How Do Rabbits Get Through Winter? Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Winter Feeding and Management

Rabbits are a common animal in daily life, with high nutritional value and broad farming prospects, and many people raise them specifically to make money. So how do you get rabbits through winter when farming them?

1. Cold protection and warmth

The temperature in winter is very low, so the first thing in farming meat rabbits is to do a good job of cold protection and warmth. When there is no ventilation, the vents in the rabbit shed must be kept tightly closed. Then a layer of straw curtains and other materials should be covered over the door to prevent cold wind from invading and affecting the normal growth of the meat rabbits. After entering winter, the temperature inside the rabbit shed must be kept at least above 5°C, the thickness of the bedding straw on the ground should be appropriately increased, and it should be replaced frequently. Then a dry and comfortable rabbit shed environment should be created for the meat rabbits. Plant ash or quicklime, etc. can be used to dehumidify and disinfect the rabbit shed.

2. Diet adjustment

Natural feed resources are relatively scarce in winter, so we should appropriately increase the feed ratio for meat rabbits, by about 25%. In particular, the proportion of some energy substances should be increased, and more green feed, carrots and other feeds rich in vitamins should be fed. The feeding ratio of green feed should be kept at about 30%. Moreover, because winter nights are very cold and relatively long, in order to allow the meat rabbits to better replenish energy, the number of feedings and the feeding amount should also be appropriately increased, and an extra feeding of forage should be given at 20:00 in the evening.

3. Drinking water and exercise

Fresh feed is very scarce in winter, and the main feed is dry feed. Therefore, when feeding the feed, care should be taken to provide the meat rabbits with sufficient warm water. Many farmers do not provide drinking water for meat rabbits when farming them in winter. If the meat rabbits do not drink enough water, it will affect digestive function, thereby reducing the appetite of the meat rabbits and causing various digestive tract diseases. Then on sunny days in winter, the rabbits should be allowed to receive sunlight and exercise more, for a duration of one hour, in order to improve the physique of the meat rabbits and promote the synthesis of nutrients.

4. When shearing wool, be careful to keep the belly wool

Rabbits produce a large amount of wool in winter, so wool shearing should be done on sunny days to prevent cold damage and catching a cold. When shearing wool, be careful to keep the belly wool a bit longer to prevent diarrhea and other conditions.