Potential of the rabbit for meat

5. Potential of the rabbit for meat • Rabbits can be successfully raised on diets that are low in grain and high in roughage • Rabbits convert forage into meat more efficiently than ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep • An exciting characteristic of rabbit is their high reproductive potential • The short generation time ,rapid selection progress can be made • Rabbits lend themselves to both small-and scal production • Rabbit meat is awhole some ,tasty product compared to most other meat,it is high in protein and low in fat,cholestrol ,and sodium .the meat is white ,fine-graind ,delicately flavored,nutritious,and appetizing .it is low in caloric content also.

6. Rabbit breeds

7. FLEMISH GIANT New ZELAND WHITE ENGLISH LOP papion

8. The rabbitry and its Equipment • Planning the rabbitry • The rabbit building Modern commercial rabbitries are generally of a pole frame construction ,with metal sides and roof .they are of two basic types: those with natural ventilation , and those with a controlled environment . A building with natural ventilation in temperate climates may have an open side toward a direction that does not have prevailing winds. Only one tier of cages should be used , and a long ,narrow building is desirable .A central alleyway with a row of cages on each side works well. Advantages of natural ventilation include low cost and freedom from effects of power failures. Disadvantages are the lack of control over air movement, inability to lower the inside temperature of the rabbitry below outside (ambient) temperature, and overventilation (drafts) .mechanical ventilation systems are used in environmentally controlled buildings ,advantages include the potential of controlling the air flow rate to required levels for removal of moisture and heat, and the ability to use the system to provide heat in cold weather . Disadvantages are the initial and operating costs ,and the need for back-up systems in case of power failure

11. cages • Modern commericialrabbitries do not use hutches .they use wire cages ,which they provide good ventilation and waste disposal and place the rabbits at convenient height for the rabbit raiser to work with them. A variety of different types of wire cages are used successfully .the quonset –styl cage is one of the best , because it requires less wire than a rectangular cage, all corners of the cage can be reached easily ,and the door doesn’t fall down when one is reaching inside the cage .Quonset cages suspended back to back provide a ready – made hay feeder that is useful when hay is fed for enteritis control or to prevent fur chewing • Another style of cage ,which .has been referred to as the European- style cage , has to compartments . The young can be kept in one compartment and the doe in the other . Before weaning , the young have access to both compartments; at weaning the door separating the compartments is closed . It is believed that this system produces less stress to the litter than when the doe is totally removed . • Feedlot cages are sometimes used , to save on labor and cage construction costs. Large cages , of any suitable dimensions, are constructed .several hundred fryer rabbits per cage are fed in a feedlot system from weaning to marketing . Feed is given in large feed hoppers . This system reduces some of the high labor requirements which exist when litters are kept individually in cages.

14. feeders Various types of feed hoppers commercially available. • The most popular is the j feeder .the should have sufficient capacity to hold at least a one –day feed supply and should be designed so feed is not scratched out (scrabbled) and wasted • Some feeders have a mesh bottom , which allows fines to fall through • Crocks may be used in small rabbitries , but they require a lot of labor for cleaning , as they are often soiled with feces and urine . Wastage is often a problem. • Hay feeding may be considered desirable by some rabbit raisers . There is evidence that it may help reduce the incidence of some types of enteritis. Use of home-grown hay may help to reduce feed costs .Various types of V- shaped hay feeders that attach to the outside of the cage may be built . If quonset-style cages are used , the hay can be fed directly on the tops of the cages

17. Watering equipment All rabbit raisers with more than about six does should consider installing an automatic watering system . A properly designed and installed automatic watering system will provide a dependable supply of water and remove the hazard of spreading infection by water siphoning from cage to cage . Most rabbits learn to use the automatic valves readily

19. Nest boxes • A drop nest box a number of advantages .the nest box is below the floor of the cage . This allows does to mimic the nesting behavior of wild rabbits in holes or depressions .a major advantage is that if the young rabbits do crawl out of the nest box or are carried out attached to a teat , they fall back into it as they are crawling around the cage . This reduces deaths from exposure of kits . • Another good style of nest box is suspended on the front of the cage . The litter is very accessible for inspection by the rabbit raiser, who can remove dead kits , etc , without opening the cage or disturbing the doe . The nest box can be equipped with a hinged door , so that the doe can be locked out of it. • Various types of bedding can be used in nest box ,including straw, wood chips, newspaper, sawdust, and shredded sugarcane products . The doe will supplement the bedding with pulled hair to make a nest

22. Sprinkling systems Rabbits,especially does a bout to kindle, are very susceptible to heat stress. A properly installed sprinkling system on the roof of an enclosed building will help reduce the high temperatures and ,when thermostatically controlled ,will be a safeguard when sudden weather changes occur .the thermostat should be set so the sprinkler will be turned on when the temperature is high .

23. Identification equipment • An adjustable tatto box enables one person to mark a rabbit for identification . • Another way of identifying rabbits is with ear tags .

24. Utility cart A cart equipped for hauling feed ,rabbits nest boxes, and other equipment is a great convenience and a time and labor saver. A special bed on the cart for holding rabbits can be used for taking does to the buck’s cage for breeding and for transporting rabbits out of the rabbitry

25. Rabbitreproduction age to breed • Bucks reach sexual maturity between four and eight months of age depending on breed and level of nutrition • Does become receptive to bucks at about 3,5 months of age become capable of conception at 4 or 4,5 months .these ages will vary with the breed of rabbit , the smaller breeds generally reaching puberty earlier than the larger breeds .

26. The mating process The doe give evidence being in heat by behaving restlessly by chin (chinning ) on the cage ,water crock, feed troughs ,elc. The appearance of the vulva, whether it is pale or pinkish in color ,is generally indicative of the receptivity of the doe . The doe should always be taken to the buck’s cage for mating because the buck’s ejaculation occasionally misses the vagina , the doe should be bred twice before being returned to her cage. The buck and doe should not be left together unattended for more than a few minutes, as the buck may be injured . If mating doesn’t occur within a few minutes, it is probably non-receptive that day and should be rescheduled for next day or the day after.

27. Rabbit diseases Major rabbit diseases • Snuffles There is no such thing as a cold in rabbits . Mucopurulent nasal discharges (pus) that many people attribute to colds are almost in variablycaused by p.multocida in conjunction with another bacterium called bordetellabronchisepticum this is not a transient condition like a cold ,but one with permanent adverse effects on the animal. The preliminary signs of sneezing and discharge have to be differentiated from dust or drinking water in the nose .usually if the sneezing continues , and especially if you being to feel a matting of the fur on the inside of the front feet(a rabbit uses its front feet to wipe its nose )you can be confident that snuffles has appeared in the rabbit herd .

30. coccidiosis There are two types of coccidiosis , an intestinal from and a liver form . Both forms are capable of producing a diarrheal disease that must be considered when enteritis is observed. the treatment of coccidiosis seems to be a cotinual battle . Sulfaquinoxaline has been the drug of choice for years. It is generally administered in the drinking water at 0.04%. However, it can be mixed in the feed at 0.025% .if it is used in the water , it is recommended that it be given continuously for two weeks . If it used in the feed , it is given for three weeks. A very effective method of controlling coccidiosis is the daily brushing and removal of fecal material from the cages with a wire brush . The term “self-cleaning cages "is a misnomer , as very few cages are completely self-cleaning . High fiber diets result in large fecal pellets which do not drop through the wire these fecal pellets are the major source of coccodiosis infection the fecal pellet contans the oocyst(egg) of the protozoan parasite . The oocysts are not infective until they have sporulated. The period of sporulation , which must take place outside the rabbit, is at least 24 hours .there fore , daily removal of the fecal pellets removes this sours of infection . Rabbitries using this method of control can eliminate coccidiosis problems.

31. Mange Many rabbits are infested with mites these minute external parasites live in the fur and cause very little trouble . Occasionally the population gets too large and skin condition results . The hair coat may look unthrifty, or loss of hair may occur in a numberof places , most commonly on the back of the neck . If only a few rabbits are involvied , a cat flea powder is very effective in ridding them of mites . If many animals are affected , then the entire herd should be treated . 0.05% malathion dip works well . Dipping should be done on a warm day . All of the rabbits are completely submerged(one at a time ) in a dipping vat and then placed in the sun or a worm room to dry off . Ten days later the procedure is repeated .

32. Ear mites Ear canker is a common malady in most rabbitries . It is caused by an external ear parasites, psoroptescuuniculi, that establishes a home in the external ear canal . the parasite causes damage to the external ear canal , and the ear produces a brownishexudate . The scratch their ears with their hind feet and introduce bacteria into the ear , quickly setting up an infection . Ear mite infestations can be come so severe that rabbits lose condition and reproductive performance is impaired . Ear mites are readily treated by using any number of ear mite medication s . Most have a mineral oil base , with some parasiticide such as malathion added.

34. Hot weather care of the herd Does that are well advanced in pregnancy and newborn litters are the most susceptible to injury . The does give evidence of suffering by excessive moisture around the mouth and occasionally bleeding around the nostrils ,rapid respiration , and restlessness ; newborn litters by extreme restlessness. Rabbits that show symptoms of suffering should be removed to a quit ,well ventilated place . Considerable relief can be given by placement of wet feed sacks in the cage for the animal to lie on .in the case of the doe that advanced to the stage where bleeding is occurring and quick action is necessary, placing cracked ice between the folds of a wet feed sack and placing it in the cage so she can lie on it is quite effective and may save many does about to kindle . Immersing the entire rabbit in cold water for three seconds is another emergency measure to save heat-stressed rabbits . Sprinkling the roof of the rabbitry may give considerable relief, except in areas of high humidity . If a roof sprinkler is thermostatically controlled, it will take care of quick weather changes and is especially useful if the caretaker is not available for regulating the sprinkler .if it is extremely hot, sprinkling the rabbits is another possibility ,especially the does that will kindle in the next day or two .these heavy pregnant does do not seem to be able to dissipate the heat as well as the other rabbits, and giving them a cool dip or sprinkling may be the only way to save their lives.