Proper care and a good diet are not all the parameters that you should pay attention to when raising rabbits in your garden. It is important to monitor how quickly the animal gains weight each month. This is an indicator of health. There are entire tables of exact norms for how much a rabbit typically weighs in a given period of time. You need to check with them to understand whether the individual is developing correctly.
Standard indicators
The weight of a live rabbit varies from 3.8 to 5.5 kg. There are rare exceptions to the rules.Farmers breed giant animals weighing up to 8-9 kg. The carcass of a killed rabbit is 25-30% smaller. Losses are the skin, the head, the entrails. Therefore, when slaughtering an individual weighing 5 kg, we get a carcass weighing no more than 3.5 kg.
Newborn rabbits weigh about 60 grams. In a month they increase 10-12 times. All this time they feed exclusively on mother's milk. And by 5 months the animal should already weigh at least 3 kg. Baby rabbits should gain about 60 grams per day.
Table of average weight of different breeds by month
Weight in kilograms.
| Breed/age (given in months) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7-8 |
| Flanders Belgian | 0,7 | 2,6 | 4,6 | 6,9-7,1 |
| Giant white | 0,6 | 2,3 | 3,7 | 5-5,1 |
| Butterfly | 0,550 | 2,4 | 3,5 | 4,2 |
| Giant blue royal | 0,5 | 2 | 3,3 | 4,3 |
| German giant | 1,1 | 4,750 | 7,1 | 8,9 |
| New Zealand | 0,5 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 4,150 |
| Californian | 0,4 | 2,7 | 3,5 | 4,150 |
| Silver | 0,4 | 2,2 | 3,650 | 4,9 |
| Black-brown | 0,6 | 2,5 | 3,550 | 4,8 |
| Gray giant | 0,5 | 2,2 | 3,6 | 4,8 |
| French ram | 1 | 2,6 | 4,3 | 5,5 |
| Soviet marder | 0,5 | 2,1 | 3,2 | 4,2 |
| Soviet chinchilla | 0,6 | 2,8 | 3,5 | 4,8 |
The weight of an adult animal corresponds to 8 months of life. For rabbits are suitable for slaughter at the age of 7-8 months. In this case, the meat yield will be 30-40% less than live weight.
What affects weight gain?
There are several parameters that affect sufficient weight gain in rabbits:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Proper nutrition. The diet should include various feeds, minerals, and vitamins.
- Feeding is organized 2-3 times a day.
- Access to drinking water. She must always be present.
- Use of food additives. With their help, you can promote rapid weight gain, as well as the formation of good immunity.
- The physical condition of rabbits depends on the level of comfort of their enclosures and proper care.
By choosing meat breeds and adhering to these rules, you can achieve excellent results in breeding rabbits.
How does a rabbit's milk production affect growth?
For two months after birth, rabbits are fed exclusively on their mother's milk. It contains all the necessary microelements, nutrients, vitamins. With milk they get immunity.
And if it is produced in sufficient quantities, babies quickly gain weight.
The level of lactation of a female depends on many factors:
- breed;
- season;
- age;
- what is the number of births;
- number of rabbits.
There are breeds that are characterized by increased milk production. The championship belongs to the females of the Californian breed.
In order for a female rabbit to be able to fully feed her offspring, she must adhere to the following recommendations:
- During this period, it is advisable to leave compound feed as the main thing in the diet. It is important that it is intended specifically for lactating rabbits. It has everything to increase milk production and recovery after childbirth.
- Include protein products in the menu. Protein is the building material of the body. There should not be a shortage of it. Therefore, you need to add clover, soybeans, alfalfa, and peas to your diet.
- Add meat and bone meal. You should be careful with this ingredient. Because of this product, the taste of milk changes. If given a large amount of meat and bone meal, the rabbits may refuse their mother's milk forever.
- The fat content of milk is important for the active growth of rabbits. If it is high at the beginning of lactation, it decreases over time. You can maintain milk fat content with foods such as grains, bran, rich in fiber, as well as zucchini, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, which contain fatty acids.
You can determine that a female rabbit has problems feeding her offspring by the appearance of the rabbits. They will have shriveled tummies and a lifeless appearance. In this case, the farmer must take responsibility and feed the babies himself, after weaning them from the female rabbit.
The best time for baby rabbits to appear is summer. Then you can provide the rabbit with the necessary nutrition. And the offspring will grow and develop normally. And by the appointed time he will be able to gain sufficient body weight.
