinfecting the entire habitat, quickly evacuate animal corpses. Take the corpses of dead rabbits for an autopsy to a veterinarian to examine the internal organs. Provide rabbits with thermal comfort, maintain normal humidity levels, ventilate the room and do regular cleaning, avoiding poisoning of rabbits with ammonia fumes. Inspect the plantar surfaces of the paws of rabbits, maintain the floor of the cages in good condition. Avoid getting poisonous herbs in rabbit food - these are herbs such as dope, hemlock, horsetail, caustic buttercup, beet and potato tops. Avoid bruising, and when bruised, ensure peace for the rabbit. Insulate rabbit cages during severe frosts. At the first sign of frostbite, rabbits should be brought into a warm room.

Rabbits are not only valuable fur, but also a source of dietary meat, fluff and manure for a summer cottage. Their unique feature is that they have high precocity and fertility when minimal cost Money and labor.

Unlike birds, rabbits in the country take up very little space. Thanks to their placement in cellular batteries, it is possible on an area of 10 square meters. m for the summer season to grow up to 60 rabbits, while receiving about 110 kg of meat. Two or three rabbits with offspring can completely exterminate weeds in their summer cottage, since juicy green grass is the basis of their diet, and they consume it in unlimited quantities. To get all the delights of keeping rabbits (from watching them to financial profit), it is important to know a lot useful information about them.

The basis of the diet of rabbits is juicy green dried grass. For a year they eat more than 200 kg of it. At the same time, poisonous grass (hellenic, dope, celandine, buttercup, etc.) should not be given in any case. But bitter fragrant grass (wormwood, chicory, dill) they eat with great pleasure.

It will not be any particular problem to get rabbits in the country. You can buy them from experienced rabbit breeders. But before that, it is important to find out all the subtleties of keeping them on your site. If you follow all the rules, you can achieve high results. Rabbits are the earliest maturing (it takes several months to fatten them) and prolific domestic animals. From one female with her offspring in one year, you can get about 100 kg of meat and about 35 skins. Rabbits give offspring depending on the breed at the age of 4 - 6 months.

It is important to remember the following points. When planning to keep rabbits in the country when they are kept in the same herd (pits, attics, aviaries), serious problems will inevitably arise. Uncontrolled replenishment of the herd, due to mating with close relatives, will lead to a decrease in productivity. Cramping will lead to the risk of dangerous diseases, in particular coccidosis. Large males will arrange fights for females.

Most The best way content - separate cells! Under the riser of cells, a site is chosen in a quiet, calm place in the garden. As low humidity as possible.

Breeding rabbits in the country requires compliance with the sex ratio of animals. There are usually 6 - 9 females per rabbit. After covering, the female does not let him near her, so it is quite easy to establish this moment. The duration of pregnancy is 29 - 31 days. In 5 - 7 days after birth, in which up to 9 rabbits appear, the female again comes into the hunt. This is often used for later mating with the male.

Growing rabbits in the country makes mandatory requirements - the presence of clean and fresh water, a dry cage, and balanced feed. As well as constant monitoring of their condition and behavior. Observing all the requirements, you can have a constant high income, since the meat, skins and fluff of rabbits are always highly valued and expensive. Currently, the rabbit industry is almost completely controlled by private farms. They are the main suppliers of products obtained from these animals.

Depending on the purpose, the following breeds of rabbits are distinguished: meat, meat-skin, skin and down. The most suitable breeds for breeding in the country are the gray giant, butterfly, chinchilla. They give good fur, grow quickly and are large.