Features of mating rabbits
Breeding domestic animals is a complex process that requires preliminary preparation, including the study of theoretical foundations. So, the mating of rabbits should be carried out at a certain moment and special rules should be observed. This allows you to achieve fertilization the first time. In addition, knowing some important details helps you get healthy offspring on time.
When are the animals ready to mate?
Getting strong and healthy offspring is possible only on condition that its parents are large and well-fed rabbits.
When the animals have reached sexual maturity, the best representatives on the farm are selected.
The case of rabbits is carried out as soon as the rabbit begins a period of sexual activity, which is determined by the following signs:
- frequent urination;
- restless behavior, great mobility;
- saturated red color of the genital loop.
In order for the insemination process to be successful, it must coincide with the rabbit's ovulation period, which in turn falls on the time of sexual heat.
Breeding can be done daily for 4-6 days. Thus, in the end, it is possible to achieve insemination.
How are rabbits mated?
When individuals are selected for breeding, you can proceed directly to mating. It is carried out in the usual environment for the male, so the female is placed in his cage. In summer, this process should take place early in the morning, and in the cold season - at any time during the day until 4 pm, while it is light. The cage should be free, drinkers should be removed from it and feeders.
The mating process of the rabbits is complete when the male falls on its side, making a rumbling sound, after which the female can be put back. In case of failure, after a few hours, the mating is carried out again. If this attempt is unsuccessful, the female is placed next to another male. After 5-6 days, a control mating is necessary. If the female, being with the male, does not allow him to approach, then she is fertilized.
How to determine if a rabbit is pregnant?
12 days after mating, its effectiveness is checked. To do this, you need to feel the belly of the female in the pelvic area, sitting her on a flat surface and holding her by the withers. If the rabbit is fertilized, the back of her belly will be tight. In the uterus that has increased after mating, small rabbits are already probed. Determine their presence and allows palpation of the abdomen.
How long pregnancy lasts in rabbits often depends on the number of rabbits in the litter. The more there are, the shorter the term. If there are few rabbits in the litter, the pregnancy will last longer. As a rule, it lasts about a month.
Knowing how much a pregnant rabbit walks, it is easier to plan the next mating. In theory, the female is capable of bringing in rabbits about 10 times a year.Moreover, in each litter, their number can reach 10. In order for the female to be able to feed the cubs, often only part of the rabbits is left from the litter.
When can a rabbit happen after birth?
The body of the rabbit is physiologically ready for new fertilization a day after the birth of the rabbit. However, he needs to be given time to recover, so usually mating is carried out after a month. At this time, the rabbits are already weaned from their mother, and a couple of days after it, the rabbits are mated again. If babies are taken from their mother earlier, they will develop less well and gain weight more slowly. You can start mating when the female shows signs of sexual heat.
There is also a compacted edging technique. It consists in the fact that the female is covered again 2-3 days after the birth of the rabbits. During the feeding period of the first litter, the embryonic development of the second takes place. Baby rabbits are taken away on the 28th day after birth. Soon the rabbit has new offspring. However, the use of such a technique has a negative effect on the animal's body, it does not have time to recover. Therefore, the use of a compacted circle is possible for a short period of time, usually in the summer. If you resort to it all year, the animal may not stand it and die. In summer, compacted rounding is easier due to the abundance of cheap and juicy food available.
There is also a simplified version of this method. It assumes fertilization 2 weeks after birth of rabbits, which are deposited in this case already at the age of 35 days. Such okrol is called semi-compacted. After jigging, the rabbits must be cleaned cage, in which the rabbit will make a nest for new offspring. It is difficult to obtain high-quality offspring for further breeding by means of compacted technology. This method allows only to significantly and in a short time increase the livestock.
Therefore, in some farms, two rabbits are fertilized simultaneously, one of which is breeding. After birth, her cubs are given to another female, whose okrol is destroyed. The breeding female can be fertilized again immediately. Her offspring are then suitable for further breeding.
To facilitate the recovery process after pregnancy and feeding okrol, farmers leave rabbits, the number of which is one less than the nipples of the rabbit. It is important to know how to determine the gender of a rabbit. In females, the genital opening is like an oblong slit, and in males it resembles an elongated tube. However, if it was not possible to accurately determine the sex of young rabbits, it is recommended to do it again after 3 months. By this time, the genitals will already be clearly distinguishable in females and males.