What weight should a rabbit have? Giant rabbits, which breed is best to choose for breeding

Any farmer involved in livestock farming must not only know how to properly care for the animals he breeds, but also what the expected result of his activities will be. The assessment is carried out according to several parameters: breed, growth and development rate, diet, living conditions. If certain requirements dictated by a particular breed are met, an entrepreneur can count on a certain result indicated in its characteristics. Next we will talk about the features of raising rabbits and the parameters of their growth and development.

Average rabbit weight

On average, such an animal can weigh 4–5 kg. If we are talking about record holders, then their weight can reach 8 kg or more. Slaughter weight differs from live weight by about 30%. That is, if the animal weighed 5 kg before slaughter, then you will get a carcass weighing 3.5 kg, if 8 kg - approximately 5.5–6 kg of meat. For commercial purposes, mainly large breeds of giants are bred, which can quickly gain enormous weight, even if their diet consists of inexpensive feed.

Did you know? The largest rabbit in the world is Ralph. Its weight exceeds 25 kg, and its length is 1.3 m.

Rabbit weight by breed

Each individual breed develops at a different pace. Weight gain is uneven and depends on many factors, including nutrition and living conditions. Average indicators for the most popular breeds are shown in the table.

Breed name	Weight, kg
Breed name	newborns	at 30 days of age	at 60 days of age	at 120 days of age	at 240 days of age
0,9	1,2	3,2	6,4	9
	0,06	0,8	1,6	3,6	7
	0,07	0,7	1,6	3,4	5,7
Blue Royal Giant	0,07	0,6	1,6	3,4	5
	0,06	0,6	1,5	3	4,8
	0,06	0,6	1,5	2,9	4,8
	0,08	1	2,4	3,8	4,5
	0,06	0,6	1,6	3,2	4,3
	0,05	0,6	1,6	3,2	4,3
	0,05	0,5	1,5	3,1	4,3

class="table-bordered">

Rabbits of this breed have a white body, black ears and paws, a tail and a spot on the nose. Black markings may have another dark color - dark brown. All distinctive signs have clear outlines. The fur is thick and dense.

Eye color is red. Californians' heads large sizes, ears - erect, nose - humped. They have a short neck and a muscular, well-built body. Their legs are also short, and there is no dewlap at all.

The bones of these rabbits are light but strong. The chest is also well developed. The animals gain an average of 4–5 kg. Females are very fertile and produce up to 10 young rabbits.

There are two types of New Zealanders: white and red. White individuals have silky and completely white fur. They have a medium-sized head, short symmetrical ears and the same neck. Their body is compact and muscular, their legs are straight and strong.

These are rabbits with a humpbacked nose and a wide profile. Eye color is red. The average weight of an adult is from 4 to 4.5 kg.

Red individuals got their name because of the red-brown color of their thick, shiny fur. They also have a short neck, a small head and a cylindrical body.

Important! Distinctive features are the presence of lightened areas of fur near the mouth, eyes, hips and belly.

The ears are leaf-shaped and less than 11 cm long. The chest of these animals is wide, there is no dewlap. Eye color - brown. IN mature age rabbits weigh about 5 kg, with females usually being heavier than males.

White and German giants

White giant- a breed with snow-white fur and red eyes. Its representatives do not have any markings on their thick fur. The body is strong, slightly elongated, the back is straight, the chest is muscular, and the legs are straight and long. Possible development of dewlap.

Males have a more rounded head than females. The latter give birth to an average of 8 babies per litter, with a maximum of 14. Adults weigh 5–7.5 kg.
German giants, or, as they are also called, Rizens, are heavyweights. They have a massive, muscular, elongated body, thick legs, a wide chest, a large head and long ears. Short hair is thick and dense. The color can be different: gray, yellowish, agouti, blue or even black.

Representatives of the breed behave very clumsily, but have enormous strength. When mature, they can weigh 6–10 kg.

Gray giants are very similar in color to hares. Distinctive features are a light belly and the presence of white “socks”. Medium weight wool and medium length. The body is elongated, the chest is with a dewlap, the back is wide, the legs are straight and long.

The large head also has an elongated shape, ears with rounded tips. The weight of an adult, depending on the conditions of detention and quality of care, can vary from 4 to 7 kg.

Soviet chinchillas have fluffy fur that is pleasant to the touch. Color - gray-blue.

Important! There should be white spots on the stomach, as well as around the eyes, and a black border on the ears and tail.

The physique of these rabbits is powerful with well-developed bones. The head is small, the ears are straight. An adult can weigh 4–6 kg.

Flandre is somewhat like a little puppy. He is very clumsy with long body, wide chest, straight back and thick legs. The head and ears are also large.

The coat is thick and dense. The color can be hare-gray, yellowish-gray, dark gray. The undercoat has a bluish tint. The inside of the legs, belly and area under the tail may be white. An adult weighs about 6–8 kg. Females are usually larger than males.

Rabbits butterfly and ram

Butterflies are rabbits with strong skeletal system. They have a well-built, muscular body and the same strong legs, wide chest and long back. The shape of the head is round.

The wool of representatives of this breed is predominantly white, and the sides, nose, ears, tail and paws are covered with black spots. There is also a spot on the face that is shaped like a butterfly. An adult weighs between 4–5 kg.
The ram is distinguished by its hanging ears. In addition, it has prominent frontal bones on its muzzle and chubby cheeks. The body of individuals of this breed is slightly elongated, the chest is deep, the back is wide, the legs are strong and muscular.

Rams have thick and fluffy agouti-colored fur. The color can be different: black, white, grayish, motley, etc. At adulthood, rabbits weigh 4.5 kg.

Blue Royal Giant

The blue royal giant looks small in appearance and very harmonious. The head looks light, the ears are straight, the body is compact, the legs are muscular, the chest is wide with a pronounced dewlap. Eye color is dark blue.

When breeding rabbits for the purpose of obtaining meat products, any breeder must know how many and at what age the pets will gain Weight Limit. In order to understand how much a rabbit weighs, you need to know the characteristics of the breed.

Large, medium and small farms that breed rabbits must always correctly assess the performance of their pets to ensure the success of their business. The weight of animals depends on the following parameters:

breed characteristics;
speed of development and growth of young animals;
nutritional features;
basic content parameters.

All these nuances affect the weight of the rabbits by month. A table for taking this parameter into account has been developed for each breed. It usually shows average indicators. Therefore, it is possible that the maximum weight of a rabbit may differ from the indicators stated in the table for any age. The farmer himself can regulate the pet’s body weight by giving the animals certain food.

Let's look at the weight-for-age parameter for giant breeds. The popularity of these varieties is due to the animals’ excellent weight performance. Moreover, many breeds can be fed with inexpensive feed, while obtaining maximum animal weight and excellent yield of meat products.

Flanders

Today, livestock breeders very often raise such a large breed as Flander on their farms. These rabbits are considered to be direct descendants of the Patagonian species. Outwardly, such a rabbit resembles a small puppy. The exterior of Flanders is characterized by the following features:

thick paws;
clumsiness;
big ears.

A female rabbit of this species can give birth to 16 babies at one time, or even more. However, on average this figure is 7-9 rabbits. Babies grow quickly and by the age of 3 months they weigh about 3 kilograms. Despite the fact that newborn rabbits weigh 62 g.

In the future, the table of their mass depending on the month will look like this:

1st month - 815 g;
2nd - 1.6 kg;
3rd - 2.7 kg;
4th - 3.6 kg;
5th - 4.7 kg;
6th - 5.5 kg;
7th - 6.3 kg;
8th - 7 kg.

As you can see, young animals of this variety demonstrate excellent growth dynamics. The main thing is to properly feed and care for growing animals.

White giant

Another large variety is considered the White Giant. This variety is a descendant of Flanders. Their distinctive features- snow-white coat color (not a single spot) and red (sometimes pink) eyes. This breed was developed in Belgium at the beginning of the 20th century.

Domestic breeders have developed a new variety of the White Giant, which tolerates even harsh conditions. weather conditions. Therefore, breeding of these fur animals can be carried out in regions with harsh climatic conditions.

In one litter, the female brings up to 14 babies. Their daily weight gain is as follows:

newborn rabbits - 60 g;
30 days - 745 g;
60 days - 1.3 kg;
90 days - 2.4 kg;
120 days - 3.3 kg;
150 days - 4.1 kg;
180 days - 4.8 kg;
210 days - 5.2 kg;
240 days - 5.7 kg.

As you can see, a rabbit weighs a little less at 6 months than Flandre. Using different feeds you can slightly speed up the growth of young animals. However, it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve a significant increase, since the characteristics of the breed in terms of mass can only be exceeded slightly.

French ram

TO large breeds Rabbits also include the French Ram variety. Animals, despite their cuteness appearance, are raised for fur and meat. Direct relatives of this species are the English Fold and the Flemish Giant.

With proper care, this breed can weigh enough to guarantee excellent meat yield. To gain one hundred or more grams per day, young animals must eat properly. On average, rabbits gain about 4.5 kg.

How much baby rabbits weigh can be determined based on the following data:

newborn babies - 60 g;
1st month - 695 g;
2nd - 1.4 kg;
3rd - 2.6 kg;
4th - 3.5 kg;
5th - 4.3 kg;
6th - 4.4 kg;
7th - 5.3 kg;
8th - 6.3 kg.

As you can see, the eared animals of this breed grow and gain weight quite quickly. At the same time, the French ram is highly fertile. A female can give birth to 12 or more babies at a time.

California rabbit

A large breed is the California rabbit, whose homeland is considered American state California. The animals have a cute appearance due to their unusual color. The ancestors of Californians are considered to be the Chinchilla, Ermine (Himalayan) and New Zealand breeds.

On average, representatives of this variety gain 4-4.7 kg. But in some cases, animals can weigh 5 kg or more. Remember that feeding certain types of food will produce different weight gains.

The weight gain of young animals by month will be as follows:

newborn rabbits - 50 g;
60 days - 1.9 kg;
90 days - 2.7 kg;
120 days - 3.1 kg;
150 days - 3.6 kg;
180 days - 4 kg;
210 days - 4.8 kg.

Weight indicators may vary depending on the living conditions of the animals.

The breed was obtained by crossing a Chinchilla rabbit with a White Giant. This is a meat-skin variety. Typical for young animals high speed growth. At the same time, the species is characterized by early maturity.

Weight gain occurs as follows:

newborn babies - 0.75 kg;
2nd month - 1.8 kg;
3rd - 2.7 kg;
4th - 3.6 kg.

Adults weigh about 5 kg. A female usually gives birth to up to 8 rabbits per litter. The animals are unpretentious in terms of breeding and can easily tolerate harsh climates.

Knowing the monthly weight of a rabbit that will be obtained on a specific diet, it is quite easy to determine the optimal timing of slaughter in order to obtain a high yield of meat.

When choosing a breed of meat rabbit, it is important to take into account a whole range of parameters. Usually the constitution, size, and precocity of animals are taken into account.

But to get a complete picture of how profitable a particular breed is, this is not enough. It is worth paying attention to its physiological characteristics. They indicate how easily the livestock can be reproduced, what the breed’s resistance to diseases is, whether it requires special housing conditions and feeding rations.

Rabbit breeders in the CIS breed more than 20 breeds of animals, but only some of them can be classified exclusively as meat animals.

A breed developed by crossing white giant and chinchilla rabbits. The purpose of creating the breed was to obtain an early maturing animal with increased live weight and a beautiful skin suitable for use. Along the way, the problems of acclimatization were solved and the maternal qualities of rabbits were improved.

The breed has been known since 1963, work on it was carried out in Saratov and Novosibirsk region. As a result, a livestock was formed that is perfectly adapted to breeding and industrial use in various climatic zones our country.

These rabbits have an average weight of 5 kg, have an elongated compact body 60-63 cm long, a wide chest with a girth of up to 42 cm, a slightly arched back, widening towards the lumbosacral area, a wide croup, straight legs and a small head with erect ears.

The color is zonal, the rosette combines blue-gray, white and black. The skins are used in their natural form.

Females give birth to 7-10 rabbits, are caring and have sufficient milk production. The weight of young animals at 4 months is 3.5-4 kg, the slaughter yield is from 56 percent.

Massive rabbits with the largest sizes. The weight of an individual can reach 12.5 kg. Body length up to 72 cm. Large head with pronounced cheeks and head. Muscular legs. Arched back shape. The huge size of this rabbit is complemented by the presence of long and very wide ears, which is business card breeds

The color is zonal, there is an agouti factor.

In reproduction, Flanders are distinguished by a small number of rabbits in the litter, up to 8 pieces, and the high milk production of females.

Despite its large size, it is difficult to call this breed precocious. Puberty occurs at an increased time, and slaughter for meat at early age equally undesirable.

Rabbits of this breed are quite capricious. They should be kept only in cages with a solid floor, and preferably on thick bedding, to avoid pododermatitis.

This breed was developed by selecting Flanders, followed by introductory crossing with a chinchilla and a gray giant, while only albinos were allowed into breeding. The final changes to the breed standard were made by Soviet breeders. Selection made it possible to preserve high productivity original form, correcting its main shortcomings.

The white giant has a high live weight. The exceptional milk production of females allows the livestock to be raised in broiler mode; by the age of two months, the rabbits gain weight of approximately 1.8 kg. Due to the fact that the rabbit's bones are small, the meat has high taste and dietary properties.

White giants, like other best meat breeds rabbits, quite large, reach 8.3 kg. The type of constitution is not rough. The skeleton is light, the body is elongated, the back is straight and level, the head is large, the ears are wide. Pronounced dewlap. The eyes are always red, the fur color is white.

The maternal qualities of females are excellent, but mastitis occurs due to high milk production. Pododermatitis, the scourge of the parent breed, is also not uncommon. Despite these disadvantages, white giant rabbits are the most widespread in Russia.

Read more about the White Giant breed by clicking on the link

The breed was bred in the Poltava region, the standard was approved in 1952. The original lines were obtained by crossing Flanders and local outbred domestic rabbits. This combination made it possible to improve productivity and significantly increase vitality and unpretentiousness. Despite the fact that gray giants are still inferior exclusively to meat breeds, Californian and New Zealand white, they have excellent indicators in such parameters as early maturity, slaughter yield, carcass quality and feed payment. Despite the fact that the rabbit's bones are not large, the meat has high taste and dietary properties. The breed is most widespread in the southern regions of Russia and neighboring countries.

Parameters: strong, often even coarse constitution, massive body with a slight dewlap. Body length up to 66 cm, wide chest coverage up to 39 cm. The croup is wide and rounded, the head is large with large ears.

The color is hare, the hairs of both the guard hairs and the undercoat have zonal agouti-type tinting.

Gray giants reproduce easily. There are usually 7-8 rabbits born in a litter; females are caring mothers. They are one of those meat breed rabbits whose breeding is not difficult.

The slaughter yield is 55-57%; by 3 months, a rabbit of this breed weighs 2-2.2 kg.

If you need more information on this breed you can read it in the article:.

One of the rather old breeds of large rabbits. Created by crossing a small rabbit of the French ram breed with a Flanders ram. Another lop-eared rabbit, an English ram, took part in the breeding. Since selection work was carried out in Germany, the breed was called the German ram.

The build of these rabbits is compact but heavy. The heavy body and wide bones give the impression of a stocky and squat animal. Very long and wide ears hang to the sides. The head is large, wide, with a characteristic curvature of the nose, reminiscent of the muzzle of a sheep. On the forehead there is a so-called “crown” of longer hair in the shape of a horseshoe.

The color can be any, only silver is not allowed.

These rabbits have a very dense skin and silky fur with a not very pronounced undercoat.

The disadvantages of the breed include a small number of rabbits in litters, while the advantages are the high taste of meat and good fur.

Rabbits of this breed form the basis of industrial rabbit breeding in the United States. This is due to exceptional precocity and high slaughter yield, up to 59%. In addition, the carcass itself contains small quantity bones and optimal fat layer. We can say that the New Zealand White takes pride of place among the meatiest breeds of rabbits, although adult rabbits are not very large.

The success in breeding these rabbits is due to the fact that they reproduce well, have dense padding on their feet, allowing them to be kept on mesh floors, and have a calm nature.

There is a separate article on our website where you will find more information.

Which meat rabbit breed do you prefer?

Each of the above breeds has undeniable advantages. When choosing rabbits for your rabbitry, you need to have a good idea of the purpose for which the broodstock is being compiled. Various approaches are used to breeding rabbits for personal use and for other purposes.

For example, flanders are perfectly designed to obtain limited quantity rabbit meat. There you can provide careful care for a few rabbits and there are no restrictions on the weight of a marketable carcass. Large farms, bound by obligations with organizations that sell their products, are primarily interested in stability of production, and therefore may prefer the New Zealand white breed.

Thus, when choosing, they take into account all the pros and cons of meat rabbits and make a decision.

Meat rabbits

In modern rabbit breeding, there are about 200 breeds of these cute animals. Rabbits are raised for their pelts, fur, and just for fun. But the most profitable direction in rabbit breeding is meat. After all, one of the most pressing problems of our time is food. Rabbits of meat breeds are distinguished by active growth, excellent weight gain, good muscles and tasty, dietary meat.

But the meat different breeds has its own differences: different fat content, yield, taste. Rabbits different types They also differ in weight gain with the same feed consumption. How not to make a mistake in choosing and make your own?

Read also:

We are interested in meat

The best meat breeds of rabbits are called “broiler”. Experienced rabbit breeders distinguish two, the most valuable and productive meat breeds in this direction - the most early ripening ones.

White New Zealand

An adult animal gains a weight of 4-5 kg at 5 months. Their carcasses are well-built and compact, with no excess fat deposits. This breed comes from America and gained popularity in our country in the 70s of the last century. Adults have a body 50 cm long and gain a weight of 4-5 kg.

Females of the New Zealand species are the most fertile and caring; in one litter they are capable of producing 7-8 cubs. These animals also have a friendly, calm disposition and take root well in mesh enclosures. The price of meat from animals of this breed is one of the highest.

The slaughter meat yield of rabbits of these breeds is also high. Each individual can bring the owner up to 70% of excellent dietary meat. Representatives of this meat series can be born at the age of 4-5 months (with a weight gain of 3-4 kg).

Californian

California breed

One of the most unpretentious and easy to breed meat breeds. Female rabbits have high fertility and can please you with 8-10 rabbits. Californians are a little less in live weight than New Zealanders. The weight of rabbits at the age of 5 months reaches 3-4 kg. But they grow faster - at 3 months the young weigh about 3 kg.

Rabbits of this breed are quite meaty, but do not have excess fat deposits. Their main advantage is good innate immunity, resistance to diseases and excellent adaptability to living conditions.

The larger the rabbit, the better?

The most main mistake Beginning rabbit breeders believe that the more a rabbit weighs, the more profitable it is. look quite impressive. But they are not nearly as effective when bred for meat as one might imagine. The main disadvantages of these breeds:

Late ripening. To start producing giants, you need to wait until they reach 6-7 months of age. The weight of males should be at least 5-6 kg, female rabbits 4-5 kg.
Requirement for care. Large animals require large cages, which is quite unprofitable financially.
These rabbits are less fertile.
More expensive diet (they need more proteins) to increase meat yield up to 57%. It is necessary to carefully monitor their diet to prevent obesity (this has a bad effect on mating).
When raising giants, you will have to face problems in the area of their health - their limbs very often hurt due to heavy weight. The litter may contain individuals with deformed paws.
Female rabbits of these breeds often have difficulty giving birth; small rabbits often die during childbirth.

Among the advantages are resistance to disease, good offspring, calm, friendly, phlegmatic disposition of giants. These are meat-skin breeds. Besides good meat, meat rabbit skins are also in demand (for fur and felt production). Because of large size the price of skins is quite high.

White giant. Their weight can reach 7 kg, carcass length up to 65 cm. Females are very fertile; they can bear 10-15 cubs in one litter. Meat yield 54-57%.

Gray giant. Body length up to 66 cm, weight reaches 7.5 kg. Females can bear up to 7-11 rabbits. Meat yield 55-57%.

Flandre (Belgian giant). The largest of the giants. The weight of an adult male can reach 12 kg, body length up to 75 cm. But females are less fertile, bearing up to 5 rabbits. Rabbits of this breed can only be bred at the age of 9 months. Meat yield 54%. .

More profitable meat-skin breeds

Burgundian

This breed appeared in our country only two decades ago. Burgundy rabbits are distinguished by their slightly elongated, muscular body and red color. But in the fur industry, the skin of individuals of this breed does not have a very high price due to the poor quality of the hair thickness. These animals are more suitable meat direction. An adult male reaches a weight of 5.5 kg.

But the fertility of females is very good - she can give birth to up to 12 rabbits. The Burgundy breed is early maturing. At the age of 4 months (reach the weight of an adult male). Animals of such breeds have excellent immunity and a powerful body. Meat yield up to 65%.

Chinchilla

Rabbits of this genus with beautiful fur were bred by crossing a white giant with an ordinary chinchilla. Animals of such breeds are famous not only for their tasty meat, but also for their high-quality skins, which have good price. They are perfectly adapted to our climate and are unpretentious. The weight of an adult male reaches 5 kg.

More information about the chinchilla breed:

Females have good fertility, bringing up to 8 rabbits per litter. The rabbits grow quite actively, their weight reaches 4 kg by 4 months, and they are ready for mating. Meat yield is about 59%.

German ram

This breed appeared in England and for a long time was considered decorative. stand out from everyone else long ears which have to be held together with clamps. The weight of adults reaches 5.5 kg. Rams have good immunity and are quite easy to care for.

The disadvantage of rabbits of such breeds is the poor fertility of females (she produces only 3-6 babies per litter). But the rabbits are actively growing; by the age of 3 months they reach a weight of 3-4 kg. Meat yield 55-57%.

Competent choice of meat rabbit breed, proper care and content will make your business a highly profitable production. Good luck!

Rabbit breeding in lately is gaining popularity. How effective this activity is, as well as compliance with breed standards, can be shown by scales: the weight of the rabbit must correspond to certain parameters. Today, about 200 breeds of these animals are raised in the world, which are divided into three directions: meat, fur and decorative. The first two groups are farm animals, which are bred on subsidiary plots and industrial rabbit farms, and ornamental animals are kept as pets in houses and apartments.

The weight of a rabbit depends on several things: nutrition, living conditions and breed of animal.

The weight of the animal depends on several factors. First of all, this is the breed, living conditions, and a properly selected diet.

Weight of meat animals

If the purpose of breeding is to obtain large quantity meat, attention should be paid to breeds that are classified as meat. They recruit very quickly muscle mass, but their fur is of rather low quality. Belgian giants are considered one of the most popular and oldest meat breeds. The average weight of a Belgian rabbit reaches 6-7 kg. However, many of them often grow up to 10 kg, and the record holder of this breed managed to gain 22 kg.

California rabbits also deserve attention. They can be called record holders for growth speed: at the age of five months the animals weigh approximately 5 kg. In addition, Californian females are very fertile: there can be up to 12 rabbits in a litter. German sheep belong to the same group. Their meat has excellent taste qualities. An adult animal has a live weight on average of 5-7 kg. French and English sheep are bred for meat, but their weight is slightly less.

Domestic rabbit breeders most often give preference to white and gray giants. Grays are considered meat animals because their fur is a little thin, but white giants are distinguished by elastic, thick, beautiful fur. The weight of the animals is very good - up to 7 kg.

The following meat breeds have excellent characteristics: New Zealand White and New Zealand Red. Already at the age of 3 months, rabbits can weigh up to 3 kg, and adult animals - 4-6 kg. German giants (Riesen) grow up to 7 kg, and some specimens can even reach 12-14 kg.

Return to contents

Weight of fur and meat animals

There are breeds that, in addition to rapid growth And delicious meat, have dense, beautiful and inexpensive fur. Due to the length of the pile, these animals are divided into two groups: short-haired and long-haired. The weight of a fur-meat rabbit can vary.

One of the largest representatives of this species are white giants, whose weight reaches 7 kg. The domestic black-brown breed is quite popular; the fur of its representatives is similar to the fur of black-brown foxes. Rabbits grow very quickly, especially in the interval of 4-5 months. An adult animal weighs 5-7 kg. Another result of the work of domestic breeders - the Russian ermine - is valued for its fur, similar in color to the fur of an ermine. Average weight such animals - 4 kg, and meat high quality. Shorthaired Rexes have about the same weight. Although their offspring are small and their young growth is average, tender meat and beautiful “plush” fur compensate for these shortcomings.

Downy longhaired breeds are bred for their rabbit down, which is durable and heat-resistant. The weight of adults is within 3-4 kg. For example, an Angora down rabbit weighs only 2 kg at 6 months, and an adult animal reaches a live weight of 3 kg. Domestic white downy rabbits have an average weight of 4 kg.