Obera rabbits: description of the breed, characteristics and photos

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

Giant rabbits are bred on farms to obtain primarily skins and meat. Their content is considered a very profitable business. And, of course, there are many breeds of such animals. Very popular with farmers, for example, are white and gray giants, flandres, rizens. But the largest breed of rabbits today is the Belgian Ober. In terms of growth and weight gain, these animals are superior to even German rizens, which are very popular with farmers. And, of course, ober rabbits have recently begun to gain great popularity, including among Russian farm owners.

Description of the breed

The body weight of Ober males can reach 9-12 kg. Rabbits of this breed weigh a little less - about 8-10 kg. The body length of the Ober usually reaches 75-90 cm. Also, the features of this breed are:

• powerful chest;
• strong paws;
• flat straight back;
• big wide ears.

Photos of rabbitsober are presented on the page. As you can see, these animals actually have an impressive appearance. The chest girth of these rabbits alone is about 45 cm. The coat color of representatives of this breed is usually gray. Also allowed by the standards are black, steel, blue, chinchilla, white.

Breed advantages

The advantages of Ober rabbits, in addition to a quick set of muscle mass, also include high fertility. The uterus of this breed is capable of bringing up to 8-12 cubs at a time. For a year, therefore, from only one female ober, you can get offspring for 40 kg of meat.

The skins of animals of this breed are also considered very high quality. The fur of Ober rabbits is not too long, but very thick. In addition, the skins of such animals are very large. Accordingly, it is very easy to sew all kinds of clothes or, for example, hats from them.

Another absolute advantage of this breed is precocity. Unlike the same rizens, offspring from which can be obtained no earlier than at 9 months, Ober rabbits are allowed to mate already at 4-5 months. At the same time, young animals of this breed reach slaughter weight by 3-4 months.

Cons of Obers

The disadvantage of the breed in the first place is a weak stomach. Feed for these animals should be selected very carefully. This is especially true for rabbits under the age of 3 months. Unfortunately, the lunge in the herd of obers with improper feeding can be very large.

The above description of Ober rabbits wasgiven in every detail. The animals are actually very large. Therefore, when organizing a farm specializing in their breeding, the farmer will have to bear high costs. These rabbits are kept in oversized cages: length is at least a meter, and width and height are 70 cm.

How to feed properly

The economic characteristics of Ober rabbits are therefore simply excellent. But in order for such animals to show their best qualities during cultivation, they, of course, must first of all be properly fed.

The main types of food for obers, like for rabbits of any other breed, are grass and hay. But of course, other types of feed should also be included in the diet of representatives of this breed. On one grass, the weight of the obera will not gain particularly quickly. In addition, their meat in this case will not be very tasty.

Besides grass, rabbits should get:

• concentrates - compound feed or crushed barley;

• juicy food - carrots, zucchini, cabbage, beets, boiled potatoes;
• tree branches - willow, birch, elm, etc.

Without fail, a little chalk is included in the diet of such rabbits. Obers can also be given dried black bread and bran. The last type of food for rabbits of this breed, like any other, is recommended to be moistened before feeding. Otherwise, the bran will clog the animals' throats and noses.

What not to give

Of course, in no case should you offerrabbits of this breed are stale, moldy, rotten food. Also, herbs that can have a negative effect on their stomach should be excluded from the diet of these animals. These include, for example, nightshade, spurge, celandine.

It is undesirable to give these animals too much cabbage and beets. Oberam white bread can only be offered in a well-dried form and in very small quantities. Rabbits are very fond of such food, but it should not become the main food for them. Offering obers white bread is allowed only as a treat to pamper the animals.

Features of rabbit breeding

Belgian Obers are allowed to mate, as already mentioned, at 4-5 months. At the same time, females weighing from 2.5 kg are chosen as producers. Overexposure of rabbits of this breed and bringing them together with males too late is not recommended. In this case, the breeder may become fat and subsequently will not bring a large number of he althy rabbits.

Like any other breed, Ober cubs are born blind and naked. Newborn rabbits weigh about 45-80 grams. Subsequently, the cubs of this breed begin to develop intensively. By the month they already weigh 450-850 g. At this time, babies are even allowed to be weaned from the uterus.

Ober rabbits begin to leave the nest at the age of about 2-3 weeks. At this time, they begin to taste food from the mother's feeder. The stomachs of rabbits of this breed, as already mentioned, are very weak. Therefore, the choice of food for the uterus inthis time should be approached with the utmost care. Beets, which are known to be a strong laxative, should, for example, be excluded from the rabbit's diet at this time. Also, do not put too many cabbage leaves in the queen feeder at this point.

The rabbits weaned from their mother should be gradually introduced into the diet in the future. Otherwise, their stomachs will definitely ache, which can even lead to death.

Male

Experienced farmers recommend keeping at least 1 rabbit per 5 queens. Since obers are distinguished by their large size and excellent economic characteristics, they are often used to cover not only females of the same breed, but also other, smaller ones. In this case, one male should also have no more than 5 queens. Otherwise, his quality as a producer will quickly deteriorate.

Male in order for his offspring to be strong and he althy, you need to feed very well. In any case, the manufacturer must receive concentrates in sufficiently large quantities. It is highly not recommended to allow closely related crossings of breeding rabbits of Obers on the farm. When choosing queens from your own herd after its increase, the rabbits that are their fathers, of course, need to be changed. Closely related crosses in this breed cause the birth of sick cubs with deviations.

When slaughtered

Rabbits of this breed are raised, as already mentioned, up to the age of 4-5months. It is not recommended to keep young Aubers on the farm longer. After 5 months, representatives of this breed dramatically reduce weight gain. They start eating more food. In addition, the meat of rabbits older than 5 months becomes tough and not very tasty.

Some useful tips

The main losses of the farm owners involved in breeding Ober rabbits are as a result precisely because of the case associated with problems with the gastrointestinal tract. In order for the animals of this breed to always be he althy, you need to try to make sure that there is always hay in their feeders (grass dried for 1-2 days in summer). Such food has a very beneficial effect on the stomach of rabbits, including obers.

Cages for rabbits, and especially if they are large, are unfortunately quite expensive today. To reduce the cost of organizing a farm, you can equip a regular aviary for obers. You can make it, for example, using a beam and a chain-link mesh. In such an enclosure, among other things, it will be necessary to provide compartments for age groups, as well as compartments for producers.