Key Points of Rabbit Breeding Techniques and Farming Management Methods

Rabbit reproduction is a necessary stage for them. What are the signs of rabbits during this stage? What are the rabbit breeding techniques like? Below is the information compiled by the editor for everyone. Let's take a look together:

Rabbit Breeding Techniques

1. Sexual maturity and age at first mating. Under normal feeding management and normal nutritional conditions, the reproductive indicators of Rex rabbits are: male rabbits reach sexual maturity at 3 to 3.5 months of age, but first mating must not be earlier than 4 to 5 months of age, and the weight must reach more than 5 jin; female rabbits: sexual maturity at 3 to 3.5 months of age, first mating must not be earlier than 4 months of age, and the weight must reach more than 4.5 jin. Only then can they be mated and bred.

2. The estrous cycle of female rabbits, signs of estrus, and the best timing for mating. The estrous cycle of female rabbits is 8-15 days, and each estrus lasts 2 to 3 days. Estrus is a manifestation of sexual excitement caused by sexual maturity in female rabbits, during which they have the desire to mate. The signs of estrus are: the female rabbit is active and restless, loves to jump, has reduced appetite, gnaws at the cage equipment, and actively mounts. Generally, estrus is identified by examining the female rabbit's reproductive organs. The visible mucous membrane of the vulva is pink in the early stage, bright red in the middle stage, and purplish red in the late stage. The best mating period is the middle stage of estrus, that is: pink is early, purplish red is late, and bright red is just right. Practice has proved that female rabbits do not have a fixed pattern of estrus, so keepers should frequently check their reproductive organs to avoid missing the estrus period.

Mating Methods for Rabbits

① Natural mating. Place the female rabbit in the male rabbit's cage. When the male rabbit mounts and the female rabbit raises her tail to cooperate, after mating is completed, the male rabbit falls to one side, makes a cooing sound and stamps his feet, which is the sign of successful mating. After waiting 2 to 3 minutes, gently take the female rabbit out, hold her upside down and lightly pat her rump, then put her back in the original cage. After 6 hours, mate again with the same male rabbit, and keep a breeding record.

② Artificial assisted mating. When a female rabbit in estrus comes into contact with a male rabbit but is unwilling to raise her tail to cooperate, and the male rabbit cannot mate, artificial assistance can be used. That is, tie the female rabbit's tail and pull it forward from the back. The assistant holds the ears, neck, and thin rope with one hand, and with the other hand reaches under the female rabbit's abdomen near the hind legs, slightly lifting the rump to allow the male rabbit to mount. After mating is completed, separate the male and female.

Breeding Characteristics of Rabbits

1. Breeding characteristics of domestic rabbits.

① Early sexual maturity, and body maturity and sexual maturity are not synchronized. Well-developed growing rabbits show signs of estrus at 4 months of age, but at this time they have not reached body maturity. Generally, body maturity is reached 1 to 2 months after sexual maturity, or when body weight reaches more than 80% of adult body weight. Under the same feeding conditions, the age at first mating for male rabbits should be more than 1 month later than that of female rabbits (because sexual maturity in male rabbits is about 1 month later than in female rabbits).

② Induced ovulation. Domestic rabbits are animals that ovulate under mating stimulation. The ovaries of mature female rabbits contain many follicles at different stages of development. Follicles mature continuously, but mature eggs are not actively released during estrus. They need stimulation (mating by a male rabbit, mutual mounting among female rabbits, etc.) to be released. Female rabbits generally ovulate 10 to 12 hours after stimulation.

③ Double uterus. Domestic rabbits are animals with a double uterus. The 2 uteruses open together into the vagina and carry pregnancies separately.

④ Short gestation period. The gestation period of domestic rabbits is short, 29 to 34 days, generally 30 days.

⑤ Patterns of sexual activity. Sexual activity is strongest 1 hour before sunrise, 2 hours before sunset, and 1 hour after sunset.

⑥ Breeding years. Generally speaking, breeding male rabbits can be used for 2 to 4 years, and breeding female rabbits can be used for 2 to 3 years.

2. Estrus characteristics of female rabbits.

① The estrous cycle is not fixed, and estrus characteristics are not obvious, making it easy to miss the best mating period.

② Estrus is more likely in spring and autumn, and the mating rate is high.

③ Estrus after kindling and after weaning is better, and mating is more likely to succeed.

3. Estrus identification.

① Observation method. Judge whether the female rabbit is in estrus based on her mental state, behavioral changes, and changes in the reproductive tract. Female rabbits in estrus mostly show sexual excitement and restless running and jumping. Further examination of the vulva, if the mucous membrane is moist, red, and swollen, can confirm estrus.

② Test method. Place the female rabbit to be identified in the cage of a male rabbit whose vas deferens has been ligated. If the female rabbit avoids and refuses mating, she is considered not in estrus; if she cooperates with the male rabbit's mounting, she is identified as being in estrus.

Rabbit Farming Techniques

1. Rabbits are herbivorous, so unlimited grass hay should be provided. Some oatmeal or chewing feed can also be added to the feed.

2. For balanced nutrition, do not feed only feed. After rabbits are 6 months old, try giving them a little fresh, uncontaminated vegetables, such as: water spinach, celery, bok choy, sweet potato leaves, carrots, etc. The specific amount should be determined according to the rabbit's physical condition, but it is best not to overfeed. Because rabbits have poor detoxification function, make sure the vegetables preferably contain no pesticides. They should be thoroughly washed clean, and after washing, placed in a ventilated place to dry for 1 to 2 hours, not exposed to the sun, then wipe off the remaining water with a kitchen paper towel.

3. It should be noted that vegetables and fruits are different. Fruits are not recommended for rabbits. Because fruits are a burden on rabbits' stomach and intestines and teeth. If they must be provided, do not exceed 1-2 tablespoons per day.

4. Necessary supplies for raising rabbits: hanging water bottle with a ball, food utensils, rabbit toilet, chew stick, hay rack, rabbit cage

5. Essential medicines for raising rabbits: lactasin, coccidiostat.

How to Improve the Reproductive Capacity of Breeding Rabbits

1. Select female rabbits that are healthy and disease-free, have strong libido, good motherhood, and well-developed reproductive organs. It is best to keep young rabbits for breeding from the 3rd to 5th litters of excellent female rabbits. The most suitable breeding age for domestic rabbits is generally 1 to 3 years old. Except for a few excellent breeding rabbits, those over 3 years old should no longer be used for breeding.

2. Provide a full-price diet to meet the nutritional needs of breeding rabbits, so as to reduce embryonic death and miscarriage and improve the reproductive capacity of breeding rabbits. Sudden noises in daily management can easily cause panic in the rabbit herd, which can lead to miscarriage in pregnant female rabbits or a decline in libido in female rabbits.

3. Arrange the breeding season and mating time according to heat preservation and cooling facilities and local climate conditions. Practice shows that generally the temperature in rabbit houses should be controlled above 10°C, and the suitable temperature is 15 to 25°C. Therefore, female rabbits in spring and autumn have the highest conception rate and the largest litter size. The best mating time is the middle and late stages of estrus. In addition, there is also a timing issue on the day of mating. In summer, mating in the morning and evening is better, while in winter mating at noon is preferable.

4. Female rabbits are induced ovulation animals and ovulate after stimulation by mating with a male rabbit, so they should be mated again 8 to 10 hours after the first mating, that is, repeat mating. A female rabbit continuously mating with two male rabbits, with an interval of no more than 20 to 30 minutes between them, is called double mating. Using repeat mating or double mating can increase the conception rate of female rabbits by 10% to 20%, and increase the litter size by 1 to 3. In addition, for female rabbits that have not been in estrus for a long time or refuse to mate, increase the number of contacts with male rabbits. Through chasing and mounting stimulation, induce the secretion of sex hormones in female rabbits and increase the chance of conception.

5. When feeding and management conditions are good and female rabbits are very strong, reproductive intensity can be increased through intensive breeding or semi-intensive breeding to produce more commercial meat rabbits and improve economic benefits. It is generally believed that intensive breeding can be implemented for commercial rabbits, but it is not suitable for breeding rabbits. Semi-intensive breeding refers to mating female rabbits within 12 to 15 days after kindling, which can shorten the breeding interval by 8 to 10 days and increase reproduction by 3 to 4 litters per year.

6. Strengthen sanitary and epidemic prevention measures in rabbit houses to eliminate the occurrence of diseases. Clean the rabbit house frequently and observe the rabbit herd diligently. After disease occurs, immediately isolate and treat sick rabbits.

Precautions for Raising Rabbits

1. The living environment of rabbits should be sanitary, dry, and ventilated. If the environment is humid and unsanitary, bacteria can easily breed and cause skin diseases in rabbits.

2. It is recommended that young rabbits be taken to the hospital first for a fecal test to check whether they have coccidia, rather than casually giving coccidiostats. Coccidiosis occurs acutely. Although many young rabbits die from coccidia, not a few rabbits are poisoned to death by coccidiostats.

3. If the cage where the young rabbit lives is a dog cage, a wooden board should be added inside the cage for it to stand on. If it does not have a standing surface for a long time, it will get pododermatitis, and pododermatitis is difficult to cure.

4. If a rabbit has diarrhea caused by eating vegetables, promptly give it 4 tablets of lactasin. If there is no lactasin at home, lactic acid bacteria tablets or probiotics can also be fed.

5. Rabbits' teeth grow continuously, so prepare a chew stick for them. Some rabbits like to bite electrical wires and similar things, so pay attention. Rabbit supplies should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

6. Cage-raised rabbits should maintain more than 1 hour of activity time every day.

7. If you are afraid that rabbits will defecate randomly, you can teach them to use a toilet. Their urine and feces should be cleaned every day. If not cleaned, ammonia gas will be produced after long accumulation.

8. Do not bathe young rabbits. Rabbits are very clean animals and groom themselves every day. It is not recommended to bathe them. However, if bathing is unavoidable, choose a day with good weather and sunshine, and avoid water entering their ears. If care is not taken, they will get otitis media. Do not use human products such as body wash or soap on them. After bathing, dry them immediately, otherwise they will catch a cold.

9. Rabbits do not have a sense of fullness, so control their food intake to prevent them from overeating to death.

10. Rabbits cannot eat too much starch. Starch is very bad for rabbits.

11. When catching a rabbit, never grab its ears. The ears are important organs for rabbits. Rabbits do not have sweat glands and must use their ears to dissipate heat. Rabbit ears are not meant to be grabbed by people. If the rabbit's ears are injured by grabbing and nerve damage is caused, the rabbit's ears will not be able to stand up straight or rotate. The correct way to catch a rabbit should be: use one hand to support the rabbit's back, and use the other hand to lift the rabbit's bottom, so that the rabbit's legs and belly face forward.

Every stage of the farming industry is very important. First, select good breeding stock, then raise them to adulthood. After adulthood, they go through the breeding period, then give birth to young, and continue a new round of feeding. It has very good farming prospects.