The gray giant rabbit was bred in 1952, in the Poltava region. His ancestors are the Belgian Flanders and local outbred rabbits. The main goal of selection is adaptability to life in a cold climate, unpretentiousness in maintenance, while maintaining product qualities. The breed is still popular, especially in small private farms.

Description of the breed

The gray giant rabbit belongs to the meat-skin direction. It has a large size, an average meat yield (about 55-57%), and a large fluffy skin, its area reaches 3 m². Here are the main characteristics and description of the breed:

• Average weight - 4-7 kg (for a male about 6 kg, for females - 7 kg)
• Length - 66 cm
• Breast girth under the shoulder blades - 37-40 cm
• The body is powerful, muscular, with strong bones
• The head is round, slightly rough
• The ears are thick, erect and straight, rounded at the tips.
• The body is elongated, massive
• The breast is wide and deep, there is a small dewlap
• The back is wide and long
• The paws are long, straight, the thighs are well developed.
• Croup rounded and wide
• The coat is thick and fluffy.

A typical gray giant rabbit in the photo resembles a hare. But the coloration within the breed is heterogeneous. There are several options for gray suit, and even white. But all white rabbits are now bred into a separate breed, the white giant. Here are the main rabbit color options:

• hare or agouti (most common)
• Iron gray or gray
• dark gray
• Black

In agouti rabbits, the abdomen is painted white, and the paws are also light. The outer hair has an uneven color. It is gray or silver at the base, red in the middle, and dark at the tip. The dark gray animals have blue hair, while the glandular gray color is uneven, resembling gray hair.

Rabbit Care

The gray giant rabbit breed is unpretentious in content. They are grown in any home conditions, some lovers manage to keep the animals even in the apartment. Rabbits can be found not only in mild southern climates, but also in northern latitudes. They quickly adapt to cold climates and rarely get sick. If all vaccinations are done, epizootics among giants are easily avoided.

The main requirements for maintenance are spacious, good-quality cages facing the sun and protected from direct rays. Avoid drafts and keep cages clean. The floor is upholstered with tin to protect the cage from the penetration of rats, and the giant rabbits from wounding their paws. In the far corner, a mother liquor is equipped, measuring 30 × 60 × 30 centimeters. Above it, it is recommended to make a cover in order to more conveniently monitor the nest and rabbits.

A gray giant puts a bowl of water in a cage for rabbits, it is advisable to make a nursery for hay and a container for compound feed. Clean the cells 1-2 times a week. Disinfected with a blowtorch, slaked lime, 10% bleach solution. Be sure to decontaminate cages after rabbits that have suffered infectious diseases. Thorough disinfection is carried out in the dwelling for new rabbits, pregnant females and rabbits.

Feeding rabbits

The rabbits of the gray giant breed eat a lot, but they don’t sort out the feed. The main thing is that feeding should be regular, two or three times a day. The emptying of the intestines of rabbits occurs only when a new portion of food enters the stomach. If they eat irregularly, they suffer from constipation and other intestinal problems. Overfeeding or underfeeding is also harmful. Females and males lose interest in mating, breed poorly, get sick more often. All products must be of high quality, their storage conditions must comply with the requirements of hygiene.

The feeding and diet of gray giant rabbits includes the following foods and types of food:

• Hay, preferably from meadow grasses
• Tops of garden plants
• Legumes (about 15-20% of the diet)
• Succulent foods (root crops, sometimes fruits)
• Compound feed and cereals
• Branch feed.

In summer, the main emphasis in feeding giants is on grass, slightly dried in the sun. In winter, the basis of the diet is hay, grain, twigs and root crops. It is necessary to transfer from one type of feed to another gradually, within a week. Be sure to put a salt stone, chalk or mineral fertilizer in the cage. Vitamin supplements are given in the spring. Rabbits of the gray giant breed gain weight better, give a greater yield of meat if there are a lot of proteins in their diet. But don't overdo it, as protein foods make rabbits more susceptible to intestinal infections, such as coccidiosis.

Breeding rabbits

Breeding gray giant rabbits at home is profitable and uncomplicated. Females mature late, at about 7-8 months. But they are distinguished by great fertility. For one round they bring from 8 to 11 cubs. Rabbits are born strong, weighing about 80 grams. Rabbits are good mothers, their milk feeding lasts 40-50 days, without interruption. A big plus of the gray giant rabbit breed is that females never eat babies.

Best big breeds rabbits: Gray Giant.

Flandre, Risen, Gray giant (Weight, color, fertility.)

Rabbit breed gray giant

Rabbits gain weight at an average rate. Their weight is 0.9-1 kg per month. At good feeding by two months they reach 1.5 kg of weight. At three months, their weight is 2 kg, and at four - 2.6 kg. With an increased amount of proteins in food, the rate of weight gain increases by 10-15%, and slaughter weight up to 57-60%. The survival rate of rabbits is high, which levels out their slow weight gain. This makes the breed profitable for growing and breeding.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Rabbits of the gray giant breed were once very common. Now their popularity is declining. Other varieties appeared, with better indicators of weight, growth, meat yield and skin quality. Nevertheless, in private households, especially in Ukraine, Moldova, the southwestern regions of Russia, this is a popular breed. Here are its main advantages:

• High fertility and milk production of females, regardless of the conditions of detention
• Almost all rabbits survive, rarely get sick
• Adaptation to cold climates
• Easy maintenance and care
• Unpretentiousness in feed
• Calm disposition
• disease resistance
• Large skin area
• Delicious and nutritious meat.

A positive characteristic will be incomplete, because the breed of rabbits has a gray giant and a number of disadvantages:

• Genetic pathology - rabbits with thin, twisted legs
• High percentage of feed consumption, the need to make large stocks for the winter
• Low meat yield compared to other giant breeds
• Unevenly thickened skins, which reduces their quality.

Despite a number of shortcomings, the gray giant rabbit breed receives good feedback. You can buy it online or directly from private owners. The price of a monthly rabbit, weighing 1 kg, is approximately 70-80 hryvnia, or 400-500 rubles. Compared to other large rabbits, the cost of which reaches 1000-1500 rubles or 150-250 hryvnias, the price is quite low. If you are a beginner rabbit breeder, the breed is just right for you. After all, breeding, keeping and feeding animals is simple, and the amount of meat is large.

There are a huge number of breeds of rabbits, and some of them are very large. So, giant rabbits have become widespread throughout the world. They are bred for high quality meat and skins. In addition, they are kept as pets. Rabbits of the gray giant breed are among the best of their kind. Read about the history of their breeding, about caring for them in the article.

Rabbits of large breeds

As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of rabbits on the planet. Their varieties are valued for certain qualities. Most of all in giant breeds meat is valued. It is very tasty. It is widely used in the food industry around the world.

Another advantage of these animals is beautiful thick fur, from which warm products are made. The diversity of breeds of giant rabbits is explained by the fact that active work is underway to breed new varieties. Which ones are the best?

white giant

This breed appeared as a result of crossing large rabbits with chinchillas. These animals got their name for their color: it is pure white, any impurities of other shades never appear on their thick coat. Rabbits of this species have long ears, the size of which reaches 17 centimeters. They also have a strong body and developed chest. The females of this breed are very prolific: for one litter they bring 14 cubs, which are distinguished by excellent health and rapid growth.

Chinchilla

Chinchilla is not only the name of a rodent, but also a breed of rabbit. These animals weigh almost six kilograms. Their body is strong and strong: they have well-developed legs, a broad head and erect ears. In America, they are valued for the fact that the meat of these rabbits has excellent taste. Animals of this breed grow quickly. At the age of three months, they weigh almost four kilograms. Their fur is silky, dense, with a silvery sheen. At the roots it is dark blue, in the middle it is pearl, and at the very tips it is gray. Rabbits take great care of their offspring. For one round they can bring eight cubs.

Flanders

Another name for these animals is the Belgian giant. This breed is the largest of its kind. It is most widely used in the food industry. Thousands of rabbits of this variety are bred for meat. Their average weight reaches 10 kilograms, but there are cases when individual individuals grew up to 12 kilograms. It is these animals that are used in breeding new breeds of large rabbits. They have very tasty meat, but poor-quality fur, because their hair grows unevenly. Sometimes rabbits are born with incompletely developed or twisted legs. In adulthood, animals look awkward. Representatives of the Belgian Giant breed have a calm character, good vitality, and high fertility. For one okrol they bring up to 16 cubs.

a brief description of

Gray giant - a kind of rabbit large breeds. Animals got this name due to their color. It is this breed that will be discussed in the article. Their breeding began in the middle of the last century. The goal of breeders was to solve the food problems facing producers. The work was carried out near Poltava.

The main criterion by which individuals were selected for crossing was weight. Therefore, outbred rabbits and representatives of the largest varieties - Belgian flanders were used in the experiments. On average, the mass of gray giant rabbits reaches 5-7 kilograms.

This variety of rabbits belongs to two directions at once. One of them is meat. Animals of this breed have very tasty meat, which is highly valued around the world. Skins from giant rabbits are also removed. Their fur is thick and beautifully colored, which can contain various shades. The wool of rabbits is gray, white, black, reddish. At the same time, the belly and paws of the animal are painted white.

Description

The gray giant rabbit, which is discussed in this article, has a gray color in which different shades are mixed. Most often, the base of the hairs in these animals is bluish-gray, the middle part is brownish-yellow. The tips of the fur can be light yellow or very dark, almost black. The down is also dyed in different shades. In some individuals, it is bluish-gray, as at the base, in others it is yellow-brown or dark red. The weight of gray giant rabbits reaches 7-7.5 kilograms. The length of their body is measured 70-75 centimeters. There are a number of breed characteristics that a gray giant rabbit possesses.

• Strongly built frame.
• Large massive body.
• These animals have a rough head and thick long ears.
• Both the chest and the back are wide.
• The muscles on the long legs are well developed.

Breeding

Farmers-breeders of giant rabbits speak only positively about these animals. It is believed that it is very profitable to breed representatives of this particular breed for two reasons. First, they quickly gain weight. Secondly, the best qualities of females include their high fecundity. In addition, the gray giant rabbit (a description of the breed is presented in this article) is unpretentious. No need to create special conditions to breed these animals.

Females form earlier, and males, respectively, later. Therefore, at the time of the first mating, the male should be at the age of seven months, and the female - five. Later, mating should not be carried out, because the female stops growing and begins to gain weight due to body fat. The fatter the rabbit, the more difficult it is to fertilize her. For mating, the male and female should be placed in the same cage, after removing all drinkers and food from it. Next, you need to be patient and wait for mating.

As mentioned earlier, the gray giant rabbits are the most unpretentious in keeping. The description of the breed has already been given in this article, and now we need to talk about how to keep these animals. There are several rules:

• Representatives of this variety should be grown in spacious, clean cages.
• It is important to heat the location of the rabbits during the cold season, as animals can get sick from drafts, dampness and very low temperatures.
• Ensure that clean water is available at the place where rabbits are kept. Drinkers need to be refilled regularly.

Representatives of the gray giant breed are tolerant of change. temperature conditions. However, they prefer to be in warm places. Sanitary and hygienic standards should be observed where rabbits are kept. Cages should be cleaned regularly and periodically disinfected with a weak solution of bleach.

In the summer, cages can be placed outside, but they must be placed in the shade. If this is not possible, cover them with lids. In addition, it is important to protect animals from rodents. To do this, the bottom of the cells is sheathed with tin.

Feeding

It is very important to make the right diet, according to which gray giant rabbits will eat. Breeding these animals implies the creation of all conditions for rapid weight gain, so you need to carefully monitor what they eat. It is important that rabbits eat quality foods. Feed should be given to them often, but little.

The presence of proteins, microelements and vitamins in food is the key to successful rearing of rabbits. If it is not possible to give them all the necessary substances from food, you need to purchase pharmaceutical preparations for complementary foods. It is especially important to do this in the winter season. What should be given to animals?

• Vegetable tops, cornflowers, as well as greens. For example, wormwood and nettle.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables. You can not feed rabbits with rotten and dirty fruits.
• Crushed grain.

Advantages

There are a number of positive qualities that gray giant rabbits possess. The characteristics of these animals always contain information about the advantages of this breed. These include:

• Rapid weight gain. Baby rabbits are born very tiny. They weigh just over eight dozen grams, to be more precise - 81. In a month, their mass reaches almost 1.6 kilograms.

• They are undemanding to food and unpretentious in care. The gray giant rabbit easily tolerates temperature changes, feels comfortable at low values ​​\u200b\u200bof this indicator. Bad weather conditions also do not greatly affect the behavior of the rabbit.
• In general, they have a calm nature. True, some males are pugnacious, they sometimes maim each other and even cubs. Therefore, you should keep them separate from the female with rabbits.
• The gray giant rabbit has good immunity. He does not care about many diseases. However, this does not mean that he cannot suffer from any ailment. If animals of this breed fall under a draft or live in a damp room, then they will definitely get sick.

It is distinguished by truly gigantic dimensions, therefore it fully corresponds to its name. They appeared relatively recently - in 1952 of the last century.

The birthplace of the breed is Ukraine, namely: the Poltava region, where the breeders have done a lot of work to ensure the perfect combination of high adaptability to growing conditions and excellent production characteristics.

Description of the breed

In addition to gigantic dimensions, the gray giant has other features. In particular, this is a complete unpretentiousness in care and maintenance, which makes it possible to successfully breed and grow such rabbits both on specialized farms and at home.

Appearance of a gray rabbit

The giant hare has the following peculiarities:

By appearance the gray hare resembles a chinchilla, but the latter have a wedge-shaped strip of white on the back of the head, which is not observed in the former. In addition, a characteristic feature of the breed is a heterogeneous color. As a rule, the coat on the belly is lighter and thinner, and the darkest color is observed on the nape and back of the animal. Exist the following types main color:

• Agouti. Such rabbits look like wild hares. These are mainly dark gray hairs with inclusions of a reddish hue and dark endings. Agoutis are more common than animals of the second type of color.
• Type of chinchilla. The main color of the fur coat is light gray with dark patches and a white edge.
• iron gray. Animals have a black color with grayish-brown patches.
• Black. The main color of the rabbits is black, the tail and belly from below have a matte or light shade.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Among pluses gray giant breeds can be distinguished as follows:

• Disease resistance, good disease tolerance;
• they are smart and calm animals;
• perfectly tolerate low temperatures and can multiply, even if it is -25 degrees outside, but only in the absence of drafts;
• have a large fur coat;
• unpretentious to care and maintenance, able to breed with any diet;
• females are distinguished by high maternal qualities, they always take care of their offspring and care for them, they have a lot of milk.

Minuses:

• Animals require a large amount of feed;
• the coat is not of high quality;
• there is little meat at the exit, since the breed is not purely meat;
• not very early;
• in almost every litter, a baby with thin and crooked paws is born.

The gray hare easily adapts to various climatic conditions, and this despite the fact that initially the representatives of the breed lived in a mild and warm climate. Now it is possible to keep animals even in harsh winter conditions without additional insulation of the rabbit dwelling. The best option would be to build a wooden cage in which gray giants winter well.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the nature of the representatives of the breed. These overall hares are endowed with a soft good disposition and are absolutely not aggressive. They get along well with other four-legged animals.

When compiling the giant's menu, it is necessary to take into account the fact that these animals should not be overfed. But underfed individuals also do not differ in health. First of all, this concerns reproduction - too fat or thin rabbits are not able to perform such an important function as mating.

Animals need to be fed at regular intervals, and there should be enough food. This is due to the peculiarities of the digestive system - it is cleared only after a new portion of food arrives. In other words, fresh food pushes out already digested food.

In addition, you must adhere to the following feeding rules:

Features of care

As already mentioned, gray giant rabbits do not need any special care. The main thing is to provide them with a balanced diet, a spacious cage, the absence of direct sunlight and drafts.

Breeding

The preparation of the mating of animals is carried out taking into account body weight, condition of the coat, age. Males of the gray giant breed are allowed to be fertilized at the age of 6-8 months. Females - at 5.5-6 months.

Proper preparation of adults for fertilization is of no small importance for the health of future rabbits. Approximately 3 weeks before the planned mating, animals must be examined for fatness and health. If rabbits are found to be underweight or have any disease, they should not be allowed to meet. In case of low weight, it is necessary to adjust the diet by including bran, compound feed, boiled potatoes. With excess body weight, feeding is limited.

When examining pets, you should also pay attention to the condition of the nipples (they must be well developed) and genitals.

Terms for fertilization are set depending on the sexual hunting of animals. Healthy rabbits are suitable for mating almost all year round. With a weakly expressed female hunting, the number of cubs in the litter may be small. It is best to mate in the summer in the evening or daytime. Winter mating is also allowed, but only during the day. Before the start of the meeting, the bowl and drinker are removed from the cage of the male, after which the rabbit is brought there. Precisely so, and not otherwise, since the male in the new territory will need time to adapt.

Immediately after mating, the female is returned to her place, and a few hours later she is placed back to the rabbit for repeated mating. Be sure to record the number of the cage where this rabbit mated for the first time, since rabbits of this breed should not be allowed to mate with relatives, otherwise the risk of sickly and weak offspring increases.

At first, a young breeding male is able to mate with different female rabbits 1-2 times / week, gradually this number can be increased to two females / day. To check the fecundity of males and females, it is recommended to plant adult rabbits with young rabbits and vice versa - the case of young females and adult males. Such a measure will help to get healthier offspring.

A few days later, a control mating is mandatory. If, when planting, the rabbit behaves aggressively, defends herself and fights back, not letting the male approach her, then fertilization has taken place. Two weeks later, it is already possible to determine the number of embryos by palpation.

Pregnancy of females lasts 28-35 days. If you notice the movement of rabbits in the womb (about the 25th day), then the offspring will soon be born. 3-4 days before birth, the expectant mother begins to prepare a nest - she pulls out her fur and lines it around. However, it often happens that females postpone the arrangement of the nest until the very birth. Most often, rabbits are born in the morning. It is necessary to ensure that the babies do not move away from the mother, as this can lead to their death. The female crawls on her own without outside help.

Differences from other breeds:

• Young animals at the age of 3.5-4 months are seated in separate cells;
• for females, it is imperative to prepare a family house (box);
• the cell area should be at least 80 * 90 cm;
• it is not recommended to overfeed animals, as this can lead to a decrease in sexual activity and loss of the ability to reproduce.

Some inexperienced farmers get scared when they notice that the female visits the cubs infrequently (sometimes only 2 times / day). This is normal and does not indicate a bad maternal instinct at all.

Babies begin to crawl out of the house on about the 12th day, that is, when they open their eyes. Blind rabbits should be returned to the nest immediately or they will die.

Young growth grows quite quickly, in accordance with the following indicators:

• At the age of two months, rabbits reach a weight of 1.5 kg;
• at 3 months - 2 kg;
• at 4 months - 2.5 kg.

If you feed animals with food with a high protein content, body weight gain will become more intense.

Giant Health

Representatives of this breed are characterized by the same diseases as other giant rabbits. These may be the following pathologies:

So, despite the large number modern breeds, perhaps even with improved qualities, breeding gray giants remains quite a popular pastime among farmers. This is largely due to the fact that the breed does not require special conditions of detention and increased attention to itself, but at the same time, the gray giant is able to provide a large family with tasty meat and beautiful skins.

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GRAY GIANT
domestic breed of rabbits.

History reference.

The gray giant rabbit breed is something that domestic livestock breeders can be proud of. It was a kind of breakthrough in rabbit breeding. Before the scientists of the state destroyed by the Great Patriotic War, there was a difficult task - to create a highly efficient fodder base at a very fast pace. As a result of crossing the giant flandra brought from abroad with the local breed and further fixing them best qualities The Gray Giant breed was bred. From his eminent progenitor, our gray got large "dimensions" and, accordingly, weight, large bones, and from local "homeless children" - vitality, fertility, trouble-free mating. Thanks to this, domestic rabbit breeders have in their arsenal an excellent breed that is fully adapted to the local climate, although it is slightly inferior in terms of commercial standards to the famous Belgian Flanders. The birthplace of the gray giant is the Poltava region in Ukraine, the official date of birth is 1952.

Distinctive features of the breed.

The breed of rabbits, the gray giant, most likely inherited its color from its outbred ancestors. There are two main types. The first one resembles the reddish skin of an ordinary gray hare, although in general it is somewhat darker. It is called "agouti". The second, less common, resembles the color of the chinchilla skin, that is, dark gray. The color of the skin on the belly is always lighter than on the back.

When buying a rabbit, you should pay attention to its back of the head. If you see a bright wedge, then they are trying to sell you a chinchilla under the guise of a giant. For extra control, look at the ears (front view). They are always straight and, as it were, diverge to the sides from one point, many compare them with the letter "V".

In addition, sometimes there are rabbits of this breed of glandular gray and black color. Recently, information has appeared about the birth of rabbits painted in golden color in various farms. Apparently this is a manifestation of the “Flandrian” genes, they have black and golden colors spelled out in the Standard.

According to their constitution, rabbits are large (up to 65 cm), massive (up to 7.5 kg), strong, with strong bones, strong paws. Closer to the leptosomal type, with a long torso, broad chest (often with a dewlap), a large, elongated head, large (up to 15 cm), and ears that are thick to the touch. Wool with a pile of medium length and not very thick, for example, compared with the same chinchilla.

The gray giant was bred in a relatively warm climate and therefore perfectly adapted to it. Despite this, taking into account global warming and a series of warm winters in the middle lane, the breeding range of the breed is steadily moving north. A solid and warm wooden cage is an additional guarantee of successful breeding of giants.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed.

Next, I will try to dwell more specifically on the main characteristics of the gray giants, so that we can draw a conclusion about the expediency of keeping them in a particular household. Initially, this breed was bred for a mixed, meat-and-skin direction of farming, but the direction of the vector still shifted towards weight standards and precocity.

As for meat, rabbits grow quickly, absorbing feed well. With their abundance, already at 2 months they weigh 1.5-1.6 kg, at 3 months - 2.0-2.2 kg, at 4 months - 2.6-3.0 kg. On average, females reach 5 kg, males per kilogram more. Some individuals often grow up to 7 or more kilograms.

Skins are not a standard of quality. The thickness of the hair leaves much to be desired. For those of you who are accustomed to operate with numbers, I note that about 16 thousand hairs grow per 1 sq. cm of the rump, and there are only 16 downy hairs per ridge. The value of the skin is also reduced due to some uneven thickening. But the sizes of such skins are impressive - up to 3 thousand square centimeters (about 1/3 square meters)!

Why is it still a gray giant?

Some pessimists argue that the gray giant breed, a relic of the Soviet era, is gradually degenerating and being replaced by even larger breeds - Flanders, accelerated rabbits in large and even medium-sized farms. And they are partly right.

Modern technologies and developments do not stand still. However, there is one small "BUT". All these rabbits are poorly adapted to local conditions, require special care, expensive cages, special feed...

Our grays are very unpretentious in keeping and choosing food, they are calm, they feel good in ordinary cages. More than once I heard how rabbit breeders, evaluating their behavior, said: "Grey giants are smart rabbits." adaptation to our natural conditions provided disease resistance. And what is very important for large breed rabbits, gray giants hardly suffer from corns or pododermatitis.

They are bred with ease, as they mate well, while males are distinguished by their activity. In the offspring, as a rule, at least 8 rabbits, and often more. Survival is good. The female is caring when nursing babies, feeds well, does not trample babies after childbirth.

Statistics you can't fool.

And in conclusion, I want to provide you with statistics that once again confirm the relative popularity of the Gray Giant rabbit breed. The information we collected from 2012 to 2017 is archived at http://servis-oprosov.ru/poll/1142/. Almost 20 thousand rabbit breeders from all regions of the former union participated in the survey. If you wish, you can participate in the creation of a database of new, more complete statistics. If you breed not one, but several breeds, left-click on several squares in front of them. Specify the breed of rabbits you breed. To do this, check the appropriate box and click on the "Submit" button.

In general, experts assess the breeding and maintenance of this breed positively, consider it appropriate. Until now, large rabbit farms are investing in breeding gray giants. I wish you good luck, dear colleague!!!

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