What are the prospects for raising Rex rabbits?
Today, the editor will explain the prospects for raising Rex rabbits and briefly introduce the related knowledge of Rex rabbit breeding and management of green plants and flowers. Let's follow the editor and have a look!
Although the start of Rex rabbit breeding is not too early, it has quickly developed due to its good income, and the number of Rex rabbit breeding ranks second among rabbit breeding. This also indirectly shows that the potential of Rex rabbit breeding is huge. Unlike Angora rabbits, the main economic value of Rex rabbits lies in their fur. The demand for usage and consumption is very high, and the market prospect is relatively broad. With the protection of other types of fur and wildlife, Rex rabbits, as high-quality fur animals, are not restricted by such regulations. Overall, they have good prospects.
Rex rabbit breeding has many advantages over other fur animal breeding, including: less investment, low feed cost, and超强 breeding ability. These advantages allow for quick results. Rex rabbit breeding should be based on the growth habits of the rabbits and follow scientific standardized management to achieve good results.
▶ Daily Habits: Let's first understand the living habits of Rex rabbits. The ancestors of Rex rabbits are wild rabbits that live in burrows. Like other rabbit breeds, Rex rabbits are naturally timid and have the habits of eating during the day and resting, with higher activity at night. In a natural state, the night-time feeding of Rex rabbits usually accounts for more than 65% of the whole day. Therefore, when breeding Rex rabbits, the rabbit farm should be built in a relatively quiet area to avoid noisy surroundings and prevent the rabbits from being startled.
▶ Feeding Frequency: In the management of Rex rabbit breeding, the number of visits to the rabbit shed should be minimized. Feeding can be done twice a day. According to the rabbits' eating habits, feeding times can be set at 6 am and 6 pm. Although the number of feedings is not high, the overall effect is still very good. Some farms feed their rabbits four or five times a day, but frequent human entry does not yield better results than feeding twice. Rex rabbit breeding requires a quiet environment.
▶ Preventing Animals from Entering: During breeding, it is also necessary to prevent the entry of other people, which can cause environmental noise and the carryover of germs. Measures should be taken to prevent other animals from entering the rabbit farm. Rex rabbits are naturally timid, especially when threatened by other animals, they will send out group signals. This has a significant impact on the breeding group, and the entry of other animals can easily cause further losses due to the rabbits being startled.
▶ Male Rabbits Should be Kept Separate: Although Rex rabbits are timid, they do have the natural behavior of male animals fighting. When the young rabbits grow up, the male rabbits start to fight each other. During breeding, male rabbits that are two and a half months old should be kept separate, whether they are being raised as commercial rabbits or kept as breeding rabbits, to prevent injuries from fighting.
▶ Temperature Management in Rex Rabbit Breeding: Rex rabbits grow quickly and mature early. In a suitable and reasonable temperature environment, their breeding speed is very fast. However, temperature also plays a crucial role in their breeding and growth. Rex rabbits grow best in a temperature range of 15-35 degrees Celsius. Although they can withstand low temperatures, such as adult Rex rabbits surviving in temperatures as low as minus 20-30 degrees Celsius, low temperatures can reduce feed intake and thus reduce breeding rates.
High temperatures in summer can also affect the growth of Rex rabbits. When temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius, Rex rabbits may show a decrease in feed intake but an increase in water consumption, which can significantly affect their physical functions. There is also a saying in folk wisdom that rabbits should not be bred in summer, which is because the environmental temperature affects rabbit breeding.
▶ Management Measures According to Seasonal Changes: Different management measures should be taken according to the changes in temperature throughout the four seasons, as well as the growth habits of Rex rabbits and the changes in temperature, to ensure that rabbits can grow and breed smoothly during each season.
▶ Spring Management: Spring is a season of revival, and it is also the most active season for Rex rabbits. Their physiological functions are relatively strong during this period, and their feed intake and breeding ability are high. The main tasks in spring include:
1: Focus on seasonal breeding: Take advantage of their vigorous functions in spring to do a good job in Rex rabbit breeding. Especially for farms that did not do a good job of protection in winter, when breeding is basically stopped, it is necessary to use the temperature rise in spring and the旺盛 breeding ability of rabbits to take double mating or dual mating operations. It is also necessary to check and palpate the pregnant rabbits in time to reduce the incidence of empty uteri in Rex rabbits.
2: What to pay attention to in spring is that the weather can be very changeable, causing very abnormal temperatures, with sudden drops in temperature. For young rabbits bred in early spring or winter, careful management is required to prevent them from catching colds, pneumonia, or enteritis, which can lead to their death.
3: Ensure adequate nutrition supply for Rex rabbits: Spring is the most vigorous season for growth and breeding, and more nutrients are needed than in other seasons. This requires us to increase the proportion of feed and nutritional content during management. Spring is also the time when Rex rabbits shed their fur, with winter fur gradually falling off and summer fur growing, which also consumes a lot of nutrients. Adding methionine to the feed can achieve good results, bringing the sulfur-containing amino acid content to over 0.6%. Fresh green feed harvested in spring should be fed in moderate amounts. During this period, as Rex rabbits have just come out of winter, they need some time to adapt to fresh green feed before large-scale feeding. If the amount of fresh feed is too large, it can easily cause diarrhea in the rabbits, so feeding should be gradual and increased slowly.
4: Take preventive measures to prevent diseases: Spring is the peak season for growth and the occurrence of diseases and infectious sources. Preventive measures should be taken at the beginning of spring, such as injecting vaccines to improve resistance and adding medications to the feed to prevent diseases such as enteritis, colds, pasteurellosis, and oral inflammation. In spring, dry and dusty conditions can easily lead to the spread of diseases, so it is necessary to periodically spray disinfectants in the breeding area as a preventive measure.
▶ Summer Management: Summer is a high-temperature season. When outdoor temperatures rise above 30 degrees Celsius, cooling measures should be taken for the rabbit shed. Preventive measures can be taken in advance, such as planting trees,爬山虎 (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), or other vines around the rabbit shed to provide shade and reduce the temperature inside the shed.
Black shading nets can also be used to cover the rabbit shed to block the hot sun, and painting the shed white can reduce heat absorption. Moreover, ventilation should be improved, and exhaust fans can be used to improve air quality when necessary, to lower the temperature in the shed and prevent rabbits from suffering from heat stroke in the summer. In addition to necessary cooling measures, summer management should also pay attention to the following aspects:
1: Reduce breeding density appropriately: The temperature inside the shed is related to the breeding density. High density can easily generate heat and keep the shed at a high temperature. Adjusting the breeding density and reducing it can keep the rabbit cages spacious and reduce heat increase.
2: Adjust feed feeding reasonably: The main feeding times for summer should be in the morning and evening, following the saying: "Early breakfast, less lunch, full dinner, and extra grass at night" for feeding Rex rabbits. In summer, with abundant wild grass, the amount of green feed should be increased. Due to the uncertainty of temperature and the increase in rainy days, rabbits may experience diarrhea, so 1%-3% of charcoal powder can be added to the feed for regulation. Food should also be carefully selected to prevent feeding spoiled or变质 ( spoiled) feed.
3: Pay attention to environmental hygiene: Summer is the season when mosquitoes and flies are rampant. With the increase in temperature, these pests can easily appear in the breeding area, causing the spread of diseases. It is necessary to do a good job of rabbit farm hygiene and carry out disinfection to reduce disease transmission caused by mosquitoes and flies.
4: Ensure sufficient water supply for Rex rabbits: The water consumption of Rex rabbits increases significantly with the rise in temperature in summer, and free water should be provided. To prevent rabbits from developing intestinal diseases in summer, some microorganisms can be added to the water to prevent coccidiosis.
5: Special care should be taken for male breeding rabbits. Create a suitable environment for them to safely survive the hot summer, such as isolating them in a separate breeding area, using basements, cellars, or other cooling methods.
▶ Autumn Management: In autumn, the weather is cool and the temperature is suitable. This season is also the peak growth season for Rex rabbits and the time for them to shed their fur, with high nutritional needs. However, after the high temperatures of summer, breeding rabbits may experience irregular or不明显 (not obvious) estrus. In addition to feeding high-quality green feed, protein feed with a content of 16%-18% can be added for feeding adjustments. The use of protein feed can promote normal estrus in breeding rabbits and also improve fur shedding.
The weather in autumn can be very changeable, with significant temperature fluctuations and cooler temperatures at night but still hot during the day. For rabbit breeding in this season, preventive measures should not be overlooked, especially during the concentrated fur shedding period, when flame disinfection should be carried out 1-2 times.