Rabbit gray giant: breed description and characteristics, breeding

Massive rabbits of the gray giant breed are bred for meat and skin, they are distinguished by a weight of 5-7 kilograms, disease resistance and high productivity. These qualities determined the popularity of the breed and its prevalence in the countries of the former USSR, in the southern regions of Russia, in Ukraine and Moldova. Selection work is underway to improve the quality of the coat in these rabbits.

Origin of the gray giant breed

This breed was bred in the post-war years near Poltava by crossing local rabbits without a specific breed with Flanders albino. Subsequently, careful selection was carried out in order to select individuals suitable for the breed standard.

Breeding work completed by 1952, which is considered to be the date of "birth" of gray giants.

Description and characteristics of the rabbit

Features of gray giant rabbits:

1. Massiveness.
2. Powerful physique.
3. Strong, durable bones.
4. Oval body with round back.
5. Large, fleshy ears, wider in the middle than at the base and at the ends, arranged in a "V" shape when viewed from the front.
6. The head is large, elongated, with a rough constitution.
7. Limbs strong and strong.
8. Accelerated weight gain. On average, a rabbit weighs 5-6 kg, adult male record holders reach 7 kg.

These are energetic and cheerful, mobile animals, hardy, fast growing, prolific, resistant to diseases. If well fed, gray giant rabbits can be used for broiler breeding for meat.

The skin of the gray giant is not too thick, with soft low fur and dense elastic thin skin. The following colors are found:

1. Agouti - the most common, gray-hare, with white legs and belly.
2. Kangaroo, or dark brownish gray with a lighter smoky underside.
3. Iron gray - dark with a uniform "gray".
4. Golden is a rare color, the result of a mutation.
5. Black rabbit.
6. White coloration.

The last two colors, like the golden variation, are rare.

What are its advantages and disadvantages?

The following properties are among the undoubted advantages of the gray giant:

1. Unpretentiousness. These animals are not capricious, rarely get sick, grow and breed well, and do not require increased attention from their owners.
2. Precocity. Thanks to this property, animals can be grown to obtain tender meat using the broiler method.
3. Great body mass. Rabbits weigh up to 5-6 kg, which is an excellent indicator, especially considering the rate of weight gain.
4. Productivity. The female, on average, brings 7-8 rabbits per litter.

The gray giants have no obvious shortcomings. These include the voracity of animals, but this quality helps them quickly gain weight. Their skin does not reach the standards of such "stars" as the Soviet chinchilla or the white giant, the butterfly or the Viennese blue, but it is quite suitable for the production of inexpensive fur products.

Handling and caring for a rabbit

Grey giants are kept in cages located on the sunny side, but with protection from direct UV rays. An important condition for all rabbits is hygiene, the presence of clean water and the absence of drafts and dampness.

These rabbits are unpretentious and do not need special conditions, it is important to feed them well, as the animals have an excellent appetite.

Despite the fact that the breed is considered disease resistant, cages are regularly disinfected to prevent mass infections. Most often, bleach is used for these purposes, but firing with a blowtorch is also suitable.

Diet

Rabbits gray giant is not picky about food, they are happy to absorb fresh grass in the warm season and hay in winter, eat fresh and boiled root crops, greens, tree branches. Grains should be added to the diet for accelerated weight gain and protein mixtures before finishing fattening.

With excellent appetites, animals should not be overfed, as this can adversely affect their digestion and general he alth. In order for rabbits to get enough calories to successfully gain weight, they need to be fed frequently, but not in excess.It is very important to follow the feeding schedule - animals quickly get used to it.

After the animals have eaten, all leftover food must be removed, because decaying leftovers can cause infection and illness in the livestock. It is also necessary to monitor the purity and freshness of the water in the drinkers.

Nuances of breed breeding

Rabbits gray giants can bring up to 8 cubs, but up to 14 rabbits can be in the offspring. At the same time, females are distinguished by their milkiness, they are devoted mothers, they take care of their offspring, they do not trample or eat rabbits, they warm them in a well-equipped nest.

With good nutrition, animals quickly gain weight, their meat is of high quality, tender, dietary. But when growing this breed, there are certain features:

1. In recent years, the breed has become obsolete, as now there are rabbits that can gain a few kilograms more in the same time and with less feed.
2. Massive animals need stronger cages.
3. The skin of gray giants is not of brilliant quality, it is uninteresting in color and has an uneven distribution of pile density.

These rabbits in modern conditions are more suitable for growing in private and farm households, as they belong to universal breeds that give both the skin and dietary tasty meat. It is also important that they are unpretentious in food, they will gladly eat any vegetables and herbs from their garden, the main thing is that they are clean and not wet, and that grass or hay is on the menu every day.

What do they get sick with?

Rabbits of this breed are considered disease resistant. They were bred specifically so that breeders would have a minimum number of problems during mass breeding. They are suitable for indoor life, but when kept in cages with metal mesh floors, they can develop pododermatitis.

This disease is an inflammation of the pads of the fingers, the folds between them, sometimes with the involvement of the claw ridges in the process. In rabbits, gray giant pododermatitis can be caused due to skin damage caused by contact with metal. They are characterized by a slight pubescence of the legs and a significant weight.

This breed was bred for the southern regions, where the climate is mild or temperate, without sudden changes in temperature. Based on this, rabbits in harsh weather conditions can only be kept in insulated rooms, protecting them from frost, drafts and high humidity.

Where to buy, approximate cost?

Animals for breeding must be purchased from trusted manufacturers. It is better to do this in professional rabbit breeding farms, such as Petrovsky fur farms in Ukraine, in the Poltava region, Krasnaya Polyana in the Kirovograd region, Luch in Tatarstan, in the Crimea, and so on.

The cost of rabbits starts from 250 rubles per head. On average, they ask for 400-600 rubles for the manufacturer. Gray giants - rabbits that are profitable in breeding, suitable for growing both for meat and skin, are he althy, gain weight in 2-3 months, therefore they are used both in private household plots and for industrial cultivation.

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