Description of rabbits of the Giant breed
Rabbits Giants are the pride of domestic rabbit breeding. Ornamental breeds of this species have a kind disposition and soft fluffy fur. It is impossible to look at the photo of these giant rodents without delight and emotion.
But not many people know that giants rabbits are also popular among farmers because it is not only very profitable to grow them, but also quite simple: they do not require special care and are not picky about the choice of food, which is why many are happy to breed rabbits not only on farms , but also at home.
Rabbits Giants
Of course, fluffy giants live most comfortably in warm sunny regions, but they even endure severe cold with practically no loss of productivity. On average, Giant rabbits weigh 6 kg. The livestock is growing very quickly, since, in addition to the fact that females have excellent fertility, in most cases they are great mummies, conscientiously caring for their rabbits, so it comes as no surprise that for many years giants have been successfully bred by rabbit breeders from all over the world ...
Rabbit breeds of Giants
The animals owe their large weight to their ancestors - the Belgian Giants, who are also called Flanders. But where the progenitors themselves came from is still not known for certain. There is information that unusually large rabbits were brought to the territory of Europe to the shores of Flanders in the 16th century by some Dutch navigators from the shores of South America.
But in the historical homeland of the Belgians, it was not possible to find traces of their existence for unknown reasons. There is a version that the giant rabbit as a species was exterminated from the South American shores by local hunters.
After the wild rodents were brought to Europe, they began to actively interbreed with representatives of the local fauna. As a result, many new varieties of Flanders appeared, differing not only in stature, but also in early maturity. A little later, scientists became interested in breeding the breed of these rabbits of the Giants. As a result of the long-term work of breeders, today you can find giant rabbits of the following breeds:
- silvery giants,
- Soviet chinchillas,
- white Giants, also called Buscats,
- gray giants,
- Butterflies,
- German Giants,
- Sheep and many other giant pussies.
They may have a different skeleton structure, coat color, individual behavioral and physiological characteristics and purpose, but one thing remains unchanged: huge body sizes atypical for rabbits. On the territory of our country, only two breeds of giants are especially popular: Gray Giants (they are also Giants of the Gray Flanders breed) and Buscats (Giant meat rabbit). These rabbits are unpretentious and have a large fleshy body.
Soviet chinchilla
The breed was bred in 63 of the last century by Russian breeders.To discover a new species, the researchers crossed a white Giant and a chinchilla. As a result of a long breeding selection, rabbits were bred, endowed with a set of features characteristic only for the bred breed:
- developed sufficiently powerful skeleton,
- wide chest,
- strong back,
- rounded scruff,
- short, powerful limbs,
- slightly elongated skull,
- straight short ears.
Soviet chinchillas gained worldwide fame thanks to their phenomenal ripening rate and tasty healthy meat. The average length of an adult is 62 cm, and the weight of an average rabbit of the Giant breed is 4-5 kg. Females of giant chinchillas are very fertile and they always have enough milk for each cub from the litter.
White Giant
The snow-white giants became the prototype of the character from the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland", beloved by millions. These rabbits have a peaceful, calm disposition, so often nurseries advertise them as decorative pets. In order to breed the breed, in the last century, breeders carefully selected the offspring resulting from the crossing of Belgians and albinos. From the latter, the breed received a white coat and a red iris.
This type of rabbit has a rather interesting appearance. The body length of an adult white giant rabbit reaches 65 cm and weighs just over 6 kg. A characteristic feature of the species is a high ability to produce offspring, and almost always all the pups of the litter survive.
The white fur of a giant rabbit lends itself well to dyeing, therefore it is often used in the textile industry. Rabbit breeders often cross these giants with other breeds in order to qualitatively improve the characteristics of the latter. Albinos should be kept in spacious cages that reliably protect from heat and drafts.
Gray Giant
The breed was developed in the 19th century by Ukrainian breeders. Large-sized flanders and rabbits, whose homeland of origin is the central part of Ukraine, crossed. The new species inherited from the Belgians a developed skeletal structure, stature and large muscle mass, and ordinary rabbits endowed the gray giants with high vitality, disease resistance and unpretentiousness.
The color of rabbits of the Gray Giant breed can be very diverse: there are purely gray individuals, but rabbits with a different color are often found, for example:
- all kinds of combinations of light gray and dark gray shades,
- white turning to silver or black,
- pure white,
- pure black.
Rabbits are attributed to the breed according to other characteristic features common to all individuals:
- the fur is thick enough, but the white giants are thicker,
- the average length of an adult is 66 cm with a weight of 7-8 kg,
- at 3 months of age, gray giants are already gaining 2.5-3 kg in weight,
- rabbits have a highly expressed maternal instinct, good fertility.
At one time, the female can give birth to up to 8 cubs. These rabbits are happy to take care of the rabbits left without the care of their mother.
Despite the fact that the breed is slightly inferior to the rest of the giants in terms of meat yield and maturation rate, it is popular throughout the Baltic States, thanks to its excellent adaptive qualities. Gray giants are bred even in Siberia, where the climate is much rougher than in the regions of the middle zone. In addition, these giants can live at home as a family favorite furry pet.
German giant (Riesen)
German giants, or, as they are also called, Riesen, have gained immense popularity throughout Europe, in addition, they are successfully raised by many Russian and Ukrainian rabbit breeders. Unusually gigantic, even for giant rabbits, dimensions cannot but amaze everyone who sees Risen for the first time.
They grow up to 70 cm in length, while the maximum weight of adults in some cases reaches 15 kg.To say that the German giants have a powerful physique is to say nothing. In addition to a huge mass, they have a thick and beautiful coat, which can have variegated, yellow-gray, white, beige and gray colors, sometimes even red individuals are found.
Among the main advantages of the breed are:
- resistance to severe cold,
- strong immunity,
- excellent fertility.
But the Germans also have some disadvantages:
- very slow growth and weight gain,
- poor dirt tolerance, and therefore the cells must be cleaned several times a day,
- maternal instinct is not typical for females, therefore, the female often gives birth to rabbits, but rabbits of other breeds, for example, the same gray giantesses, care for them.
Ram
Lop-eared decorative giants have such an unusual name for rabbits. There are different types of Sheep in nature:
- German,
- French,
- British,
- Meissen.
The breed got its name because of the specific skull, the shape of which resembles a ram's face. Decorative rabbits grow to a size average for giants and weigh no more than 7 kg. But these are very good-natured and calm creatures with cute long ears and the softest thick fur.
Rabbits have a peaceful disposition, thanks to the special structure of their ears. Due to the large length and characteristic features of the auricle, rams do not perceive extraneous sounds poorly, which means they do not experience such frequent fright as other giants.
Russian ermine
Rabbit breeders from all over the world know about Russian ermines bred in Russia. They are loved for their high-quality skin, fur, which is visually very similar to the wool cover of ermines. Outwardly, the breed is somewhat reminiscent of Soviet chinchillas and butterflies. The color of an adult Russian ermine rabbit is as follows:
- the body is pure white;
- ears, legs and tail are black.
Moreover, all rabbits at birth have a pure dark gray color.
Females of the ermine are not particularly fertile; they breed up to 6 rabbits at a time. They need to be kept according to the same rules as an ordinary farm rabbit, the only thing is that they need much more space.
Vienna rabbit
According to the constitution, the Viennese rabbits resemble their ancestors the Flemish giants. Their body is massive, elongated, very muscular, but at the same time the blue giant looks quite compact, thanks to the ratio of strong bones, a broad back and an equally wide chest.
The body length of an adult furry reaches 60 cm with an average weight of 5 kg. The length of the ears rounded at the edges is average, not more than 15 cm. The eyes of the blue Vienna Giant are also dark blue.
These animals have a thick coat with a beautiful steel bluish, completely uniform color. Sometimes, with age, the color of the skin in the area of the rabbit's chest and abdomen becomes lighter, sometimes a deep black color appears altogether. Very often, at light industry enterprises, wool of Vienna blues is passed off as valuable fur of fur animals.
Females of this breed, like most other giants, are distinguished by high fertility, they have excellent milk production and a pronounced maternal instinct, therefore the farmer does not care about feeding the offspring. For 1 okrol, a rabbit hatches an average of 9 rabbits. Babies are born gray, and the blue color characteristic of the breed is acquired only after 2 molts.
Periodically, during the hot summer months, the animal's coat may acquire a slight brownish tint, but after the winter molt, the situation is completely normalized.
Hungarian white
This breed of Giants is not particularly popular in our country. The description of the appearance of the rabbit is very similar to the description of the white Giant, but the Hungarian white has darker eyes. Breed of meat direction. From one adult, you can get up to 6 kg of tasty healthy meat.
Home content
When thinking about breeding any of the Giants, you need to understand that giant rabbits need special upkeep and care. Buy only those rabbits that are at least 5 months old. But before you go to the nursery, it is important to definitely decide for what purpose it is planned to breed them.
For example, white and gray Giants, Butterflies and Russian Ermines are considered fur species. Most of the meat can be obtained from the Belgian Giant, and the Sheep will make great pets.
You should always pay attention to the cost of rabbits. As a rule, advertisements for the sale of pussies indicate the price of one month, that is, the final cost of a rodent directly depends not on how much it weighs, but on its age. For example, if the text indicates that someone is selling a four-month-old gray giant for 600 rubles / month, then the final cost of this pet is 2,400 rubles.
How to equip a rabbit house
In most cases, the breeding of animals is not accompanied by any special care, but due to their high weight and massive skeleton, they need to provide special conditions for keeping. The ideal home for such a rabbit is a wooden cage, always warm and clean. Cages for farm rabbits of Giants are best made without iron elements. It is important to keep in mind that the mesh floor of the home can cause frequent injuries to short-legged pets, so it is better to use planks as flooring. In the cages themselves, the rabbit should be spacious. Breeding farm rabbits of Giants does not require special knowledge, but it is still better to know the rules of their maintenance.
It is correct to keep no more than 1 individual in one compartment. An adult animal needs constant physical activity, and it is necessary to provide them with all the conditions for this. The minimum area for one medium-sized giant is 0.5 m2. You can often see a large adult rabbit just standing on its hind legs and carefully examining something. This is perhaps the most favorite pastime of giants, therefore, when planning the size of the cage, at least a meter should be laid in height. Breeding of immature individuals can be started in closer enclosures.
In order to build a cell, you do not need any special knowledge and devices, therefore, if you wish, you can build it yourself, having previously drawn up your own drawing or borrowed a diagram and video of work on the Internet. In the cages where the young animals will be reared, special feeders and drinkers must be equipped. The compartment for females should be additionally equipped with a place for a comfortable circling.
If you live in a region with a warm climate, you can raise rabbits right outside. Animals should spend the winter in insulated houses. The main thing is to remember that even the slightest draft is very dangerous for giants.
Adults are not afraid of small colds, such as early winter, but animals may not survive severe frosts, as in mid-January. In order to prevent frostbite of the limbs, it is imperative to transfer them from the cage to a warm, closed room. During the summer, animals should be protected from overheating. The optimal place for breeding giants is a basement or a specially equipped barn.
Rabbit care
When caring for the Giants, one important rule must be observed: the cells must be cleaned regularly. Particular attention should be paid to putting things in order in the rabbit house during periods of pregnancy of the female, quarantine due to an infectious disease and before settling in a new pet.
In dirty conditions, fluffy animals often suffer from infectious and viral diseases. If you want to get rid of the moisture and unpleasant odors that often occur in rabbit cages, you should put a good layer of sawdust on the floor. It is important to remember to change them at least once a week.Every 6 months, it is necessary to disinfect the cells with a lime or chlorine solution.
How giants should eat
With regard to nutrition, in this regard, nothing special is required from breeders. When asked about the recommended diet for giants, experts advise making a menu for them from hay and mixed feed with a high protein content. The main thing is that the feeding is regular and balanced.
Unbalanced and erratic nutrition slows down the development of animals, reduces the quality of meat. It is required to establish a feeding schedule and strictly follow it daily. Care should be taken to ensure that the drinker is always full. With full feeding, the cubs quickly gain weight and already weigh about 2 kg at the age of two months.
It is not recommended to give pets low-quality products: rotten, expired, cleaning vegetables. In addition, in no case should you feed the Giants with wheat, rabbits, like hares, can die from it. Useful supplements to the fluffy diet are sprouted oats or barley, vitamin and mineral complexes.
Do not forget that the giant weighs several times more than ordinary rabbits, so its development is slower, which means that the pet should be given at least 2 times more food. But almost always the doubled costs of keeping rabbits pay off in full after the sale of their meat and especially valuable skins.