Today the Californian breed of rabbits occupies a leading position in the list of meat breeds. In addition to meat, farmers who breed these animals have also successfully marketed their valuable fur.
California rabbits have been known in Russia for over forty years and many farms are quite successfully engaged in industrial breeding of representatives of this breed.
Californian rabbits are economically profitable not only for their meat and fur, but also for their quick adaptation to life in different climatic zones. "Californians" have dense, dense pubescence of their paws, so they grow them even in the harsh Siberian climate.
Some statistics
The average weight of an adult Californian rabbit is on average 4.5 kg, and at birth the animal weighs only 45 g. This breed is characterized by a very high growth energy - already at the age of 2 months, the "eared" ones weigh about 2 kg, and after a month 3.5 kg. Rabbits reach their normal, "marketable" weight at the age of 5 months.
In terms of the proportion of meat in the carcass (82-85%), Californian rabbits occupy one of the leading positions and successfully compete with the famous New Zealand meat whites. The bone content in the carcass is only 14-15%, the proportion of fat is approximately 2%.
Rabbits of the Californian breed are distinguished by their good fertility, since in one okrol they can give birth to an average of 7-8 rabbits. For a year, under favorable conditions and good nutrition, females are able to give birth to up to 35 rabbits.
Feeding and keeping California rabbits
The basis of the diet of rabbits of this breed (as well as representatives of other breeds) is plant food. The eared ones gladly eat the stems and leaves of alfalfa, white and red clover, dandelion, garden sorrel, rhubarb, yarrow, burdock, nettle and many other plants. Can feed on rabbits and branches of garden shrubs such as raspberries and currants.
For full development in the diet of animals, it is necessary to include a variety of vegetables: beets, carrots, Jerusalem artichoke and others. Occasionally "Californians" like to feast on tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin and even onions. By the way, it is not advisable to give cabbage to rabbits, since eating this vegetable can cause bloating and diarrhea in them.
In winter, the basis of the diet of rabbits is hay, but animals refuse to eat straw. In addition to hay, during the cold season, animals should be fed with a special combined feed, which contains the whole range of useful vitamins and minerals.
The rabbits should be kept in a cage, the approximate size of which is 120x60x60 cm. The cage should be located in a place protected from drafts, and in winter, rabbits should be kept in a well-ventilated shed and insulated shed. Males and grown-up rabbits must be kept separate from females.
