Is it possible to cross different breeds of domestic rabbits? Scientists are breeding new crosses. You can independently crossbreed animals belonging to different breeds. True, you need to know about their compatibility and favorable mating options. It is allowed to cross purebred animals of different types, but it is advisable to follow the recommendations of rabbit breeders.
Why do they do this?
Rabbits of different breeds are allowed to be crossed with each other.From such mating, healthy rabbits with excellent immunity are born. The offspring that are obtained from different breeds are called local. If a rabbit breeder practices purebred breeding, he will have to take care to constantly replenish the stock with unrelated individuals of the same cross.
Scientists are engaged in the selection of new crosses. Farms practice crossing existing breeds. The hereditary characteristics of the offspring depend on the females and males participating in mating. Local rabbits receive genes from both parents.
Important! You cannot randomly crossbreed different breeds. A special table of compatibility of various crosses has been developed. Only recommended varieties can be paired with each other. If you ignore the advice of scientists, weak offspring will be born.
Advantages of local rabbits:
- excellent immunity;
- enriched heredity;
- strong constitution;
- intensive growth;
- greater weight;
- high productivity.
Local rabbits are less likely to get sick and die. Animals receive hereditary characteristics from both parents. Animals are born that are better than the original crossed forms. Crossbred rabbits eat less feed, but gain weight faster. Such animals are hardier and less demanding in terms of maintenance.
Crossing methods
There are several known ways of mating rabbits. The chosen method is used depending on the specific task facing the rabbit breeder. By mating different initial forms, a new cross is sometimes obtained.
Introductory
This mating method has another name - blood flow. This method is used when it is necessary to improve some valuable breed. With this breeding method, they try to preserve the beneficial qualities of the improved cross.
This method is used if, for example, it is necessary to make rabbits with valuable fur more viable. Females in this case must belong to the main breed. To improve the initial form, males with the required qualities are selected.
Absorption
Transformative (another name for the method) mating is used to gradually improve one variety with the help of another. This method of breeding animals is advisable if the breed needs to be retained, but significantly improved. The crossbreeds are sequentially crossed with a breeding male, and the result is offspring with a new, improved set of qualities.
Industrial
This method is used in both large and small farms. They cross two different breeds, wanting to obtain an improved cross of the first generation exclusively for slaughter. In this case, we are not talking about breeding breeding animals. They get local rabbits from two different parents. Such animals grow quickly, gain weight, eat less and do not get sick. When the animals reach a certain age, they are sent for slaughter.
Variable
With this method, local rabbits are obtained, which in the future are alternately mated with the paternal or maternal original breed. Adult animals obtained from different crosses are crossed first with one primary form, and then with another. In the next generation, you can add a third breed.
This method allows you to get new, more viable and productive rabbits. Sometimes alternate mating results in a completely new breed. In practice, this method is used extremely rarely.
Factory
This method is also called reproductive. With this method of crossing, a completely new breed is obtained.This method is not used in households. Genetic scientists are involved in breeding new crosses. The experiment involves two purebred individuals or more. The result is a cross with the required qualities and new characteristics.
Chaotic
Many novice rabbit breeders mate related animals or buy rabbits of an unknown (conventional) breed at markets for such a procedure. If the livestock is not diluted with purebred individuals from time to time, it will begin to become smaller. For mating, you need to buy animals only from breeding farms. Chaotic crossing sometimes leads to huge losses.
What breeds of rabbits can be crossed with each other?
There are several dozen different breed combinations. By crossing certain breeds, you can improve the result in terms of the rate of weight gain and the amount of feed required to keep animals. You don't need to invent anything yourself. Scientists have already created mating-friendly options.
Compatibility table:
| Females | Males |
| chinchilla | white giant, Vienna blue |
| Vienna blue, New Zealand, white giant | chinchilla |
| silver | gray giant |
| white giant, black-brown, Vienna blue | Californian |
| white giant, chinchilla, Vienna blue | New Zealand |
| Californian, New Zealand | black-brown |
| butterfly, New Zealand | white giant |
| gray giant | silver |
If you need quick weight gain, then the best options are white giant males with female chinchillas, boys of the latter with Viennese blue girls. For this purpose it is allowed to pair gray giant rabbits with silver rabbits.When breeding for meat, it is recommended to cross the following species: silver males with Vienna Blue females, chinchilla boys with silver girls.
Important! Chaotic crossing of domestic animals is undesirable. The best representatives of a particular cross are selected for mating. For several females, one breeding male is purchased.
A few words about culling
The condition of rabbits must be monitored from the moment they are born. If animals are underweight, sick, or inactive, it is better to send them to slaughter after reaching a certain age. For Only healthy rabbits are selected for mating. If you do not follow this process, the livestock will degenerate. Animals with external defects, too aggressive, inactive, lethargic, and often sick are culled.
It is prohibited to mate animals from the same litter. Rabbits born from parental relatives are also subject to culling. You can get purebred offspring by buying a breeding male on a farm.
Possible problems
It is better to never cross the following breeds: white giant males with silver or Viennese blue females, silver boys with white giant girls. It is not recommended to mate Viennese Blue rabbits with White Giant rabbits and Gray Giant rabbits with Chinchilla rabbits. It turns out that such a cross will produce offspring worse than the original forms. It is better to insure yourself against problems in advance, and do not mate animals of these breeds with each other.
