Breeding rabbits. Breeding rabbits at home Breeding rabbits in the country in the summer

Date of writing: 19.10.2023

Reading time: 23 minutes

Raising rabbits is the easiest way to provide yourself with tasty and healthy meat, or at least diversify your diet.
For example, rabbits, unlike any bird, take up very little space, namely: one three-tier cage battery requires only 10 m² of space, and in it you can raise up to 60 rabbits in just one summer season, yielding 100-120 kg of rabbit meat. Why not a country option?

Another advantage of dacha rabbit farming is an unlimited amount of succulent feed in the form of grass and, most importantly, weeds from the garden. Just 2-3 female rabbits along with their offspring, of course, with your participation, can completely destroy all weeds, both in the garden and in the garden.

Where to breed?

Before I explain to you about the design features of rabbit cages, I will make a small digression, or, more precisely, a warning.

IMPORTANT! Never try to raise rabbits in one common herd. For example, in earthen pits, enclosures, pens, attics, basements, etc. This approach is fraught with extremely unpleasant consequences:

Uncontrolled breeding of rabbits, which leads to a sharp decrease in productivity due to closely related and frequent matings.
There are high risks of morbidity among the entire farmed livestock, in particular coccidiosis, which can wipe out the entire herd in a matter of hours.
Brutal fights between same-sex individuals, ending for many with serious injuries and even death.

And many, many more bad things. Therefore, my advice to you:
raise rabbits only in a cage system in the form of multi-tiered batteries.

Choosing a site for a mini-farm

It is better to choose a place for a mini-farm in a quiet and windless corner of your summer cottage. If possible, it should be well drained, since high air humidity causes various diseases in rabbits.

Cages for rabbits should be arranged according to the cardinal directions according to the following principle: lengthwise - from north to south, the front, that is, the open side of the cages - to the east, the blind side - to the west.

If rabbit cages are placed with the front side facing south, this leads to a high mortality rate among young animals under 2 months of age, since the direct, scorching rays of the sun clearly do not contribute to their healthy growth and development.

Cell battery

When raising rabbits, a cage battery is the best option. Firstly, it significantly saves space on the site, and secondly, it allows you to significantly reduce the time for feeding and servicing the entire livestock.

For greater reliability, it is better to place the battery on a surface foundation in the form of pedestals, columns or simply stones and bricks. In this case, its frame must be a solid structure.

Cell battery frame size:

length – 6.5 meters,
width – 0.5 meters,
front wall height - 1.8 meters,
the height of the rear wall is 1.6 meters.

The height of the platform adjacent to the front side of the battery should be 25-30 cm above ground level, the width of the platform - 1 m, the surface of the platform - a board or any available material. The construction of such a platform is due to the fact that it will make it easier to maintain the uppermost tier with cages, since it is quite problematic to do this at a height of 1.8 meters.
The material for making the frame of such a battery is timber with a section of 10x10 cm.

first tier – 30 cm from ground level,
second tier – 50 cm from the level of the first,
third tier - 50 cm from the level of the second.

After that, using a beam of a similar cross-section, we divide each tier into compartments (cages): 5 compartments of 70 cm in length (for young animals) and one compartment of 1 m in length for the female.
Where the compartments touch each other, we leave gaps 20 cm wide for mounting nursery feeders for succulent food in them.

After this, all that remains is to cover the battery structure with mesh, board or plywood.

Construction of a cage for rabbits

So, we got two types of cages: one for young rabbits measuring 50x70x30 cm, the other for female rabbits measuring 50x100x30 cm.

In terms of their design, the cages are completely identical, since each of them is equipped with both a walking room and a secluded nook.

Walking room

The floor and front wall in the walking area must be covered with welded, galvanized mesh with a cross-section of 1.5x2 cm.
The front wall in the walking room is also a door that is attached to hinges and, to save space, is equipped with bunker feeders and drip drinkers.
Walking dimensions: length 55 cm, width 50 cm.

Deaf nook or maternity room

Such a department should be equipped not only with cages with female rabbits, but also with cages with young animals being raised. Baby rabbits, just like adult rabbits, love to hide in them from all sorts of “dangers,” heat or cold.
Standard compartment size: width 25 cm, length 50 cm.
Such a compartment is tightly sheathed on all sides with boards or plywood, a removable door is made on the front part at the top, and a hole measuring 15x15 cm is made in the wall adjacent to the paddock.

Also, do not forget about the roof for the first and second tiers of cages, which serves as a kind of drain for rabbit droppings.
The roofing material is galvanized iron, the slope angle is 20-25 degrees. But it is better to equip the roof of the topmost, third row with a primitive storm drain, since dampness is contraindicated for rabbits.

Growing

So, the cage battery has been built, and natural questions arise: where and which rabbits to take for breeding? How many pieces can you grow in such a battery?

What breeds are suitable for breeding in the country?

It is best to buy rabbits for breeding in the spring or late winter, and you need to buy them from professional breeders. At the same time, many beginning rabbit breeders mistakenly believe that the larger the breed, the more meat is produced.

Of course, rabbits of such meat breeds as the Lop-Eared Ram are capable of gaining weight up to 8-10 kg, but they just take a very long time to gain it. But given the short summer season, we need to quickly bring 2-3 batches of young animals to condition.

And in this situation, the most rational solution would be to raise certain breeds of rabbits, namely broilers.
That is, we buy 3 female rabbits of such breeds as New Zealand Red or New Zealand White, California, and we will have a male of the breed: Gray or White Giant, or Lop-Eared Ram.

The offspring obtained from such pairs grow much faster than the young of the original breeds, and already at the age of three months, some specimens can weigh up to 3.5 kg, resulting in a well-fed carcass weighing 2-2.3 kg.

As a result, you should get a picture like this:

A cage battery of 18 cages (6 cages in each row) in which 3 cages measuring 50x100x30 cm are occupied by female rabbits, and one cage measuring 50x70x30 cm is occupied by a male.
The remaining 14 cells are used for raising young animals.

First mating - end of February; first birth - end of March; slaughter of the first batch of young animals - mid-late July.
Second mating – mid-May; second birth – mid-June; slaughter of the second batch of young animals - late August, early September.
Third mating - early July; third birth - beginning of August; slaughter of the third batch of young animals - mid-late October.

From which it follows that The female rabbit's pregnancy lasts 29-31 days. It is better to keep the rabbits with her for up to 2 months, and a month and a half after the next birth, let the female go into mating.

The entire table described above is called a system of semi-compacted births and leads to the following results:
1 female rabbit – 20-24 units of young animals.
That is, for one litter from 3 rabbits you will receive about 20 rabbits, which can easily fit in 14 cages, where they will grow up to 2-3 months of age.

Feeding rabbits

Another of the deep prejudices of novice rabbit breeders is that rabbits can be successfully raised only on pasture alone. Successful rabbit breeding, like other types of animal husbandry, requires the presence in the diet of animals of a high content of concentrated feed in terms of nutritional value.
That is, the feed in the diet of rabbits should satisfy their energy needs by 80%, and the remaining 20% is succulent feed, presented in the form of vegetables and herbs.

However, to date, it is quite problematic to buy specialized concentrated feed for rabbits, not to mention complete feeds. Therefore, below I will give a universal recipe for concentrated feed, which is suitable for all age groups.

Recipe for universal feed in % ratio:

Wheat, oats – 30%.
Corn, barley – 30%.
Cake and meal – 15%.
Wheat bran – 15%.
Fish and meat and bone meal – 3%.
Premixes - given at the rate per 1 kg of feed.
Salt – 1%.

Some components of this feed, in their pure form, are not readily eaten by rabbits, so they all must be ground and thoroughly mixed together.

Again, rabbits eat even dry ground feed poorly, since flour dust gets clogged into their respiratory tract, and they simply pour most of it out of the feeders. To avoid this problem, it is better to feed compound feed in the form of moistened mash with the addition of boiled potatoes or pumpkin during the cold season.
At the same time, make sure that portions of food do not sit in the feeders for more than 1 hour, as this can lead to its souring and, as a result, digestive upset in rabbits.

As for the norms for giving compound feed, it is determined quite simply for each technological group of rabbits: we gave a batch of feed and see if the rabbits ate it, then we give it more, if there is food left, then what they ate is the one-time feed rate.
It is better to give compound feed in the morning and evening, and during the rest of the growing period, rabbits should eat succulent feed, which is given in unlimited quantities.

Well, now you already have a general idea of how to raise and breed rabbits in the country in one short summer season.
In addition to drawing up the right diet for rabbits in the summer, we will consider in a separate article how to feed them

This article will be useful for beginner rabbit breeders. After all, raising rabbits is interesting and profitable - it not only provides 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, treatment methods and the peculiarities of their biology.

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

In homesteads and on farms, rabbits are raised both for meat and for using the 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 in size, grow quickly, and produce good fur.

Rabbits are bred not only in the countryside both 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 calculations, treatment and prevention, and new breeds being bred. Nowadays, many people undertake to raise rabbits, some for themselves, and some for business.

Legends are made about their incredible fertility. In one Riga village, a resident raised so many eared animals that he could not count them. Very strong fertility 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 magazine Playboy because of its rapid reproduction rate. Rabbits are very prolific; they can produce up to 80 or more rabbits per season. Female rabbits aged 4-6 months are already capable of giving birth to 4-5 litters per year, each with 5-6 young rabbits. Experienced rabbit breeders get offspring from one female to 60-70 heads. The Angora breed produces about 1-1.5 kg of valuable fluff.

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

What and how to feed rabbits correctly? They feed rabbits hay, fresh grass, and root vegetables, because they contain many of the vitamins they need.

Boundary food for breeding rabbits.

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

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, and milkweed. It is not advisable to feed rabbits tomatoes, beans and even, as many people think, cabbage. It is better to feed rabbits a balanced diet - vegetables and hay; more vegetables should be given than hay and chopped food. In winter, you should add fertilizer - chalk, salt, sprouted grain, bran. Lactating rabbits are fed according to a special regimen; baby rabbits begin to be fed from the 16th day.

Fresh, green food used for feeding - cereal plants, clover, burdock, plantain, dandelion, wormwood, spurge, sow thistle, yarrow, nettle, beet leaves and some trees. Before feeding, the grass should be dried in the sun. Grass, peas, vetch, and 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 rapid transition from dry food to fresh herbs causes flatulence in young animals and can cause death. Starting from 50 grams, gradually increase the amount of fresh grass to 500 grams. yes 10 days, and then - up to 1 - 1.5 kg per day. For young animals from 1 to 4 months, these norms are 100 - 800 grams. per day.

Rabbits' water needs.

Clean water is important for proper nutrition of rabbits. To keep rabbits healthy, they need to regularly receive a certain amount of fresh water, enriched with vitamins and probiotics. This improves metabolism and digestion of food. Protects against flatulence, dehydration and hypovitaminosis in rabbits. In summer and autumn, rabbits receive quite a lot of liquid along with succulent food, and as for winter and spring, rabbits need more water during these periods, especially in combination with dry food. If your rabbits are not drinking water, try changing the water bowls.

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 does not become ice. It is better to use warm water, or you can use snow.

A very convenient and inexpensive 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, The 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 several dozen of them initially, then this will give a good result.

The first step is to prepare a hole measuring 2x2 meters and at least 1 meter deep. The floor and walls of the pit should be lined, and in the lower part of the wall it is important to use a shovel to mark the beginning of the hole that 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 soil. If you make a screen for the hole, 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 carefully protected from predators. Manure and soil must be periodically removed with a shovel. Feeders and drinking bowls should be placed along the wall. The large size of the drinkers will protect the rabbits from being crowded. Rabbits will dig holes themselves, increasing their living space.

Diseases of rabbits.

According to statistics, an average of 10% of rabbits from a herd die annually, and 25% are culled due to disease. Rabbits are sensitive to the presence of ammonia in the air, poor quality food, and infectious diseases.

U healthy rabbit good appetite, shiny, smooth coat. There is no discharge from the nose and mouth, smooth breathing, normal temperature, mucous membranes without abnormalities.

Sick rabbits may worry when they see people, or do not react to sound and are inactive, may be lethargic, their coat is lackluster and 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 is posroptosis (caused by scabies mites), 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 store hay in a warm place near cages.

Cysticercosis is a liver disease of rabbits. For preventive purposes, keeping dogs on a rabbit farm is prohibited, with the exception of a guard dog. There are homeopathic medicines 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 all kinds of diseases and providing immunity to your pets, then you will not have to personally get acquainted with a huge list of possible diseases of rabbits.

For prevention of diseases in rabbits, you should observe hygiene of feeding and keeping, provide rabbits with ecological, varied food, rich in vitamins and minerals. Saturate food with probiotic cultures. Inspect the herd for health abnormalities. If there are signs of illness, contact a veterinarian immediately. Examine young rabbits and the mammary glands of females for staphylococcus. Isolate sick rabbits and treat their cages, disinfecting the entire habitat, and quickly evacuate the animal corpses. Take the corpses of deceased rabbits for autopsy to a veterinarian to examine internal organs. Provide rabbits with thermal comfort, maintain normal humidity levels, ventilate the room and do regular cleaning, avoiding poisoning rabbits with ammonia fumes. Inspect the plantar surfaces of rabbits' feet and maintain cage floors in good condition. Avoid getting poisonous herbs into rabbit food - these are herbs such as datura, hemlock, horsetail, ranunculus, beet and potato tops. Avoid bruises, and if bruised, provide rest to the rabbit. Insulate rabbit cages during severe frosts. At the first sign of frostbite, rabbits should be brought into a warm room.

Breeding rabbits at your own dacha is a great way not only to provide your family with additional monetary income, but also to enrich your diet with quality meat. However, like other farming activities, rabbit farming requires strict adherence to certain recommendations and rules.

Pros and cons of raising rabbits in the country

As obvious advantages of home breeding rabbits, the following can be noted:

the opportunity to receive a diversified income from the sale of raised animals, their wool and meat;
high and stable demand for products;
rapid growth and high fertility of individuals;
high-quality extermination by rabbits and their numerous offspring of weeds and other unnecessary greenery in the summer cottage.

Flaws:

susceptibility of rabbits to various infectious diseases;
significant monetary costs for the purchase of individuals, special food, vaccines and other mandatory equipment for proper maintenance;
high mortality rate among newborn rabbits;
possible costs for veterinary care.

Did you know? The Angora breed of rabbits was bred in Turkey - its name comes from the city of Ankara, which in the Middle Ages was called Angora.

Where to start

The first step is to decide on the breed of rabbits and decide for what purpose the breeding will be carried out. Animals are divided into 3 groups:

(hide) - grown only for down;
– gain weight well and are valued for their tasty meat;
meat-skin (universal).

Choosing the right breed

After choosing the most profitable direction, you need to consider the most popular, and, in the opinion of experienced breeders, highly productive breeds.

For meat

The following varieties can boast of the highest growth rate of rabbits and meat quality:

For skins

Rabbits bred for their skins are also called long-haired. The fluff collected from them has the same value as sheep and goat fluff.

Common breeds:

Important! The thick pile of the white down rabbit requires daily careful combing. Excessively large lumps or tangles should be cut off with scissors, but not pulled out, so as not to injure the animal.

Meat-hide (universal) breeds are more expensive because they provide the farmer with both meat and wool:

Silver.
Russian ermine.

Choosing the Right Healthy Rabbits

You need to purchase young rabbits from trusted producers who have positive reviews.
When purchasing, it is important to monitor whether the following signs are present:

activity and mobility of baby rabbits;
moderate fatness;
strong body;
clear eyes, without any discharge;
clean ears inside and out;
straight-set front paws;
the rabbit's nose is always dry;
no traces of mucus on the face;
clean anus - dirty marks are a 100% indicator of any gastrointestinal disease;
Shiny, tight-fitting coat.

Important! It is best to buy baby rabbits within 2– 3 months after their birth. Young animals separated from their mother too early (up to 1–1.5 months) almost always have weakened immunity and low productivity.

Signs indicating a categorical marriage in any breed:

sagging belly;
crooked ridge;
tousled down cover;
elongated head;
prominent hip joints;
drooping ear tips.

Equipment for keeping rabbits in the country

Most often, farmers independently make or purchase a special cage battery, and then equip a “home” based on the characteristics of the selected breed of rabbits and their summer cottage.

Optimal cell parameters

It is desirable that the solid frame of the cell battery be 6.5 m long and 0.5 m wide. The height of the front wall is 1.8 m, the back wall is 1.6 m. The prepared cells should be located on the battery in 3 tiers:

1st tier – 30 cm from the ground;
2nd tier – 50 cm from the level of the first tier;
3rd tier – 50 cm from the second level.

Each tier must be divided into 5 compartments 70 cm long (for baby rabbits) and 1 compartment 100 cm long for the female. Between the compartments there are gaps 20 cm wide, in which feeders are located.

for young animals – 50x70x30 cm;
for adults – 50x100x30 cm.

In installed cages, it is imperative to equip a walking room (length 55 cm, width 50 cm) and a closed corner (length 50 cm, width 25 cm).

Before settling the animals, the rabbit “home” must be properly placed and well prepared:

It is recommended to install the cage with the front side facing east, and the back side facing west; in this way the livestock will be protected from the constant negative effects of direct sun;
the optimal temperature in the room with cages should be from 15 to 18°C;
air humidity should not exceed 65% - a significant increase or, conversely, excessive dryness causes various infectious diseases in animals, leading to the death of livestock;
to avoid drafts that provoke outbreaks of infections in rabbits, the cage battery is installed in a protected corner space.

Important! Rabbits tolerate high air temperatures very poorly. Only 2–3 hours of animals being in a room warmed up to 28°C indoors is enough for serious heat stroke.

What to feed rabbits

A well-designed, balanced diet is the main guarantee of the health of rabbits of different ages. In general, the general menu consists of:

green food (tops from root crops, rhubarb, celery, horseradish, dandelion, rapeseed, sow thistle, chicory, yarrow);
roughage (birch, poplar, hornbeam, dogwood, willow and other branches, hay, pine and juniper needles);
succulent feed (sugar and fodder beets, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, watermelon and cabbage);
concentrated feed: (cereals, protein waste).

When compiling a diet, it is important to take into account that the summer and winter feeding schemes have some distinctive subtleties.

In summer

In the summer season, the rabbits' menu is filled with a large amount of juicy and green food, consisting of freshly cut grass, branches, root vegetables and vegetables. For each group of individuals (rabbits, nursing rabbits, etc.), the daily dosage is calculated individually.

Fattening rabbits:

– 700 g;
concentrated feed – 70 g.

Males in mating:

herbs – 800 g;
conc. feed – 30 g.

Nursing rabbits:

herbs – 1200 g;
conc. feed – 70 g.

Rabbits from 1 to 4 months:

herbs – 500 g;
conc. feed – 45 g.

Important! If the diet includes a large number of branches and succulent feed, then the amount of grass should be reduced by half. Before feeding, the grass must first be dried.

Herbs and tree branches hazardous to animal health:

horse dill;
digitalis;
wild radish;
buttercups;
wolf's bast;
elder;
bird cherry;
wild rosemary;
apricot.

in winter

In winter, rabbits' food should promote weight gain and perform a heating function; for this purpose, more roughage and concentrated feeds are included in the daily feeding. Approximate menu:

Fattening individuals:

– 150 g;
root vegetables – 500 g;
conc. feed – 80 g.

Males in mating:

roughage – 150 g;
root vegetables – 200 g;
conc. feed – 55 g.

Lactating females:

roughage – 200 g;
root vegetables – 400 g;
conc. feed – 90 g.

Rabbits from 1 to 4 months:

roughage – 100 g;
root vegetables – 300 g;
conc. feed – 55 g.

How to care for rabbits in the countryside

To achieve maximum living comfort and eliminate any infectious threats, rabbit hutches must be regularly and thoroughly cleaned. It assumes:

daily cell cleaning;
timely replacement of litter;
carrying out disinfection (about twice a month).

Cleaning and disinfection of housing and equipment

Cage cleaning involves cleaning out droppings, dirt, debris and bedding debris. For manipulation, the farmer will need gloves, a small broom with a dustpan and a damp cloth. Particularly thorough cleaning is required before the disinfection procedure - the walls, floor, and ceiling of the rabbit's housing must be washed and become smooth to the touch.

Content:

Which breed to choose

If you decide to organize a rabbit farm at your summer cottage, then you need to determine which breed is suitable in a particular case. All animals are divided into several main groups or areas:

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

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

You can see the most popular breeds in the following table

Name	a brief description of	Productivity indicators	Direction
	They are distinguished by a well-muscled body, long ears, and a variety of colors. Disadvantages include too much feed consumption and difficult coat care.	Body length – 0.7 m, weight – about 10 kg
New Zealand Whites	Characterized by a strong build and pure white coat color. Differ in growth rate and multiple births
Meat sheep	Similar to Flanders in appearance. They are distinguished by their easy-going nature and long, hanging ears.
New Zealand Reds	Rapid maturity; young animals can be slaughtered at the age of 2-2.5 months. Disadvantages include increased susceptibility to stress, instability to drafts and bright lighting	Length – 48-50 cm, average weight – 4.5 kg
Angora down	Animals with a short body, characterized by rather complex content	1.5 kg of fur per individual per year
White down	The body reaches a length of up to 50 cm	300-800 grams of fluff in 365 days
Black-brown	They are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and tasty meat products.	They produce about 5 kg of meat, and the original skin with beautiful fur is used in light industry	Universal
	They boast an original coat color and are suitable for breeding in harsh climatic conditions.	Gain weight of about 5 kg	Universal
Soviet chinchillas	Ideal for breeding in the country, they have amazing gray-blue fur.	Gain weight of 5-7 kg. The skin is used in fur making	Universal

What methods of keeping rabbits are suitable for a summer cottage?

common room - pit, enclosure, attic, basement;
separate cells - single or installed like batteries;
mini-farms.

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

uncontrolled reproduction, which results in inbreeding, 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 cages, 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 promptly isolate sick animals.

The practice of seasonal animal breeding is often common among farmers. 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 illnesses. For comfortable placement, it is recommended to choose a protected place where the animals will be comfortable to live.

You definitely need to consider the presence of a canopy; it will perform a protective function from precipitation and sunlight. Suitable temperature for rabbits is +12-18°C. 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 containers with ice in the cages. The main thing is not to overdo it in protecting long-eared animals from overheating and not to allow the humidity level to increase above 70% (animals in 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 keeping of eared rabbits in dacha conditions only when there is a person permanently residing outside the city who will regularly feed the rabbits and look after them.

To accommodate individuals, you will need to make a special room or use an existing building that will not allow frost to pass 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 stove or electric. Its operation must be constantly monitored to prevent ignition and fire.

Lighting fixtures occupy a special place. Rodents can live in semi-darkness, but with the onset of spring, serious vision problems arise due to the bright rays of the sun.

Features of feeding in summer and winter

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

You can familiarize yourself with the summer diet of various groups of animals in the following table.

Rabbits are animals that are active in the dark, and therefore they will eat without appetite on a hot summer day. To preserve feed and use it more rationally, it is recommended to give feed and concentrate early in the morning and late in the evening, and green mass at lunchtime.

In winter, the grass is replaced by hay, dry branches and root crops. Hay for the cold season is cut at dawn in May-June and laid out to dry on the ground. After 2 hours, it is taken under a canopy in the shade, where drying occurs. Prepared feed is stored in haylofts or in attics.

You can see the approximate diet of rabbits in winter in the following table.

Group of animals	Compound feed (kg)	Vegetables (kg)	Necessary additives in the form of salt, chalk, bone meal (kg)
Adult livestock
Breeding producers
Baby rabbits
Female rabbit in the first 14 days after giving birth
Young animals under 30 days of age
Young animals 30-60 days
Young animals 90-120 days
Rabbits of any group for fattening

The main problem that rabbit breeders may encounter in winter is frozen water in the drinking container. Everything can be solved in the following ways:

water is given along with the food, three times a day, then the drinking bowls are drained;
Warm liquid is poured into the container;
Ice or snow is placed in the drinking bowls (it is recommended to use it as a last resort).

05/09/13 at 22:58 | Sanka

Rabbit meat is a valuable dietary product that can be grown in the summer in the country, just like vegetables. Keeping rabbits at home is not a difficult task, although it does require certain knowledge and simple preparation.

Rabbit breeding

Rabbits have a high growth rate and high fertility. Rabbits are fed for meat for up to 110-120 days when kept under a female for up to 45 days. To obtain more litters in less time, compacted litters can be used. In case of compacted births, the female is placed next to the male on the cover already 2-3 days after the birth, then this female simultaneously feeds the born rabbits and bears the next ones. Before the expected birth, the rabbits, which by this time will be 28-30 days old, are separated from the female. A maximum of three such frequent births is allowed, since without rest the female’s fertility and milk supply decrease, and with inadequate feeding, exhaustion may occur. But this method is excellent for raising rabbits for meat in the summer. With average fertility, females receive 8 little rabbits per litter, and 24 young rabbits for three litters, which will produce more than 25 kg of meat after fattening. The optimal months for childbirth when breeding and keeping rabbits in the country are May, June and July, then by October the last rabbits will have grown up and are ready for slaughter.

Choice of rabbits

To breed and keep rabbits for meat, it is better to use crossbred young animals from parents of different breeds, since crossbred rabbits gain weight much faster than their purebred parents. Therefore, it is worth purchasing females of one breed and a male of another, for example, females of the Californian breed, and a male of the ram or Flanders breed. If you don’t plan to breed rabbits, then in the spring you can buy 1.5-2 month old rabbits and raise them.

Feeding rabbits

The main food for rabbits is roughage in winter (hay and brooms) and succulent food in summer (grass, etc.). The diet must include grain feed or special feed. Rabbits eat often, but in small portions, so it is better if the food is constantly in the feeders. Rabbits also need water, even when feeding succulent vegetables. When feeding grass, remember that some grasses are poisonous to rabbits, for example, buttercup, celandine, cornflower (larkspur), hemlock and others.

Place for keeping

The recommended cage sizes for rabbits are 100x50 cm with a height of at least 40 cm. The cages are made of wood or metal mesh. Floors in cages can be slatted (the floor consists of slats 2.5-5 cm wide with a distance between them of 10-15 mm) and mesh made of mesh with cells 10x10 mm. Cages for females from whom it is planned to produce rabbits are made one and a half to two times larger and equipped with a nesting box, where the birth will take place. Rabbits, weaned from the female and raised for meat, are separated by sex and raised in different cages in groups of the same sex, age and size. Keeping rabbits in cages is the most common method of keeping rabbits, allowing you to monitor the condition of the animals, carry out veterinary procedures and control the entire growing process.

Keeping rabbits in enclosures will require more space than keeping them in cages, and due to difficulties with cleaning, the smell of manure may appear. The enclosures are fenced with a mesh with a 5x5cm mesh, and the bottom perimeter is lined with slate to prevent small rabbits from getting through. It is better to lay a net on the floor of the enclosure, which is covered with a layer of soil on top. Rabbits will not be able to dig such a floor to create holes or escape, and it will be easier to rake manure from the soil layer. Shelter houses are made in the enclosure where the rabbits can wait out the heat or cold. Keeping rabbits in enclosures makes it difficult to carry out veterinary measures; rabbits are usually very wild and difficult to catch if necessary. Although at a summer cottage, an enclosure with rabbits can fit well into the design.

The pit method of keeping is similar to the enclosure method, but has quite significant differences. Much less space is required to equip the pit. First, they dig a 2x2 m hole, the floor and walls of which are covered with bricks or concrete. At the bottom of one of the walls they make a small hole, which the rabbits will independently expand and deepen, creating a network of passages and norms for living. Feeders and drinkers are placed in the hole, and the rabbits crawl out of the hole to get food. To catch rabbits, a door is made at the entrance to the hole. This method of keeping allows you to keep a very large number of rabbits in an area of only 4 square meters, because all the holes will be located deep underground, and anything can be placed above them on the surface. But, just like with the enclosure method, it will not be possible to carry out veterinary measures and observe the growth and development of each rabbit. This method is better suited for year-round keeping of rabbits, when offspring are produced throughout the year.

Having chosen a housing technology, created all the amenities, purchased feed, you can begin the exciting process of raising rabbits. Their maintenance, breeding and care are not complicated, and the final result will certainly delight you with fresh, tasty dietary meat.