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The only breed bred exclusively for the needs of the Soviet fur industry is the White Giant rabbit. This breed traces its origin from the albino variant of the Flanders giant that appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Albinos brought to the young Soviet state in 1927flanders did not possess sufficient endurance for successful reproduction in the conditions of Russia.
To improve the characteristics of the Flanders albino, it was decided to cross it with the closest, already "Russian", relative, the "gray giant" and "Soviet chinchilla". Both breeds of bunnies carry the agouti gene and have a "wild" color.
All these three Soviet rabbit breeds are very large animals, and backcrossing was also used in further work with them. In particular, the white giant was added to the Soviet chinchilla. Also, the white giant was used in the breeding of a black-brown rabbit, whose fur imitates the fur of a black-brown fox.
When breeding productive animals, the main criterion is the compliance of the characteristics of the animals with the set goals. It is possible that when a white giant was crossed with a Soviet chinchilla, the breed of offspring was recorded according to the color of the rabbit's skin.
Requirements for the white giant
Rabbit breed The “white giant” was primarily bred for the fur industry, taking into account the fact that fur often needs to be dyed in the manufacture of products. Obtaining meat in this case was in second place, although the breed was attributed to meat and skin.
Due to the need to color the fur, the main requirement for the White Giant rabbits is the impeccable whiteness of the fur. No yellow tint is allowed. Such a pure white skin allows you to sew large fur products and dye them without fear that the shades of the skins will not match.
Description of the breed
General form. Large, powerful, but not massive animal. Pure white hide with dense hair. No shades of white are allowed in wool. A white giant with at least a milky hue of skin is rejected from breeding. The thick coat inherited from the Soviet chinchilla protects the rabbit well from frost and bad weather. The length of the coat should be 4 cm.
Head. The structure of the head of the white giant differs from the structure of the heads of its ancestors - the Flanders giants. The white has a lighter head and has an elongated shape compared to the Belgian rabbits.
The photo clearly shows the difference in the structure of the heads of the white and Flanders giants.
On the left is a giant rabbit, on the right a Flanders giant.
Ears. If the ears of the Flanders rabbits often look like burdocks, then the ears of the Russian giants are more neat. Their length is 15 cm. The auricles are narrower at the base than in the middle, the tips are rounded. Ears should be erect.
Housing. All skin breeds of rabbits have a long body, since in this case the skin is larger. The white giant is no exception. It belongs to the leptosomal type, that is, it has an elongated body with short legs.
The rabbit's rib cage is deep, but not wide, with a developed dewlap in rabbits. The breed standard requires a chest girth of at least 37 cm. The back is straight, wide. The croup is rounded. The body length of a giant cannot be less than 60 cm.
Paws. Strong, powerful, with a wide set.
These rabbits are often kept either on wooden slats or in enclosures.
Breed requirements by weight
The weight of the rabbit of this breed, along with the quality of the skin, is one of the basic requirements. When grading by weight, all rabbits are divided into three classes: elite, first and second.
The weight of the rabbits at the age of 10 months and after the year is recorded. By ten months, the elite should weigh 5.6 kg, the first class - 5.1 kg and the second class - 4.6 kg. After a year, the weight of the rabbits, respectively, 5.8; 5.3; 4.8 kg.
With a strict approach to evaluating a rabbit, such a manufacturer as in the video should not be allowed to breed. It has too little weight even for the II class, short ears and short body, although for a rabbit it would be a very good mark. But where, after the collapse of rabbit breeding, can you find decent producers? Yes, and rabbit breeders today no one decree.
Evaluation of the White Giant rabbit
Vices of the breed
Animals with signs of rickets are not allowed into breeding: a humped or downcast back, a markup of the front paws. Clubfoot on the front and x-shaped position of the hind legs are also unacceptable.
A narrow chest indicates a too weak constitution. Such rabbits come across in this breed and are subject to strict culling.
An overly developed dewlap is also a defect, since this is evidence of a crude constitution and phlegm, which is unacceptable in breeding rabbits.
Features of the maintenance and feeding of white giants
At one time, the selection was aimed at breeding an animal resistant to Russian frosts. White giants are really quite capable of walking on the street in winter, which is what the owners of these rabbits in the photograph boast of, having also launched a black-brown one to them.
But even a frost-resistant animal requires more high-calorie food in winter and in greater quantities than in summer. Provided that the rabbits are kept outdoors. In winter, animals are provided with free access to highly nutritious hay, such as alfalfa or timothy.
But in winter, the energy of alfalfa will not go into fat, but into warming the rabbit's body. In addition to alfalfa, they also provide concentrates and juicy feed. In winter, it can be carrots, forage cabbage, high-quality silage, beets.
In the summer, rabbits are given dried grass and concentrates. In the case of a complete replacement of hay with grass, it should be borne in mind that grass is required 3 - 4 times more by weight than hay. Do not give wet grass, which is more likely to ferment in the intestines, leading to bloating.
Content in the cage
Keeping these animals in a cage is undesirable because of their high weight and paws that are poorly adapted to the mesh floors. In addition, the breed requires a cage 1.5 times larger than the standard one. If plywood is laid on the floor of the cage or the floor is made of flat slats, then the white giant will be quite comfortable in such a dwelling.
In winter, animals need to be provided with heated drinkers and queen cells. In the presence of a warm mother liquor, the rabbit will calmly roll around even at -20 ° C. At lower temperatures, it is better to move the cells to a warm room.
Breeding white giants
Rabbits become capable of breeding at the age of 4 months, but they can be bred no earlier than 8 - 9, since this breed, like all other giant rabbits, is late maturing, and the rabbit will be fully formed no earlier than 8 months.With an earlier mating, the rabbit may die during the mating along with the rabbits.
The rabbit brings 7 - 9 young rabbits at a time. The maximum number of rabbits in a litter is 12 heads. As multiple mothers, female rabbits of this breed have a high milk production. But it happens that for some reason the lactating rabbit has little milk and the rabbits remain hungry. In this case, some of the rabbits are enclosed by another rabbit who has few cubs.
The cases can be compacted and ordinary. With the usual mating, the rabbit is allowed to the uterus a month after the birth. When compacted after 2 - 3 days after okrol. But you need to know that compacted mating greatly reduces the life span of the rabbit and worsen the quality of the offspring. If, with ordinary mating, the rabbit can live at least 4 years before culling, then with compacted it will need to be culled after 2 years.
On rabbits, such dense okrols are also reflected very badly. In order for the rabbit to carry the next brood, the cubs must be deposited at the age of 1 month, when their gastrointestinal tract is still poorly developed. This increases the percentage of rabbit deaths. With normal birth, rabbits are planted at 45 days.
Where to buy and prices for white giants
The Soviet breed "White Giant" is domestic and its cost is not too high. How much a bunny costs often depends on the class of the parents and the greed of the breeder. It is best to search for baby rabbits on specialized sites. However, the chances that they will be deceived precisely when buying a white giant are small. Today, white pannons of Hungarian selection are in vogue. Pannons are expensive, and unscrupulous sellers are more likely to pass off a giant as a pannon than vice versa.
"How to distinguish a white pannon from a white giant?"
Reviews of the owners of white giant rabbits
Conclusion
In relation to foreign breeds, our white giant wins primarily in terms of endurance and ability to survive in the Russian climate. This reduces the cost of building a farm and keeping rabbits.But for growing for meat, which is now the most profitable, this breed is not very suitable, since it has a rather long growth and is significantly inferior to the recently bred broiler rabbits.
