2. Introduction
• The domestic rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is a
descendent of wild rabbits of southern Europe and North
Africa
• Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and
raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their meat, fur, or
wool.
• In their natural environment, rabbits are prolific
• They are completely herbivorous (only eat plants) and
most actively forage in the twilight or in the dark
• The average lifespan of a rabbit is 5-10 years (potential
life span of 15 years is possible)
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3. Introduction
• Rabbits are ideal small livestock project for peri-
urban or rural areas, especially in developing
countries
• Rabbits are quite clean and relatively odourless
• Rabbits fit well into a balanced farming system
• They complement well with vegetable growing
• Excess and waste from vegetable gardens and
kitchen goes to feed the rabbits, their manure
fertilize gardens
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4. Advantages of keeping rabbits
• Small body size
• Do not compete for grains with humans as strongly as
chickens or pigs
• Limited cost of the animals and of the housing structures
• Efficient reproductive ability - are prolific in terms of
offspring and will breed all year round if well-managed
– Does can kindle up to 13 bunnies at a time, the average being
8
– A doe can easily give 25 or more bunnies per year
– Rabbits usually produce 4 to 5 litters in a year
• Early age of sexual maturity (4-5 months)
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5. Advantages of keeping rabbits
• Short fattening period (less than 2 months from
weaning)
• Have an efficient FCR
• Rapid generation turn over rate – a doe can produce
up to 10 times its own weight, or more, in offspring
per year
• Rabbit meat is one of the most nutritious meats
available
• Require little space
• Are easy to transport and market and the recurrent
costs for maintaining animals beyond the optimum
are low
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6. Rabbit breeds
• Rabbits are generally classified according to
size, weight and type of pelt
• Small rabbits weigh about 1.4-1.8 kg at
maturity, medium breeds 4.1-5.4 kg, and large
breeds 6.4-7.3 kg
• The two most popular breeds for meat
production are the New Zealand white and the
Californian white
– These breeds are most popular because they
combine white fur (preferred by processors) and
good growth characteristics
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7. Classification of rabbits
Dual purpose breeds
• These breeds are used for pelts and meat for example the
Chinchilla giganta, New Zealand White, New Zealand Red and
the Californian White
Fancy breeds
• Have distinct markings and laid down characteristics
• Are bred mainly for show purposes
• Mostly small breeds
Wool-bearing rabbits
• Are bred for wool production, e.g. Angora and Rex breeds
Hybrids
• Are produced by crossing breeds
• used for meat production
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11. Common breeds in Zimbabwe
Breed Characteristics Mature mass
(kg) Male
Mature mass
(kg) Female
Californian White Fur colour is pure white, dark coloured
nose, ears, feet, tail and eyes. Coloured
spot on dewlap. Has dense fur.
3,6 – 4,5 3,7 – 4,7
Chinchilla giganta Wild agouti, followed by pearl grey with
brown on the fur. Dark eyes.
4,5 5,0
Flemish giant Steel grey with white belly. Dark eyes. 5.0 5,5
New Zealand Red Red colour. Pink eyes. 3,5 3,5
New Zealand White White fur. Pink eyes. Medium length body,
short-set legs and dense coat. Meat is
whiter than that of other breeds
4.0 5.5
Zika Darker wild agouti fur. Dark eyes. Lower
fertility than other breeds.
5,0 5,5
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13. Traits of economic importance
• Reproductive traits, include: litter size, pre-
weaning mortality, litters per year, age at first
mating, reproductive life and age at culling
• Growth - feed conversion
• Meat to bone ratio
• Dressing out percentage –should be about 60
to 63%
• Disease resistance
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14. Management
• Management entails breeding, housing and
equipment, feeding, health maintenance,
record keeping and marketing
• Failure in any one phase will negatively impact
other areas
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15. Assignment 1
• Describe the housing required for keeping
rabbits (include breeding and growers).
Indicating the different structures required in
diagrams ( with measurements and materials).
(20)
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17. Hutches
• Rabbits are raised in hutches
• Hutches or cages must be easily cleaned and
disinfected and adequate provision should be
made for easy feeding and watering
• A 75 cm x 75 cm x 45 cm wire cage is large enough
for a doe and litter up to 4 weeks
• A 90 cm x 100 cm x 45 cm, will support 7-8 broilers
to market age (1.8 kg)
• For a mature buck it is 65 cm x 90 cm x 45 cm
• About 7 grow-out cages are required for every 10
working does
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18. Hutches
• The hutch must be placed 60 cm from the ground to
allow for droppings to fall to the floor facilitating hygiene
and preventing predators
• Wooden hutches are warmer but metal hutches or wire
cages are easily cleaned and disinfected, though
expensive
• Wire cages allow urine and feaces to escape immediately
and thereby reduce the potential for disease infection
• Indoor hutches are preferable, especially for large units
• To avoid coccidiosis and sore hocks frequent addition of
bedding and removal of dirt is essential
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19. Nest boxes
• Nest boxes should give the doe seclusion,
provide adequate ventilation and protect litter
from drafts
• A nest box measuring 30 x 30 x 40 cm, with
one side cut down to 15 cm should be
insulated and filled with straw
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20. Feeders
• Feeder troughs attached to the cages from the
outside are the most common type
• Metal is a logical choice than wood which can
be chewed upon by rabbits
• Placing troughs outside the cage makes
refilling faster and easier
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21. Watering system
• Fresh water is a major factor in a rabbit’s growth
• Water can be made available to the rabbits manually
using crocks and cans or by automatic systems, the latter
being the most efficient system
• Drinkers should be regularly cleaned and periodically
checked for leaks and blockage to ensure availability of
water supply
• The self-watering system is completely sanitary and
makes water availability 24 hours a day with little or no
maintenance, and also plays a significant role in reducing
disease
• The water troughs should be fixed to the hutch wall or
floor to prevent tipping over
21
22. Feeding
• Rabbits are herbivores and will consume large quantities of forage
(greens)
• Practically, rabbits can be fed anything from the garden, forest or
kitchen including banana and paw paw peels, pineapple cores, corn
stalks, weeds, leaves (cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots etc.)
• Although these free or cheap sources of greens form the bulk of the
diet, smaller amounts of grains are necessary
• If compounded feeds are not used, salt will be a necessary
supplement as well
• Rabbit feed should contain 12 to 18% CP and at least 8 % CF
• Commercial rabbit pellets that meet the nutrient requirements of
rabbits in different stages of production are available on the market
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23. Feeding
• Avoid the feeding of Irish potato leaves, tomato plants and nearly all
plants that grow from bulbs because they are poisonous to rabbits!!
• A pregnant doe requires 120 g pellets/day
• Breeding doe/buck requires 100 g pellets/day
• Doe with litter fed adlib
• Weaners in groups fed adlib
• 6 week weaners, kept separate fed 50 g pellets/day
• 10 week weaners kept separate fed 75 g pellets/day
• Low fiber increases the incidence of scours
• Breeding animals should be monitored at all times to ensure they are not
over weight or under weight
• Overfed breeding does have a lower conception rate and give smaller
litters
• Changes of the diet must be avoided, but if necessary, change must be
done gradually
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24. Water
• A constant supply of water that is clean and
fresh is essential in the maintenance of good
health and high production
• Drinkers should be simple and easy to clean
• Automatic drinkers with nipples may be used
• Tin cans not recommended as they rust and
become unsanitary
• Drinkers should be wired to the hutches
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25. Breeding
• Select the rabbit breed that suits the purpose of
your production
• In general, small breeds mature earlier than large
ones
• Small breeds can be bred at 4 months; medium
weight rabbits (New Zealand Whites and
Californians) at 6 to 7 months; and the giants
(Chinchilla, Zika) at 9 to 12 months
• However, many commercial breeders begin
breeding successfully at 5 months of age
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26. Breeding
• Large breeds have a FCR that is less profitable
than medium breeds
• Small breeds are used primarily as pets or for
shows whereas the medium breeds are most
commonly used for meat
• New Zealand White and Californian, which are
the most popular medium breeds, reach a
weight of 1.4 to 2.3 kg in 8 weeks of age or less
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27. Breeding
• When 6 months of age depending on breed and
nutrition
• Buck to doe ratio is 1:15
• Services by young bucks should be restricted to
about two matings per week, gradually increasing to
a maximum of 6 matings per week
• The buck should not be used more than three or four
days a week, and not more than two or three times a
day, which means no more than six ejaculations per
week
27
28. Breeding
• At least 14 hours of light daily have been
found to be beneficial
• Therefore, artificial light should be provided in
winter
• A 40-watt bulb every 3 metres works
satisfactorily
• The lighting program enhances conception
rates in winter
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29. Oestrus cycle
• The oestrus cycle in rabbits lasts 15-16 days
and the rabbit should be served as soon as
she is noticed on heat
• Signs of heat:
– restlessness by stamping its feet on the floor
– swelling and reddening of external genitalia
– tries to jump into neighbouring hutch
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30. Management at service
• The doe must always be taken to the buck, never the buck to the
doe
• If the buck is taken to the doe it may result in fighting and slowness
on the part of the buck
• If the doe is ready for mating, it will stand still within a few seconds,
stretch out and slightly raise her hind quarters so as to allow the
buck to mount and mate
• Successful mating is signalled by the buck thrusting forward and
literally falling off the doe
• If the buck slides backward off the doe, then mating has not taken
place
• Once mating has taken place, the doe should be removed from the
male's hutch
• The does may be returned after one hour for a second mating
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31. Management at service
• If the doe refuses the buck, she should be
removed and returned after a day or two
• Does may be re-mated as early as the 10th day
after parturition
• Under a lower plane of nutrition, doe is re-
mated three days after weaning
31
32. Pregnancy diagnosis
• Detection of pregnancy is usually and easily done by palpation,
which is a skill that needs to be developed through constant
practice
• The technique is carried out as follows:
– The doe should be relaxed in a sitting position. The farmer should pass
the fingers gently along the abdomen, between the back legs
– If the doe is pregnant, the developing foetuses are felt as small
beadlike lumps
• Refusal of the doe to accept the buck if taken to the hutch of the
buck
– However, it is important to note that in some instances pregnant does
can often accept bucks
• By around 28 days, the mammary gland will have developed
significantly and this can be regarded as final confirmation of
pregnancy
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33. Pregnancy
• On average gestation lasts 31 days, range
between 28 and 34 days
• During the fourth week of pregnancy a simple
nest with a good supply of quality hay and
straw must be supplied
• A few days before (day 29) the young are born
the doe will prepare the nest by lining it with
fur plucked from her breast
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34. Kindling
• Process of giving birth
• The hutch should be properly cleaned a week before kindling
• Does expected to kindle must be inspected several times during the
day, especially early in the morning and late at night
• The doe will usually eat less 2 or 3 days before kindling
• The nest box should be placed in the hutch on the 28th or 29th day
of pregnancy or 5 days before kindling
• The nest is kept out of the hutch until this time to avoid
contamination by the doe
• Usually litters are kindled during the night and it is necessary that
the doe is not disturbed while kindling
• If the doe is not accorded the seclusion she may destroy the litter
• The mean litter weight is usually 42-50 grams
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35. Kindling
• As soon as kindling has been completed, the doe pulls more fur
from her body to prepare a nest
• Most breeders will replenish several nest boxes with clean fur for
first litter does that do not pull enough fur to make a good nest
• Newly born rabbits are blind, deaf and almost hairless
• By the 10th day rabbits learn to crawl, and hearing and sight are
functional
• Fostering done 2 to 3 days after kindling
• Before fostering the young, bunnies should be rubbed into the
faeces and urine of the foster mother so that the young smell of her
• Forty-eight hours after kindling, the producer should observe and
count the bunnies (kits), removing dead animals
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36. Weaning
• Normal weaning time is at 6 or 8 weeks of age
• An extra litter per year could be gained by rebreeding the doe at 6
weeks (after kindling) while she is nursing her litter, and then
weaning at 8 weeks
• Weaning can take place when the rabbit’s live weight is over 500g
(after approx 26 to 30 days )
• The young rabbits begin to eat solid feed at 18 to 20 days and at 30
days the doe’s milk provides no more than 20 % of the daily dry-
matter intake
• In practice, young rabbits benefit from the late weaning until the
age of six weeks
• Sexes should be segregated at the time of weaning
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37. Weaning methods
1. All rabbits in the litter are withdrawn at the
same time and placed 6 to 8 per cage in the area
set aside for fattening
2. Doe is removed and young rabbits left, this
method reduces post-weaning stress for the
young rabbits
Litters should be kept together, if possible, for
uniformity
Where several litters are mixed, the animals must
be of similar age
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38. Sexing
• The male's sexual organ is located next to the
anus, a little further away from the tail
• It is cylindrical in shape coming to a rounded
point at the end
• The female's sexual organ is somewhat like a slit
and looks similar to the penis when you push
down to identify it, but it can be easily
distinguished from the penis because a penis
does not normally have a slit
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39. Sexing
• To identify the sex of a rabbit at a closer range,
you must hold the rabbit upside down
• Use your forefinger and middle finger to press
down the vent area just in front of the anus
• The doe will display a slit or central line running
up and down, the buck will display a pink tube
with a pointed end that resembles a bullet
• After sexing a litter, keep does and bucks
separated to avoid fights and uncontrolled mating
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40. Health
• Rabbits are susceptible to several diseases
that reduce production to unprofitable levels
• The common diseases of rabbits are scours,
coccidiosis, ear mange/canker, sore eyes
(weepy eyes), sore hocks, pasteurellosis
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41. Scours (enteritis)
• Accounts for a high percentage of mortality in young
rabbits
• The cause of the disease is unknown
• Signs
– Lack of appetite (anorexia)
– Below normal temperature of 38.9 – 39.4 oC
– Animal grits its teeth
– Intense thirst
– Weight loss of 20 to 25% in 1 or 2 days due to constipation or
severe diarrhoea
– The digestive system is usually full of a watery substance
– An excretion of a clear, jelly-like substance
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42. Coccidiosis
• Caused by a protozoan, Eimeria sp. Animals that recover from
the disease frequently become carriers of this disease
• Symptoms
– Diarrhoea
– Anorexia
– Rough hair coats
– Retarded growth
– Small white spots on the liver and intestines
• Treatment
– Use water soluble chlortetracycline or oxytetracyline
• Prevention
– Use feeds with coccidiostats
– Observe strict hygiene
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43. Sore hocks
• Sore hocks usually occur on wire floor cages
• Sores appear on the hocks and rabbits sit
humped and listless (inactive)
• Underneath of feet become furless, sore,
cracked, bleeding and scabby
• Treatment
– Soak hocks in warm, soapy water and/or apply zinc
or iodine ointments to prevent secondary infections
– Thereafter, place the animal on clean bedding
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44. Sore eyes (weepy eyes)
• Infected animals have a watery, milky
discharge around the eyes because of vitamin
A deficiency, infection or injury
• Treatment
– Bath eyes in warm boric acid solution and use an
antibiotic ointment of 5 percent sulfathiazole
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45. Ear mites (Ear mange, canker)
• Caused by mites
• An infected rabbit shakes its head and flops or
scratches its ears to rid itself of mites
• Thick crusts of mites and serum accumulate inside
the ear
• In severe cases symptoms include spasms of eye
muscles and nerve damage leading to partial
paralysis and secondary infections
• Treatment
– All scales must be removed prior to swabbing
– Apply benzyl benzoate in vegetable oil
– Can also apply used engine oil
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46. RECORD KEEPING
• Helps in the measuring performance of a rabbit
enterprise
• In the absence of accurate records, it will be
extremely difficult for the rabbit farmer to make
meaningful management decisions
• Records of breed, sex, kindling/weaning date,
DOB, litter size, purchases, weight, culling,
replacement selection, feed conversion,
mortality, marketing, etc., should be maintained
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47. MARKETING
• Rabbits will reach market age at about 10 weeks
of age
• Rabbits may be sold live or dressed
• Rabbits raised for meat are generally marketed
as broilers, weighing 2.0 to 2.3 kg live weight
• The fur market requires that rabbits have meaty
carcasses and clean, top quality pelts
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49. Test 2
1.Define the following terms as used in apiculture
-wintering (1)
-crop (1)
-cluster (1)
2. Define the following terms as used in rabbit production
-kindling (1)
-doe (1)
3. Discuss five factors which make rabbit production suitable for
peri-urban farming. (15)
(Total 20)
49
