HOW TO RAISE RABBITS AT THE FARM AND THE BENEFITS THAT YOUR MEAT OFFERS.
SOURCE
Hello friends of the farm in this opportunity I am going to talk about rabbit breeding for human consumption and its benefits. The rabbit is a rodent mammal of European origin that is characterized by its great prolificacy. Like other herbivorous animals, it has the ability to use vegetable fibers and crop residues to transform them into tasty meat. The body of the rabbit is covered by a thick and soft hair. There are different races that can produce skin or hair flesh. The rabbit is an animal that lives in herds and is very territorial. The dominance hierarchy is important in males since it establishes who has priority for mating.
It is an animal of nocturnal habits, especially because it feeds from dusk until dawn and spends most of its time in the burrows.
Rabbits are very quiet, however, they emit loud shrieks when they are scared or hurt
SEXUAL CYCLE AND REPRODUCTION
The most appropriate age to start reproduction varies in rabbits according to race, sex, season and individual characteristics. The gestation of the female lasts approximately 31 days and lactation 56 days, totaling 87 days. Therefore, each female is theoretically able to give birth and raise four litters (87 x 4 = 348) in 365 days, with a rest period of 17 days.
In the rabbit, litters of 10 to 12 rabbits are frequent, which, a week after they are born, will have doubled their weight without more food than the milk of the mother. At eight weeks after birth, the weight of the kits will have increased 28 times.
It is advisable to use the male as a breeder for the first time having reached eight months of age; at first once a week, and then twice a week.
For the crossing always the female must be taken to the male cage. If the female is able to cross and the male is active, the mating takes place almost immediately. It is better to return the female to her cage immediately. Twenty-five days after having crossed, the female should be provided with straw, wool or pieces of clean rags to prepare her nest.
Six or seven weeks after birth, the offspring must be separated from the mother. After 45 days, the males should be separated from the females and placed in individual cages. The females, depending on their size and vigor, can be crossed by the male at five or six months of age.
Normally, rabbits can have offspring for three years. Only one male is required for every 10 females, although it is advisable to have another reserve male. The first ride of a male requires an experienced female that already had offspring; whereas a female that crosses for the first time, needs a male that has crossed sometimes.
BENEFITS OF RABBIT BREEDING
1. Its handling is easy and without complications.
2. They have a very fast reproduction.
3. Meat is very nutritious for the family.
4. Your skins and leathers can be sold.
5. Its feeding is simple pastures and residues of harvest.
6. The quality of your manure, as a fertilizer for the soil, is good.
SYSTEM OF AGING IN CAGES
It is convenient that rabbits are raised in individual cages for the following reasons:
- Greater control of its reproduction.
- Better sanitary control (cleaning, disinfection and lower risk of infection).
- Prevent other animals from mistreating them, which often happens with dogs or other animals.
The cage of the female can be built with wooden sheets (drawers) or galvanized wire, which is the most recommended, and its dimensions are: 1.00 x 0.60 x 0.33 meters (length x width x height). A nest of 30 cm wide x 60 cm long should be built inside the cage. In addition, the nest must have a separate door. On the other hand, male requires a circular cage of 70 cm in diameter and 36 cm in height. In both cases, it is convenient that the floor of the cage be made of woven wire or galvanized gratings to drain moisture and feces.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE RABBIT EXPLOITATION FOR OUR CONSUMPTION
-THE RABBITS NEED A LITTLE SURFACE FOR YOUR ACCOMMODATION. The area destined for the exploitation of rabbit meat will depend on how many animals we want to raise. Approximately, each rabbit needs a space of 3600 cm2. That is, to provide meat to a family, it will be more than enough to prepare a 6 m2 rabbit.
-THE RABBITS ARE ANIMALS THAT ARE REPRODUCED EASILY. In a family upbringing it is possible to obtain 4 to 6 deliveries per year. The females can start their reproductive life at 4 months of life, provided they have reached a weight of 3,200-3,300 kg; and the males at 5-6 months of age. The gestation is of 30 days, the lactation of 35 days and, the task when they reach a weight of 2,400 kg / alive.
-THE FEEDING OF THE RABBITS IS SIMPLE We can use products from the garden, forages, grains, some leaves of trees such as willow, acacia, blackberry. We will study this topic more specifically in the corresponding lesson.
THE CARE OF ANIMALS IS ACCESSIBLE AS IT CAN BE TAKEN BY YOUNG PEOPLE, WOMEN AND ELDERLY. Rabbits adapt to wide ranges of temperature. The adult animal tolerates cold well, good protection should be given to newborn rabbits. In the summer you should have shade (deciduous trees) and protection with half shade cloth.
YOUR CAGES CAN BE BUILT WITH DIFFERENT LOW COST MATERIALS OR UNUSED CAGES (chickens).
The waste of rabbits, that is to say, their manure can be recycled through the California Red Worm, to obtain a vermicompost (organic fertilizer) of excellent quality that we can apply in the family garden.
An interesting alternative is to place Californian worms directly below the cages. This allows us to facilitate the cleaning tasks, since the manure is continuously recycled.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RABBIT MEAT
Rabbit meat is considered a healthy food from the nutritional point of view: it is part of a healthy diet. It is a food indicated for all types of ages:
Children
Teenagers
Athletes
Old people
People with overweight and obesity
People who make hypocaloric diets
People with high blood pressure
Patients with hypercholesterolemia and hyperuricemia or gout
RABBIT MEAT IS HEALTHY BECAUSE IT IS RICH IN PROTEINS AND LOW IN FATS.
Values for each 100 g of rabbit meat.
RABBIT
ENERGY (kcal) 130
PROTEIN (%) 21.0
GREASE (%) 5
CHOLESTEROL (mg) 32
COMPOSITION OF PROTEINS
RABBIT
PROTEIN (%) 8.59
LISINE 8.74
TREOMINE 5.07
VALINA 4.62
METIONINE 2.61
ISOLEUSIN 8.97
FELINANALINE 3.8
Rabbit meat is rich in proteins: both in quantity and quality. The most important amino acids are well represented in rabbit meat, mainly Lysine, essential for growth.
Rabbit meat is characterized by its low content of uric acid and purines (0 and 32 mg, respectively), when compared to the meat of other species such as pork (123 and 61 mg respectively) and beef (110 and 150 mg, respectively). That is, rabbit meat can be included in diets low in uric acid indicated for patients with hyperuricemia or gout.
Provides B vitamins: Cyanocobalamin (B12) Niacin (B3) Pyridoxine (B6)
VITAMINS IN 100 G OF RABBIT MEAT
VITAMINS
Vit B1 (Thiamine) 0.1 mg
Vit B2 (Rivoflavin) 0.19 mg
Vit B3 (Niacin) 12.5 mg
Vit B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.5 mg
Vit B 9 (Folate) 5 μg
Vit B 12 (Cobalamin) 10 μg
Vit E 0.13 mg
Rabbit meat has a low caloric content with values close to 130 Kcal / 100 g. This is due to its low fat content, very beneficial for health. On the other hand, it is low cholesterol intake, only 26.5 mg to 37.5 mg / 100g.
RABBIT MEAT GIVES US MINERALS LIKE:
Calcium 22.8 mg
Iron 1.5 mg
Iodine 1.8 μg
Magnesium 24.9 mg
Zinc 1.4 mg
Sodium 67 mg
Potassium 360 mg
Phosphorus 220 mg
Copper 0.14 mg
Manganese 0.03 mg
Selenium 23.7 mg
In addition, rabbit meat for its low content of total fat and saturated fat and, because of the low amount of cholesterol is suitable for a healthy cardio diet.
Rabbit meat is a meat with very low sodium content but with a high percentage of potassium. The contribution of potassium favors the loss of salt by the kidney (natruresis), and has a vasodilatory effect. This coupled with low sodium intake, makes rabbit meat is recommended for patients with hypertension problems and help prevent cardiovascular degenerative diseases.
Source:
http://www.cipa.com.co/cunicultura-cria-conejos/
http://www.rmr-peru.com/crianza-de-conejos.htm
http://procadisaplicativos.inta.gob.ar/cursosautoaprendizaje/conejos_html/l1_p4.ht
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