California rabbit breeding. Description of the breed, features, photos and reviews

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

Beginning rabbit breeders very often have the question of what breed of rabbits to choose for breeding. To date, one of the most popular is California. Information about who and when the breed was bred, its description, features, reproduction, rules for caring for its representatives, we will provide in this article.

Origin

This rabbit breed was created in the 20s of the last century by the best rabbit breeder in America - George West, who lived in California (hence the name). When creating a Californian rabbit (see photo in the review), breeders used animal breeds of New Zealand white, ermine, large chinchilla. The resulting rabbits inherited the most outstanding qualities from their parents:

• large strong physique from New Zealand;
• great quality ermine fur;
• valuable taste from chinchilla.

California rabbits belong to an early maturing meat breed, which was officially recognized as independent in 1928. In our country, they first appeared in the 70s. Rabbits are successfully grown throughout the Russian Federation. They are bred both in personal farms and in industrial enterprises, where they show themselves superbly. All this contributed to the spread of animals around the world. Currently, the breed occupies one of the leading positions, taking second place among rabbits of meat breeds.

California rabbit description

Representatives of this breed should be classified as medium-sized eared. The weight of an adult male usually does not exceed 4.5 kilograms, and the female often has more rounded shapes and weighs up to 5.2 kg. The appearance of the Californian is very elegant and attractive. It can be determined that we have a representative of the Californian rabbit from the description below:

• thick, snow-white, elastic, silky fur;
• black or dark brown ears, paws, tail, as well as the tip of the nose (the spots are well defined, pronounced);
• red eyes;
• small head;
• low erect ears (11 centimeters);
• hump nose;
• very short neck;
• short legs;
• strong muscular body.

Sometimes rabbits of this breed are confused with a butterfly similar to them. But the Californian has a smooth speck on his nose, while the second has a clearly visible, as if the wingspan of a butterfly. Also, do not confuse rabbits of this breed withanimals living in the wild in their homeland.

How to choose a rabbit

Being faced with such a difficult choice, you need to know that you can buy animals only from experienced breeders or breeding farms. It is not bad if the seller of animals will have positive recommendations received from previous buyers. It is necessary to pay attention to the conditions in which rabbits are kept, and what the parents of your chosen animal represent. Close attention should be paid to the behavior of the acquired rabbit. A he althy animal is always active and inquisitive.

It is especially good to consider the appearance of the animal. He should have a thick silky coat without combing and bald patches. There should be no discharge from the eyes and nose. Don't forget to look under the animal's tail: this will let you know if it has diarrhea. The ears of the rabbit should be clean, without discharge, without brown crusts, their presence may indicate the presence of an ear mite in the rabbit.

The purchased animal must have all the characteristic qualities of this breed: have a peculiar color characteristic of California rabbits, body proportions and have all the characteristic qualities. You need to know that adults are most susceptible to stress, there have been cases when rabbits died when moving to a new place of residence. That is why it probably makes sense to buy animals of a more tender age.

Productivity

The California rabbit is one of the favorites among rabbit farmers. This happens due to the high rates of meat yield, fertility, and fur quality.

Meat

This breed is considered precocious. Born rabbits by the age of 3, 5-4 months reach a weight of up to three kilograms. The slaughter yield of meat during slaughter reaches the bar of 60%.

Fecundity

Despite the fact that the breed is primarily meat, it has high productivity rates. The female is very prolific, for one round she can bring 10 rabbits. For a year, about 35 babies can be obtained from one rabbit. The rabbit is distinguished by innate kindness: she perfectly nurses not only her cubs, if necessary, she makes a good foster mother.

Skin

Due to beautiful quality fur, this breed is very popular among fur manufacturers. High quality allows its wide use in the meat and skin direction. Due to the fact that the rabbit is not too large, the skins are small.

Breeding

The first step in breeding Californian rabbits will be creating a family. It should not be forgotten that animals of different lines are used for this purpose in order to avoid inbreeding (inbreeding). For one male, you can leave from five to ten females. For a year, up to 5 rounds are usually received from such a family. In the case when the female is allowed to mate and get littered more often, the life expectancy of the rabbit is reduced.

Mating allowedfemales who have reached the age of five months, males a month later. In one nest of a female Californian breed of rabbits, photos of which are available in the article), there are from 8 to 12 cubs, which the mother feeds perfectly. She is distinguished by high milk production and excellent maternal qualities. Small rabbits are first white or smoky in color, and then acquire the color corresponding to this breed.

Rabbits are not recommended to overfeed, fat females are not suitable for the reproduction of offspring. Little California rabbits differ from others in their high growth energy. After five months, the rate of growth declines sharply.

Rabbit breeders are advised to carry out breeding work, avoiding inbreeding. It is necessary to infuse new blood, regularly changing males. The average life expectancy of rabbits is 10 years, so once you purchase breeding animals, you will no doubt make a profitable investment.

California rabbit weight chart by month

Usually, rabbits reach their maximum size by the age of seven months and their further maintenance becomes impractical. Most rabbit breeders remove animals at the age of five months, it is at this time that their intensive growth ends. We suggest using the table as an example to trace the dynamics of the California rabbit's weight gain.

Age (months)	Elite	1 class	2 class	3 grade
2	1.8kg	1.6kg	1.5kg	1.3kg
3	2.6kg	2.3kg	2.1kg	1.8kg
4	3.2kg	2.8kg	2.5kg	2.1kg
5	3.7kg	3.2kg	2.8kg	2.3kg
6	4kg	3.5kg	3.1kg	2.5kg
7 and up	4-5kg	3.5-3.9kg	3-3.4kg	less than 3 and more than 5 kg

Vaccinations for rabbits

In order to avoid infectious and other diseases and not to lose the number of rabbits, it is necessary to carry out timely vaccination of animals.

The first vaccination is given on the 28th day after birth from one of the most common and dangerous diseases - myxomatosis, at the age of 1.5 months, vaccination is necessary to prevent HBV (viral hemorrhagic disease). Re-vaccination of Californian rabbits is carried out after three months, then once every six months.

Vaccines are only available from pharmacies. Be sure to read the instructions before use. Medicines stored in improper conditions can be not only useless, but also harmful.

Maintenance and Care

Rabbits of this breed are considered a universal breed, as they do not require special care. They adapt well to various climatic conditions. The paws of animals are well covered with thick hard hair, which allowsit is quite simple to organize the content of Californian rabbits in cages. Mesh floors, which are very convenient to use, do not cause pododermatitis in them (popularly - corns), which, of course, is also a big plus. Due to the fact that the animals are not too large, they can be kept in cages not very large: 0.3 m² per individual, 0.4 m^{2cage with queen cell. In the event that rabbits are kept in net blocks, it is recommended to place nearby animals of close age. This will greatly facilitate their care and veterinary care.}

California breeding females are best kept indoors. They should have daylight, moderate air temperature and, of course, ventilation. Cages should be placed at a height of 70 centimeters from the floor level. When keeping rabbits outdoors, it is necessary to choose closed places protected from wind and sunlight. It should be noted that these animals do not tolerate dampness very well.

If your goal is not to breed a breeding herd, and animals are raised exclusively for meat, then it is easier and more profitable to raise rabbits in a pit. To equip such housing is quite simple, it is the closest to the natural habitat. To make such a dwelling, it is necessary to dig a deep hole, strengthen its walls with slate or concrete, make a mesh or wooden floor. Make a fence around the pit, be sure to make a roof. California rabbits will dig their own holes, mate, breed and raise their own rabbits.

The owners will need a minimum of effort: to deliver food and water, to conduct selection selection from time to time. With such cultivation, inbreeding should be avoided, this can lead to the degeneration of rabbits. To avoid this, you must do the following: when the young reach sexual maturity, the former adult rabbit (parent) should be replaced with another one.

Care

The wool and skin of rabbits serves as a barrier against the following types of exposure:

• dampness;
• fungi;
• cold;
• toxic substances;
• bacteria.

So you need to watch them very carefully. At least once a week, it is necessary to inspect the skin and coat of animals. The pet should not have any wounds, scratches, suppuration, and the coat should be silky and shiny. It is recommended to comb the animals with a variety of brushes.

Eyes of rabbits are examined daily. If there is dry discharge in the corners of the eyes, they are removed with a clean cloth dipped in warm water. When irritated, the eyes are instilled with plant-based drops.

Ears must be cared for, they must always be clean. If necessary, they are treated with a swab dipped in a solution of boric acid.

Feeding

In order to have a he althy and strong livestock of the Californian rabbit (pictured), you should provide it with a balanced good nutrition. How to properly feed rabbits, are there any differenceswinter and summer diets. For the accelerated growth of representatives of this breed, it is necessary to provide them with protein-rich feed. Rabbits are given granular compound feed, crackers. Be sure to include in your food bone, meat or fish meal, protein supplements and, of course, dairy products. It is necessary to ensure that the animals always have warm water, even in winter. Nipple drinkers are very convenient to use.

In winter, at home, California rabbits are fed root crops, hay, branch food. In summer, grassy foods rich in protein are given in large quantities. All products must be of good quality. In order to avoid digestive problems, it is recommended to use a probiotic (cellobacterin).

A very important parameter in the commercial use of animals is the average feed consumption per kilogram of live weight gain. In California, it is from 3 to 5 kilograms of feed units, which is an excellent indicator. At a time when the bones of giant rabbits are growing, medium-sized ones are already gaining excellent muscle mass by 5 months.

Tribal rabbit breeding

When breeding in rabbit breeding, individuals undergo a very strict selection. The culling parameters are much stricter than for dogs. It is not allowed to participate in various exhibitions if the animal has:

• weight less than 3.5 and more than 5.5 kilograms, it must meet the parameters of the California rabbit;
• ears can't exceed 13.5cm and can't hang over;
• spot on the nose of a large size, almost reaching the eyes;
• additional spots on the fur;
• rare, non-elastic fur;
• eyes are not red.

Reviews

We bring to your attention reviews of Californian rabbits. Animal owners note: when comparing the development of small rabbits of this breed with others, it turns out that Californian rabbits are more tenacious, gain weight quickly, and develop well. Rabbits belong to the early maturing broiler breed. The animals are equally well bred both in small private farmsteads and in industrial enterprises. With special fattening, products can be obtained in 3-4 months. Rabbit breeders note another feature of this breed - an interesting color, similar to the color of a Siamese cat. Young mothers consider rabbit meat to be the best first meat food even for the smallest children.

It's safe to say that quite rightly the Californian breed occupies a leading position. Having carefully studied all its features, heard reviews about Californian rabbits, watched the video, it can be noted that the breed has only advantages, and it has practically no disadvantages.