Description of Hikol rabbits

Thanks to the intensive development of animal husbandry, hikol rabbits were bred. They are representatives of a hybrid breed. White Californian and Australian rabbits participated in the selection of these animals.

This breed was bred in France at the end of the last century and over the course of several decades has already gained immense popularity in the world thanks to its own. It is the most popular farm breed in the world.

Description

The official description says that, like their ancestors, the hikola rabbits are light in color but do not have the standard color of the fur.

There are individuals of white, gray, cream color, and also a color point (the body is white, the nose and ears are colored dark).

The standards of the breed are:

• ears are spoon-like, short – up to 10-11 cm;
• the head is small, light;
• nose elongated;
• eyes wide set, red with a light fringing in the sclera;
• the neck is short;
• body length reaches 50-54 cm;
• the back is straight, wide;
• the abdomen is lowered down;
• the croup is very massive;
• the front legs are quite short, widely set;
• the hind legs are powerful, setting the right when viewed from the back;
• the tail is straight with a dark edging.

The Hikol breed has a meat direction and is grown Xia as a broiler. The young growth reaches enough weight for slaughter of 4.5-5 kg ​​already for 3-4 months. This is a record for meat breeds of rabbits. With a proper and balanced diet, the animal gains 45-60 g of body weight daily.

Representatives of the breed are not prone to obesity and suffer from it in very rare cases.

Meat of rabbits Hikol is especially appreciated in the agricultural market. Due to the rapid gain in body weight and light skeleton, raising rabbits for slaughter brings a good income. The percentage of pure meat from the mass of the animal before slaughter is about 57-60%.

Features of reproduction

The main difference from many breeds is that Hikol is a representative of the hybrid breed, which means that tribal divorce has its own characteristics.Representatives of the breed can not reproduce naturally due to their hybrid origin. Females are artificially fertilized to produce offspring with a complete list of pedigree characteristics. If we reduce the representatives of the Hikol breed in a natural way, then the rabbits will not be considered purebred representatives of the breed.

Because of this feature of breeding, it is unprofitable to breed rabbits in private farms and small farms. Artificial insemination requires material costs and pays off only on large farms.

The French company Hippharm is the monopolist in raising breeding stock. In addition to Hikol, a similar hybrid breed Hiplus is bred there. These rabbits also have a meat focus. The progenitors of these breeds are in the nurseries of the company and are not sold for breeding. There are branches around the world where you can also purchase animals. One male will cost about 550 rubles, females cost about 500 rubles.

Features of breeding

Females are highly fertile. One litter consists of 10-12 cubs. With compacted okroly, you can get 8-10 litters per year. After this, the rabbit is removed from the breeding.

The rabbit has 10 nipples, thanks to this she is able to equally provide all her rabbits with milk.It is important to ensure that the female has a balanced diet during pregnancy and feeding offspring.

Content

Animals have well-pubescent legs, which allows them to be kept in cages with a trellised floor. This simplifies cleaning and prevents rabbits from stamping on their stool. Because of the dirt in the cells or aviaries, outbreaks of coccidiosis occur and the entire herd is killed. Particularly susceptible to disease are young rabbits under the age of 3 months.

It is recommended to arrange the cells so that:

• they are not in direct sunlight;
• are not there precipitation and drafts penetrated;
• the temperature in winter did not drop below 16-17 ° C.

Females are kept 2-3 individuals, and males one at a time, in order to avoid aggression and fights. Cells should be well ventilated. Pets need constant access to food and clean water. This is especially true for females during and after a basting. Due to dehydration, rabbits eat their cubs to restore the water-salt balance.

Diet

Hikol rabbits adapt perfectly to different types of food. They willingly eat dried grass, hay, fresh and boiled vegetables, wheat, sunflower seeds, corn, and barley. But in order for the animals to gain weight and fully justify their pedigree characteristics, granular concentrated feed should be present in their menu from early childhood.Their price is quite high, but it is justified by the release of meat after slaughter.

Food for rabbits Hikol

Compared to ancestors, Hikol requires less feed units to increase body weight, this is an undeniable benefit for the economy. At the age of 3-4 months, animals gain 4.5-5 kg ​​of live weight and are ready for slaughter.

To ensure a complete diet you need:

• Take care of hay for the winter. It is better to do this in the June-July month. During this period, grasses have a higher protein content necessary for the growth and development of animals. Over time, the fiber content in the grass increases, which the digestive system of rabbits cannot digest. The amount of fats and minerals is also reduced. Hay harvested in August has low nutritional value.
• Feed rabbits with legumes. So you can halve the cost of concentrated feed. Legumes contain a lot of lysine, a valuable amino acid. So, in 1 kg of green mass contains up to 27 g of easily digestible protein.
• Give animals the opportunity of round-the-clock access to food. Meals in rabbits during the day can reach 50-60 times. During fattening animals require round-the-clock recharge.

Choosing and buying Hikol rabbits

Since the breed is not very widespread and there are not so many breeding nurseries, you should not buy animals for an ad on the Internet, markets, or dubious household plots. Purebred representatives of the tribe can be bought at agricultural shows or in nurseries specializing in this breed.

You can purchase rabbits in France, but delivery will be disproportionately expensive. But you can be completely sure that you have a rabbit of the Hikol breed in front of you, and not a less thoroughbred fellow similar to it.

It is difficult to determine belonging to the breed by external signs. For Hickolay, Australian or California White rabbits are often given out. It is necessary to ask the breeders for supporting documents.

You should be careful when choosing an animal. An overly calm and lethargic rabbit is most likely ill with something. Wool bald spots at best indicate poor living conditions and poor nutrition; at worst, these may be symptoms of infectious diseases.

Conclusion

When buying Hikol broiler rabbits, it’s important to understand that keeping these animals and their feed can be too expensive. If you grow rabbits in small quantities, then they will not pay back their cost. It is advisable to breed this breed on an industrial scale.

It is also worth remembering that in the absence of a proper diet, the animal will not be able to fully realize its pedigree qualities.In this case, it makes no sense to get Hikol rabbits.