Fattening rabbits for meat at home, 2 working methods, how much to raise before slaughter

Livestock » Rabbits

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Kira Stoletova

Nowadays, one of the most popular pets, the breeding of which has recently been quite actively carried out, is the rabbit. In order for a rabbit to grow up healthy, it is necessary to take good care of it, including monitoring its daily nutrition. Anyone who is faced with raising this pet for the first time often wonders how much feed a rabbit eats per day. Let's consider how to feed this animal correctly and what the daily amount of food it should consume should be.

How much feed does a rabbit eat per day?

What is feed for chickens?

Compound feed is a crumbly mixture of various natural, most often grain, components and additional additives necessary to maintain the health of all body systems. It can be produced both at home (which is accompanied by certain difficulties) and on an industrial scale.

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Meat breeds of rabbits

Fattening rabbits for meat will become a profitable business only if the breed is chosen correctly.

New Zealand white rabbit

The meat type is characterized by the following characteristics:

• rapid growth and stable weight gain;
• high rate of pure product;
• excellent taste of meat.

Not all types of young rabbits are used for breeding and subsequent slaughter.

Meat breeds of rabbits suitable for fattening include:

• New Zealand white. By 5-6 months the animal’s weight is 5 kg. During the birth, 9-11 cubs appear. Rabbits can be kept in boxes with mesh flooring.
• New Zealand red. The female is larger than the male. Rabbits gain weight well. The yield of pure meat reaches almost 60%.
• Gray giant. Maximum weight – up to 6 kg. A female rabbit can give birth to up to 8 cubs. The breed is characterized by early maturity. The quality of the meat is good.
• Californian breed. It is distinguished by early ripening. During the year, one female gives birth to more than 30 cubs. The taste characteristics of meat and the density and density of wool are valued by consumers.
• Poltava silver. The breed is valued for its fluffy fur. Animal meat is pleasant and soft in taste.
• Ram (or lop-eared rabbit). Weight at the time of slaughter is about 8 kg. In one litter, the female brings 7-9 pieces. Rabbit meat tastes tender and light.
• Flanders Animals reach a length of 70 cm. Body weight is up to 10 kg. The meat is juicy and tasty. The breed is a late ripening breed; breeding requires a wide cage and constant care.

Rabbit breeders prefer the New Zealand white, gray giant and Californian breed.

Nutritional supplements for artificial weight gain

To improve appetite, breeders add vitamins to pet food. Beneficial substances of groups A and E are used together with fats, vitamin D is added to thick and porridge-like food. The drink is diluted with vitamin C.

After consultation with a veterinarian, animals are prescribed vitamin-mineral, as well as protein-vitamin-mineral supplements (PVMD).

They strengthen the animals’ bodies with useful microelements: manganese, calcium, phosphorus. Protein-containing options provide protein to the animal's muscles.

Vitamin and protein supplements have no contraindications. The correct dosage is calculated taking into account the body weight and age of the pet. The use of additives above the norm worsens the taste characteristics of rabbit meat.

A small lyrical digression.

Some of my friends would not mind having rabbits on their farm. They have a great desire to care for them, feed them, and, if necessary, take care of the health of their charges. But as soon as they think about their ultimate fate, their enthusiasm drops sharply. Potential rabbit breeders are frightened by the slaughter process itself, which is quite natural for the vast majority of normal people. It is especially difficult at the initial stage, when there are still few rabbits and you know almost all of them by name and nickname. In this case, there are two options. The first is to get a couple of decorative rabbits, the second is to use the services of slaughter stations or the help of experienced rabbit breeders you know.

In the future, as the economy grows, psychology undergoes some correction. The spirit of the hunter, the breadwinner of the family, is increasingly awakening in men, which also fits perfectly into human nature. By the way, not a single world religion prohibits killing animals for further consumption as food. The main thing is to observe morality and legality. Specifically, this is the complete absence of cruelty in actions, the quick and painless killing of an animal, not accompanied by a feeling of anxiety and fear. The animal must receive adequate care until the very moment of its killing. It should not be carried out in a room where animals are kept; it is prohibited to kill some animals in front of others, as well as in the presence of young children. If you wish, you can find more precise and complete wording in the laws of your countries.

Nutrition Basics

To raise rabbits, you need to know the basics of rabbit farming. It is important to carefully monitor compliance with the following rules:

• It is forbidden to feed food with signs of spoilage and mold. Such food can not only poison, but also kill your pet.
• The greens are given without dew; they should be dry to the touch.
• A varied diet changes from time to time and is supplemented with new products.
• There should always be fresh water in the drinking bowl, which is changed every 1-2 days. Absence will cause constipation and decreased lactation in lactating females.
• Rabbits are trained to a feeding schedule by giving food at specific times each day.
• Rabbits of different ages, genders, breeds and purposes have different diets.

Experienced rabbit breeders advise that the animal always have stable access to a food source. In the wild, they do not feed on a schedule. This must also be ensured in cellular conditions. You can read more about this in Mikhailov’s method.

The pet should eat not only plants, but also animal products (fish oil, bone meal). In addition, it is useful to provide silage, which includes the necessary microelements.

Reviews

Nikolay, 37 years old

We have a large farm, so we specially go to the feed mill to buy feed. To save money, we buy concentrates, which we add to the main diet. We directly pour the granules into the feeders, and we dilute the loose feed and give it out in mash. After switching to specialized feed, our weight gain increased and the quality of the skins improved.

Elena, 29 years old

I have a small decorative rabbit, it eats very little, I buy a full ration of food for it at the pet store. Very convenient: the bag for the animal contains a specially selected composition of vitamins, fiber, proteins, protein, and microelements. There is no need to think about what to feed your pet - just pour granules into a cup, and all problems are solved. After eating, the rabbit is always cheerful and energetic, the fur is smooth and shiny.

In modern rabbit farming, the use of compound feed is a prerequisite for obtaining stable weight gain, high-quality wool and healthy offspring.

Feeding lactating rabbits

Feeding lactating rabbits differs from any other feeding of farm animals in that their diet requires the introduction of food that will be distinguished by its juiciness and variety.

The best food will be: in summer - green grass (legumes or cereals); in winter, forb hay, silage, potatoes, roots and tubers.

In the feeding ration, the share of concentrates is increased to 60-70 percent (depending on the nutritional value of the diet). Rabbits happily eat wheat bran, peas, sunflower cake (60-80g), feed yeast (5g), bone meal (3-4g). Feeding rates should be increased from the 20th to the 45th day of lactation. In the end, it is worth noting that for each baby rabbit in winter you need to add 30g of concentrates and 20g of hay; in summer - 25g of concentrates and 60-100g of grass.

Storage conditions

Packages should be kept in a cool (15°C), dry, pest-free place. Buying for future use is not recommended because after 6 months the quality deteriorates. Fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E have a shelf life of 3 months. The supply must be used up within 90 days from the date of manufacture.

Do not store food for long-eared pets for a long time - the fresher the food for the rabbit, the healthier it is

A few words about waste.

Slaughterhouse waste includes: paws, skins, technical offal during the slaughter process they are thrown into containers, and after completion of the slaughter they are sent for disposal.

That’s all we wanted to consider in this article, as you can see, the equipment as such comes down to an electric stunner and a high-quality cutting line, and most operations are performed manually, productivity in this case is determined by the number of personnel.

But for more productive enterprises, much more serious equipment will be required; we will continue to consider products and equipment for rabbit breeding in subsequent publications.

Stun.

Electro-stunning is necessary to ensure, firstly, anesthesia for rabbits, and secondly, with electro-stunning, the animal’s heart continues to work, this means that the rabbit is immobilized, unconscious, but at the same time it is still alive, this is also very important, as we will make sure when considering the following processes, and thirdly, it significantly reduces the risk of injury to miners.

The fact is that if slaughter is carried out immediately, without rapid stunning, then animals often die from painful shock, and if the animal’s cardiovascular system stops working, part of the blood will be retained in small blood vessels and capillaries, penetrating into the muscle tissue and thus causing the release of adrenaline into the blood (the acidity of the meat increases, and the acidic environment is favorable for the growth of bacteria, a specific smell appears, the shelf life is reduced), bleeding becomes more difficult.

It is because of this that the quality of the meat deteriorates, so our task is to make sure that the rabbit does not die from a broken heart at the sight of a healthy, bloody man with a hammer or knife in his hands.

Typically, manual or universal electric stunners are used for stunning; due to their low cost and sufficient reliability, they can be used in any enterprise. Such devices must be “grounded”.

Types of feed

Before clarifying the question of how much feed a rabbit needs for normal growth in one day, you should understand what types of such feed exist. Among them it is worth highlighting the food:

• rude;
• green;
• juicy.

If we consider the coarse type of feed, then it is worth including a number of elements, which include: flour, hay, tree branches, dried grass and other options. If you decide to give branches to your rabbit, then pay attention to the fact that the animal’s body has a negative attitude towards apricots. The best option may be linden and ash branches. As for the preparation of hay, it should be prepared only from the grass that he eats daily raw.

If we talk about green food, this includes cabbage and the most common greens. This feeding diet should be present in the summer; at other times of the year it is advisable to use a different feeding option. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the fact that not all types of herbs that exist can be consumed by a rabbit. The best option may be clover, lupine, legumes and cereals. Among vegetables, preference should be given to potatoes and beets. If your rabbit consumes green food excessively, you need to carefully monitor his body, as sometimes problems can arise in his digestive system.

An equally interesting option is juicy compound feed. This includes various fruits, berries and other fruits. In fact, this animal is a real gourmet, so sometimes it can eat carrots, pumpkin and even watermelon. An excellent option would be silage made from root vegetables and well-ground grass.

Winter diet

With the onset of winter, animals need much more energy than in the summer so that they can warm themselves. At low outside temperatures, energy loss becomes very noticeable.

As for protein (protein), there is no need to increase it: in rabbits it is digested in the same amount, regardless of the season.

With the onset of cold weather, hay becomes the main food. Bean hay contains higher amounts of protein than cereal hay. Every owner should pay attention to the quality of food. Animals should not be given moldy hay, as it causes various diseases to develop that can result in death.

In second place is straw, which can replace some of the hay, but this food is not the most nutritious for rabbits. The requirement for straw quality is exactly the same as for the previous component. If there is a fungus in the feed, animals experience digestive upset.

Brooms from branches are prepared in the summer and dried using certain technologies. In winter, such branches are indispensable food for rabbit owners: they contain vitamins and useful components in large quantities. When preparing this food, you need to carefully feed the branches of cherry, sweet cherry and apricot trees, which contain hydrocyanic acid.

Harvesting coniferous branches is best done from October to March. At this time, the spruce branches have not yet had time to accumulate essential oils and tannins, which in large quantities can have a negative effect on the animal’s body.

Roots

Root vegetables are most often included in the menu in the cold season when there is a shortage of succulent food. In this case, the following vegetables are suitable:

• potato;
• carrot;
• beet;
• Jerusalem artichoke.

Root vegetables can be served raw or boiled. It is important to wash them thoroughly beforehand, peel them and cut them into small pieces. Boiled potatoes and Jerusalem artichoke can be added crushed to grain mixtures and mash.

Before serving, root vegetables must be selected correctly. The choice should be based not only on the quality of the food, but also on the characteristics of the breed. So, some of them are not recommended to include beets and carrots in their diet.

Fattening rabbits for weight gain

Plant and feed impurities are introduced into the food of rabbits from 2-3 months. The composition of feed at each age stage is different.

Without special fattening, the farm will not only remain without profit, but will not even recoup the costs of maintaining the long-eared animals.

The process of feeding rabbits involves three stages:

• preliminary (selection of a suitable diet);
• main (weight gain in pets);
• final (adjustment of weight and body fat).

The first period is characterized by increased nutrition of young animals.

In summer and winter, it is based on combined mixtures:

• wheat;
• leguminous plants;
• oats;
• corn.

The preparation stage is 5 days.

The main stage is aimed at the formation of the fat layer.

Animal nutrition includes foods containing fats:

• Boiled potatoes);
• flax seeds;
• cake

Porridge with milk is added to the rabbits' daily diet. The fattening period lasts 7-10 days.

The final stage involves maintaining the animals' appetite.

The liquid is salted, and seasonings from:

• dill;
• caraway;
• celery.

Constant monitoring is carried out to ensure that pets eat the required amount per day.

In the last days of feeding, hay and grass are excluded.

Amount of feed for fattening

Be sure to give the eared enough clean water.
In frosty weather, it is preferable to pour warm water into the drinking bowls. The use of exclusively mixed feed feeding is typical for industrial fur farms. For a mature individual, consumption per day is 100-110 g of feed, in which 55% is grains, corn, oats, 45% is cake and bran.

The nutrition of rabbits becomes complete due to the inclusion in the daily diet, in addition to compound feed, of auxiliary feeds, which are divided by type:

• green - a combined group of fresh plants (grass, tree leaves);
• juicy – ​​represented by fruits and vegetables;
• coarse - hay.

Attention! The need for concentrated feed depends on the time of year, gender and age of the animal.

With mixed feeding, the dosage of feed per day is half as much (40-50 g), with the exception of:

• female puppies, who are prescribed 90 g in summer, 100 g in winter;
• nursing rabbits - 130 g in summer, 150 g - in winter.

Table 1. Annual feed requirement for combined fattening

Feeding cages for rabbits

The dimensions of the feeding cages are determined by:

• number of young animals;
• number of mature rodents;
• place where animals are kept.

General principles for organizing animal housing:

• Thoughtful location of the territory for maintenance (without drafts and strong winds).
• The choice of wood as a material for the frame and supports, for the walls - plywood or mesh.
• Keeping males separate from pregnant female rabbits and their joint offspring.
• Typical cage parameters for an adult are 1500x700x700 mm.

Table 2. Minimum sizes for keeping pets

During the birthing period, the cubs are kept together with the female rabbit until they become stronger. For ease of cleaning, feeding boxes are made retractable or hanging.

The finished cells are placed at a distance of 20-50 cm from the floor. This will protect young rabbits from rodents.