Features of breeding rabbits in pits

Rabbit breeding is fun and exciting, but also troublesome.

Since ancient times, our ancestors have been raising rabbits. Having no idea about the possible accommodation for keeping these pets, they equipped them with the most natural conditions: They dug a hole and placed several families of rabbits there, gave them food and water. At the same time, the animals independently equipped themselves with conditions for development and reproduction. But in the process of developing this kind of activity, breeding rabbits in pits is used less and less. This article provides a drawing and detailed instructions for choosing a place for a pit and arranging it with your own hands.

Consider the pros and cons of keeping and breeding rabbits in pits

The positive aspects of this growing method

• benefit in material terms;
• occupied territory, which contains rabbits - small in size (even when keeping a large number of livestock);
• saving time and physical strength;
• increased immunity and animal resistance to disease;

• obtaining additional nutrients directly from the soil;
• improved and accelerated breeding process (with this type of content in females, the maternal instinct is developed at the highest level);
• reducing the amount of stern;
• optimal close to natural conditions existence;
• with a large livestock, the opportunity arises self-control rats;
• improved taste of meat.

Disadvantages are considered

• inbreeding (related mating), which further leads to the degeneration of the offspring;
• inability to control animal diet depending on age;
• complexity of control mating process;
• wildness of animals (alienation from people);
• impossibility of selling skins, as a result of damage during fights between rabbits;
• complexity rabbit isolation when a disease occurs;
• the inability to grow, using this method, rabbits with valuable fur or large breed rabbits.

How to choose the right place for the pit and equip it with your own hands: drawing, detailed instructions

The place where the hole is to be dug should be in the shade and placed on an elevated position to avoid flooding the hole with water. To control breeding, it is worth equipping a second pit for females., who will be selected for divorce, their babies and the male-producer. Pits are located at a distance of 20 meters or more from each other. Do not worry if there are trees, cellars or wells near the chosen pit location, as they will not harm your pets in any way.

By form pits are different, usually using the shape of a rectangle.

Now you need to process the walls of the pit, for this you can choose any material (the best option is slate leaves), it will not be gnawed by rabbits.We process three walls completely, the fourth is also fenced, but at the same time we leave a hole that will serve as an entrance to the hole. The entrance needs to be dug a little (down or straight, but not up) so that the rabbit knows where he needs to dig.

The bottom of the pit must be covered with sand - about 20 cm. And lay a fine flat mesh on top. This will allow urine to enter the soil easily, the feces will be easy to collect with a shovel, and the mesh will prevent rabbits from digging additional burrows. Additionally, the bottom is covered with straw, which must be changed from time to time. The best option for the required number of cleanings would be 1 cleaning every few days or a week.

Above the pit, you need to put a canopy with a slope in the opposite direction from the entrance to the hole... Pit fencing is a good option to protect animals from predators and dogs.

We install a door at the entrance to the hole, feeders and drinkers (in sufficient quantity) along one wall. They must fit in size for both adult rabbits and babies. Now we can launch the rabbits.

We release rabbits into the pit

It is necessary to settle rabbits in the pit that have reached 4-5 months of age, this is the most crucial moment. If the question arises of choosing a breed for this type of keeping rabbits, then you can choose any breed, but it is better to keep the giants in cages.

What to do when rabbits aren't digging holes

There are times when rabbits that are released into the hole do not dig holes. This is due to the fact that the rabbits have lost the burrowing instinct laid down by the ancestors. More often, similar situations occur with adult rabbits (1 year and older). The digging instinct awakens in females before the round, and by that time they do not want to bother themselves with unnecessary worries.

When this situation arises, you need to make it clear to the rabbits that they are in the hole. It is necessary to plant rabbits that lived in similar conditions to young rabbits and they will push the livestock to the right actions by their example.

After the work done, the rabbits will sniff and examine this object, and then begin to actively explore and settle in it.

How to catch a rabbit in a hole?

Catching a rabbit with this type of content is difficult, because over time, rabbits run wild and become shy. To easily catch a rabbit, you need to equip the valves, which will be located at the entrance to the burrow.

It is required that the rabbits develop an instinct to exit the burrow when distributing food. A whistle can serve as a signal that informs about the distribution of food.... After the animal comes out, close the bolt and catch the rabbit with a net.

What is the difference between winter content compared to annual

For beginners in the field of rabbit breeding, the question arises: is it worth insulating the pits before the winter season?

You don't need to do anything like that, because the temperature in the pit is the same regardless of the season and fluctuates around 10-15 degrees Celsius... This temperature balance allows you to avoid stress and disease.

Animal feeding in burrows

The feeding process is almost the same as in the cage keeping of rabbits. The diet includes:

• grain of barley and oats;
• corn;
• hay;
• branches, hanging them on the walls of the pit;
• roots.

The pits are equipped with feeders and drinkers, raised above the floor level away from the burrow in order to avoid covering the feed with earth. Food is poured in sufficient quantity so that there are no fights between the animals.... The water should be changed frequently, and make sure that it is always present. It is necessary to accustom the animals to the sound signal, which will call the animals to the feeders.

Breeding rabbits in a pit

It is impossible to control the mating processes with this technique., but still reproduction of rabbits in a hole in most cases is a successful process.

Rabbits are in position almost all the time and do not rest from a previous pregnancy, and therefore, rabbits are born a lot... Being in a burrow, rabbits feel more confident and calmer, recover faster after childbirth.

At the same time, the rabbits feed from all the rabbits., which are nearby, as a result of which they get better immunity and therefore do not get sick.

With this method of breeding, it is necessary to replace the breeding rabbits in time, which will allow increasing the herd without losing the properties of the breed.

Useful Tips

1. As experience has shown, before planting rabbits in their hole they are soldered with antibiotics, and females are piercedto avoid possible infection of future offspring.
2. Necessary accustom animals to yourselfwhile feeding to watch them (in the future it will help to catch rabbits).
3. It is advisable to build a roof over the pitto prevent the burrow from flooding during heavy rainfall.
4. When arranging a pit equip the ventilation system... To do this, it is necessary to install a pipe so that the animals do not suffocate in winter.
5. A prerequisite for arranging a pit is ensuring the penetration of sunlight into the pit (at the entrance you can put a grate that will let the sun's rays through).
6. If the rabbits have found a way to freedom, it is worth tracking where the escape routes are. And then all these fill the entrances to the holes and make new holes for the rabbits with a downward direction.

After analyzing the information provided, we can conclude that not only professionals in this field can breed rabbits, but also amateur beginners. Raising rabbits is not so difficult, it just needs to be treated responsibly. Sure, rabbits do better in pits than in cages, so why not arrange such necessary living conditions for them close to their natural environment.