A Detailed Guide to Efficient Angora Rabbit Breeding Techniques and Management Methods
Rabbit wool products are light, soft, comfortable, warm and attractive, and are well received by consumers at home and abroad. Raising Angora rabbits requires little land and little investment, feed sources are plentiful, and returns are good, making it a good way for farmers to prosper.
Breeds
There are many Angora rabbit breeds in the world, among which the Angora rabbit is the breed with the best production performance, originating in Ankara Province, Turkey. There are many lines of Angora rabbits, such as the Chinese line, English line, Japanese line and German line. Among them, the German line is larger in body weight, with an adult weight of about 5 kg and an annual wool yield of 0.75-1 kg, with good individuals reaching 1.5 kg; the Chinese line Angora rabbit weighs 2.5-3.5 kg, with an annual wool yield of about 0.25 kg, and good individuals can reach more than 0.5 kg. The Chinese line Angora rabbit has strong adaptability, a high reproduction rate, tolerance of coarse feed and strong disease resistance, and has good combining ability when crossed with the German line Angora rabbit.
Rabbit Housing
Angora rabbits like a dry, clean and quiet environment, so rabbit housing should be built in a place with high, dry terrain, a quiet environment and good drainage. Angora rabbits are generally kept in cages, with breeding rabbits kept singly in separate cages and young rabbits kept several to a cage. The size of the rabbit cage must follow a certain standard. A commonly used rabbit cage is generally 60 cm long, 55 cm wide and 45 cm high; cages for breeding rabbits should be enlarged as appropriate. The bottom of the rabbit cage should be more than 30 cm above the ground. The floor of the rabbit cage is best made of bamboo strips, with strips 2.5 cm wide, straight and level, and a gap of 1 cm between two strips. In this way, rabbit droppings can fall through while rabbit feet will not be caught. The cage floor must not be nailed dead to the frame; it should be made removable for easy replacement and cleaning. Rabbit cages can be stacked for three-dimensional rearing, making full use of space.
Feeding
Angora rabbits feed mainly on grass, with an appropriate supplement of concentrate. The rabbit's cecum is quite well developed, about equal in length to the rabbit's body, and its ability to digest crude fiber is strong, second only to cattle and sheep. A wool-producing rabbit needs about 0.5 kg of green feed and 100-150 g of compound feed per day. There are many kinds of green feed that Angora rabbits like to eat, such as alfalfa, vegetable leaves, various tree leaves, Astragalus adsurgens, peanut vines, sweet potato vines and various wild vegetables; in winter, sun-dried green hay can be fed.
A reference formula for compound feed is: soybean meal 15%, wheat bran 28%, barley 15%, corn 10%, rice bran 20%, fish meal 5%, cottonseed cake 5%, shell powder 1.5%, salt 0.5%. The crude protein content in the daily ration is 18%, crude fiber 11%, and digestible energy is 12.5 megajoules per kg. Lactating female rabbits are additionally fed 15-25 g of soybeans per day; when green feed is lacking in winter, an appropriate amount of multivitamin additive can be added to the feed.
Angora rabbits are fed 3-4 times a day, and feeding must be at fixed times and in fixed amounts; especially at night, sufficient forage and drinking water must be guaranteed. Green feed should be washed and drained of excess water; do not feed green feed that carries soil, rain water or has been sprayed with pesticides. Concentrate should be mixed and fed fresh to prevent it from turning sour overnight. Young rabbits can start eating at 16 days of age, mainly rely on supplementary feeding at 30 days of age, and can be weaned at 40-45 days of age. Young female rabbits should be given more exercise, and after 4 months of age male and female rabbits should be kept in separate cages.
Breeding
Female rabbits can be mated and bred at 6-7 months of age and a body weight of 2.5-3.5 kg; male rabbits at 9 months of age and a body weight of 3.5-4 kg. The ratio of males to females for natural mating is 1:8-10. Angora female rabbits often refuse mating at the first mating, so forced mating can be used: hold the rabbit with the left hand, insert the right hand from the rabbit's left groin, and use two fingers to separate the vulva, letting the male rabbit mount and mate. After 8 hours, mate again in the same way; when mating, the female rabbit should be placed in the male rabbit's cage. The gestation period of the female rabbit is 30-31 days; 25 days after conception, the female rabbit begins to pull hair to line the nest, and at this time the kindling box should be placed in the nest, with soft bedding straw packed around the inside of the kindling box. After giving birth, the female rabbit should be given some water to drink. Generally 5-6 young are born per litter, or as many as 8-10; it is appropriate for each female rabbit to nurse 6-7 young.
Wool Harvesting
Angora rabbits can have their wool harvested 3 months after birth. The state purchases rabbit wool at prices graded by length; to ensure wool quality, it is best to comb the rabbit wool with a comb every 10 days to prevent tangling. There are two wool harvesting methods: plucking and shearing. Young rabbits are generally shorn, adult rabbits plucked; pluck in winter and summer, shear in spring and autumn. Plucking can be done once a month, plucking the long and leaving the short, plucking gently in small tufts. Shearing is generally done once every 70-90 days; when shearing, shear the back first and then the belly, cutting against the direction of the wool. Wool must be sheared or plucked by grade, packaged by grade and stored by grade, to raise the selling grade.