What are the advantages and disadvantages of rabbit burrow breeding?

The establishment of the National Rabbit Industry Technology System has allowed the currently confused rabbit farming industry to see the dawn of hope, giving the scattered Chinese rabbit industry a sense of cohesion, and building a very good platform for learning and exchange for us rabbit farmers. Participating in several technical exchange meetings organized by the National Rabbit Industry Technology System has allowed me to meet many experts and skilled masters, and I have learned a great deal. I am very happy to report some of the work we have done to everyone here for exchange, and I hope you will give guidance.

In recent years, due to the influence of the international market, the prices of rabbit skin and rabbit wool have been sluggish, and the rabbit farming industry has been in a trough period. Farmers have been dropping out one after another, and it is an indisputable fact that raising rabbits does not make money. But looking into the reasons, compared with other livestock industries, rabbit farming still has the problem of immature breeding technology. For example: inconsistent rabbit feed, non-standard rabbit epidemic prevention procedures, relatively complicated rabbit breeding technology operations, backward artificial nursing technology for kits, and so on. These problems all restrict the development of the rabbit farming industry.

In particular, the operations of rabbit breeding technology are relatively complicated, making it difficult for many farmers raising rabbits for the first time to master rabbit breeding technology, and the mortality rate of kits is high. After raising rabbits for half a year, they have invested a lot but have not produced many young rabbits. After being busy for most of the year, there are no rabbits to sell, and the rabbits cannot be bred successfully, so they lose confidence in farming and stop raising rabbits, thus completely losing money.

The emergence of the burrow breeding method has allowed the confused rabbit farming industry to see hope. The burrow breeding method was researched and invented by Manager Liu Wenguang of Liaoning Huludao Lvyuan Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., and after many years of experimentation, it has already achieved success. In terms of the natural instincts of rabbits, during production and reproduction in nature, rabbits dig holes underground to make nests, give birth, and nurse their young, reproducing their offspring. Previously, there were also people who raised rabbits in burrows, digging a hole underground and building a nest above ground, or even digging a large hole underground and letting the rabbits grow and breed inside. These were only suitable for small-scale farming. In the practice of raising rabbits, people have continuously explored and improved breeding technology, such as making hanging kindling boxes, designing mother-and-kit cages, and so on, all of which have achieved certain results.

The burrow breeding method is a development based on the achievements of predecessors. This burrow breeding method is essentially different from the previous method of raising rabbits in underground holes. The burrow breeding method is based on large-scale three-dimensional farming, with underground holes built one-to-one corresponding to the bottom-layer cages. This burrow breeding method fully returns to the natural habits of rabbit reproduction, and is also suitable for large-scale intensive farming. It simplifies the complicated operating procedures in past rabbit breeding technology, solves the problems of excessive labor and high mortality in artificial nursing of kits, and also solves the technical deficiencies of hanging kindling boxes, mother-and-kit cages, and so on. The vigorous promotion and popularization of the burrow breeding method will drive the great development of China's rabbit farming industry and is a revolution in the rabbit farming industry.

Advantages of the burrow breeding method

1. The biggest feature of the burrow breeding method is that it returns to the natural habit of rabbits digging holes to give birth, reduces human interference, is beneficial to the breeding of doe rabbits and the healthy growth of kits, and improves the survival rate of kits.

2. The burrow breeding method simplifies the working procedures of rabbit breeding operations, improves the work efficiency of breeders, and reduces the labor burden of breeders. One breeder can easily manage three to five hundred breeding rabbits.

3. The burrow breeding method solves the problem of manual watching and waiting required when doe rabbits give birth and nurse their young;

①. It basically solves the phenomenon of kit death caused by does often giving birth to kits on the cage bottom board in the past, resulting in hanging kits, rolling cages, freezing to death, and so on, while in the burrow the doe gives birth without any need for human watching.

②. It solves the phenomenon of manual forced feeding when the doe has no milk, causing the doe to develop a rebellious mentality, kicking and stepping randomly, and kits being injured or killed by being stepped on; it also solves the phenomenon of the doe having milk but the kits not getting to drink it, causing the doe's milk to dry up, or the doe having too much milk and being prone to mastitis. In the burrow, the doe nurses naturally, the young rabbits eat their fill, grow uniformly and evenly, and require no human management.

③. It solves the phenomenon in spring, autumn, and winter of artificial feeding taking too long, causing kit body temperature to drop, physical strength to weaken, and kits being unable to open their mouths, unable to drink milk, and dying. Kits nursed in the burrow are not affected by external temperature changes, and are very lively and healthy.

④. It solves the phenomenon of half-grown kits crawling out of the kindling box and being unable to return, causing death, and so on. The burrow breeding method solves the problem of manual watching and waiting required when doe rabbits give birth and nurse their young, thereby reducing the mental burden and labor intensity of breeders, and lowering the degree to which the doe breeding process depends on the breeder's sense of responsibility. For farms that need to hire others to raise rabbits and for medium and large rabbit farms, this is of very important practical significance.

4. The burrow is dim, quiet, and comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer, forming a kindling environment with suitable temperature and humidity for does. This micro-environment is superior to that of hanging kindling boxes and mother-and-kit cages. Therefore, the doe is calm, pulls fur well before giving birth, and has fewer difficult births and stillbirths. It also solves the difficulty in northern winters of low temperatures inside rabbit houses making it hard for does to breed, achieving freedom from seasonal restrictions and allowing breeding in all four seasons, increasing the annual kindling output of does.

5. The burrow breeding method solves the problem of grass and fur being all over inside and outside the doe's cage, improves the sanitary environment inside the doe's cage, and makes sanitation in the rabbit house easier to clean.

6. The construction of the burrow fully utilizes the existing space of the rabbit house, increases the number of rabbits kept in the rabbit house, and increases the effective utilization rate of doe cages.

In summary, the burrow breeding method improves the survival rate of kits, reduces the labor intensity of breeders, improves work efficiency, reduces feeding costs, and produces very considerable comprehensive economic benefits.

Deficiencies of the burrow breeding method

1. The construction of burrows is subject to certain conditions. The renovation of existing site cages can adopt multiple forms according to local conditions, but some rabbit houses' conditions cannot accommodate the construction of burrows.

2. The inside of the burrow is easily contaminated by rabbit feces and urine, so each time the burrow is cleaned and disinfected, it must be done thoroughly.

3. Due to the limitation of the burrow entrance, cleaning the sanitation of the lower layer of the rabbit cage is relatively troublesome.

Forms of burrows

The construction of burrows can be adapted to local conditions according to the conditions inside the rabbit house, and as much as possible should occupy less land, use less labor, require less investment, and produce more output. Multiple forms can be adopted, which can be divided into three types: underground type, semi-underground type, and above-ground type.

1. Underground type: the burrow is entirely built underground. The advantage is good contact with ground energy and a good warm-in-winter, cool-in-summer effect, but the entrance and exit slope is long and the floor area is large.

2. Semi-underground type: when building the burrow, half is underground, which can both borrow ground energy and save floor space.

3. Above-ground type: due to conditional limitations, the burrow can only be made on concrete ground, imitating the underground environment.

If divided by the form of the entrance and exit holes for rabbits: there are two types, one with the exit on the cage bottom board and one with the exit opened on the front wire mesh of the rabbit cage.

1. Exit opened on the cage bottom board: this form saves the most space. But the effective usable area inside the rabbit cage becomes smaller, and the sanitary conditions inside the burrow are relatively poor.

2. Exit opened on the front wire mesh of the rabbit cage: this form has better sanitary conditions. But it is very difficult to arrange the position of the entrance and exit on the front of the rabbit cage. The entrance and exit can also be set on the cage door.

3. Opening in a thickened side wall: the beneficial space inside the cage is large enough, and the door can also be installed normally, but a dedicated passage must be built, which is relatively troublesome!

Several precautions for burrow construction

1. Burrow construction should choose a location with a relatively low groundwater level, where water cannot rise, and where it is not too damp. If the underground is relatively damp or there is leakage in the manure channel inside the house, it is best to choose an above-ground burrow.

2. The burrow should not be built too deep, and the depth should not exceed half a meter. This makes daily inspection, disinfection, sanitation cleaning, and other work convenient.

3. The entrance and exit passage of the burrow should not be too long, too steep, or too narrow. The dimensions built inside the burrow should be appropriate. If the size is too large, newborn kits will not stay together, are likely to crawl around, and the temperature will be too low, causing kits to be unable to get milk or even die; if the size is too small, it is difficult for the doe to turn around.

4. The inspection opening of the burrow and the passage cover plate must be able to close firmly and open conveniently, able to both keep rabbits in and facilitate sanitation cleaning.

5. The burrow cover plate should be flush with the ground, which facilitates walking and sanitation cleaning.

6. Burrow brickwork should use cement mortar, and the gaps between bricks should be filled completely to prevent rats and insects from breeding.

7. The bottom board inside the burrow is best made movable, so it is convenient to take out and can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

Management of burrow farming

Although the burrow breeding method has many advantages, the ultimate success or failure of raising rabbits still depends on human management. Therefore, strengthening the management of the doe house is very important.

1. Cyclic use of three-layer cage positions. In the burrow breeding method, the doe room is generally a vertical rabbit cage, divided into three layers (or two layers), with the ground-level layer connected one-to-one with the burrow. In this way, the first, second, and third layers are used cyclically, rationally using cage space and facilitating management and operation. The first layer can hold does about to give birth and does within 18 days after kindling. This creates a natural and comfortable breeding environment for the doe and reduces external interference. The middle second layer has a suitable cage height, convenient for inspection and mating management. It can be assigned to open does or does that have already been mated and checked for pregnancy. The third layer is the kit layer, level with people's line of sight, convenient for observing the growth status of kits. When kits grow to 18 days, that is, before they start eating, transfer both the doe and kits together to the third-layer cage above, and induce the kits to eat while feeding the doe. This can make up for the doe's insufficient milk and promote the growth of kits.

2. Does can enter the nest 4-5 days before kindling. At this time, the doe should be handled gently, placed directly into the burrow, and the burrow door closed tightly, letting the doe drill out of the burrow by herself and enter the cage. This can prompt the doe to become familiar with and adapt to the burrow environment in advance and reduce stress reactions.

3. After does about to give birth are placed in the burrow, open the burrow cover every day for inspection. If it is found that the doe does not enter the burrow or does not pull fur, the doe should repeatedly be confined in the burrow so that she can adapt to the burrow environment as quickly as possible and successfully give birth in the burrow. However, there will still be a very small number of does that do not give birth in the burrow, and these require extra attention.

4. After the doe gives birth, the burrow should be inspected and cleaned promptly, the doe's blood stains wiped dry, feces and placenta removed, stillborn and diseased or injured kits taken out, the number counted, and records made. In burrow breeding, the number of kits reserved per litter should be controlled at 8-9 for best results. Some good does can raise 11—12 kits. In some rabbit farms with good management and high breeding rates, one doe can produce more than 50 commercial rabbits per year.

5. Burrow breeding should be inspected once every morning. If the kits have eaten their fill, are quiet and motionless, and the number can be seen clearly, it is best not to disturb them, to prevent affecting the kits' rest. The key is to check whether any kits have died, whether they have eaten enough, whether their feces are normal, whether there is an abnormal odor or yellow urine phenomenon, whether rabbit fur and grass stalks are tangled around the kits, and so on, and handle them promptly. Be sure to remove dead rabbits.

6. According to temperature changes in the rabbit house, appropriately increase or decrease the bedding straw and rabbit fur in the burrow. In summer, less fur can be left; in winter, more straw and fur must be added, paying attention to cold protection.

7. Empty burrow cage positions should be thoroughly cleaned of feces, weeds, rabbit fur, soil, and leftover feed. First use a flame to thoroughly burn and sterilize, and a small amount of quicklime can also be sprinkled inside the burrow. Open the burrow cover and air it for 2-3 days before continuing to use it.

8. Before use, the burrow is best disinfected once more with flame, and some dry grass laid inside (the amount of grass laid can depend on the season and indoor temperature).

Although the burrow breeding method has many advantages, the construction of burrows is subject to certain conditions, and some rabbit houses' conditions are not suitable for burrow construction. Therefore, the renovation of existing site cages should adapt to local conditions and adopt multiple forms. For example: when the existing site cages cannot be changed, use hanging kindling boxes; if the cages can be modified, they can be converted into the mother-and-kit cage form; they can also be changed into the one-cage-one-box form. All have achieved very good results.

Bionic burrow-type doe kindling box

The bionic doe kindling box is formed in one piece through injection molding and other processes: box body ① combined with a movable kindling box bottom. ② box door. ③ equipped with a doe entrance and exit passage tube. ④ composed of these. Its advantages are:

1. The bionic one-piece molded box body has a smooth surface, and the corners are designed as rounded corners. It is safe and hygienic, not easily affected by moisture, mold, or insects; sanitation is easy to clean and disinfect, and it can prevent rats.

2. The movable kindling box bottom mat imitates the shape of the bottom layer of a doe's burrow in nature, appearing pot-bottom shaped. The young rabbits gather at the pot bottom and are not easy to scatter, which helps maintain the body temperature of the young rabbits. The temperature and humidity inside the box are easy to maintain, and kits are not prone to death. In addition, the movable kindling box bottom mat has a small-hole grid, which can drain out the feces and urine of the young rabbits, keeping the young rabbits' bodies clean and dry, making them less likely to get sick, and also making it convenient to take out and easy to clean.

3. Convenient to use and easy to install. It can be placed inside a rabbit cage as a kindling box, can also be made into an externally hung kindling box, and can also be placed underground for use as a burrow. When used as a burrow, the position of the burrow can be arranged flexibly (underground type, semi-underground type, above-ground type), and the entrance and exit for the doe can be arranged flexibly, with simple construction.

4. The upper cover of this burrow-type kindling box adopts a waterproof eaves design. When washing the burrow upper cover and the ground, flowing water can flow through the drainage holes to the ground outside the box, preventing sewage from flowing into the burrow and making the young rabbits damp.

5. Not easy to rot or deteriorate, with a long service life.

6. Simple construction, short construction period, and low cost.

7. Using the bionic rabbit kindling burrow-type kindling box, during the doe's kindling and nursing period, a large amount of labor can be saved, reducing the labor intensity of workers. Moreover, the survival rate of doe kindling is high, reducing farming costs and increasing economic benefits.

8. By wrapping the burrow-type kindling box with a layer of insulation material such as polystyrene board, an insulated kindling box can be formed.

The burrow breeding method is a new technology in rabbit farming and a revolution in rabbit farming technology. It will drive the great development of rabbit farming. The burrow breeding method should attract great attention from colleagues in the rabbit industry and should be vigorously promoted and applied as soon as possible. It will bring you immediate results and bring infinite economic benefits to the rabbit industry. Especially for beginner rabbit farmers, it is very beneficial and can improve the success rate of raising rabbits.