Rabbit breed Gray giant: description, care and reproduction. Domestic rabbits of the gray giant breed. Breed of gray giant rabbits, what color does it come in?

Rabbits of the Gray Giant breed were first bred as an independent breed by domestic breeders back in the early 1950s. The work was carried out in Ukraine on a state animal farm and consisted of crossing outbred individuals with the Belgian Flanders breed. The result pleased not only scientists of the former Soviet Union, but also grateful breeders.

The resulting breed, which is today known as the Gray Giant, was distinguished by its large body weight and fertility, large size and excellent tolerance of adverse weather conditions. To this day, many rabbit breeders want to raise giants on their farms. Unpretentious in terms of careGray Giant rabbits, breeding and keeping at home , as well as feeding features, are discussed in the article.

The live weight of Gray Giants can reach more than 7-7.5 kg.

Description, photos and features of Gray Giant rabbits

The breed of giant rabbits belongs to the meat-skin breed, which are distinguished by thick gray, white or black coat color. The presence of a red or black tint in the gray color is allowed. The paws and belly of the animal are white. The temperament of this breed is calm and gentle.

Most of all, breeders are interested in the weight of this furry animal. The live weight of Gray Giants can reach more than 7-7.5 kg. However, most often the average weight of one individual is 6 kg, and the body length is 70-75 cm. Giant rabbits have a large, massive build, a large head with straight ears, and their bones are large and strong. Gray rabbits have quite large breasts. Its diameter can reach 36-41 cm. The back is straight and wide, and the hind legs are powerful and long.

Females are distinguished by early maturity and fertility. They are capable of giving birth to an average of 8 rabbits once. Rabbit breeders report cases where there were 14 babies! Each baby weighs about 75-85 grams at birth and is characterized by rapid growth provided it is fed with nutritious, high-calorie food.

In the proposed list you can see the growth rates of young animals:

2 months – 1.5 kg;
3 months – 2 kg;
4 months – 2.5 kg.

If you feed Gray Giant rabbits with food containing protein at an increased rate, then weight gain will be more intense. In this feeding regimen, the rabbit will gain weight of about 3 kg at 3 months. By providing high-quality food, the animals will improve not only their development, but also the quality and taste of the meat.

Breeding and keeping Gray Giant rabbits at home

Based on reviews from breeders, we can come to the conclusion that breeding the Gray Giant breed is profitable due to the fertility of females and the large body weight of grown rabbits. In addition, it is considered a big advantage that female rabbits do not eat babies and do not need to create special conditions for breeding. It is enough to place the female in the same cage with the male and wait for mating. At this point, it is advisable to remove all food and water bowls from the cage.

The first mating for breeding is allowed at approximately 5 months. The rabbit matures a little later, and the male is allowed to mate from 7 months. It is recommended not to overexpose, especially females. Firstly, it is not economically viable. Secondly, from 5-6 months, female rabbits practically stop growing and gain weight due to fat mass. The fatter the female, the more difficult it is for her to become fertilized.

Regarding keeping Gray Giant rabbits, it is worth remembering the following basic rules, namely:

raise rabbits in spacious cages;
keep the rabbitry clean;
good heating during cold weather;
eliminate drafts and dampness;
provide sufficient clean water.

Rabbits love warmth and have good health under conditions of primitive sanitary and hygienic standards. It is recommended to promptly clean the cages and periodically but regularly disinfect them using a weak solution of bleach or burning the cages with a blowtorch.

They can be placed in the fresh air in the summer, but you should not place them in the open sun - this is a gross mistake in keeping an animal. Light and warmth should be in moderation. It is recommended to cover the top of the cage with a lid. In addition to direct sunlight, the animal must also be protected from rodents. To do this, you can use the tin that lines the bottom of the cage.

Diet of Gray Giants

Every breeder wants rabbits to gain weight well and grow quickly. But you should not overfeed the animal. The animals will become fatter, and this in turn will adversely affect their ability to reproduce. The best way out is to provide the animal with enough quality food and water. It is better to give food little by little, but often. The diet of Gray Giant rabbits should be varied and balanced.

Important components of the feed are proteins, vitamins and microelements. Mineral and vitamin complementary foods can be provided using pharmaceutical preparations. This is especially true in winter, when there is less natural, nutritious food than in summer. Breeders have adapted to giving rabbits the following food, namely:

crushed grain;
fresh vegetables;
vegetable tops, cornflowers, wormwood, nettles and other greens.

We invite you to watch a video about Gray Giant rabbits:

Popular Gray Giant rabbits, breeding and keeping at home, dietary recommendations are described in the article and will help novice rabbit breeders avoid mistakes and losses. Otherwise, this breed is advantageous and very profitable for growing in normal home conditions, as evidenced by many reviews. Continue reading on the website

The first rabbits of the final version of the selection breed were obtained at the Petrovsky fur farm in the Poltava region. The long work of selection was completed in 1952. The work was carried out with outbred local rabbits. In the process of work, rabbits that did not have the desired characteristics were culled. Only those animals that could pass on the necessary characteristics of the breed to the next generation were left for reproduction. The large mass and size were passed down from the Flanders. Good adaptability and high fertility - from outbred animals.

Peculiarities

The gray giant breed is distinguished by its large size. The weight of an adult animal can be 4-7 kg, but individuals weighing 5-6 kilograms are still more common. The rabbit's body is about 56-66 cm in length. In principle, it is a medium-sized animal with massive bones. The rabbit has a large head, large ears, and large legs. The legs of rabbits of this breed are long and straight. The chest can be up to 40 cm in diameter.

The gray giant rabbit has fur that is not too thick, but quite strong and warm. The quality of the undercoat is lower than that of animals that are bred for their fur (breeds of domestic rabbits such as Soviet chinchilla, black-brown or Vienna blue).

Within the breed of these rabbits there are several colors. The most common color is hare-gray and glandular-gray. Additionally, despite the name, rabbits of this breed can be white or black in color. In a situation where a rabbit of a standard color gives birth to babies of other shades, you should not pay attention to this. The characteristics of the breed will be fully present in these animals.

In rabbits with a hare-gray color, the inside of the paws and abdomen will be completely white, and the axial hairs will have a heterogeneous color.

Rabbit nutrition

Like other meat rabbits, these animals need fresh food. Fresh grass and vegetables play a very important role in the proper raising of animals. For proper digestion, it is necessary to avoid overfeeding animals with herbs such as alfalfa or field clover. In young animals, an abundance of such food causes bloating of the stomach. To avoid such problems, these herbs must be dried before feeding. To do this, you need to let the grass lie in the shade for two days.

Rabbits will be very happy with fresh vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, and radishes. They eat corn and peas well, but these crops should be fed in very limited quantities as they can be harmful to digestion.

Separately, it should be noted that feeding these (like all other) rabbits wet grass is strictly prohibited. When it rains, the grass must be dried. If this is not possible, it is better to provide hay rather than feed wet grass. Of course, you should never give spoiled, rotten food to animals.

In addition to grass and fresh vegetables, rabbits are also fed grain. Animals love this food and eat it well, but even here you shouldn’t make concessions to them and feed them grains around the clock.

Whatever rabbits are fed, they need clean water to drink. It is better not to place the liquid in the public domain, but to equip the animals’ housing with special drinking bowls. Then the water will remain clean and the rabbits’ health will not suffer.

The gray giant breed (like other rabbits) is rodents; their incisors are constantly growing. To give animals the opportunity to properly grind their teeth, it is necessary to ensure that they always have plant branches in their enclosure. If animals are raised in wooden cages, they will chew the cages - this is the nature of rabbits.

Care

The gray giant rabbit breed thrives in different climatic conditions. Animals easily adapt to both the mild climate of the south and the harsh winter conditions of the north. There is no need to create special conditions for keeping rabbits in the north. There is no need to insulate the cells. A warm wooden home is perfect for winter.

The gray giant rabbit is a fairly sociable and friendly animal, so they can be kept not in single cages, but in enclosures in whole groups.

The main condition for healthy keeping of rabbits is cleanliness. You need to clean the cage of droppings regularly. At least twice a year it needs to be disinfected with bleach, or it is especially important to monitor cleanliness when the rabbit is preparing for the birth of babies. Before boarding a new animal, it is also worth disinfecting.

The gray giant rabbit gets along well not only in a cage, but also in sheds and in a city apartment. The animal is well tamed, so it can become an excellent pet for any family.

in cells

An outdoor cage must be at least 40 cm high, 60 cm long, 36 cm wide. The roof should open for ease of maintenance and inspection. The cage should be in a bright place, but protected from the heat. There must be water and food. The floor needs to be lined with tin to protect the rabbits from rats. If the rabbits have a two-story cage, the walls of the second floor should also be covered with tin.

Metal lattice cages with trays are suitable for keeping rabbits at home for simplified care. Such cages should also have water in the drinking bowls and always fresh food. The gray giant rabbit is not suitable as a toy for children. His character is quite friendly, but his size does not allow a child to cope with the animal. Therefore, the child will only be able to exercise or it is worth considering another breed.

Breeding

A very important aspect when considering the Gray Giant rabbit breed is breeding. The natural fertility of rabbits of this breed plays a significant role. In one litter, the female gives birth to 8 rabbits. Sometimes 14 rabbits appear, but still quite rare. The undoubted advantage of the breed is that female rabbits never eat newborn babies. Long-eared mothers have enough milk, so you can leave all born babies on natural feeding.

Rabbits can begin to bear offspring from the age of three months, but it is better to have the first litter at 5-6 months. Pregnancy lasts 28-35 days. Movements of the baby rabbits indicate that labor is approaching - this usually occurs around the 25th day of pregnancy.

When a pregnant rabbit begins to tear out her fur, it means that she has begun to build a nest. Most often, the gray giant rabbit begins preparation 3-4 days before giving birth, but some females can begin arranging a nest immediately before giving birth.

The main percentage of births occur in the early morning, so carefully examine the area around the cage and nest - the newborn can crawl away from the mother and die from hypothermia. There is no point in interfering with the birth process. The exception is cases when the rabbit clearly cannot cope and needs the help of a specialist. The shell on the rabbits is removed by the rabbit herself. The placenta is also destroyed by it.

If at first it seems that the mother rabbit is not taking care of the cubs, this impression is deceptive. Rabbits are not like other animals; they can approach their offspring only a couple of times a day, and for a very short time. The baby rabbits begin to emerge from the nest after opening their eyes - around the 12th day. If you notice a blind baby rabbit outside the nest, place it in its place as it may die.

During pregnancy and feeding of the cubs, careful care and additional nutrition are necessary for females of any breed of rabbits (the name does not play a special role). The gray giant will require additional cage care and more food with protein.

Raising rabbits

Newborn rabbits weigh about 80 grams. With proper feeding and care, by 2 months they weigh about 1.5 kg. By four months, a healthy animal gains 2.6 kg. If higher performance is required, protein-rich feed should be added to the rabbits' diet.

Rabbits can be separated from their mother at the age of one month.

Application of rabbits

Representatives of the gray giant breed are meat rabbits. The main purpose of keeping them is meat, which has high taste and dietary qualities. Rabbit meat is classified as white meat. For people with various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is truly an ideal food, since it contains more protein than the meat of other animals, and much less fat.

When treating cancer, it is very important to include young rabbit meat in the diet. This is due to its interesting and useful ability to reduce the dose of radiation received during treatment. It is curious that the body of a rabbit under the age of 7 months does not accept strontium-90, which is a breakdown product of herbicides and pesticides.

Rabbit fat is an excellent healing agent. Since such fat is also a reliable anti-allergic agent, it is used in the production of cosmetics, using it as a base.

The three-month-old gray giant rabbit will be the most nutritious. The price of such meat is higher, but the benefits from it are much greater. You can buy a rabbit live weight for about 400 rubles per kilogram.

The gray giant rabbit was bred in 1952 in the Poltava region. His ancestors are the Belgian Flanders and local outbred rabbits. The main goal of selection is adaptability to life in cold climates, unpretentiousness in maintenance, while maintaining product qualities. The breed is still popular, especially in small private farms.

Description of the breed

The gray giant rabbit belongs to the meat-skin category. It has large sizes, an average meat yield (about 55-57%), and a large fluffy skin, its area reaches 3 m². Here are the main characteristics and description of the breed:

Average weight – 4-7 kg (males about 6 kg, females – 7 kg)
Length – 66 cm
Chest circumference under the shoulder blades – 37-40 cm
The body is powerful, muscular, with strong bones
The head is round, a little rough
The ears are thick, erect and straight, rounded at the tips.
The body is elongated, massive
The chest is wide and deep, there is a slight dewlap
The back is wide and long
Legs are long, straight, hips are well developed
The croup is rounded and wide
The fur is thick and fluffy.

The typical gray giant rabbit in the photo resembles a hare. But the coloring within the breed is not uniform. There are several variants of gray color, and even white. But all white rabbits are now bred into a separate breed, the white giant. Here are the main rabbit color options:

Grey-hare or agouti (most common)
Iron-gray or gray
Dark gray
Black

Agouti rabbits have a white belly and light-colored paws. The guard hair has an uneven color. It is gray or silver at the base, red in the middle, and dark at the tip. Dark gray animals have blue hair, while iron-gray animals have uneven coloring, reminiscent of gray hair.

Caring for rabbits

The gray giant rabbit breed is unpretentious in keeping. They are grown in any home conditions; some hobbyists manage to keep the animals even in an apartment. Rabbits can be found not only in the mild southern climate, but also in northern latitudes. They quickly adapt to cold climates and rarely get sick. If you get all the vaccinations, epizootics among giants can easily be avoided.

The basic requirements for maintenance are spacious, good-quality cages facing the sun and protected from direct rays. Drafts should be avoided and cages should be kept clean. The floor is covered with tin to protect the cage from the penetration of rats, and the giant rabbits from injury to their paws. A queen cell measuring 30×60×30 centimeters is installed in the far corner. It is recommended to make a lid over it to make it easier to monitor the nest and the rabbits.

A bowl of water is placed in the cage of gray giant rabbits; it is advisable to make a manger for hay and a container for feed. Clean the cells 1-2 times a week. Disinfect using a blowtorch, slaked lime, and a 10% bleach solution. It is imperative to disinfect cages after rabbits that have suffered infectious diseases. Thorough disinfection is carried out in the home for new rabbits, pregnant females and rabbits.

Feeding rabbits

Gray giant rabbits eat a lot, but do not go overboard with food. The main thing is that feeding is regular, two or three times a day. Emptying the intestines of rabbits occurs only when a new portion of food enters the stomach. If they eat irregularly, they suffer from constipation and other intestinal problems. Overfeeding or underfeeding is also harmful. Females and males lose interest in mating, reproduce poorly, and get sick more often. All products must be of high quality and their storage conditions must comply with hygiene requirements.

Feeding and diet of gray giant rabbits includes the following products and types of food:

Hay, preferably from meadow grasses
Tops of garden plants
Legumes (about 15-20% of the diet)
Juicy food (root vegetables, sometimes fruits)
Compound feed and grains
Branch food.

In summer, the main emphasis in feeding the giants is on grass, slightly dried in the sun. In winter, the basis of the diet is hay, grain, twigs and root vegetables. It is necessary to transfer from one type of feed to another gradually, over the course of a week. Be sure to put a salt stone, chalk or mineral fertilizer in the cage. Vitamin supplements are given in the spring. Gray giant rabbits gain weight better and produce more meat if their diet contains a lot of proteins. But do not overdo it, as protein feeds increase the rabbits’ sensitivity to intestinal infections, such as coccidiosis.

Rabbit breeding

Breeding gray giant rabbits at home is profitable and easy. Females mature late, at approximately 7-8 months. But they are distinguished by great fertility. For one birth they produce from 8 to 11 cubs. Rabbits are born strong, weighing about 80 grams. Rabbits are good mothers; their milk feeding lasts 40-50 days, without interruption. A big plus of the gray giant rabbit breed is that females never eat babies.

The best large breeds of rabbits: Gray Giant.

Flandre, Risen, Gray Giant (Weight, color, fertility.)

Gray giant rabbit

Baby rabbits gain weight at an average rate. Their weight is 0.9-1 kg per month. With good feeding, by two months they reach 1.5 kg of weight. At three months their weight is 2 kg, and at four months – 2.6 kg. With an increased amount of proteins in food, the rate of weight gain increases by 10-15%, and slaughter weight by 57-60%. The survival rate of rabbits is high, which offsets their slow increase in body weight. This makes the breed profitable for growing and breeding.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Gray giant rabbits were once very common. Now their popularity is falling. Other varieties have appeared, with better indicators of weight, growth, meat yield and quality of skins. However, in private households, especially in Ukraine, Moldova, and the southwestern regions of Russia, this is a popular breed. Here are its main advantages:

High fertility and milk production of females, regardless of housing conditions
Almost all rabbits survive and rarely get sick
Adaptation to cold climates
Easy maintenance and care
Unpretentiousness in feed
Calm disposition
Disease resistance
Large skin area
Delicious and dietary meat.

A positive description will be incomplete, because the gray giant rabbit breed has a number of disadvantages:

Genetic pathology – rabbits with thin, crooked legs
High percentage of feed consumption, the need to make large reserves for the winter
Low meat yield compared to other giant breeds
Unevenly thickened skins, which reduces their quality.

Despite a number of shortcomings, the gray giant rabbit breed receives good reviews. You can buy it online or directly from private owners. The price of a month-old rabbit, weighing 1 kg, is approximately 70-80 hryvnia, or 400-500 rubles. Compared to other large rabbits, the cost of which reaches 1000-1500 rubles or 150-250 hryvnia, the price is quite low. If you are a beginner rabbit breeder, this breed is just for you. After all, breeding, keeping and feeding animals is not difficult, and the quantity of meat is large.

Breeding rabbits is a profitable business. As a rule, the best breeds of rabbits are chosen for him to make the business profitable. Gray Giant rabbits belong to the meat and skin category and are in great demand in different countries. They are profitable to keep and breed, have pleasant external features, and therefore are often purchased even as pets.

History of the breed

Gray Giant Rabbit

Rabbits of the Gray Giant breed were bred in the Poltava region in 1946-1952. The selection work was carried out at the Petrovsky animal farm. Success was achieved by crossing simple local rabbits with the Flandre breed.

From Flanders this species inherited body weight, large bones, and dimensions. From local species - unpretentiousness to feeding, viability, fertility. In a short period of time, the breed spread throughout almost the entire territory of Ukraine and Russia, and was also noticed by foreign breeders and breeders. Today it is bred in many countries in Europe and Asia.

Description of the Gray Giant rabbit breed

Also check out these articles

Rabbit breed Gray Giant

The constitution of the animal looks rough. Rabbits of the Gray Giant breed have a body length of about 66 cm. Weight can reach up to 7.2 kg. The back is wide and straight. Chest circumference is 37-39 cm on average. The chest is wide and deep. Possible presence of dewlap. The legs are strong and thick. The head is large and roughly shaped. The ears are straight and arranged in a V shape when viewed from the front.

The coat of this breed is of medium length and not thick. The color of the guard hair is not uniform and is divided into separate sections according to color, just like the down hair. There are several colors of this species. The first “agouti” is similar to the color of a hare, only a little darker. The second is dark gray, like a chinchilla. The skin on the belly is always lighter than on the back. There are also individuals of golden and ferruginous gray color, but, as a rule, in young animals. With age, the color of the coat changes to agouti or dark gray.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the breed?

Advantages of the breed

To better understand the characteristics of the Gray Giant, it is worth considering the advantages of the breed.

The animal is fully adapted to temperate climate conditions.
An adult rabbit weighs 4.1-7.5 kg, depending on gender, nutrition and some other points.
Slaughter yield – 55-57%.
After slaughtering, they not only get a lot of meat, but also a large skin of the animal.
The fertility and milk production of females is high. Gray Giant rabbits are excellent, caring mothers.
Individuals of the species are very calm, not nervous, which is why they are sometimes purchased as pets.
They rarely get sick, the immune system is resistant to many diseases.

Disadvantages of the species.

The commercial qualities of the Gray Giant are inferior to those of Flandre.
The litter may contain individuals with thin or crooked limbs, which is not typical for the species.
Newborn Gray Giant rabbits weigh 81 g on average. By the second month they reach 1.5 kg, and by the third month – 2 kg. For a half-meat species, these are insufficient indicators of early maturity.

In terms of meat quality, the Gray Giant is inferior to meat-type rabbits, and in terms of coat quality - to fur ones. But among meat-skin species, this is one of the best breeds.

The skin of the Gray Giant is not very thick, so the prices for it are not very high.
Animals eat a lot.

Gray Giant rabbits are most adapted to mild, temperate climates, although they are successfully bred in the north. The main thing is to ensure optimal conditions of detention.

Gray Giant rabbits can be bred in cold climates if they are provided with a reliable wooden cage and fed properly.

For pests and rodents, it is worth disinfecting and treating the premises and cages two or more times a year, depending on the scale of the problem. If pests, mice or rats appear frequently, then extra treatment will not hurt. Disinfection of cells is usually carried out by burning with a blowtorch - this is the easiest and quite safe for rabbits, which will then be placed there.
Before breeding, moving new animals into cages, and during infectious diseases, cage disinfection is mandatory. In this case, you should use a blowtorch, as mentioned above, or some other method. Alternatives also include: treatment with a 10% bleach solution, whitewashing with slaked lime.

How to feed rabbits?

Nutrition of Gray Giant rabbits

Gray Giant rabbits are not picky when it comes to nutrition, but it is very important to adhere to feeding standards, check the quality of food and some other points.

The rabbit's intestinal tract is freed only if new food enters it, so you need to give food in small quantities, but regularly - then the animal's gastrointestinal tract will work without interruption. At the same time, irregular or disproportionate food consumption leads to digestive problems.
The diet should be as varied as possible. If the food is given monotony, the animal may begin to get sick, and productivity will decrease. After all, rabbits eat the same food with little desire, but they actively eat varied food.

Gray Giant rabbits should not be overfed or underfed. Obese or thin females are not suitable for mating, and such individuals get sick much more often.

Dry food is always served with fresh water so that after eating, the animal can drink plenty.
There should always be fresh, clean water in drinking bowls. Change it as necessary.
It is advisable to establish one, constant feeding schedule. This is necessary both for the normalization of the animal’s gastrointestinal tract and for the convenience of the breeder.
Particular attention is paid to feeding pregnant and postpartum females, as well as rabbits and breeding males. Their diet should contain enough vitamins and minerals.
Changing the diet in spring and autumn should always happen gradually, over the course of a week! Any sudden changes can harm the animal's digestion.

It is very important for Gray Giant rabbits to receive a sufficient amount of succulent food (vegetables, greens), but they are always given along with hay. In this case, dried greens are fed. Vegetables are seasonal, the main thing is that they are clean, not rotten or spoiled.

The grain is suitable in the form of a mash, crushed - this way you can provide the maximum of useful substances, because not all types of whole grains can be chewed by rabbits. Compound feed often replaces or complements grains. You can buy it or prepare it yourself if you have the necessary equipment.

Interesting!

In winter and early spring, when there is not enough healthy plant food, you can germinate grain. It contains an abundance of useful substances that are so necessary for rabbits at this time.

Breeding Gray Giants

Breeding rarely causes problems. Males are fertile and active, especially with good, fortified feeding. There are usually 7-8 rabbits in a litter, but the number can reach up to 14. Survival rate is good, especially since females are caring mothers and have a lot of milk.

You cannot crossbreed rabbits that are related by blood!

Gray Giant rabbits produce their first litter at 3 months, but it is recommended to start at 5-6 months. So that the rabbit finally grows up. Pregnancy lasts about a month. 3-4 days before giving birth, the female begins to prepare the nest: she pulls out the fur on her belly and places it in the place where she will give birth. But if the female is in no hurry, the breeder should take care of this. In order for the rabbits to be comfortable after birth, the area around them must be soft, warm and absolutely clean!

After giving birth, it is advisable to ensure that the rabbits do not crawl away from the female, otherwise they will die. Help during childbirth is not needed, and rabbits cannot be picked up after birth; if the baby crawls away, he is gently pushed back to his mother, but his hands must be gloved. Babies can leave their mother no earlier than the 12th day, when their eyes open, otherwise they simply will not find their way back. After the rabbits have grown up, they are weaned from the female and moved to separate cages. From now on, they should receive the same care as other adult rabbits.