Popular rabbit breeds

Breeds of rabbits appeared quite a long time ago. These animals were domesticated more than 2000 years ago. Since then, about 700 species 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 began to be brought up as pets.

Rabbit breeds

Classification of breeds

Breeding of rabbits has gained great popularity. Animals are bred both on private farms and on large farms. From them they receive both meat and skins, which are used for the production of fur products. The weight of the rabbit by breed can also vary greatly.They are very early, give a good weight gain, because the cost of growing them quickly pays off. Due to its popularity, many breeds of rabbits were bred for keeping, which required classification.

There are subspecies according to several criteria:

• By type of coat:
• Normal coat with a hair length of 25-35 mm and structure similar to that of wild relatives
• Shorthair – with a coat length of 19024 mm
• Longhair – with a coat length of 60 mm and more
• Angora or downy – with a special soft structure of wool of different lengths
• In size:
• Large or large – weight more than 6 kg
• Medium – weight from 3 kg to 6 kg
• Me cues – weigh 2-3.25 kg
• Dwarf – weight 0.7-1.8 kg
• For economic purposes:
• Meat
• Fur
• Meat-skins
• Downy
• Decorative

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

Meat rabbits

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

• White New Zealand
• Californian
• Hybrid Hila, Hycole, Hyplus

The following are described these are productive meat species.

White New Zealand rabbit

The New Zealand rabbit or NZB is the result of a complex cross-breeding of several subspecies. Its dimensions are average, the body is compact, the body is 50 cm long. The abdomen, back and hips are well developed, all parts of the body smoothly pass into each other. Paws are short and plump. The head is wide; the males have well-developed cheeks. The ears stand straight, the tips are rounded, about 12 cm long. The albino rabbit, its fur is white, plump. New Zealand rabbits reach a weight of 4-5 kg ​​in 5 months. The animals have a calm character, females are wonderful mothers.

California rabbit

The California breed of rabbits is really hardy, fast-growing and unpretentious, therefore it is popular on private farms. The mass of animals in 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. Hips and legs are well developed.

California rabbit

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

Rabbit meat-and-breed breeds

Rabbit meat-and-breed breeds are the most common. From them both tasty meat and valuable fur are obtained at the same time. The animals are large, can grow up to 8-10 kilograms. They have large individuals and their drawbacks. 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 advantages include resistance to many diseases.Here are the main breeds of this direction:

• White giant
• Gray giant
• Soviet chinchilla
• Flanders or Belgian giant
• Black-brown rabbit
• Baran
• Butterfly
• German silver
• Hungarian rabbits giants
• Salander
• Aubert
• Thuringian rabbits

To better imagine the animals, you should see a photo of a video of the breed of rabbits of interest. Below is their verbal description.

White Giant

The White Giant is a very popular breed of rabbits that has gigantic dimensions. Its ancestors became the German breed and Flanders. In large animals, the body has a length of 60-65 cm, 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 narrower, elongated, without bending.

White Giant Rabbit

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

Gray giant

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

Rabbit Gray Giant

The head is strong, the ears are straight, spread apart. Gray rabbits are a giant breed, adults weigh 5-7 kg, in 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, because rabbits are more bred for skins. A large cage is needed for maintenance.

Flanders

The Belgian Flanders 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, chest circumference – 35-45 cm, weight – 7-9 kg, with good care and feeding, can reach 10 kg and more. The animals are rather clumsy, with a large head and ears resembling two burdocks.

Rabbit breed Flanders

The body is powerful, with well-developed muscles.Flanders are very prolific, in the offspring there are 7-9 rabbits, there are cases when 12-16 babies are born at the same time. The rabbit has a lot of milk and take care of her cubs. The huge flanders have a delicate and tasty meat. The fur is thick, of different shades of gray, can have a hare or agouti. Many thoroughbred rabbits descended from the Flanders, they are still actively used in breeding.

Soviet chinchilla

Soviet chinchilla is a medium-sized breed, which got its name from for special fur. These animals were obtained from mixing white giants with individuals similar to chinchilla. The animals have a strong physique, a small head with long ears. Weight – 5-7 kg, breast girth – 36-39 cm, and body length – 0.55-0.65 m.

Females are fertile, 8-10 young are brought in one lamb. The meat is of high quality, the fur has a blue tint, for which it is much appreciated. The Soviet chinchilla rabbit was bred in 1927 and is still very popular.

Black-brown rabbit

Very different breeds were crossed to obtain animals of the original black-brown color. Viennese blue rabbits, Flanders, the White giant, and some domestic varieties took part in the selection.

The fur of the animals acquired a beautiful color resembling a silver fox. Their heads are large, with long ears. The chest is deep, with a girth of about 37 cm. The body is powerful, muscular, the length of the body is 60-65 cm. The weight of the animals is 5-7 kg.The meat is tasty, valued no less than the fur. Females are fertile, give birth to 7–9 rabbits at a time.

Rams

Lop-eared rams are very original animals that got their name because of the special structure of their heads and ears. . Their muzzle is shortened, often with a hump in the nose. Ears hang down, can reach a length of 0.6-0.7 m. Some of the rams are decorative breeds. The meat-and-peel direction includes English, French, German sheep.

Baran rabbits

Weight is average, 4-6 kg. The fur is plump, fluffy, highly regarded. There are animals in black, white, black and white, hare, gray and other tones. These breeds of rabbits require special care, they are prone to pododermatitis, ear disease.

Rabbit Butterfly

Rabbit breed Butterfly is suitable for breeding at home, does not have industrial value. The name received due to the original coloring. The main tone of the fur is white, around the eyes 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 in black and white and blue and white. The head of the rabbits is large, the ears are elongated. The body is strong with well-developed muscles, 54-60 cm long. The chest is expanded, legs are plump.Butterflies are prolific, they bring 8-9 rabbits per lamb. The care and maintenance of these rabbits is straightforward.

German silver

German 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 is cast in 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 stand out conditionally. After all, from them anyway you can get a pretty decent amount of meat. Therefore, in many classifications, fur breeds are classified as meat-hide. Fur breeds include:

• Soviet marder
• Russian ermine
• Vienna blue
• Rex
• Squirrel
• Landras
• The Seagull

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

Soviet marder

The Soviet marder was obtained due to complex crossbreeding. The Soviet school chinchilla, Russian ermine and outbred domestic multi-colored individuals participated in the selection of the Moscow school. Has a strong body, the head is round, medium, ears are not very long.The breast is wide, the legs are elongated and plump, the length of the body is 50 centimeters, the average weight is 3.8-6 kg. The coloring in brown tones resembles that of a chicken, therefore the rabbit is called the marder.

Russian ermine

The breed of Russian ermine rabbits was named after the original color of the coat. They have completely white fur, only the ears and 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. Case length about half a meter, weight within 4 kg. Ermine rabbits adapt very well to the cold, are unpretentious, females are fertile, and they feed the young very well. Flanders. As a result, we got quite large individuals with beautiful blue fur. They have a strong body, body length 57 cm, chest deepened, 37 cm in girth. The head is mediocre, ears are small, stand straight.

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

Rex

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

Rabbits Rex

The back is elongated, may have a small hump. Weight is not too big, only 3.5-4 kg, average growth rate. The meat is tender and tasty. Skins of rabbits come in different colors (white, black and white, gray, red, etc.), they are used unpainted. The items look as if they were trimmed, which is why they are highly valued.

Squirrel breed

The squirrel fur rabbit was hatched on the basis of Viennese blue and a rabbit. He has an original color, combining blue and gray tones. The back, head and tail are painted darker than the lower part of the body. Abdomen almost white, as if blotted out. The size of the rabbits is mediocre, body length 50-55 cm, chest circumference about 36 cm, weight – 4-4.5 kg. The head is small, with mediocre ears, the muzzle is elongated. The breast is powerful, a small breast can stand out. The back is extended, especially in females.

Downy breeds

Downy breed of rabbits are few and are quite expensive. They are bred for a special type of wool. She is thin and very warm, surpassing even angora in its qualities. According to many reports, it has healing properties, relieves radiculitis pain. About one kilogram of wool is obtained from one rabbit per year.The two most common downy varieties are known:

• Angora
• White down

Angora rabbit

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

Angora rabbit

The fur requires constant care and combing. To make it lush, keep animals at a temperature of 15-20 degrees. For street content, they are unsuitable. Now the downy direction of Angora breeding has almost lost its significance. Relatively recently, new dwarf Angora rabbits, exclusively decorative, were bred.

White downy rabbit

The white downy albino rabbit was bred in Russia by crossing common and Angora species. He has white, thin and fluffy hair, about 25-20 cm long. He has a strong physique and a weight of 4-4.5 kg. You can distinguish from the Angora breed of white fluffy rabbits by the absence of brushes 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 down is high.Like Angora rabbits, fluffy white ones lose their economic importance and become decorative.

Decorative breeds

Decorative breeds were bred about a hundred years ago. Now they are becoming more popular, animals are brought as pets, even in urban apartments. Decorative colic is distinguished by its small body size, original wool, interesting colors. The lifespan of decorative animals is 10-12 years. More than 20 varieties are known, because all breeds of decorative rabbits are difficult to describe here. The following are considered the most popular for home content:

• Germelin
• Dutch color
• Dwarf foxes
• Lionheaded
• Ognevka
• Belgian bearded man of Australian selection
• Japanese

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

Germelin

The Polish rabbit or Germelin is the oldest breed in the world among ornamental. The color of the fur in small animals is white, the eyes are blue or red, the ears are small. The body is elongated, strong, stocky, the tail is snug against the back. Weight ranges from 0.7 kg to 1.3 kg. The character is very calm, the animals are completely unpretentious, quickly get used to the owner.Hermeline are highly intelligent, easily accustomed to the tray, can do simple tricks.

Dutch colored rabbits

Colored rabbits from Holland were derived on the basis of Hermeline. Their body structure is the same, even the standards are the same. The only thing that can distinguish between these two breeds of decorative rabbits is color. The list of colors includes more than twenty different shades of rabbit fur, constantly new ones appear. Coloring is black, blue, red, red, gray, motley, 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 a rabbit breed is wool. It is long, about 40 mm. Color is gray, red or black. The hair consists of core hairs, therefore it is simple to care for, it does not get tangled up like fluffy rabbits.

Dwarf rabbit

In addition to the described decorative rabbits, there are mini variants of other breeds. For example, dwarf Angora rabbits, Rex, chinchillas, etc. are popular.Before buying any rabbit, you must carefully study the standard of the rabbit breed with photos, its description and characteristics. It is also worth deciding what the purpose of breeding is, to find out which animals to keep profitable. You can choose and buy rabbits in any region. Young growth is offered in Tula, Moscow, Bryansk, Stavropol and other areas. Price varies by species.