Viennese blue rabbits are distinguished by their external beauty, the color of the coat that is immortalized in their name, and the excellent yield of nutritious meat. The rest of the article is all about keeping these animals for commercial purposes and as a pet.
History
When you get acquainted with the breed, it will not be superfluous to learn about how and when it was bred.
Breeding
We owe the appearance of the Vienna Blue Rabbit to the Austrian breeder Johann Konstantin Schultz. He achieved this result from 1895 to 1897 by crossing a giant rabbit, the Belgian Flanders and the Moravian Blue Rabbit.
For the first time, a copy was presented at the Pet Festival in Prater in 1897 under the name "Blue Giant". The rabbit, weighing seven kilograms, looked huge. And experts advised to reduce the weight of the breed in the future. But the skin was excellent! Gray with blue tint. The quality of the fur was high.
Schultz and his team of breeders fulfilled the wishes of the experts, reducing the weight and, accordingly, the name of the breed. The breed received recognition in 1903, called the Vienna Blue Rabbit. The first high assessment of the breed was received from specialists in rabbit science in Germany, and then from Dutch and Swiss breeders.
Improvement
Connoisseurs of rabbits in our country had the opportunity to get acquainted with this breed only after almost 3 decades. Local livestock breeders appreciated their prevailing advantages and recognized them as valuable for breeding.
In the subsequent breed, they kept and took improvement measures, adapting it to the local cold climate, increasing weight and increasing the size of the individual, improving the taste of meat, maximizing the quality indicators of fur as close as possible to ideal criteria.
Description of the breed
To decide on the choice of breed for rabbit breeding or when deciding whether to buy a pet, of course, the first thing to study is the characteristics and disposition of rabbits.
Appearance
External indicators of the Vienna Blue breed are fundamentally different from the type of other rabbits. The specimens are medium in size: the length rarely exceeds 55 cm, and the weight of a mature animal that is on moderate nutrition is about 5 kg. The body appears large and muscular, and the chest and back are broad. The limbs are straight and strong. The head is small, the length of the ears is medium.
Rabbit fur deserves special attention. It has a beautiful, uniform gray-blue color, without spots and blotches of white or black hairs. By summer, the fur can change color to brown, and after autumn molting, return to the original. Thoroughbred blue overflow comes with the second molt from birth, before that the fur is usually gray.
The density of the coat is ideal over the entire surface of the hide - there are no areas that stand out for the rarity of the coat or tangled patches.
Signs of breed quality and its value
The criteria for determining the pedigree component include the following:
- Body:high density, up to 57 cm long, well-developed musculature, broad chest and back.
- Ears:length 13-15 cm, rounded.
- Eyes: from dark blue to blue.
- Extremities: strong, straight, with sharp claws.
- Weight:4-5 kg. Rarely weighed up to 7 kg.
- Hairline: uniform, bluish-gray, without the presence of other color blotches, fur density - 20-21 thousand hairs per 1 sq. see skin.
The value of the breed is determined not only by the rate of maturation and set of meat. The main direction is the use of the skins of the Vienna Blue Rabbit in industry when simulating valuable furs.
Productive characteristics of the breed
The most suitable climate for growing Viennese blues is in Central Russia. The development and reproduction of this breed is possible in cold regions.
Under favorable conditions, the animals are rather early maturing. So, at the age of 2 months, the mass of a rabbit can reach 1.6 kg, at 3 months - up to 2.5 kg, and at 16-18 weeks, Vienna Blue weighs up to 3.6 kg.
Females bring up to 10 gray rabbits per litter, each weighing up to 75 g. The rabbit is a responsible dairy mother, so the survival rate of babies is high, even in cold climates.
Basically, blue rabbits live up to 7-7.5 years, but there are cases when animals survived up to 12 years.
This breed has an average yield, maturation rate and price category. The skins of adults are large, and the meat volume after slaughter is approximately 60%.
Temperament
Viennese blue are the most suitable eared ones for keeping at home and subsequent breeding. Rabbits are completely non-aggressive, calm and express friendliness. They are distinguished by fearfulness and curiosity. Suitable for training, quickly getting used to a person and becoming tame.
However, under unfavorable conditions of detention, negative actions on the part of a person can respond with aggression.
If such a rabbit is purchased for decorative use, it should be borne in mind that with growth, the amount of food required by the animal will increase, and thick coat must be looked after.
Advantages and disadvantages
The breed has undeniable advantages:
- Precocious breed. With an optimally selected diet, animals rapidly gain strength and enter the ripeness phase. Slaughter is possible starting from 4.5 months.
- Low consumption of feed material. Individuals, in comparison with other meat breeds, eat little. The amount of fed food is affected by the fact that, due to early maturity, the life of animals is short.
- Excellent quality criteria for fur. Among the meat breeds, this one has the highest quality skin. The fur is beautiful, thick, similar to an elite fur. About how to make a rabbit skin at home, you can read here.
- Simple care and maintenance measures. The breed is famous for its unpretentiousness. Special conditions of keeping and feeding excesses are not required. In terms of health, animals do not suffer from problems.
There are no obvious flaws in Vienna Blue. Possible breeding problems include:
- the possibility of falling into depressive and stressful conditions;
- retaliatory aggression as a defensive reaction;
- graying of hair in adults over 4-5 years old.
See in the video presented an overview of the Vienna Blue rabbit breed:
Prospects for breeding Viennese rabbits in Russia
Due to their adaptive ability and the presence of warm fur, Viennese blues can live and reproduce happily almost throughout Russia. The northern climate requires only a little care of the shelter to be found during periods of abnormally low air temperatures.
The breed does not require special training of the breeder and the organization of complex additional conditions for rabbit breeding.
Possessing good weight gain rate, high value of meat and fur qualities, rabbits are suitable for narrow and industrial breeding.
Maintenance and care
The procedures and conditions for caring for Vienna blues are the same as for other breeds of rabbits. Breeding and raising animals is not only possible in street cages. Sheds, rabbitries and other structures are suitable for this. However, in order to improve the quality of the fur and prevent the development of epidemic diseases, it is recommended that rabbit cells be placed in the fresh air. This has several advantages:
- prevention of diseases and their course;
- increased animal immunity;
- the possibility of selection and organization of individual nutrition;
- mating planning and control
In accordance with the minimum temperatures, health and other conditions of the animals, the cages are transferred under a shelter or indoors. Combining housing methods is a common measure in rabbit farming.
The basic rule of rabbit breeding is to provide comfortable hygiene conditions in an area of sufficient size.
Feeding
Rabbits' diet is determined by the season and the goal pursued by the breeder. So, in winter and during feeding activities, the diet contains a large proportion of concentrated products, and in summer they switch to the predominance of green feed.
Nutrition | Composition |
Green |
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Juicy |
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Rude |
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Concentrated |
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We recommend that you additionally read the article on how and what to feed rabbits.
Green foods form the basis of the eared diet. Juicy and rough food supplies the body with fiber, vitamins and microelements.
Do not forget about the additional vitamin-mineral complex, most needed in the autumn and spring periods, when carrying and feeding rabbits and other conditions that provoke its deficiency. To avoid an overdose of substances, keep in mind that many compound feeds are already fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Rabbits are fed three times a day. Juicy food is given in the middle of the day.
Food for animals should always be fresh, be in constant access. Check leftovers daily for freshness and food acceptability. Neglect of this rule will inevitably affect the state of rabbits.
A container with clean water, hay and food for turning teeth are not removed from the cage.
Protect animals from the possible use of mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar and other sweets, sunflower seeds, red cabbage, bread, onions, garlic and nuts. These foods are harmful to rabbits.
Breeding features
When breeding rabbits, it is important to be able to select individuals that will be slaughtered, i.e. need fattening, and individuals intended for further breeding. This selection takes place in three stages:
- First step - when jigging rabbits from a female, from 28 to 60 days from birth.
- Second phase - at the age of 3 months.
- Third stage - at the age of about 5 months, at the onset of sexual maturity.
It is important to ensure that parental pairs are not formed from individuals of the same litter. Otherwise, the offspring will be weak, and the breed will degenerate.
Parent couple selection criteria:
- perfect health;
- lack of congenital defects and respectable appearance;
- breed development;
- well-developed mammary glands in females.
Animals at least 7 months old are allowed to mate, although puberty occurs much earlier. With good performance, you can save a couple for 5 years. If the okrol is infertile or the female abandons the cubs, eats them, etc., try to disband the pair, changing partners, or pick a new one from remontant individuals.
Bearing offspring takes up to 35 days, feeding it - no more than 2 months, it is possible to remove the young from the mother within a month after birth. For a year, do not allow more than 5 inspections, so as not to cause irreparable harm to the health of the rabbit.
Health and prevention
To prevent diseases and epidemics, in addition to being kept in conditions of hygiene and good nutrition, rabbits are vaccinated. Vaccinations against viral infections, for example, viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits, and myxomatosis are especially relevant. The first vaccination is injected at 1.5 months, the next at 3 months. Further, the animals are vaccinated once a year.
If the Vienna Blue Rabbit lives as a pet, it is necessary to vaccinate against rabies.
Breeding and use of the breed
Grain breeding rabbits of this breed is reduced to obtaining tasty and nutritious meat and skins of high quality. Rabbit meat is considered a dietary product superior in value to poultry meat. All kinds of everyday and festive dishes are prepared from it.
Vienna Blue skins are used in sewing clothes, making accessories and decorating interiors. The special value of the fur is that it completely imitates elite furs.
How to choose a good healthy individual?
When choosing an individual, do not hesitate to inspect the entire animal. Pay special attention to the nuances of the examination:
- A healthy rabbit is active, jumping, its tail pointing up.
- The back of a healthy rabbit is rounded. Humps and dips are a sign of disease.
- A head turned to the side, tilted to one side indicates problems with cerebral circulation.
- Check the bite. Normally, the upper teeth are found on the lower ones.
- The eyes of a healthy animal are clean, shiny and have a clear gaze.
- The condition of the coat should be perfect.
Ask the seller about the pedigree and genetic abnormalities, clarify whether vaccinations were carried out, what diseases the animal suffered and the use of which medications cured it. Take an interest in what the pet especially likes from food.
Home content
The beauty of the Vienna rabbit gives them great chances for home maintenance. They are often bought for children, presented for all kinds of holidays. Animal friendliness is a good quality for a pet.
You need to keep a rabbit in a cage, which would not hamper him in everyday life. In the dwelling, be sure to install and attach a drinking bowl and a feeder, so that the Vienna blue pet does not rip it off with its paws, causing the owners additional mess in the house.
If you are looking for advice on how to make your own rabbit drinker, then this article is here.
The rabbit's nutrition should be as similar to the breeding diet as possible, otherwise its health may be shaken from a lack of nutrients and elements. Replace water daily with fresh water. Use hay, straw, preferably from various grasses and crops as bedding.
Be prepared to conduct frequent cleaning activities in and around the cage. This is necessary to maintain order and to prevent the development of rabbit diseases. Do not forget to vaccinate and show the ward to the veterinarian in case of suspicion of malfunctioning of the body and illness.
It’s very difficult to accustom a pet to a tray, so when walking a rabbit around your house, keep in mind that he can leave his stool anywhere.
This breed of rabbits is not suitable for breeding in a house or apartment. The process requires a lot of space for the location of rather large animals, brings a lot of garbage and waste. The percentage of Viennese as pets of the total content does not exceed 7%.
Purchase of individuals
To breed, you must purchase at least one pair of rabbits. The female and the male must be from different parents. It is optimal to buy 2 rabbits and one crawl at once. When buying, pay attention to appearance, behavior and pedigree.
For use as a pet, it is possible to purchase an individual of any sex. Be sure to check the availability of vaccinations.
You can buy Viennese blues through online stores or personally visiting rabbit farms, from amateur breeders, etc. Moreover, in the absence of such a breed in the price list, delivery of individuals from Europe is possible. The cost of one animal ranges from 800 to 2000 rubles.
Other varieties
On the basis of the Vienna Blue Rabbit, the varieties were bred: Vienna White and Vienna Black.
The black
This breed was produced in Germany. The rabbits turned out to be larger, with round ears and black fur with a metallic gray overflow.This image has not received such a wide celebrity and recognition as the Vienna Blue or Vienna White, but it is still recognized as a popular breed that gives rabbit meat and beautiful furs.
White
The breed was bred in Austria by the rabbit breeder Wilhelm Muk. Rabbits are distinguished by the density, quality and pure whiteness of the fur without a single blotch of wool of a different color. The eyes of this species of breed are of a beautiful blue hue.
In content, they are as unpretentious and adaptive as the Viennese blue rabbits.
Reviews of the Vienna Blue
Irina, 54, a rabbit breeder, Yekaterinburg.We have been breeding rabbits with my husband for about 6 years. Two years ago we were presented with a pair of Vienna blues. At first, they were skeptical about their breeding. But over time, with firmness, we can say that this is a great breed!
They quickly adapted and began to reproduce. The first okrol brought us 8 babies. When the rabbit was a little less than six months old, it weighed 5.2 kg. We are delighted with the fur of the Vienna blue rabbits, the quality is beyond praise!
Nikolai, 34 years old, builder, Omsk.We bought a Richa rabbit of the Vienna Blue breed for our daughter's birthday. We had no difficulties in caring for him. The little rabbit is kind and affectionate. Now this is our universal favorite.
Ilya, 72 years old, pensioner, Sochi.Rabbits always attracted my attention, but only in retirement could I allocate time for a new hobby. Started the Vienna Blue. It turned out that this hobby can bring a good income. The breed is meat-hide, therefore it is appreciated for its good productive yield and excellent quality of skins. I want to get a variety of this breed - Vienna white.
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Vienna Blue is a breed of rabbits that does not require difficult conditions. Rather, on the contrary, they tolerate cold well even in street cages. At both domestic and production scale, profit can be made with optimal care and nutrition.