How to feed Flanders rabbits correctly. All about Flanders rabbits. Advantages and disadvantages

Flandres or Belgian giants are a popular and common breed of meat rabbits. Flanders are valued by breeders for their high performance and non-aggressive nature. These giants are suitable for use as an ornamental breed and get along well with people and other pets.

Where did the breed come from?

1. Fans of the first opinion believe that one should be guided only by the name of the breed. Thus, these rabbits first appeared in Flanders, and were then brought to other countries. In Flanders, giants were bred through long-term selection. Flanders are especially valued in the USA. The breeding of Belgian giants began at the beginning of the 20th century.

2. The second opinion is that giants are direct descendants of Patagonian rabbits. Reasons: before the start of trade relations between Holland and Argentina, the breed was not known. The first trade operations and the very appearance of this rabbit date back to the 16th – 17th centuries. The problem is that researchers claim that it is impossible for giants to appear from individuals of Argentine rabbits - their weight did not exceed 1 kg. But the truth is more difficult to establish than it seemed - Patagonian rabbits became extinct many years ago.

3.Flanders are the product of crossing Patagonian rabbits and Greater Flemish rabbits. Also unlikely, because there was no point in crossing.

So, science does not know where exactly the breed came from. But this uncertainty does not scare anyone.

Breed characteristics

As a result of breeding, today we have many varieties of Flanders. Reason: the need to adapt the species to different living conditions.

Main features of the breed:

• The large mass of the body, the body of such a rabbit is impressive. The minimum weight of a flander is 6 kg. The largest individuals reached a weight of 10-12 kg. The average weight for this breed is 7-8 kg. The back is arched, the body length is 60-65 cm.
• Dark grey, black, grey, silver, bluish, sandy or white. The colors listed are considered recognized, but the color of the rabbit may well vary slightly. The rabbit's fur is thick, but not very long - about 3 cm.
• The breed is characterized by large, wide, vertical ears. They can reach 25 cm in length, but not less than 12 cm - the individual will be rejected. There is a black stripe on the ears that resembles a border.
• The head is large, the body is elongated, curved. An ideal representative of the species has a head proportional to the body. Feature: large cheeks.
• Flandre is considered not to have the most attractive appearance. This impression is created due to the absurdly deep and wide chest. Chest circumference is about 40 cm.

Peculiarity of the breed: in one litter, a female rabbit can give birth to about 15 rabbits. This is a significant amount, considering that the standard number of rabbits per birth is 7-8. Rabbits fully grow up in about 7-8 months. Newborn and one-month-old rabbits weigh 600-800 grams.

The height of the Belgian giant is about 70-72 cm and today it is the largest rabbit in the world. Muscular and strong individuals can grow without limitation, so the maximum weight in rabbit breeding is not fixed. The minimum is about 5 and a half kilograms.

It is worth noting the character of Flanders - they are calm, non-aggressive, accommodating, and intelligent. Sometimes they are even compared to dogs.

Disadvantage: Flanders are capricious and require special conditions of keeping and nutrition.

How to breed Belgian giants?

Flandres are a profitable breed due to the large amount of meat that is obtained from one individual (more than half of the body weight). Flemish skins are valued no less than meat. Breeding Belgian giant rabbits takes time, since their puberty is late - mating occurs only in the eighth month of the rabbit’s life, when its formation is completed. For other breeds of rabbits, the age of puberty is less - 4 months. The time spent waiting is compensated by a record number of rabbits - 2 times more than the average number of offspring for other breeds.

To breed such a giant, large cages will be required, since Flanders grows quickly and gains weight. The advantage of the breed is its tolerance to fairly harsh natural conditions, they can be kept outdoors, they are not very afraid of climates in the temperate zone. But you should not place them in a draft - Flanders are susceptible to colds. To breed this breed, you should carefully choose the location for the cage or cages.

Mating is planned: vitamins and mineral feed are added to the diet 2 weeks in advance. For mating you need a healthy female rabbit. If the female is old, the male must be young and vice versa. Before mating, the male should be fed with boiled potatoes, oats, and grain. If the male's genital organ is swollen, this is a sign that he is ready to mate. The male's cage is cleaned and the female is introduced. It is the female to the male - in a foreign territory, the male takes a long time to get used to it. After mating, the female is taken away and returned an hour later. After 5-6 days, a control mating is performed - in case the female is not fertilized. This is easy to check: if the female is fertilized for the first time, during the control mating she will fight off the male and run away from him.

A pregnant rabbit needs special care - she needs to be disturbed less, given the best fresh food and water. If you give little water, the mother rabbit will eat her babies to restore the body. The number of rabbits can be accurately felt on days 13-15 of pregnancy. The rabbit breeder probes the abdomen - small, elastic embryos are arranged in 2 rows.

Before giving birth, a week before, the female’s cage needs to be cleaned, treated with disinfectants, and fresh bedding placed. The best bedding is packing shavings. The female rabbit will begin to build a nest from the litter. During the day, she will pluck down from the belly - for bedding in the nest. Immediately after birth, you need to check the rabbits - if there are stillborns, they must be removed from the cage. In the coming days after giving birth, you need to approach the cage as little as possible, do not make noise, do not knock. Newborn rabbits are blind and naked. They get to the rabbit in sharp leaps. The length of stay of the rabbits with their mother depends on the rabbit breeder’s plans for the offspring. If the rabbits will not become breeders, they can be planted at 45 days of age. In order for the rabbits to be breeders, it is worth leaving them with the female rabbit for 60 days.

The main thing is to give the rabbit plenty of water after giving birth!

The entire pregnancy lasts on average 30 days. Based on this, it is necessary to calculate the timing of the birth so that everything goes well. Female rabbits are sensitive to their offspring and can reproduce again quickly enough. Flanders are characterized by a high milk production rate. In general, there are no special requirements for organizing the reproduction of Flanders. Common features are common to many other rabbit breeds.

The number of offspring depends on the age of the female, the characteristics of her individual development, breed, and state of health. The female's first litter is small, then it increases in size. Female rabbits 3 years and older also have smaller litters. Her health and milk production, and therefore her ability to reproduce, depend on caring for the female rabbit. To ensure that the offspring are healthy and large, it is better to plan the birth in spring or summer, when there are a lot of vitamins and vegetables. The last litter is planned for August. Rabbits born after the August birth are the best option for slaughter. They quickly gain weight during the fall. Such rabbits are sold for meat.

How and where to keep Flandre?

As already mentioned, Belgian giants love spacious cages and enclosures. The rabbit should be able to stretch out to its full height in the cage. The minimum cage height is half a meter. Parameters: 1.1 m long, 0.7 m wide. This is a cage for one rabbit. If you plan to house a female Flandre with rabbits, you will need a larger cage (1.7x1). The parameters can be larger, but not smaller.

Don't forget to clean the cage. It must be clean, and the pet must be provided with containers for food and drink. You can make cages for Flandre rabbits with your own hands. These can be 1- and 2-section designs. For serious rabbit breeding you will need a lot of cages, so saving is appropriate here. Materials for rabbit cages can include boards, plywood, wooden blocks, and mesh. The roof of such a house can be sheathed with roofing material if it is located on the street. To prevent the rabbit from getting hurt, the wood needs to be treated so that it is smooth and even.

What do Belgian giants eat?

Flandre is a capricious creature. Anything that comes in handy won't be eaten. Pickiness in nutrition forces the rabbit breeder to carefully think through the diet. Mistakes made when feeding can negatively affect your pet's digestive system. The animal suffers from a malfunction of the stomach and intestines - bloating and various diseases develop. Your pet can die from improper nutrition.

A mandatory food for a rabbit of this breed is grain. It must be given daily. One handful is enough for one rabbit per day. You need to be careful with hay; it should be given to Flanders only in certain cases. Give food 2 times a day. It is advisable to add biomycin. Like all rabbits, Flanders love vegetables. They can and should be given vegetables or mash of them. The most popular recipe is a mixture of pumpkin or zucchini, potatoes, and beets.

Flandre can be given mixed feed, but its cost is quite high. You can prepare feed for your pet yourself. To do this, you will need 2 buckets of barley or wheat, a bucket of corn and sunflower cake, 4 buckets of oats. Add biomycin (2 spoons), salt (3 spoons), meat and bone meal (5 spoons) to the finished feed. This amount of feed is enough. It is not recommended to store it for a long time - it is bitter.

Biomycin stimulates growth and strengthens the individual. It is recommended to give compound feed to a nursing rabbit, thanks to this her offspring will quickly gain weight. At the same time, the female rabbit should drink a lot of water - this also contributes to the rapid weight gain of the offspring. This is especially important if rabbits are cooked for meat.

Flandre - pet

It doesn’t matter at all that the flander is large. Even very large! In many countries around the world, especially in the USA, representatives of this breed have become favorite pets. They are kept in houses, like decorative rabbits. The advantage of Flanders over other breeds is that they are endowed with high intelligence, are calm and not aggressive.

Content Features:

• Flanders require quite a lot of space and food, especially compared to other rabbits;
• You should not place such a rabbit at home if you have very young children;
• The Flanders' coat is short and does not require special care.

Rabbits disappeared Flemish breeds very attractive, and many people think that they are ugly, however, such thoughts are not at all fair. Although rabbits are massive and clumsy, with large ears that look like burdock leaves, these bumpkins with thick downy paws remind us of cute purebred puppies.

Nowadays there are a large number of branches from the original breed. In almost every country where rabbit breeding has been introduced, selection work has been carried out to acclimatize rabbits to local environmental conditions. This is how the following arose: English, Belgian, German, Spanish flanders, as well as white and gray giants.

In principle, there are no special differences in these breeds, so we can talk about similar traits that characterize all rabbits that exhibit the Flanders gene. According to research, this is a large mass of rabbits, an elongated, slightly curved body and large, almost vertical ears. The colors of rabbits recognized throughout the world are black, gray, dark gray, gray-red. And also silver, blue, white, sand, sand-orange, opal. A slight deviation from existing standards is also acceptable.

The main characteristics and qualities of Flanders

Rabbits' ears are wide and dense, perfectly pubescent, with a black ring at the top, long from 17 to 19 cm, but can be 25 cm long. The head is huge with sore cheeks. The chest is wide and deep. The body is distinguished by a large length of 65 cm, there are representatives of 70 cm. The smallest mass of these rabbits is about 6-7 kg, but you can see individuals with a mass of more than 10 kg. The chest girth ranges from 35 to 42 cm. Females have high milk production and high fertility - up to 16 rabbits per litter, and an average of seven to nine. The average weight at one month of age is 0.7 kg; at 2 months - 1.6 kg. At 3 months - 2.6 kg; at the age of 4 months - 3.6 kg; at 5 months -4.6 kg; at 6 months - 5.5 kg; at 7 months - 6.3 kg; and at 8 months of age, body weight is 7.0 kg.

Rabbits come in a variety of colors. There are hare or agouti colors - rabbits are yellow-gray. There are also colors very similar to kangaroos - dark gray, iron gray, black, white. The hairline is dense - 3.5 cm.

Ears - wide and dense, well-furred with a black rim at the top, length from 17 cm, ideally no less than 19 cm, reaching 25 cm;

The head is large with large cheeks;

Chest - deep and wide;

The body is long;

Live weight - minimum 6 kg, ideal 7 kg, reaches more than 10 kg;

Body length - minimum 65 cm, ideal 70 cm;

Bust circumference - from 35 cm, ideal 42 cm;

The milk production of females is high;

Average weight: at the age of 1 month 0.7 kg. 2-1.6 kg. 3-2.6 kg. 4-3.6 kg. 5-4.6 kg. 6-5.5 kg. 7-6.3 kg. 8-7.0 kg.

The number of rabbits in one litter is up to 16 pcs. On average 7-9 pieces;

Color - varied: hare, yellow-gray, kangaroo - dark gray, iron gray, black, white;

The zonal coloration, noticeable when inflated, is a bluish-gray undercoat of varying darkness;

The coat is 3.5 cm, dense, thick.

Breeding Flanders

The Giant Flanders breed is a meat breed, which is quite natural given their weight: the average weight of an adult animal is 6-7 kg, but in some cases 10 kg is not the limit.

Industrial breeding of Flanders is complicated by three factors: late maturation, the breed’s predisposition to respiratory diseases and some inconvenience when caring for the animal’s huge skin. To keep giant rabbits, you will also need large cages, at least 120 cm long for single housing and 180 cm long for a female rabbit with offspring.

Otherwise, breeding Flanders is a pleasant and profitable activity. With good nutrition, rabbits grow quickly and gain weight. Flanders have high fertility; each female rabbit brings from five to twelve rabbits in one litter.

In America, this breed is widespread as a pet. Despite their size, giant Flanders are no less loved by their owners than decorative rabbits. Thanks to their high intelligence and wonderful calm and friendly character, Flanders giants are good for life among people and animals and are superior in these indicators to their decorative long-eared counterparts. They are sometimes said to be more like dogs than rabbits. The Flanders' short coat does not require much grooming. But there are nuances. It is not recommended to keep such a large rabbit with very small children. Flanders will need more space and food compared to dwarf rabbits.

Breeding Flanders rabbits: feeding and maintenance.

Breeding Flanders rabbits has its advantages and disadvantages. It is also very important to take care of the feeding of this giant breed of rabbit. You can find out about this by reading the article.

The Flanders rabbit breed is the oldest, most widespread and recognized breed in the world. Many countries have their own breeds - offshoots of the Flanders: Belgian, Gray, German, White, English, Spanish, etc. These breeds do not differ very significantly, but have features that allow them to be most effectively used in local industrial breeding. A common feature of all breeds of rabbits that came from Flanders is a large body mass, a slightly wavy, elongated body, large horizontal ears. Breed standards may differ in different countries, but the main coat colors of the Flanders are blue, black, opal, grey-red, sand-orange, sulfur, white, sand, silver, dark gray.

Breeding Flanders rabbits is quite a profitable business, because this is a heavyweight breed; there are even specimens weighing up to 10 kilograms or more. There is a problem in breeding Flanders rabbits - giant Flanders mature late for pregnancy. Another disadvantage of breeding Flanders rabbits is frequent respiratory diseases and quite difficult care for the rabbit’s huge skin. But, despite these problems, there are also positive aspects of breeding Flanders rabbits - the animals gain weight very quickly and are quite fertile for their size. To breed Flanders rabbits, you will need large cages - 180x110x60 cm, an individual cage - 100-120x80x60 cm.

Since representatives of this breed of rabbits quite often get sick and die from bloating even before three months of life, it is very important when breeding Flanders rabbits to pay special attention to their nutrition. To prevent bloating, you should add biomycin to your pet's food. When breeding Flanders rabbits, you need to remember that on average there should be two feedings per day, hay should be given on demand, and grain should be given one handful per head. It is best to feed animals mash. Approximate composition of the mash: 1 part boiled potatoes, 1 part pumpkin or zucchini, 5 parts fodder beets, cabbage, carrots and other vegetables. If you use Flanders mash in breeding rabbits, then you can easily add medicine to it in case the rabbit is sick. In addition, mash is a balanced type of nutrition. You can also use compound feed for breeding Flanders rabbits, buy it or prepare it yourself. Feed composition: 1 bucket of corn, 2 buckets of barley or wheat, 1 bucket of sunflower cake, 4 buckets of oats. So, for breeding Flanders rabbits, it is recommended to mix 2 kg of dry feed and 2 buckets of wet mash. If necessary, add 2 teaspoons of biomycin, 5 teaspoons of fortified meat and bone meal and 3 teaspoons of salt to the feed. Biomycin is used to prevent diseases and stimulate growth, meat and bone meal is used to build muscle mass and fill the body with calcium. Animals should always have clean drinking water in their cages, which should be changed every day.

Silver black

Butterfly - Breed bred in England in 1887

It got its name because of the similarity of the pattern on the nose and cheeks.

Rabbits are divided depending on the color of their spots into

blue, black, yellow and gray. Around each eye

there is a dark border. it should not overlap with the pattern

cheeks, nose and ears, along the back from the base of the ears to

the tip of the tail has a wide 3 cm continuous

History of the Flanders breed

First opinion.

One of the breeds bred for meat

Flemish rabbits are descendants of Patagonian rabbits. They were brought by Dutch travelers in the 16th or 17th century from distant Argentina. Before the start of trade relations with Argentina, the Flanders breed was unknown to anyone.

This hypothesis has not been fully proven, since many experts who want to refute this theory claim that the weight of the Argentine rabbit is no more than 1 kilogram. By now, the Patagonian rabbit has become extinct and there is no way to know the truth.

Second opinion.

Flanders is the result of breeding work. Large Flemish rabbits were crossed with Patagonian rabbits. Proponents of this theory were criticized by opponents. The latter stated that there was no point in this crossing.

Third opinion.

These rabbits were brought from Flanders. There they were bred thanks to long and persistent breeding work.

Sources: ofrabbits.ru, webfermer.narod.ru, usnasuperbio.com.ua, rabbits.ucoz.ru, moikrolik.ru

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Among the variety of rabbits, the Flanders breed is valued for its fertility and hefty size. They are also called Belgian giants. What they look like, what they prefer from food and what conditions of detention they require, that is, everything about the Flanders rabbit breed is below in the article.

Origin of the breed

There is an opinion that the breed was bred in the Belgian region of Flanders (flandr - French), where it got its name. According to some breeders, it was bred by crossing several species: Patagonian, Argentine and Flemish. Others believe that the basis for the variety was individuals brought from the USA in the 18th century. This statement has one significant contradiction, since the Eared Ears that arrived for mating had little weight, and Flanders are still giants. A third opinion says that the breed was obtained by crossing huge Flemish rabbits, which eventually disappeared as a species.

Be that as it may, the first mention of the breed was recorded in 1860. 33 years later, the first world breed standards were approved. On its basis, new large varieties began to be developed.

Rabbit Flandre

The breed came to Russia during the Soviet Union, when rabbit breeding began to develop during the transition to a planned economy. Based on the Flanders, the Gray Giant and Soviet Chinchilla breeds were developed.

Description of the breed

Information also differs regarding the appearance of rabbits: some believe that the Belgian rabbit is not very beautiful due to its awkward massiveness. Others find the rabbit's appearance cute and keep them as pets. One way or another, many varieties of Flanders rabbits are united by a standard for describing the breed.

Signs of a purebred eared cat:

Note! Rabbits of the Flanders breed have a calm, balanced character and high mental abilities. Gets along well with children and other animals without expressing aggression.

Breed productivity

Puberty in rabbits occurs later than in other breeds. Reproduction is possible only from 8 months of age. How many rabbits can there be in one litter? On average 7-8 kids. The maximum number of newborns after birth reaches 12-15 individuals. Females are able to feed larger quantities due to the increased milk content during lactation.

Important! Flandres are not a meat breed (yield is only 55%). From one rabbit weighing 5.5 kg, only about 3 kg of meat is obtained.

Rabbit cages

Important! Hypothermia will lead to a cold and then death.

Due to the massive size of the animals, cages should be made larger than for conventional breeds. The optimal size would be 110*70*50 cm for one individual and 17*110*50 cm for a female rabbit with children.

Disease and pest control

Flanders rabbits are resistant to infectious diseases as long as their cages are kept clean.

A mandatory requirement for caring for rabbits is timely vaccinations. Without vaccination, they can get myxomatosis, pasteurelliosis and viral hemorrhagic disease. The first vaccination is carried out when babies reach the age of 1.5 months, and then every year.

Note! Vaccinations are done in the spring, using a vaccine for each disease separately. They start with myxomatosis. This procedure is carried out before the appearance of disease carriers - mosquitoes. After 2 weeks, a vaccine against viral hemorrhagic disease is administered. Vaccinations can only be given to healthy individuals.

In summer, you need to protect rabbits from direct sunlight. They can cause sunstroke. To shade cells located outside, use branches, grass or straw, which are placed on the roofs. In winter, rabbits should be protected from drafts, which can lead to frostbite in the ears. To do this, a large amount of straw is placed in the cage.

Treatment of rabbits

Rabbit nutrition

The diet of Flanders should be varied. Food may consist of grain and wet mash of grated vegetables or animal feed. Rabbits can be given pumpkin, boiled potatoes, carrots, beets or cabbage. There should always be hay in the feeders and containers with clean water. Salt, meat and bone meal and preventive medications are mixed in small quantities as additives.

Important! To avoid digestive problems, Flanders should be fed at specific times. So, to digest root vegetables and vegetables, rabbits will need 2-3 hours, fresh grass - 3-4 hours, silage - 4-5 hours, and roughage - 9-12 hours. Considering these characteristics, it is better to set a certain feeding order. In the morning, animals are given half the daily norm of concentrated feed, in the afternoon - fresh grass or hay. For evening feeding, leave the second half of the feed along with the silage.

The Belgian giant is a rabbit that does not tolerate potato tops, branches of stone fruit trees, elderberry, and broom as food. Among the herbs, hellebore, nightshade, henbane, celandine, lily of the valley, cornflower and St. John's wort have a detrimental effect on them.

Feeding rabbits at home

Breeding Flanders

Only healthy rabbits should be treated. After mating, the female must be placed in a separate suitable cage. Fostering can be done at any time of the year except autumn. During this period, rabbits suffer from molting, and daylight hours, so necessary for newborn rabbits, are reduced.

In summer, females estrus occurs every week, in winter - every 9 days. Duration - 5 days.

Signs of sexual heat:

• decreased appetite;
• agitated behavior;
• the genitals become brightly colored.

As preparation, the diet is changed: the amount of vitamins and minerals is increased, males are given more steamed grain and boiled potatoes.

Rabbit food

To carry out mating, the feeder and drinking bowl are removed from the male’s cage, then the female rabbit is placed. After 6 days, the replanting is repeated. If the female is pregnant, she will run away from the male, scaring him away with loud noises. The expectant mother is provided with peace, good nutrition and fresh water. In the absence of the latter, the female can eat her cubs. A large amount of water will provide the rabbit with a sufficient volume of milk. Flanders rabbits should be deposited at 3 months of age.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Each breed has its own advantages and disadvantages that distinguish them from other representatives of the hare family.

Advantages of the Flanders variety:

Disadvantages of Flanders:

• Due to the small amount of fluff and uneven hair growth, the skin is of poor quality and is not suitable for processing.
• Restless appetite in adult rabbits.
• The breed has congenital underdevelopment and curvature of the limbs.
• Despite their hefty size, Flanders are not a meat breed.

Flanders rabbits have been known for over 100 years. They are bred for different purposes: some for beauty, others to obtain even a small amount of meat. Breeding does not require much effort, but with a little attention and patience you can get a large number of healthy and strong rabbits.