Rabbits of breed flandr (or the Belgian giant)

Many consider these rabbits ugly because of an ugly muzzle and an awkwardly large body. But there are fans of the breed Flandrov. Despite the impressive size and austere appearance, they are kind and docile.

  • Appearance
  • Features breeding, care
  • Feeding features
  • Advantages and disadvantages
  • Okrol
  • Rabbit Care

Appearance

The body length of this breed is 65 cm The body itself is elongated, curved with a little bump. Big head with swollen cheeks, powerful paws. Chest wide, up to 47 cm in girth.

Ears are covered with wool with a black border, wide and very long (17 - 25 cm). Rabbit weight reaches 10 kg. Refers to meat breeds.

The coat is silky, dense, thick. Its height is average (up to 3.% cm).

Coloring is varied: white, black, yellow-gray, iron-gray, kangaroo.

Features breeding, care

Because of the enormous size of the flanders, large, voluminous cages are necessary, especially for feeding rabbit with cubs. From time to time the cells need to be cleaned. Constantly in drinking bowls should be fresh clean water. Most often they are placed in the open air, but sometimes - in closed premises. In such cases it is necessary to provide sufficient sunlight to the cells, regular airing. Great skin requires careful care.

In the spring, before the appearance of mosquito vectors of infections, vaccinations against myxomatosis, pasteurelliosis, and viral anthropagic fever are made. The first such vaccination - in 1, 5 months.

For breeding rabbits are suitable for 8 months. This is two times later than other breeds. But the advantage is that the Flandres are very prolific.

Feeding features

They feed the meat giants 2 times a day. At the first request give hay. In the food for each add a handful of grain. Adult rabbits are unpretentious in the diet. Eat boiled vegetables, seeds, green fodder, oatmeal. In the first months of life, small bunnies eat dried hay, and then switch to adult food.

Nutrition nursing bunny reinforced. She gets 2 - 3 handfuls of grain per day and wet mash. Mushrooms consist of a mixture of different vegetables, cereals, sunflower oil cake with salt added. Such feeding is beneficial, firstly, because it is less expensive. And flandr eats a lot. And secondly, it is convenient to add medications to the bags.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of breed flandr:

  • Greater fecundity and high milkiness of the female;
  • Unpretentiousness in the diet;
  • Gives a lot of meat and big skins.

Disadvantages:

  • Low quality skins;
  • Voracity;
  • Frequent pathology of extremities (their curvature or underdevelopment).

Okrol

A week before, a rabbit is caged in a separate cage. They begin to commit it intensively, mixing in mineral and protein supplements or fish oil. On the eve of the birth, the rabbit pulls out of himself fluff, gathers hay and prepares a nest for rabbits. Flandre mothers are very prolific. They give birth 4–5 times a year. One okrol brings 6- 9 rabbits.

The time of the birth of cubs is night, sometimes early morning. With a safe course of childbirth last 10 -15 minutes.

After circling, the rabbit must be provided with water in sufficient quantity so that she can replenish her strength.

Rabbit Care

Like all rabbits, Flandre babies are born naked, deaf and blind. A week later, they begin to be covered with wool. A week later, they open their eyes, their ears go out. Caring for babies is the same as in other breeds.

If you have problems with feeding (if, for example, there are cracks in the nipples), the rabbit, experiencing pain, may refuse babies. If the young do not gorge, they have sunken tummies and they squeak. In this case, the farmer must adjust lactation. First of all, check whether there are cracks on the nipples. Cracks smeared with vegetable or sea buckthorn oil. Massage the nipples, decant the milk, at first attach the rabbits to the mother's nipples.

If there are no such problems, the rabbit feeds the children once or twice a day, mostly at night.

If no new mating is foreseen, the children remain with their mother until the age of 3 months.

In cases when baby rabbits cannot be fed by mother's milk, they are fed artificially. Give liquid semolina, diluted dry milk. They feed these babies once a day. In 3 months, when young flanders become adults, they are seated in separate cells. At the same time divided by gender. Also separated less developed, small individuals.

For the mating rabbit ready only to achieve 9 months.

Due to the slow development of baby rabbits and the gluttony of the breed, they are reluctant to grow them on farms, especially for sale.

In Western Europe, these rabbits are often raised as ornamental animals. They live in families.