How to raise rabbits for meat

Nutritionists recommend switching to dietary meats for those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, as well as various deviations in the digestive tract. Rabbit meat not only contains many useful substances, but is also easily digested, unlike pork or ducklings. Therefore, with its use, the load on the heart, stomach and other organs is reduced. If the area allows, you can try to independently grow a rabbit for meat.

How to start raising rabbits

The rabbit is not as popular an animal in the household as pigs, since there is much less meat from them. But the price of these animals is high enough to think about their breeding. And in leaving they are not very whimsical, as it might seem at first glance.

First you need to choose a breed, since not all rabbits are suitable for breeding specifically for meat. Indeed, many are engaged in rabbit breeding because of their beautiful fur, used to decorate clothes and accessories. Well, if there are familiar rabbit breeders who can share the offspring of their animals. Otherwise, you will need to deal with the search for a suitable breed yourself.

Next, you need to prepare a place for rabbits to stay and take care of food and vitamins. The current ecology does not allow one good food to be dispensed with, as animals are sick, like humans. It is better to take care in advance about what vitamins and at what age it is better to give and where to get them.

What breeds of rabbits are suitable for breeding for meat

There are several popular breeds that are most suitable for home breeding. They possess those characteristics that are important precisely in raising rabbits for meat:

• rapid growth and mass gain;
• a sufficiently large number of offspring;
• good adult weight.

New Zealand white rabbit leads from 7 to 12 babies in one round. Already in three months the baby's weight reaches three kilograms, and an adult animal can weigh about five. New Zealand red rabbit has the same growth parameters, but babies in the offspring are usually no more than nine pieces.

Individual individuals of the Riesen breed can weigh up to 14 kilograms, but the average weight ranges from 7-9 kilograms. But the rabbit breed with the big names White and Gray Giants does not differ in such large sizes and rarely grows over 7 kilograms. But they adapt perfectly to the climate and do not require any special care.

A female California rabbit produces 30-35 young individuals per year. In addition, they have a fairly dense and thick coat, which can be used in haberdashery. But on average, their weight is not more than five kilograms. The same characteristics of size and fertility have a French ram.

The meat breeds of rabbits are distinguished by the special structure of the legs on which the pads are lowered. This allows them to comfortably move around the mesh floors. Early puberty allows these rabbits to quickly increase their numbers, and rapid growth ensures a quick return on investment.

Rabbit Corral Device

These animals can be kept both in enclosed pens and in individual cages. They tolerate a temperate climate perfectly. When arranging a closed rabbitry, you need to calculate how many animals will be in one pen, since infections spread quickly in crowded areas, and rabbits grow poorly.

You also need to equip the trays for feed and water.It’s good if there is a separate space in the room where you can drive the rabbits to calmly clean the paddock. It is also necessary to ensure a constant flow of fresh air and the penetration of sunlight.

In the warmer months, rabbits can be kept in mesh cages. But in winter, individual cells should be insulated. A metal mesh lower floor is not recommended, as rabbits often develop subdermatitis. It is better to make the floor of wooden slats with a small gap so that animal waste products do not accumulate inside the cage. You also need to fix the trays for water and food in them well, to provide free access to them from the outside. For example, make hinged doors to conveniently sprinkle feed.

Young animals are kept together with the rabbit until a certain age, so there must be a supply of cages for planting mature animals. Young individuals are more active, therefore, the corrals should be more free. If pregnant females are found, they should be immediately planted, and not waiting for the birth of rabbits.

Than feed rabbits to get good meat

Regardless of the breed, the diet of rabbits is approximately the same. These animals are herbivores and, in principle, feed on most meadow plants. But without grain, a lot of meat from a rabbit will not work. Therefore, preparations for the winter should be taken care of in advance, so that by spring the animals do not remain on trimmed rations.

In the spring, dried grass appears in the diet. Fresh greens are better not to give, as it is heavy for digestion. In winter and autumn, you can feed hay. During the year, give pruned at least 24 hours trimmings from cabbage, beets, carrots or apples. Jerusalem artichoke and a young vine from grapes, which remains after pruning, are also doing well.

Nursing rabbit and pregnant female diet should be increased by 10-15%. In winter, oil cake, boiled potatoes and bone meal should be added to the standard diet of young animals. Concentrated feeds allow you to grow a rabbit for meat in a few months. In this case, the mass fraction of such feed from the main diet should be about 50%.

Vaccination and treatment

Due to the constant appearance and mutation of various diseases, small rabbits need to be vaccinated. For these purposes, you can invite a specialist or learn how to vaccinate animals yourself. But without consulting a veterinarian it will be difficult to do. After all, a specialist is always up to date with new products on the veterinary market and will advise on topical preparations.

For vaccination, it is better to use complex agents that protect against several diseases at once. If the offspring is large, then this significantly reduces the time for the procedure. If a rabbit from a common cage has symptoms of the disease, it must be immediately transferred to a sick-cage to prevent the spread of a possible infection. And until his full recovery, do not return to the rest of the rabbits.

It is better to buy medicines in specialized veterinary pharmacies on the recommendation of a veterinarian who examined a sick animal. In no case should rabbits with signs of the disease be eaten. Many diseases can be prevented by timely vaccination and a balanced diet with vitamin supplements.

Recommendations for raising rabbits for meat

In addition to standard advice on housing and feeding rabbits, there are many more recommendations for breeding these animals for meat. This type of household has existed for a long time, so that some developments and their secrets of successful growing rabbits have already appeared.

The puberty of females begins at four months of age, but mating is best done closer to five. This will give more chances for a healthy and strong offspring. The weight of the young rabbit should be more than 2.5 kilograms, but obesity should not be allowed either.After the first basting, females can already be sold for meat, but only after weaning. The optimal age for the transfer of rabbits is considered to be 40-45 days.

The young female is not very milky, so under it is not recommended to leave more than six rabbits. The optimal age for selling rabbits for meat is three to four months. Feeding them later is not cost-effective, as the weight is gaining slowly, and the feed is leaving more and more. Moreover, the meat of a young rabbit is more tender and healthy.

Rabbit breeding is a rather promising area of ​​domestic activity, subject to a responsible approach to business. Knowing the little secrets of experienced breeders, you can soon get the first profit on business development. To sell good fresh rabbit meat will not be difficult, because the popularity of diet food is growing, and the market in this direction is not yet sufficiently provided.

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