Secrets of the successful breeding of rabbits Soviet chinchilla

If you look at the photo of a rabbit with the funny name “Soviet Chinchilla,” there is no doubt where the second word in the name of the breed comes from. The fur coat of these animals really very much resembles the fur coat of the most valuable fur animal (good, at least once in a life, everyone has seen a chinchilla in a pet store). The main value of rabbits of this breed is precisely fur. Well, and they are also grown for ornamental purposes, which also makes the breed with a fur “namesake”. About why the word "Soviet" was added to the chinchilla, it will be clear to anyone who wants to ask about the history of breeding. But first things first.

Breed description

Today, the Soviet chinchilla is one of most popular rabbit breeds due to its simplicity and versatility. They equally well play the role of a pet and a prolific and caring mother, moreover, no matter how cynical it sounds, they have very tasty meat, as well as exceptionally beautiful, and most importantly, fur very similar to the more valuable fur animal.

Inference history

As you might guess, the breed was bred in the Soviet Union. Breeding work began in the late 20s of the last century and officially ended in 1963.

I must say that the rabbits of this breed were known for a long time, the main merit of Soviet breeders is that they managed to breed larger animals, while retaining all the valuable characteristics of their predecessors.

Initially similar to the chinchilla rabbits were bred in France, called them small or medium chinchilla. The animals had a weight of about 2.5 kg. It was these rodents that were introduced to the USSR about 90 years ago and were taken into serious "turnover".

Around the same time, when a small chinchilla was bred in France, the Belgian breeders presented the world with a new breed of rabbits - the white giant, which by more than twice its body weight was greater than its French counterparts. At the same time, white eared animals also had very good fur in terms of quality and appearance, as well as tasty meat. The white giant was brought to the Soviet Union almost simultaneously with the chinchilla, but I must say, it got accustomed badly. The harsh Russian conditions were bad for tender animals, they died en masse. So the selection work with this material was in a sense a necessary measure. But she gave an excellent result.

Crossing the French babies with the Belgian giants, lengthy experiments and the hard work of the Saratov and Novosibirsk breeders eventually led to the creation of a new hybrid that absorbed an amazing chinchilla color, the ability to survive in a fairly cold climate and quite impressive size, which is especially valuable as in terms of skins, and in terms of meat.

External characteristics

Distinctive features of this breed are:

• the thick and very soft fur of a beautiful silver-blue hue;
• black bezel on the tip of the tail and on the contour of the ears;
• brown eyes with a cherry tint and light contour, at least - blue;
• upright ears, not very large compared to the body;
• the constitution is strong and compact, with an average length of 65 cm, the bones are well developed, the back is elongated, slightly rounded, the head is small, and the chest, on the contrary, is wide and powerful, with an average girth of 40 cm;
• legs are straight and powerful, with excellent musculature;
• The body weight of an adult individual varies from 5 to 8 kg, depending on the conditions of detention.

A few more words about the fur cover. The rich appearance of the wool of these animals gives a variety of every hair. Bluish along the main length, it has a dark ending. If you blow on such a coat against the direction of its growth, several shades from undercoat to tips are very well seen - blue, black, white and gray.

In general, the color looks like an uneven overlapping of several patterns one on another, with light flowing on the back of the head, on the abdomen, in the lower part of the legs and tail, and darker on the back and sides.

When describing this breed, they always note large sizes, valuable fur, endurance and resistance to cold climates, unpretentious feeding and, moreover, Soviet chinchillas grow very quickly and actively reproduce.

Productivity

Indeed, the breeding of the Soviet chinchilla is interesting only by the fact that these rabbits, thanks to their stamina and large size, are champions of productivity.

In one litter, usually seven or eight cubs are born, which start to gain weight extremely quickly: having a birth weight of less than 100 g, in the first two months of life, rabbits increase it two and a half times, by three months their weight rapidly approaches 3 kg, for the next month another kilogram is added, etc. In addition, each additional kilogram of animal weight costs the breeder only 3-4 kg of feed.

Rabbits of this breed also have a very good lactation: each female can give her offspring up to 200 g of milk per day!

The above-mentioned "wastelessness" of production at the breeding of Soviet chinchillas at 4 months of age reaches 63%: this proportion of live weight of the animal is used only in the form of meat, and in the remaining 37% there is the weight of an even more valuable skin!

What to look for when buying

When buying a purebred animal, you need to pay attention to two things: documents and appearance. And both are equally important.

On the one hand, without properly decorated papers, it is impossible to say with confidence that the valuable Soviet chinchilla, and not the usual gray rabbit, is in front of you (the animal’s fur shimmering with different shades does not appear immediately, the animal must at least once elapse, in the absence of sufficient experience of the breeder, it will not be difficult to mislead him with sweet speeches for fraudsters).

On the other hand, as the hero of the Soviet anecdote said, they hit not with a passport, but with a face, therefore, no matter what seals and emblems tribal papers were decorated, if their “owner” looks half-dead and miserable, documents are unlikely to save him from death, and you - from inevitable losses.

Looking at the animal, pay attention to the following points:

• in a healthy animal, the eyes are clean and shiny, the body is strong, the coat is thick and fluffy;
• the rodent should behave actively, have a well-fed and satisfied life;
• the coat should have a characteristic silvery shade - lighter in the lower and darker in the upper part of the body, on the ears and tail a dark contour, white spots under the eyes, to the touch the fur is thick and very pleasant.

Maintenance and care

Care for representatives of this breed is relatively uncomplicated, since animals are unpretentious, hardy and specially bred for breeding in our latitudes.

For the maintenance of animals, you can use the usual rabbit or cells, as well as more "advanced" sheds.

Nevertheless, it should be understood that the unpretentiousness of the Soviet chinchilla is estimated in comparison with other breeds of eared rodents, however, in general, these animals are known to be capricious enough and demanding conditions of detention. In particular, extreme weather conditions (both in the direction of the cold and in the direction of the heat) is a clear reason to show maximum attention to their pets.

The temperature in the rabbit farm in the summer should not rise above + 25 ° C, and in winter fall below + 5 ° C (the norm is + 15 ° C). In principle, Soviet chinchillas can survive at colder temperatures, but in this case it is necessary to make adjustments to the food system, increasing its caloric content by about 15%.

As with any agricultural animal, rabbits are very sensitive to cleanliness, so litter should be changed regularly, ensuring its dryness and freshness.

It is also important that there are no drafts in the rabbitry. Of course, animals should be protected from the bright and hot sun and, finally, they should be properly fed and have constant access to clean water (and in winter you need to make sure that the water is slightly warmed up and not cooled in any way).

What to feed

Rabbit food must be properly balanced and include the following mandatory components:

• fresh greens, skin of vegetables and fruits. From such food, the body of the rodent gets fiber, necessary for the normal operation of the digestive system and intestines;
• vegetables and silage (succulent feed), especially in winter, when the amount of fresh greens is limited;
• roughage, also a source of fiber and, in addition, vitamins, minerals and protein. It is primarily hay, as well as twigs, straw and grass meal;
• concentrated feed. In addition to animal feed, this group also includes various cereals and legumes, for example, corn, oats, barley, rye, wheat, peeled peas, lentils, soybeans, beans, carnivorous waste, meat and bone meal and fish meal.

In addition to these components, vitamins and minerals should be added to the diet of Soviet chinchillas (in particular, for this, chalk and table salt are given to animals).

In addition, the rabbit feed should always be clean and fresh, so you should not give it too much so that the animals do not scatter it on the litter.

Vaccinations for rabbits

Vaccination is by far the most effective way to prevent the most dangerous diseases in both humans and animals. Rabbits are no exception.

The main enemies of these animals are myxomatosis, a viral disease,a lightning-fast and practically incurable disease that occurs and is a viral hemorrhagic disease (abbreviated as VGBK), which is also almost 100% fatal. Both of these diseases are also dangerous to humans.

They can not be cured, but you can insure. To this end, at the age of one and a half months, the rabbit is given the first, and after three months - a second vaccination. In subsequent vaccinations are repeated annually throughout the life of the rodent.

Therefore, taking into account the frequent facts of the appearance of rabid foxes within the boundaries of settlements, as well as dogs and other animals, and given that there is no other salvation from this disease, except for timely vaccination, you should not lose vigilance. However, the decision remains for the breeder, since it is still not accepted to vaccinate rabbits for rabies in our country. It is possible that under normal conditions a normal precautionary measure will be a strong fence in front of the rabbit, but it should be borne in mind that appropriate vaccination will have to be done to transport an animal abroad, without it crossing the state border is officially impossible.

Rearing

All the above breed advantages can be provided and preserved only with strict observance of cleanliness of the lines, any presence in the genus of "grandmother who sinned with a diver" can lead to the fact that ease of maintenance, beautiful fur and other characteristics of eared livestock will come to naught. In addition, when breeding, you should try to avoid closely related crossbreeding, otherwise the young will be born weak and unfit for breeding work. Therefore, a novice breeder needs to acquire females and males with no coinciding ancestors at least in the next two generations.

Crawls are not monogamous animals, so for ten females it is enough to purchase one or two males.Healthy offspring is provided subject to crossing individuals that have reached at least six months of age.

The fecundity of rabbits is a well-known fact, but Soviet chinchillas are leading even among their fellows.

A month and a half after the birth, the rabbits are deposited in a separate cage, and the young go on to independent feeding. A good option for baby food are dandelion leaves, hay and concentrated feed, pre-chopped. When the rabbits reach two months of age, they are separated by gender and kept separately, in order to avoid premature mating. That is, in fact, all wisdom.

Soviet chinchilla is a great option for a beginner rabbit breeder.However, the success of the event in the first place depends on whether you succeed in acquiring purebred representatives of the breed, since, as was said, only breeding animals correspond to the declared characteristics.

Do not be fooled, and the Soviet chinchilla will delight you with its endurance, unpretentiousness and fecundity, as well as high-quality meat and beautiful fur!