Broiler rabbits: overview, description, characteristics

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today more and more people are seriously thinking about the possibility of acquiring their own farm. The low quality of purchased products, combined with high prices, leads people to try to solve the problem of supplying themselves with quality products, such as meat. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have rabbits. Undemanding to eat, fast growing and breeding, they are quite popular among experienced breeders and beginners. Of course, to get a lot of meat, it is best to choose broiler rabbits.

A distinctive feature of the direction

Consider what the term "broiler" means. Although almost every modern person has heard it, not everyone will be able to interpret the meaning of the word.

The term comes from the English word broile, which translates as "fry on fire." Nowadays, broilers are called animals and birds (rabbits, ducks, chickens, geeseand others), reaching slaughter age faster than other breeds. The above method of preparation is fully justified, since at the age of several months all these animals have very tender meat. Therefore, it is not necessary to cook in soup or stew for a long time so that the product does not become so tough.

In general, generally accepted norms do not exist. They can differ markedly depending on the breed, country and even time. But usually broiler rabbits are slaughtered at the age of 3-8 months. Of course, during this time they manage to gain different weights - on average from 2 to 7 kilograms. Of course, the main focus of this rabbit breeding is to get meat, not skins.

They are bred by special crossing of suitable breeds of animals, which does not lead to negative genetic abnormalities.

Now let's talk about the most famous and popular breeds that can be a good choice for any beginner and experienced rabbit breeder.

White pannon

One of the most common broiler breeds among rabbits is the white pannon.

His homeland is Hungary. Local breeders used several successful breeds to breed - white giants, as well as Californian and New Zealand rabbits. In general, white pannon receives positive reviews. This does not surprise anyone, because rabbits not only breed quickly and grow well, but also give a fairly good meat yield - up to 60% of live weight.

They are built strong, but have a thin skeleton. The head is neat, not too large. The ears are rounded, wide and rather long - up to10 centimeters. The coat is also long (up to 3 centimeters) and almost exclusively white. A black rabbit of this breed is very rare. An adult weighs about 4.5-5 kilograms.

Animals have a friendly, calm character, which experienced breeders also attribute to important advantages. There can be up to eight cubs in one litter. This is an excellent indicator. Rabbits are born very small (less than 50 grams). However, the high fat content of mother's milk leads to the fact that they grow very quickly.

A farmer spends about 4.2 feed units per kilogram of growth. With a balanced diet per day, the animal gains up to 40 grams. Thanks to this, white pannon rabbits can be slaughtered already 70-90 days after birth. At this age, up to 3 kilograms of pure meat can be obtained from a carcass.

New Zealand White

The New Zealand white breed of rabbits is also very popular. Despite the name, its homeland is the United States, where it was bred at the beginning of the twentieth century. Approximately half a century later, rabbits were brought to England, and from there they got to other countries.

The breed has a number of important advantages, one of which is high fertility. In one round there are up to 12 cubs. Very few breeds can boast such a birth rate. Cubs grow quite quickly - rabbits have a lot of fat milk, which ensures not only good growth, but also a high percentage of survival, a small number of diseases.

Babies already weigh about three kilograms at three months. Even for broiler rabbits, this is a very good pace. After another couple of months, their weight reaches up to 5 kilograms.

It is important that maintenance costs are relatively small - a breeder spends no more than three kilograms of concentrates per kilogram of meat, which can be safely called an excellent indicator.

Red rabbit from New Zealand

New Zealand red rabbits are slightly less popular.

Like the previous breed, it was bred in the USA back in 1910. The progenitors are wild rabbits and Belgian hares. The breed turned out to be very successful - the rabbits grew quickly and had a fleshy physique. It should be noted that adverse weather conditions did not cause unnecessary problems for the animals, which is very important when breeding on an industrial scale.

Unlike other broiler rabbits, the breed made it possible to obtain not only high-quality meat in large quantities, but also an excellent skin. The coat is short, but soft and very dense. And the color scheme will pleasantly surprise the most captious designer - there are bright red, reddish-yellow and even fiery rabbits. It is quite understandable why the breed took root and began to be bred everywhere.

An adult male weighs about 4 kilograms, and females are even larger - up to 5 kilograms.

California rabbit

It is also worth giving a description of the California rabbit breed - one of the most popular today.

As the name implies, they brought it to the USA. In this case, New Zealand, Himalayan andchinchilla rabbits. It is easy to recognize them by their unusual color. The entire skin is exceptionally white, and there are black spots on the ears, nose and paws. They appear not from birth, but a little later - at the age of two months.

At three months, rabbits already weigh about 2.5 kilograms. The rapid growth rate persists up to 5 months - by this time they already weigh about 4-5 kilograms. The yield of pure meat is quite high - up to 64%, which is quite rare.

California rabbits breed quite quickly - there are up to 9 cubs in a litter.

Flandres

This breed originated in Belgium. She became the ancestor of many modern breeds of broilers. They do not grow too fast, but the dimensions are really impressive - the record holder weighed as much as 25 kilograms! But usually their weight reaches 7-10 kilograms.

Distinguished by small heads and very wide ears. The color scheme is quite rich: black, opal, silver, gray and others.

Fecundity is not too high - the female usually brings no more than six rabbits. Babies do not grow too fast - they reach puberty only at the age of 7-8 months. And they are usually sent for slaughter in another month.

Rizen

This breed was bred in Germany and is still actively used both to improve the qualities of existing breeds and to create new ones. An important feature is the adaptability to the harsh winters of the middle zone.

The body of rabbits of the Risen breed is stocky,large. The head is quite large, and the limbs are very powerful. The coat is long - up to 4 centimeters. Color sand, blue or dark gray. The weight of an adult male can reach 10-11 kilograms, which is an excellent indicator.

Maturity comes rather late - rabbits should be allowed to mate no earlier than eight months. Rabbits are quite prolific - they bring up to nine cubs at a time.

Rabbits are usually sent for slaughter at the age of 4 months. After that, the growth rate is reduced, and the taste of meat in males is deteriorating. Meat yield is not too high - rarely above 55%. However, the significant size fully compensates for this shortcoming.

Suitable diet

Before engaging in such a farm, it is very important to understand what is fed to broiler rabbits. It is important to understand that rapid weight gain is ensured not only by good heredity, but also by a properly formulated diet.

The peculiarity of feeding broilers is that throughout their lives they need to be provided with the same nutrition that rabbits are usually "prescribed" during fattening.

In the summer, grass must be included in the diet: at least 700 grams for each rabbit. Also, do not forget about concentrated feed (compound feed, grain). His rabbit eats about 70 grams a day. You don't need much s alt and chalk - 1 gram mixed with other food is enough per day.

In winter, it is more difficult to provide a suitable diet due to the lack of green fodder. Therefore, it has to be replaced. rabbitabout 150 grams of hay should be given - always fresh, not rotten. Also, the diet should include 500 grams of succulent feed (pumpkin, carrots, Jerusalem artichoke, potatoes). The amount of concentrates needs to be slightly increased - up to 80 grams. But the need for s alt remains at the same level - one gram is enough.

Of course, the water of rabbits must be clean. Therefore, it is recommended to use not simple cups, but special nipple drinkers. In them, the water stays fresh longer. Otherwise, dirt and excrement will get into the drinker, which can cause an epidemic.

Containment conditions

In general, these rodents are quite whimsical to the conditions of detention. Broiler rabbits are no exception. It is necessary to provide them with a sufficiently high level of temperature and protection from precipitation. It is also necessary to reliably protect the animals from drafts. It is they who most often cause colds, which are very dangerous for many small animals.

If a case of disease has been identified, the sick rabbit should be isolated from the rest. It is very important to make sure once again whether the temperature in the rabbitry is too low, whether drafts are walking through it. Only with a serious approach to breeding and raising rabbits can pleasant results be achieved.

Conclusion

Now you know more about both the different breeds of broiler rabbits and the appropriate conditions. If you decide to start breeding these cute animals, do not forget that you needmaintain cleanliness. Rabbits are animals that are prone to many diseases. Proper housing conditions are an excellent preventive measure.