Popular rabbit breeds

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Rabbit breeds have been around for a long time. These animals were domesticated over 2000 years ago. Since that time, about 700 varieties have been bred. On an industrial scale, rabbits began to be bred about 200 years ago. The main products that can be obtained from rabbits are valuable fur and delicious dietary meat. About a hundred years ago, small animals were started as pets.

Rabbit breeds

Classification of breeds

Rabbit breeding has become very popular. Animals are raised both in private households and on large farms. From them, both meat and skins are obtained, which are used for the production of fur products. Rabbit weight by breed can also vary greatly. They are very early ripening, give a good weight gain, so the costs of growing them quickly pay off. Due to the popularity, many breeds of rabbits were bred for keeping, which required classification.

Subspecies are divided according to several criteria:

By the type of wool:
Normal-haired with a hair length of 25-35 mm and a structure similar to that of wild relatives
Short-haired - wool length 19024 mm
Long-haired - with a coat length of 60 mm and more
Angora or downy - with a special soft wool structure of different lengths
By size:
Large or large - weight over 6 kg
Medium - weight from 3 kg to 6 kg
Small - weigh 2-3.25 kg
Dwarf - weight 0.7-1.8 kg
For economic purposes:
Meat
Fur
Meat skin
Downy
Decorative

Economic classification of breeds is used most often, since it is the most convenient. With all the diversity of animals, in fact, about 15-20 species are intensively reared. The flagship is the meat and wool group. Decorative animals have many more varieties. We will tell you more about what breeds of rabbits are (taking into account the economic classification) further.

Meat rabbits

Meat or broiler rabbits are capable of producing a lot of tasty meat. Skins and fur are also used, but less attention is paid to their quality. There is a misconception that all beef breeds are very large. In fact, these varieties are of medium size, but they grow and mature very quickly, as evidenced by any table of weight gain. Already at 3-5 months they can weigh about 4 feeds, the slaughter yield is 70%. Broiler breeds do not require large feed costs, therefore they are grown in an industrial environment. Here are the most popular meat varieties:

White New Zealand
California
Hybrid Hila, Hycole, Hyplus

These productive meat varieties are described below.

White New Zealand rabbit

The New Zealand rabbit or NZB is the result of a complex crossing of several subspecies. Its dimensions are average, the body is compact, the body length is 50 cm. The abdomen, back and thighs are well developed, all parts of the body smoothly merge into each other. The paws are short and plump. The head is wide, the cheeks are well developed in males. The ears are straight, the tips are rounded, the length is about 12 cm. The rabbit is albino, its fur is white and plump. New Zealand rabbits reach a weight of 4-5 kg at 5 months. The nature of the animals is calm, the females are wonderful mothers.

California rabbit

The California rabbit breed is truly hardy, fast-growing and unpretentious, therefore it is popular on private farms. The mass of animals at 3 months of life is 3 kg, and by 5 months they reach a weight of 4-4.5 kg. The body length is about 50 kg, the body is compact. The head is not too wide. The hips are well developed, the legs are shortened.

California rabbit

The fur of the American variety is white, the ears and the tip of the muzzle are painted in a dark color. They look almost the same as Siamese cats. Rabbits reproduce well, giving birth to 8-10 cubs at a time. The health of the young is strong, almost all the rabbits remain alive. California rabbits are prized for their low-fat, dietary meat.

Rabbit skins

In agriculture, meat-skin breeds of rabbits are the most common. They get both tasty meat and valuable fur at the same time. The animals are large, can grow up to 8-10 kilograms. They have large individuals and their disadvantages. They mature late, females give birth to 4-5 rabbits. Often, paw pathologies are diagnosed in young animals. The meat yield is small, about 60%, the growth rate and weight gain are low. To achieve good performance, it is necessary to introduce more protein into the feed. The pluses include resistance to many diseases. Here are the main breeds of this trend:

White giant
Gray giant
Soviet chinchilla
Flanders or Belgian giant
Black-brown rabbit
Ram
Butterfly
Germanic silver
Hungarian rabbits are giants
Salander
Aubert
Thuringian rabbits

To better imagine the animals, it is worth watching a photo video of the breed of rabbits of interest. Below is a verbal description of them.

White giant

The White Giant is a very popular rabbit breed that is gigantic in size. Its ancestors were the Germanic breed and Flandre. In large animals, the body is 60-65 cm long, the body is slightly loose, but strong. The head is narrowed, the ears are long and erect. The chest is quite wide with a girth of 35-37 cm. The back is narrowed, elongated, without bends.

Rabbit White Giant

The giant rabbit reaches a weight of 7 kg, but grows slowly, at 3 months the weight of a rabbit is only 2 kg. The fur is white-walled, thick and soft, it lends itself well to dyeing and therefore is highly valued. The meat is juicy, with good taste, the breed is very profitable for breeding.

Gray giant

Giant gray rabbits and the breed of giants were bred in the first half of the last century, by mating Flandre and outbred Russian rabbits. This greatly increased its adaptability to cold climates and disease resistance. Animals can be imported to Siberia, the Urals and other regions with a harsh climate. The body of the rabbits is strong, the body is elongated (0.6-0.75 m), the back is straight and slightly widened, the legs are plump.

Rabbit Gray Giant

The head is strong, the ears are straight, set apart. Gray rabbits are a giant breed, adults weigh 5-7 kg, at 3 months the weight of rabbits is 2 kg. The coat is thick and smooth, dark gray, light gray, black, white. Also, the rabbit can be colored like a hare or have an agouti tone. The quality of the meat is average, so rabbits are bred more for skins. A large cage is needed for keeping.

Flanders

The Belgian Flandre or OBR is the largest breed of domestic rabbits in the world, a real giant.Giant animals have a length of 0.7-0.75 m, breast girth - 35-45 cm, weight - 7-9 kg, with good care and feeding, it can reach 10 kg or more. The animals are rather clumsy, with a large head and ears that resemble two burdocks.

Flandre rabbit

The body is powerful and well muscled. Flanders are very prolific, there are 7-9 rabbits in the offspring, there are cases when 12-16 babies are born at the same time. The rabbit has a lot of milk and takes care of her cubs. Huge Flanders have tender and tasty meat. The fur is thick, of different shades of gray, it can have a hare shade or agouti. Many pedigree rabbits descended from Flanders, they are still actively used in breeding.

Soviet chinchilla

The Soviet chinchilla is a medium-sized breed that gets its name from its special fur. We got these animals from mixing white giants with chinchilla-like individuals. The animals have a strong constitution, a small head with long ears. Weight - 5-7 kg, chest girth - 36-39 cm, and body length - 0.55-0.65 m.

Females are fertile, they lead 8-10 rabbits in one lambing. The meat is of high quality, the fur has a blue tint, for which it is highly valued. The Soviet rabbit chinchilla was bred in 1927 and is still popular today.

Black-brown rabbit

To obtain animals of the original black-brown color, very different breeds were crossed. The selection was attended by Viennese blue rabbits, Flanders, White giant, some domestic varieties.

The fur of the animals has acquired a beautiful color, reminiscent of a silver fox. Their head is large, with long ears. The chest is deep, with a girth of about 37 cm. The body is powerful, muscular, the body length is 60-65 cm. The weight of the animals is 5-7 kg. The meat is delicious, and is no less appreciated than fur. Females are fertile, giving birth to 7-9 rabbits at a time.

Rams

Lop-eared rams are very original animals, which got their name from the special structure of the head and ears. Their muzzle is shortened, often with a hump in the nose. Ears droop, can reach lengths of 0.6-0.7 m. Some of the rams are decorative breeds. The meat-skin direction includes English, French, German rams.

Rabbits of the Ram breed

Average weight, 4-6 kg. The fur is plump, fluffy, highly valued. There are animals of black, white, black and white, hare, gray and other colors. These breeds of rabbits require special care, they are prone to pododermatitis, ear disease.

Rabbit Butterfly

The rabbit of the Butterfly breed is suitable for breeding at home, it has no industrial value. It got its name because of the original coloring. The main tone of the fur is white, around the peephole and on the back there are symmetrical dark spots, the pattern of which resembles a butterfly. The spots are blue, black, gray, yellow, brown.

The most beautiful of all are animals of black and white and white and blue colors. The head of the rabbits is large, the ears are elongated. The body is strong with developed muscles, 54-60 cm long. The chest is expanded, the legs are plump. Butterflies are prolific, they bring 8-9 rabbits per lamb. Care and maintenance for these rabbits are simple.

Germanic silver

The Germanic Silver Rabbit is a large breed derived from the French Champagne variety. It is also called Big Light Silver or BSS. The fur of these animals is blue or smoky, very thick. The color is evenly distributed throughout the body and shimmers with silver. The physique is powerful, the head is small with short, straight ears. Body length - 57 cm, chest girth - 37 cm, average weight - 5-6 kg.

Fur breeds of rabbits

Fur breeds of rabbits are allocated conditionally. After all, you can still get a pretty decent amount of meat from them. Therefore, in many classifications, fur breeds are referred to as meat-skin breeds. Fur breeds include:

Soviet Marder
Russian ermine
Vienna blue
Rex
Squirrel
Landrace
Gull

It is better to study the appearance of rabbits on the description with photographs. The best types of fur animals are described below.

Soviet Marder

The Soviet marder was obtained as a result of a complex crossing. The selection of the Moscow school involved the Soviet chinchilla, the Russian ermine and outbred domestic multicolored individuals. It has a strong body, the head is round, medium, the ears are not very long. The chest is wide, the legs are elongated and plump, the body length is 50 centimeters, the average weight is 3.8-6 kg. Coloring in brown tones, reminiscent of chicken, that's why the rabbit is called a marder.

Russian ermine

The breed of fur rabbits Russian ermine was named so because of the original color of the coat. They have completely white fur, only the ears and the tip of the muzzle, legs and tail are black (dark brown), like a real ermine. The body is firmly knocked down, the head is small. The length of the body is about half a meter, the weight is within 4 kg. Ermine rabbits perfectly adapt to the cold, unpretentious, females are fertile, they feed their young well.

Vienna Blue Rabbit

The Viennese blue rabbits were bred in Austria by mating local varieties with the Flanders. The result is quite large individuals with beautiful blue fur. They have a strong body, the body length is 57 cm, the breast is deep, in the girth it is 37 cm. The head is medium, the ears are small, stand straight.

For one lamb, 8-9 rabbits are born, which quickly gain weight. The rabbit meat is tasty, the fur is thick and soft. Often, rabbit skins are used to imitate other valuable fur-bearing animals.

Rex

Rabbits of the Rex breed have a special fur structure. It is short and soft, reminiscent of plush or corduroy. The skeleton of rabbits is light, the physique is delicate. The head is small and elongated with medium-sized ears.

Rex Rabbits

The back is elongated, may have a small hump. The weight is not too large, only 3.5-4 kg, the growth rate is average. The meat is tender and tasty. Rabbit skins come in different colors (white, black and white, gray, red, etc.), they are used unpainted. The products look as if they were cut, which is why they are highly valued.

Squirrel breed

Rabbit fur breed Belka was bred on the basis of Viennese blue and havana rabbit. He has an original color, combining blue and gray tones. The back, head and tail are colored darker than the lower part of the body. The abdomen is almost white, as if dropped out. The sizes of the rabbits are average, the length of the body is 50-55 cm, the girth of the chest is about 36 cm, the weight is 4-4.5 kg. The head is small, with medium-sized ears, the muzzle is elongated. The breast is strong, a small dewlap may stand out. The back is widened, especially in females.

Downy breeds

Downy breeds of rabbits are few and far between. They are bred for a special kind of wool. It is thin and very warm, surpassing even angora in its qualities. According to many reports, it has medicinal properties, relieves radiculitis pain. About a kilogram of wool is obtained from one crawl per year. The two most common downy varieties are known:

Angora
White downy

Angora rabbit

Downy Angora rabbits were bred in Turkey. This is a small animal, weighing about 3 kg. Their ears are mediocre, each ear ends with a fluffy tassel. The coat is very soft and long, the hair is about 20 cm. The color is, in most cases, white. About 500 grams of fluff can be cut from a rabbit at a time; it is sheared twice a year.

Angora rabbit

The coat requires constant grooming and brushing. To keep it lush, animals should be kept at a temperature of 15-20 degrees. They are not suitable for street maintenance. Now the downy direction of Angora breeding has almost lost its significance. Relatively recently, new dwarf angora rabbits have been bred, exclusively decorative.

White downy rabbit

The white downy albino rabbit was bred in Russia by crossing the common and Angora varieties. He has a white, thin and fluffy coat, about 25-20 cm long. The constitution is strong, weight 4-4.5 kg. You can distinguish white fluffy rabbits from the Angora breed by the absence of tassels on the ears. How much fluff does this species produce? From one male you can get 500-750 grams of wool, from a rabbit - up to 1 kg. The quality of the down is high. Like angora rabbits, white fluffy ones lose their economic value and become decorative.

Decorative breeds

Decorative breeds were developed about a hundred years ago. Now they are becoming more and more popular, animals are kept as pets even in city apartments. Decorative colic differ in small body size, original fur, interesting colors. The lifespan of decorative animals is 10-12 years. More than 20 varieties are known, therefore it is difficult to describe all breeds of decorative rabbits here. The most popular for home content are the following:

Hermelin
Dutch colored
Dwarf foxes
Lionhead
Fire
Belgian bearded Australian breeding
Japanese

It is best to consider cute decorative rabbits in the photo, below is a brief and not too complete description of some decorative breeds.

Hermelin

The Polish rabbit or Hermelin is the world's oldest decorative breed. The color of the fur of small animals is white, the eyes are blue or red, the ears are small. The body is elongated, strong, stocky, the tail fits snugly to the back. Weight ranges from 0.7 kg to 1.3 kg. The character is very calm, the animals are completely fearless, they quickly get used to the owner. Hermelins are distinguished by high intelligence, they are easily accustomed to the tray, they can do simple tricks.

Dutch colored rabbits

Colored rabbits from Holland were bred on the basis of Hermelin. Their body structure is the same, even the standards are the same. The only way to distinguish between these two breeds of decorative rabbits is color. The list of colors includes more than twenty different shades of rabbit fur, new ones are constantly appearing. The color can be black, blue, red, red, gray, variegated, etc. Colored animals are very popular among pets. They are considered the smallest among all rabbits, sometimes colored rabbits are also called minor.

Dwarf fox rabbit

The fox rabbit is a small breed, weighing from 1.2 to 1.6 kg. He has a small compact body, relatively short ears, a neat tail. The main advantage of the rabbit breed is its fur. It is long, about 40 mm. The color is gray, red or black. The fur consists of guard hairs, so caring for it is simple, it does not get tangled as in downy rabbits.

Dwarf rabbit

In addition to the decorative rabbits described, there are mini versions of other breeds. For example, dwarf Angora rabbits, Rexes, chinchillas, etc. are popular. Before buying any rabbit, you must carefully study the rabbit breed standard with photographs, its description and characteristics. It is also worth deciding what is the purpose of breeding, to find out which animals are profitable to keep. You can choose and buy rabbits in any region. Young animals are offered in Tula, Moscow, Bryansk, Stavropol and other regions. The price depends on the variety.