Nowadays, people’s needs for dietary meat have increased. After all, people are increasingly starting to switch to a healthy lifestyle, which includes proper nutrition. It is also difficult to imagine a children’s menu without easily digestible meat products. In order to fill the demand of the population, meat breeds of rabbits, which are distinguished by ease of breeding and a high yield of dietary rabbit meat, began to be grown on farms.
Rabbits for meat grow quickly – at 4-5 months they can already be sent to slaughter. Among all the positive points, it is worth noting the calm nature of the animals, good immunity and frequent breeding.
Classic meat breeds of rabbits
Among the meat breeds, the following species are in demand among rabbit breeders:
| Breed name | Weight of an adult animal | Output of meat |
| Flanders | 7-8 kg (sometimes there are individuals with a body weight of 10-12 kg) | About 55% |
| Gray giant | 4.1-7 kg | Up to 60% |
| Soviet chinchilla | About 5 kg | 60-64% |
| White giant | 5-6 kg | 56-59% |
| Risen | 10-15 kg | Up to 65% |
| New Zealand white | 4-5 kg | 54-58% |
| Californian | 3-4 kg | 56-60% |
| White pannon | 4.5-5 kg | Up to 62% |
| Poltava silver | 5-6 kg | 60-65% |
| Viennese blue | 4.5-7 kg | 56-59% |
| Rex | 3-4 kg | 58-60% |
| Butterfly | 4-5 kg | 52-58% |
The best meat breeds of rabbits
It is impossible to single out the best or most profitable meat breeds. All species are somehow interesting, and with a competent approach to breeding, they bring profit to the breeder. When evaluating a meat breed, they take into account the needs for food, maintenance, take into account labor costs, productivity of the species.
The most profitable breeds
Experienced breeders claim that it is profitable to breed fast-growing animals. Precocious breeds of rabbits are compact, have a thin skeleton, and high fleshiness. Broiler rabbits are the best choice among meaty breeds. “Broilers” grow quickly. Breeders note three meat breeds that can often be found on farms – New Zealand white rabbits, California rabbits, White Pannon. The Viennese blue breed is also premature, but less popular among breeders.
The biggest rabbits
Large varieties of rabbits are usually not of the meat type, but of the meat-skin type. When compared with exclusively meat breeds, representatives of the meat-skin direction do not grow so quickly, due to which more nutrition is spent on them. Giant eared fish are characterized by low fertility and late puberty. But such nuances are easily compensated by obtaining large skins.
Large breeds include the following species: Flanders or Belgian giant, Gray giant, Soviet chinchilla, White giant, Riesen. Each thoroughbred representative of this group can boast of a coat of impeccable quality, an original color, and a high yield of quality meat.
Features of large species
It may seem that the best for breeding are large breeds, from which you can get a lot of rabbit meat. Giants are impressive with their size, but such giants have many disadvantages. When keeping eared animals, increased amounts of feed will be required according to the needs of the animals, large spaces of the cage, a lot of bedding. In addition, large rabbits are prone to obesity and limb deformities.
Although there are many negative aspects of large-breed eared dogs, their cultivation is common among farmers. They are liked for their peaceful disposition, resistance to viral diseases found among rabbits, as well as tasty meat, gorgeous large skins.
How to keep and breed meat rabbits
Certain recommendations are followed when breeding meat rabbit breeds:
- Rabbits selected for production should be housed in separate cages.
- Pairing is recommended to start from 6 months of age.
People’s advice! To increase the fertility of females, it is recommended to add apple cider vinegar to the water!
- Animals are recommended to be kept in a cage or aviary.
- The dimensions of rabbit houses should correspond to the size of the rabbit.
- Maintenance of cleanliness in rabbit hutches, regular disinfection of premises, inventory, deratization, disinsection.
- In winter, eared animals should be placed in warm, heated rooms, and protection against drafts should be provided.
- Eared people are vaccinated against common diseases according to the vaccination calendar.
People’s advice! To protect ears from coccidiosis, a solution of iodine is added to drinking water. After weaning, the young are given a 0.01% solution of iodine for 10 days, 50 ml, then a break of 5 days, and switch to a 0.02% solution of iodine – 70 ml for each rabbit for 5-7 days, the next 8-10 days – 100 ml each. Sucrolin rabbits are given 100 ml of 0.01% iodine solution from the 25th day of pregnancy to the 5th day after the birth. After a 5-day break, 200 ml of 0.02% iodine solution per day is added to drinking water for 10 days.
- A balanced diet rich in proteins is recommended for animals.
- When growing rabbits for meat at home, two methods are used: purebred mating (individuals of only one breed occur, which leads to the improvement of the offspring in terms of the main species characteristics) and crossing of different breeds (representatives from different breeds occur in order to restore blood and obtain species with improved characteristics).
Rabbits for meat can be grown even in an apartment, having created the necessary conditions for them, protecting them from other pets and children. Broiler rabbits mature quickly, gain muscle mass well. In 5-6 months, you can get a lot of dietary meat from them.
How to choose a breed for breeding
For breeding at home, it is better to choose those species that tolerate local climatic conditions well and are not demanding in care. For example, in warm climatic zones, all varieties of eared can be grown, and for regions with a harsh climate, undemanding hybrids are better suited: Riesen, Soviet chinchilla, Poltava silver.
When choosing, you need to focus on your physical and material capabilities, because young eared representatives of the meat sector have a high cost, require appropriate financial costs and physical resources during cultivation.
How to feed meat rabbits
Tender dietary rabbit meat can be obtained from ears that have been properly fed.
Raising rabbits for meat should be diverse. The following components should be in the diet:
- Many feeds containing proteins (cereals, legumes, green feeds, fish, bone meal);
- Carbohydrates (cereals, juicy fodder, legumes);
- Vitamins, minerals;
- Compound feed.
What are the good products of meat rabbits
The nutritional value of rabbit meat is much higher than that of other animals. The tastiest will be meat from young rabbits (pink, dense, low-fat). Everyone knows the beneficial properties of tender dietary rabbit meat. It contains only muscle tissue (up to 85% of the total weight of the carcass), which contains a lot of iron, B vitamins, minerals (phosphorus, potassium, magnesium), and practically no cholesterol.
Common diseases in rabbits of meat breeds
Rabbits of meat breeds are prone to many diseases. Among them are a number of infectious (contagious) and non-infectious (non-contagious) diseases that occur most often.
Infectious:
- cysticercosis
- coccidiosis
- pasteurellosis
- myxomatosis
- listeriosis
Non-infectious:
- Pneumonia
- poisoning
- adiposity
- limb deformations
- Congenital organ defects
The best prevention of diseases is vaccination of rabbits, balanced nutrition, rational care, care.
Breeding rabbits is a time-consuming, but at the same time exciting and profitable process. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the choice of breed. In order to benefit from production, as well as to have fresh rabbit meat on the table, it is necessary to choose varieties of the meat sector. Thanks to the painstaking work of breeders, it is possible to choose a breed that suits the soul and capabilities of each breeder.