Breeding rabbits in a pit: growing technology at home

Rabbit breeding, as a farming industry, originated in the 19th century. Burrowing animals were raised in conditions close to natural. Farmers kept them in special pits dug in the ground. The eared ones multiplied and took care of the offspring, but did not get food. With the development of the industry, the accelerating method and aviary keeping of rabbits began to be used, but breeding in the pit remains an alternative and economical method.

Pros and cons of breeding rabbits in a pit

Aviary and pit methods differ in financial costs, keeping conditions, hygiene and animal reproduction rate. Raising rabbits in a pit is profitable due to savings:

• finance and time for the arrangement of the place of detention - the construction of the rabbitry includes the preparation of a project, the construction or refurbishment of the premises, the installation of heating, electricity and plumbing. To dig a hole, you do not need to have special knowledge, buy building materials and hire workers;
• time for cleaning - in the rabbitries built according to Mikhailov's scheme, a litter disposal system has been thought out, freeing farmers from daily cleaning of cages. But you will have to change the bedding and clean the drain over time. You can clean up in the pit much less often;
• space - to accommodate 200 individuals in cages, you will need a separate area. With the pit method of breeding for such a number of rabbits, they dig a standard recess of 2 meters in length, width and depth.

The advantage of keeping in a pit is also that the rabbits move more, are not limited in communicating with each other and therefore reproduce faster.

Negative aspects of breeding in the pit:

• diseases spread rapidly - the first rabbit to get sick will infect the others. Viral diseases are not treated, and in community settings, the risk of re-infection of recovered individuals is high. Therefore, most likely it will not be possible to save the herd;
• specific problems with cleaning - during the cleaning of the cages, the rabbits are placed one at a time in a separate box. It is difficult to catch nimble animals in the pit, so the procedure for replacing the litter must be thought out in advance;
• breed restriction - pits are suitable for meat rabbits;
• incest - rabbits in the pit breed rapidly but uncontrollably. Gradually, most individuals in the population become close relatives. Their offspring are weakening. Young rabbits are more likely to develop genetic defects.

With the right arrangement in the pit keeping of rabbits, there are more advantages. In winter and summer, the earth maintains the same temperature due to the natural release of heat by animals. The special microclimate favorably affects the he alth and reproduction of rabbits.

Which breeds are suitable for the method

Meat breeds grown in a pit and an aviary have the same high quality of meat. But the skin looks better in rabbits living in separate cages.

Meat breeds that can be kept in a pit:

• rex is distinguished by small paws and large ears. The average weight of an adult rabbit is 4.5 kilograms. Most of the mass is meat. Rex well tolerate frost -30 degrees and unpretentious in food, but can not stand the heat, shy and can bite. In offspring 4-5 rabbits;
• flandre - Belgian giants, kind in nature, reach a weight of 12 kilograms. 14 cubs are born in one litter. Giant rabbits are sensitive to drafts and often catch colds in sudden changes in temperature;
• grey giant - large-sized rabbits weigh 6-7 kilograms. Giants need a lot of space, so they will be more comfortable in a pit than in cages;
• black-brown - an unpretentious care rabbit weighing 5 kilograms quickly adapts to changeable weather in winter.

Growing technology depends on the breed. A pit for thoroughbred and large rabbits is well insulated and no more than 20 individuals are launched. Small breeds are more mobile and tend to dig holes. To do this, a section free from insulation is left on one of the walls.

It is better to breed rabbits of different breeds in separate pits so that mestizos are not born in the offspring.

Selecting a place for the pit

The main requirements for a place where rabbits are kept are warm and dry. Therefore, the pit is prepared on a slightly shaded hill with deep groundwater. Parameters are selected according to the number and size of animals. The length, width and height of a standard recess is 2 meters. If the hole is not deep enough, rabbits can dig their way up and climb out.

A layer of sand 20 centimeters thick is laid on the bottom to absorb odor. A metal grate or wooden slats impregnated with an antibacterial composition are placed on top. The floor is concreted and made inclined so that sewage flows down to one wall, and it is convenient to clean them up.

The walls are reinforced with brick or slate and insulated with straw. Straw bedding is placed at the bottom of the pit. One wall below is left earthen for the rabbits to equip a hole. The pit is protected from the sun and precipitation by a canopy. Nearby, a fenced green lawn is arranged like an aviary and a passage is laid to it for rabbits. As a fence put a metal mesh with small cells. A pit with access to the enclosure allows the animals to move more, eat juicy grass and bask in the sun. The move must be equipped with a door that will protect the rabbits from wild animals at night.

burrow size

The instincts of young rabbits from nurseries are dulled and they do not burrow. In this case, the dwelling for animals must be made with your own hands. The hole is placed at a height of 12 centimeters from the floor. If the hole is flooded, water will not penetrate there. The depth of the rabbit hole in nature is 15-20 meters. In the pit, it is enough to set the start of the move so that there is enough space for rabbits and rabbits.Over time, their instincts will awaken, and the animals will dig deeper.

burrow preparation scheme:

• dig a hole in the wall with a diameter of 20 centimeters and a length of 1.5-2 meters;
• tilt down at a 20 degree angle as you go so the rabbits don't dig their way to the ground outside the hole;
• expand the entrance to 40 centimeters in diameter and give the manhole the shape of a cone;
• coat the walls with clay.

A cellar is sometimes used to breed rabbits at home. In a ready-made underground shelter with fortified walls, animals will not be able to dig passages. In the cellar, it is better to put cages and lay straw bedding inside. In this way breeds of sedentary giants are bred. The pit is populated with young animals 6 months old for 3-4 years. Then the first settlers are let in for meat. Burrows are dug by rabbits for posterity.At an older age, their reproductive ability decreases and the instinct to dig weakens. Representatives of the older generation occupy minks dug by the younger ones. To avoid conflicts in the herd, 4-year-olds should be removed from the pit or young animals should be planted.

Content rules

The pit is populated in stages: for 2 days the rabbits are transferred from the cages, then returned back and after 2 days they are put back in the pit. After 5 approaches, the animals are left in a new place.

Settlers are selected by sex: 6 females and 1 male. It is better to start breeding with a small number of 14 individuals.

Diet

The menu for pit keeping is the same as for breeding on a mini-farm:

• green fodder - fresh grass, hay, silage, fruit tree twigs, beet tops;
• vegetables - raw and boiled potatoes, beets, turnips, beans, carrots, cabbage leaves;
• roughage - cereals, sunflower seeds, pumpkin, flax.

Animals are fed 2 times a day. Dishes with food and water are placed above the floor so that sewage does not get there. When breeding rabbits in the basement, feeders and drinkers can be hung inside the cages.

Reproduction

The population of rabbits in the pit is increasing naturally. Rabbits take care of their own and other rabbits. There should always be water in the drinkers, otherwise they will lose milk from dehydration. If it is impossible to feed the offspring, the rabbit destroys it. When breeding animals in a pit, the following rules are followed:

• change males every six months to prevent degeneration;
• transplant the young into another hole;
• remove aggressive and weak individuals from the herd.

Males maim each other in a fight, so conflicting rabbits need to be removed. If females are not getting enough food and water in the herd, they are best kept in cages.

How to get a rabbit out of a hole

Animals most of the time live apart, wean from a person and hide when he appears in holes. Rabbits are impossible to get out of a deep hole with any improvised means. They are attracted only by the food they receive from the owner.

To make it easier to catch the animals in the pit, farmers use the following trick:

• during the construction of an artificial hole, a damper is hung at the entrance;
• from the moment of settling, feeding is accompanied by a signal - a whistle, a call or clapping;
• minks dug by animals are also equipped with shutters.

The inhabitants of the pit will develop a reflex - the signal means food. They will resort to a whistle or a call. Two people need to catch a rabbit. One person calls the herd, and the other closes the minks with shutters. The animals will have nowhere to hide. The intended rabbit is caught with a net.

What problems can there be and how to solve them

Difficulties awaiting rabbits in an insufficiently comfortable pit:

• appearance of rats and insects;
• raids of wild predators;
• blindness from poor lighting during the day;
• illness.

Rats and insects are carriers of viruses and bacteria. To prevent the animals from becoming infected, they are vaccinated before settling. If pests have entered the pit, the herd must be transplanted and disinfected or immediately transplanted into a new pit. Rabbits will hide from predators in deep minks. If the young do not know how to dig them, an experienced rabbit that grew up in a pit is planted in the herd. The problem of lack of sunlight will be solved by arranging an exit to the aviary.

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