Okrol rabbits in winter: breeding rules for outdoors
Kindling rabbits in winter has a number of specific features, but this method has been used in intensive rabbit breeding for tens, if not hundreds, of years. Compliance with the rules allows you to get up to 4-6 births per year from one female without harm to her he alth and the quality of the offspring. Also, using the method, you can connect young rabbits to reproduction immediately after they reach puberty, without waiting for the onset of the warm season.
Can rabbits be covered in winter?
The use of winter rounds is recommended for rabbit breeders with considerable experience in breeding animals, because this requires not only skills, but also the appropriate equipment, feed supply and the ability to handle young animals.
Despite the difficulties ahead, having a baby in the winter season has a number of advantages:
- It is possible to avoid downtime for six months, which negatively affects her well-being and ability to reproduce.
- Winter baby rabbits are strong and he althy (when provided with appropriate conditions and high-calorie feeding).
- Females obtained from the offspring in the cold can be included in the reproduction of the herd already in the summer. During the remaining period, they will be able to become mothers twice.
- If the animals are bred for the skin, its quality will be higher than that of summer rabbits.
- Increase the profit of the rabbit farm.
But intensive breeding involves keeping the rabbits comfortable and providing them with complete high-calorie nutrition to withstand the cold.
What temperature can animals withstand?
It is definitely impossible to answer this question, because a lot depends on the conditions created for rabbits, on the experience of the female and her desire to nurse offspring. There is a strong opinion that the optimal temperature in a room with cells is the range from 5 to 10 degrees. With its growth, it is necessary to monitor the improvement of ventilation and the supply of fresh air, but avoiding drafts that are detrimental to rabbits.
Rabbits provide offspring with insulation in the form of their warm and light fluff, which serves as excellent protection in cold weather. In nature, wild rabbits survive in the cold -20 degrees, but the offspring and they themselves are in warm holes, and not on the surface.
Therefore, the task of the rabbit breeder is to create optimal conditions for pets, including providing them with insulated cages (especially when breeding outside), keeping them clean and dry, and most importantly, supplying them with high-calorie foods in sufficient quantities.Most often, animals die or give up offspring because they do not have enough energy and nutrients to feed.
With a plentiful balanced diet, rabbits are able to successfully survive the harsh cold winter and raise strong and he althy offspring.
What effect do low temperatures have on young animals?
With a properly built reproduction system, winter young rabbits grow he althy, strong, and regularly gain weight. But here much depends on the preparation of the rabbit breeder and the behavior of the female. According to natural rhythms, rabbits are reluctant to mate in the cold. Forced insemination is not able to solve the problem, because a female not ready for breeding will simply throw the offspring out of the nest or will not feed it. At the genetic level, it is laid down in her that such rabbits do not survive.
To prevent this from happening, animals need to be provided with optimal conditions, leveling the negative from the cold. Then the female will follow the offspring, and the rabbits themselves will be cheerful and cheerful.
Features of breeding rabbits in the winter on the street
In order for reproduction to take place without complications, even on the street in winter, you must follow these recommendations:
- Selection of a regionalized breed bred to live in specific conditions.
- Balanced wholesome nutrition.
- Clean water that needs to be heated in cold weather.
- Cell warming.
- Proper conduct of mating.
When following the rules and choosing young strong females for mating, it is possible to obtain stable offspring and grow the entire offspring without loss, even under extremely severe temperatures down to 25 degrees below zero.
Home improvement
In order for the winter rabbits to survive even under the condition of the onset of low temperatures, they need to provide appropriate living conditions.When kept outdoors, rabbits need warm cages. They are insulated from the outside with layers of foam sheets, ensuring that animals cannot directly access the plastic, otherwise they will gnaw it and may get sick and even die.
When growing in queen cells without heating, the cells need to be insulated not only from above, but also on the sides, using felt, foam or thermal film. From below, under the lattice base, it is necessary to put a couple of sheets of plywood. Also, there should be enough straw in the cages for insulation. When a female starts building a nest, she should be offered suitable nesting materials, especially if she lacks her own down or expects severe cold.
In order for the animals not to freeze and not get sick, it is necessary to regularly clean the cages, because humidity combined with low temperatures is a risk of disease and death of the offspring.
How to feed and water
In order to ensure active reproduction and survival of offspring during the winter birth, females, and then grown up rabbits, need to be given high-calorie feed. Hay and succulent feed, especially carrots, must be present without fail. Vitamins will help to cope with the difficulties of winter time.
Also, rabbits need to be given branches, preferably coniferous, because they solve two issues at once - getting vitamins and nutrients and grinding down constantly growing teeth. Provide specially grown fresh herbs, root vegetables (200-250 grams) that stimulate lactating females, mineral supplements (2 grams) and the same amount of s alt.
In addition to providing complete feed, it is necessary to monitor the availability of clean water. During frosts, it is necessary to heat the water, this will help to avoid illness and death of rabbits. If the livestock is large and the rabbits are grown on an industrial scale, the cages should be equipped with a nipple supply of heated water.This will reduce fluid loss and reduce the risk of wetting the litter and developing destructive dampness.
Possible problems
The main difficulties in winter breeding are as follows:
- Females may refuse mating. To cope with this, you need to provide them with conditions that are no different from other seasons.
- If it is cold and damp in the cage and the mother liquor, the rabbit may throw away the offspring, and it will die.
- With a lack of food and water, animals will get sick, which will lead to the death of not only rabbits, but also livestock.
If the breeder manages to overcome the difficulties, then the rabbits obtained in winter will be he althier, more resistant to diseases, appetite and weight gain. In the cold, rabbits do not suffer from a dangerous disease - myxomatosis.
Raising rabbits during the cold season is troublesome and expensive, but profitable.
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