Key Technical Points and Management Methods for Raising Hyplus Rabbits
The Hyplus composite strain meat rabbit is a hybrid breed developed by the French company Euro Rabbit in the late 1970s. It was bred from nine original breeds through different crossbreeding combinations and selection trials. One of the most notable characteristics of this breed is its high meat yield, reaching up to 59%, which is the highest among current meat rabbit breeds. The meat is tender, and adult commercial rabbits weigh an average of 4.5 kg. After decades of breeding, it has become one of the main breeds in the current meat rabbit market. Yuncheng City was among the earlier areas in our province to develop it, and Hyplus rabbit raising is currently developing well. To raise Hyplus rabbits in housed confinement, the first requirement is to provide a suitable environment.
The general temperature requirement for Hyplus rabbits is 5 to 30°C, with the most suitable temperature being 15 to 25°C. The relative humidity for this breed is 60% to 70%. Another factor is lighting; the lighting requirement is 14 hours to 16 hours per day. In winter, when lighting is insufficient, light bulbs can be installed in the rabbit house for artificial supplementary lighting.
When raising Hyplus rabbits, breeding rabbits must be housed individually in single cages, while commercial rabbits are raised five to six per cage, and they must not be too crowded, as overcrowding will cause adverse effects on the rabbits and affect their growth rate. Hyplus rabbits are herbivorous animals, so the feed is mainly green feed, supplemented by concentrated feed. However, in winter and spring, green feed is relatively scarce, so more concentrated feed can be appropriately fed. This mainly consists of pelleted feed mixed from soybean meal, corn, wheat bran, and the like. At the same time, more carrots should also be fed.
Hyplus rabbits are a small-scale raising breed and are relatively suitable for farm households to raise. Because Hyplus rabbits fully utilize the advantages of crossbreeding, they also have the advantages of stable genetic performance, few diseases, and a high feed conversion rate, with a feed-to-meat ratio of 2.8:1. In terms of raising, Hyplus rabbits require very little labor; generally, one person can handle the raising task for five or six hundred rabbits, so it can serve as a reference project for farmer friends to choose for development.