Green cottage for breeding rabbits. Breeding rabbits in the country is the best option. Secrets of breeding and raising rabbits

Breeding rabbits is a profitable business that does not require large investments from the breeder. The productivity of livestock at home, the quality of meat (and other parameters) depends on the observance of simple rules of keeping and the absence of errors, and the income received also depends on established trade relations. People start breeding rabbits at home (on the balcony), in the country or on a farm in the village.

Rabbits can be bred even on the balcony

If the rabbit breeder correctly approaches the maintenance and reproduction of animals, then the result will be a variety of products. From one copy, the owner receives meat with a low level of cholesterol (net yield - 4.5 kg per head), skin and fluff (more than a kilogram annually from a lactating rabbit). Another source of income is growing young animals, which are sold to other breeders.

Choice of direction

At the disposal of the rabbit breeder - more than two hundred breeds of animals. It’s better to start by defining a priority goal - why are you going to breed rabbits? Depending on the chosen direction, the owners acquire the following breeds:

• meat (best indicators by weight of carcasses);
• meat-skin (give both meat and skins);
• skin (down) - grown to obtain fluff or skins.

Rabbit breeders are advised to choose meat varieties - they are characterized by calm behavior, they are easier to care for, meat productivity is better. Having decided on the direction, get the young. Do not buy rabbits younger than a month old - cubs weaned too early are characterized by low immunity and poor productivity in the future. Pay attention to the following signs in healthy animals:

• wool grows densely and shines;
• eyes are clear, without discharge;
• the body is strong;
• fatness (not exhaustion and not overfed);
• activity, mobility.

A healthy rabbit should be active

Future producers meet breed standards. Do not take animals that have deficiencies:

• twisted limbs;
• elongated head;
• prominent hip joints;
• hanging tips of the ears;
• sagging belly, uneven ridge;
• coat problems (tousled or falling out).

Select the type of rabbit breeding at home. Content technology is divided into two types. Animals are bred in a country house or farm in closed rabbitries or in the open air (in cages, pits, aviaries).

If you don't know where to start, combine both methods: keep your pets indoors in the winter, and take them outside in the spring and summer. Light day lasts at least 16 hours.

Remember that animals get sick with excessive humidity and drafts. They are suitable for clean, lit, dry rooms. Regular cleaning required. Cubs from two months are kept separately from adults. Until they are three months old, leave the litter together, then determine the sex and seat. Provide females with a separate cage with a mother liquor.

Rabbits can be kept in an aviary

Rabbit breeding cages are available at pet stores. Some breeders, in order to save money, make them on their own, for which you will need:

• cellular mesh (2 by 2 cm);
• slats, bars or boards made of wood;
• metal corners.

For the manufacture of structures, it is not recommended to use plywood - it gets wet. The boards are tightly fitted to each other to avoid drafts. Do not forget to reinforce the inner corners with metal fragments so that the pets do not gnaw on the wood. Choose a dry piece of land on a hill to install cages, avoid direct sunlight.

Plant climbing plants around the cage complex - this will create both peace and addition to the rabbit's diet.

The advantages of homemade houses are their cheapness and lightness. The owner himself determines the size, based on the number of future residents. The disadvantages of such cells are the cellular floor, which causes irritation and diseases of the limbs. When kept outdoors in the country, insulate the walls and ceiling of the structures. In the premises for young animals, two sectors are made: walking and sleeping (nest).

Homemade cage for rabbits

other methods

Aviaries are also used as a house. With this method of keeping pets, it is easier to care for them, they move more and breathe fresh air. Immunity is strengthened, the level of diseases is reduced.

In the country, breeding rabbits is also possible in pits. This type of breeding has several advantages:

• high fertility;
• great physical activity (digging holes);
• rational feed consumption;
• reduced incidence of disease;
• saving space, materials, care efforts: up to 200 heads are kept in a two-by-two meter pit.

This method is not suitable for rocky, clay soils or in the presence of groundwater in the upper layers. It is characterized by the following disadvantages:

• mating occurs immediately after birth, and this exhausts the rabbits;
• it is difficult to control inbreeding, and the stock degenerates;
• some specimens outgrow slaughter terms;
• the inhabitants of the pit run wild.

pit for rabbits

winter period

With the onset of cold weather, move the pets to the barn. If you leave the cages on the street, then take measures to insulate: cover with a gable roof, tighten the passages with foil. Insulate the floor and walls. Attach framed lifting glasses to the door grille. When severe frosts come, use an electric heater.

In the room, maintain humidity up to 70% and temperature up to 20 degrees. Avoid drops, overheating and drafts.

Light day lasts no more than ten hours. Monitor the operation of the ventilation system so that no harmful emissions are concentrated in the air.

In the cold period, animals need a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Give high-quality compound feed (preferably made on your own), root crops (fodder beet, cabbage), green food. It is useful to feed with coniferous branches (up to 150 g per day). Do not forget about mineral supplements - bone meal, salt, crushed chalk.

In winter, rabbits are kept indoors.

Care rules

Breeding rabbits at home in a country house or farm requires hygiene and monitoring the condition of the wards, for which follow the rules:

• clean the premises every day, wash the containers for food and water;
• after a week and a half, carry out a general disinfection of inventory;
• control ventilation;
• eliminate sources of drafts;
• regularly inspect animals, note changes in behavior and appetite;
• make sure that pets are not stressed (from children, dogs, cats and other sources of irritation).

Raising rabbits requires injections for diseases (myxomatosis, viral varieties). Vaccinations at home will be done correctly by a professional, for which breeders call a veterinarian.

Vaccinations are required for rabbits

diet

A varied menu will ensure good health and high productivity. In the village or in the country, it is easier to stock up on hay or fresh grass cut far from the highway (dried dandelions, clover, alfalfa). Add grains (oats, barley, wheat), wheat bran, and juicy root vegetables (carrots, kale, potatoes, and peelings) to your diet.

During the year, a mother rabbit with cubs consumes (in kg):

• forbs - 412;
• hay - 107;
• compound feed - 330;
• root crops - 120.

If you make compound feed (from a mixture of grains, grass meal, minerals) yourself, this will reduce food costs. Install feeders, and for hay, which is always in a cage, a nursery. Do not forget to add minerals and vitamins to food 2-3 times a week. Instances on the eve of mating, in the stage of pregnancy and after childbirth, feed more intensively.

Be careful not to overfeed the animals. This leads to obesity and decreased sexual activity.

Well-fed females of large breeds refuse to mate even during the hunting period due to excess weight. Giants weighing 9 kg or more are culled.

Place drinking bowls with clean fresh water in the cages and change it periodically. These containers are cleaned regularly. To prevent the inhabitants of the cells from spilling water, firmly fix the drinkers. Add iodine solution, potassium permanganate to water to avoid coccidiosis. For pregnant rabbits, give apple cider vinegar (two to three drops per liter of drink). If you give animals compound feed, then water consumption increases.

Compound feed can be made independently

reproduction

Rabbit breeding continues throughout the year. Immediately after giving birth, the female is ready to start mating (to prevent this from happening, isolate the males). Conduct mating with several pairs at the same time. This is convenient for calculating the timing of pregnancy and monitoring the young. If the mother rabbit refuses to feed, the cubs are placed on another female.

Table of readiness for mating.

The hunting period for rabbits lasts up to five days, with a break of one and a half weeks. At this time, they behave excitedly, lose their appetite, and the genitals increase and turn pink. A male sire at home covers up to four females daily, but don't make the mistake of letting him rest (every other day).

Pick specimens of the same color and breed (if you breed for sale). Avoid inbreeding. Avoid sick, lethargic, defective and obese or malnourished representatives.

The rabbit is placed next to the male (so as not to waste time while he gets used to the new environment). Before this, the room is disinfected, containers for food and water are hidden, freeing up space. After mating is completed, the female is taken away and a control mating is carried out a few days later. If the female is female, she does not allow the male to approach her.

In a year, a female rabbit brings up to 30 heads of offspring (live weight - up to 70 kg). Within twelve months, a family of 3 females and 1 male will increase twenty-five times. But if you do not want the rabbit to quickly lose the ability to reproduce and die of exhaustion, do not allow more than two births per year.

A female rabbit can bring up to 30 babies per year

Selection Methods

For purebred reproduction, representatives of the same breed with the best performance and with stable transmission of traits by inheritance are selected. Breeders-scientists bred a number of varieties and fixed productive characteristics from ancestors to descendants, crossing in accordance with the compatibility of family lines (grandchildren with great-grandchildren, and so on).

At the amateur level, without appropriate conditions and special knowledge, such closely related ties often lead to degeneration, a decrease in tribal qualities.

If you want to start breeding animals in a country house or farm not for sale, but for experimental purposes over productivity, then cross-breeding is allowed. You will get hybrids that stand out for early maturity, quality of meat and skins. This method is also used in rabbit farms. However, such specimens are not suitable for further reproduction - the offspring of hybrids is characterized by a deterioration in performance.

The best individuals are selected for crossing

Castration

In order to quickly grow and improve the gastronomic qualities of meat, some specimens are castrated when they are 3 months old. Correct operation at home will be performed by a veterinarian. The following removal technologies are used:

closed (the testis is removed without breaking the membranes);

open (the shells are dissected, the spermatic cords are cut off).

15 hours before the procedure, animals are not fed or given water. Wounds after the procedure are sprinkled with streptocide.

Fattening and slaughter

For weight gain, the diet is based on cereals (more protein). Animals gain mass faster if they reduce their daylight hours and the brightness of lighting. For these purposes, animals are castrated.

Grain makes rabbits gain weight

Growing rabbits for meat and skins means slaughtering sooner or later. The breeders do it themselves. To kill the animal, they take it by the hind legs with one hand, lift it into the air and strike with a heavy object on the head, in the area of ​​​​the ears.

To obtain meat products, animals are killed when they are 4 months old. For skins, the owners wait until the molt ends (from six months to 8 months old).

If you properly care for pets, avoiding mistakes, breeding rabbits will become an interesting activity that brings additional profit. Unpretentious productive animals are universal for keeping in a country house or a private courtyard. At home, subject to the rules of care, they multiply well and produce high-quality meat, down and skin products.

Content:

What breed to choose

If a decision is made to organize a rabbit farm in a summer cottage, then it is necessary to determine which breed is suitable in a particular case. All animals are divided into several main groups or directions:

• meat - growing for slaughter in order to obtain meat dietary products;
• downy - getting wool;
• meat-skin - are universal, from them you can get both meat and wool.

Separately, decorative representatives can be distinguished, but they are more focused on home maintenance, but they should not be bred in the country.

You can get acquainted with the most popular breeds in the following table.

What methods of keeping rabbits are suitable for giving

• common room - pit, aviary, attic, basement;
• separate cells - single or installed according to the type of batteries;
• mini farms.

As for the first option, some livestock breeders consider it the least labor-intensive and the most cost-effective. You will not have to make additional financial investments for the purchase of cages or for materials for their construction. However, there are some disadvantages here:

• uncontrolled reproduction, as a result of which inbreeding occurs, leading to degeneration;
• one individual with an infection will very quickly infect the entire herd;
• the presence of fights for territory, food, females, as a result of which animals can receive serious injuries, often incompatible with life.

Based on the above, preference should be given to individual cells, batteries or mini-farms, where individuals will have their own territory, and therefore conflicts will be minimized. The owner will be able to control breeding and isolate diseased animals in a timely manner.

Among farmers, the practice of seasonal breeding of animals is often common. Some breed them only for the warm season. With this option, it is most advisable to purchase several cages and place them along the wall of the utility room.

It is worth remembering that this type of rodent is very susceptible to drafts, excessive windiness can cause serious diseases. For comfortable accommodation, it is recommended to choose a protected place where it will be convenient for the animals to live.

Be sure to consider the presence of a canopy, it will perform a protective function from precipitation and sunlight. A suitable temperature regime for rabbits is + 12-18 ° С. If the temperature deviates up or down by 5 degrees, then there will be nothing to worry about.

With the onset of heat, it is recommended to water the canopy with water and place plastic ice containers in cages. The main thing is not to overdo it in protecting the eared animals from overheating and not to allow the humidity index to increase by more than 70% (animals under such conditions lose their appetite, reduce weight gain, and feel depressed).

Keeping rabbits all year round in the country

It is possible to organize year-round maintenance of eared in summer conditions only when there is a person permanently residing outside the city who will regularly feed the rabbits and look after them.

For the residence of individuals, you will need to make a special room or use an existing building that will not let frost through. The structure must be equipped with a ventilation system that regulates the microclimate inside the rabbitry. With its help, the percentage of humidity is reduced and various harmful gases are removed.

Additionally, you will need to install a heating system, it can be a stove or electric. Its work must be constantly monitored so that ignition does not occur and a fire does not occur.

A separate place is occupied by lighting fixtures. Rodents can live in twilight, but with the onset of spring, serious vision problems arise due to bright sunlight.

Features of feeding in summer and winter

To get good gains in rabbits, the farmer needs to take care of their balanced diet. You should know that animals receive different feeds depending on the season, physiological state, and age category.

You can get acquainted with the summer diet of various groups of animals in the following table.

Rabbits are animals that are active at night, and therefore they will eat without appetite on a hot summer day. For the preservation of feed and their more rational use, it is recommended to give compound feed and concentrate early in the morning and late in the evening, and at lunchtime - green mass.

In winter, the grass changes to hay, dry branches and root crops. Hay for the cold period is mowed at dawn in May-June and laid out to dry on the ground. After 2 hours, it is taken under a canopy to the shade, where drying takes place. Ready feed is stored in haylofts or attic rooms are used.

You can get acquainted with the approximate diet of rabbits in winter in the following table.

The main problem that rabbit breeders may face during the winter is frozen water in the drinking container. It is solved in the following ways:

• water is given together with food, three times a day, then the drinkers are drained;
• warm liquid is poured into the container;
• ice or snow is placed in the drinkers (it is recommended to use as a last resort).

Surely everyone knows the expression: "Rabbits are not only valuable fur, but also 2-3 kilograms of dietary and easily digestible meat." So, you can easily get these very kilograms and even centners of rabbit meat at your dacha, and for this purpose we have created a whole section for you - breeding rabbits in the dacha.

From it you will learn all the subtleties and nuances of amateur rabbit breeding, namely: how and what to feed rabbits, how to rationally distribute the area of ​​​​a rabbit farm, and what to do if the rabbits get sick, as well as much more, which will allow you to avoid many mistakes novice rabbit breeders. After all, if you initially do everything right, then the results will not be long in coming. In addition, rabbit meat is a highly valuable product on which you can make great money, even in a small summer cottage.

8 important rules for breeding rabbits

Rabbit breeders know that a sudden death can happen on a farm, when in a few days you can lose almost all the livestock. But the loss of even one rabbit is undesirable.
How to reduce losses by observing only simple rules for successful breeding of rabbits?

The best breeds for giving

Quite often, novice rabbit breeders are faced with such a problem as choosing a breed of rabbits. To make this task easier for you and finally to understand which breed of rabbit is best suited for your particular situation, we have prepared this interesting and informative article that will answer all your questions.

We make a cage with our own hands

Sometimes the desire to have rabbits in your country house arises spontaneously. That is, we stopped at some market to buy fertilizers, seeds or seedlings, saw rabbits, you liked them, in the end the decision was made, the rabbits were bought. And then the problem arises - where to keep them? To build a rabbit cage with your own hands, photos, instructions and a 3D model, as well as modification tips, will help you.

Feeding rabbits in winter

Winter is a tough time for all types of farm animals, and rabbits are no exception. If it so happens that you are planning or already keeping a small group of rabbits in the country in the winter, then their proper feeding and especially watering is the key to the future success of your mini-farm.

Diet in summer

This rabbit feeding article provides the most up-to-date and time-honored information on how to properly feed rabbits while avoiding the classic mistakes of beginner rabbit breeders. Mistakes that cause most of the problems in amateur rabbit breeding.

Interview with Mikhail Kuryakhov, General Director of Ural-MIAKRO LLC

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 at the 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 is between 30 and 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, - moreover, it is decorative breeds. Breeding rabbits is an agricultural business associated with many inconveniences. It is unlikely that your neighbors in an apartment building will be delighted with the smells of your pets' waste from the balcony. Therefore, a land plot for such a business is simply necessary.

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 multiply, 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 plank 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 board 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.

Whatever the breed, rabbit meat contains the entire set of vitamins, minerals and trace elements necessary for a person, so it is considered the most useful meat in the world. Delicious rabbit meat is recommended to be included in the menu for debilitated patients, children and the elderly.

At first glance, breeding rabbits for beginner rabbit breeders may seem like a difficult and boring task, but it is not. Believe me, caring for animals will bring a lot of positive emotions to all members of your family, and profitability will pleasantly surprise you with high rates.

If, nevertheless, you decide to devote part of your free time to fluffy animals, you will have questions: “Which breed is better?”, “What is the cost of meat and skins?”. And, most importantly, where to start?

Animals adapt well to new conditions, are unpretentious to food and conditions of detention, which cannot be said about other domestic animals. The scheme of care is quite simple. By providing animals with good nutrition, making timely vaccinations and taking care of healthy offspring, having established sales of products, you can make rabbit breeding a profitable and profitable occupation.

Aviary and industrial content

Breeding rabbits can be successfully organized in the country. Cages or aviaries are made by hand or ordered from experienced craftsmen. The design can be one-story, two-story or three-story. When installing equipment in the country, you need to make sure that the animals do not stay all day in the scorching sun, for which they make a special canopy or roof over the aviary.

Provide enough barley, hay and water for your pets in the country and you will be surprised to calculate the profitability even if you have a small livestock.

How to start industrial breeding of rabbits? You need to start by choosing a breed. You should decide and prioritize - do you need fur or meat? You can start by growing a Californian rabbit. It grows well and its profitability is quite high, whether it is industrial cultivation or breeding in the country. Caring for him is not complicated, mating and childbirth take place without excesses.

Proper care is primarily a feeding regimen. Grain, hay, water, fiber - this is the basis of the daily diet of these charming animals.
Equipment for rabbits is also very simple - grain trays, drinkers, preferably automatic, hay pockets, that's all the equipment in the cages.

Attention!Water and food must be kept in the cages at all times.

The profitability of breeding will be obvious, since the equipment cannot be called expensive, and the feed is costly.

A feature of industrial breeding is double mating, but you need to make sure that the males are healthy.

With aviary and industrial keeping, rabbits are kept with a rabbit for up to two months. This greatly simplifies care, since milk strengthens immunity and immunity to various diseases in animals.

Proper care means timely vaccination. At the first signs of the disease, most of which are infectious, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Care of a sick rabbit consists of isolation, treatment and feeding, according to the doctor's recommendations.

How to organize rabbit breeding

Any breed is prolific and precocious. Rabbits are caring mothers, but it’s better not to take babies in your hands, a mother can refuse them.

Pairing. For mating to be successful, you need to get acquainted with the physiology and characteristics of the animals. If you are a beginner rabbit breeder, then it is better to invite a more experienced owner, he will give you advice and recommendations that you will need to heed.

Mating should be planned so that the birth does not take place on hot or frosty days, but best of all in the spring. Two to three rounds are considered the norm, it is not recommended to have a rabbit more, this can affect her health and the health of her offspring.

In representatives of small breeds, mating is possible at five months for rabbits, and for rabbits at six months. In large rabbits, this condition occurs later - by eight to nine months. Reproductive functions are preserved in rabbits for up to three to four years.

Finding out that a rabbit is ready to mate is very simple. To do this, it is enough to observe the animals. In this state, the genitals of animals increase and change color.

It is better to take the selection of pairs with all seriousness. This should start early. Sometimes they keep records - how the breed differs from others, what color the offspring is, the health of the babies, etc. It would be better if such records were kept regularly, and not occasionally.

The best representatives are selected for mating, if the breed requires improvement (meat additions or increased bone strength), they turn to representatives of other breeds.

If you have only one breed, beware of family ties, it is better to seek help from a neighbor in the country if he has good rabbits.

It will be better if mating takes place on the territory of the male. At home, they feel much more confident and calmer than on the territory of the female.

In the mating process, sick animals, animals with defects and rabbits whose breed you do not like should not participate.

If mating has occurred, the rabbit falls on its side. But this is not always the case. It is better if you repeat mating the next day, it will be more reliable.

In two weeks, the rabbit should show signs of pregnancy, it is better if you provide her with special care, attention and care. Adjust her daily menu, prepare her a secluded nest and protect the animal from the hustle and bustle. Aviary content in the country allows you to do this, industrial - not always.

While the female feeds the babies with milk, it is better not to let the male into her cage. Pregnancy is quite possible.

Remember that if your animal gains about a kilogram in a month, the maintenance and care of it is correct.