Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Winter Rex Rabbit Breeding Techniques

Cold prevention and warmth retention
Install glass or nail up plastic film on windows, hang straw (cotton) curtains on doors, and repair any damage promptly to prevent cold wind from attacking the rabbits' bodies. 15-25°C is the optimal living environment for Rex rabbits; when breeding Rex rabbits in winter, the indoor temperature should not be lower than 10°C, and attention should also be paid to ventilation. Methods such as building a plastic greenhouse for warmth, adding bedding straw, using cellar insulation, and providing electric heating inside kindling boxes can be used to control the temperature.
Provide adequate nutrition
Low temperatures increase the rabbits' body heat consumption, so the daily ration for rabbits in winter should generally be increased by 20%-30%, especially by adding some high-energy feeds such as corn grits, wheat bran, sweet potato or potatoes; the number of feedings and the amount given should both be appropriately increased, and after 9 p.m. it is advisable to feed one more time with concentrated feed to supplement the consumption for resisting the cold. Green feed should be no less than 30%. In winter, concentrated and roughage should be reasonably matched, and rabbits should be given more vitamin-containing foods such as Chinese cabbage, carrots, malt and bean sprouts to provide more vitamins. At the same time, sufficient forage should be stored to guard against snow and ice. On cold evenings, dry grass should be the main feed, with less high-moisture feed given, to prevent Rex rabbits from developing abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Do a good job in winter breeding
Severe cold significantly reduces the activity of female rabbits, and estrus and mating are easily overlooked. To do a good job in winter breeding, the temperature of the breeding rabbit house should be kept above 10°C, feed should be prevented from being monotonous, and an appropriate amount of sprouted feed and vitamin C should be added to promote normal estrus in female rabbits. To promote estrus in female rabbits and improve the mating conception rate, artificial estrus induction can be used, with intramuscular injection of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin 30-50 units, or intravenous injection of chorionic gonadotropin 40-60 international units. Generally, estrus can be induced 2-3 days after injection, and mating can then be carried out. In winter, the best time for mating is after the 10th lunar month, chosen at noon on a clear, windless day or in the morning or evening. In addition, to help female rabbits conceive more and give birth to more young, mating methods such as "double mating" and "repeat mating" can be adopted to increase the chance of conception.
Improve the survival rate of young rabbits
In winter, to improve the survival rate of young rabbits, methods such as using plastic-film warm sheds, semi-underground rabbit houses, or separate management of mother and young rabbits can be used. It should be pointed out that young rabbits must receive colostrum within 4-6 hours of birth, and if an individual female rabbit does not nurse, forced nursing can be implemented. For the few cases of insufficient milk, death of the female rabbit, or weak young rabbits, cow or goat milk can be fed or they can be fostered by another litter. The milk secretion of the female rabbit reaches its peak 20 days after giving birth, while the young rabbits grow very quickly, and relying on breast milk alone is far from meeting their nutritional needs, so supplementary feeding should begin around 18 days after birth. It is advisable to give small amounts and supplement frequently, with 5-6 supplementary feedings per day.