Keeping rabbits at home is beneficial not only because they have valuable fur, fat and tasty meat. They are also distinguished by their peaceful character and unpretentiousness. That is why rabbits are increasingly bred on an industrial scale. There are more than 100 breeds in the world, but the most valuable are naturally black-brown individuals.

Features of breeds of rabbits with a dark color

Due to the color of the coat, black thoroughbred rabbits are very popular - smooth and shiny fur in the sun, dense fluff of the same color. They appreciate the uniformity of color, especially if it is brown or dark chocolate. Fur coats, hats are sewn from fur, they make a trim. The breed is also beneficial because such rabbits ripen faster than brethren with light wool.

Varieties of black rocks

Rabbit butterfly

In total, you can count about seven hundred varieties of rabbits. But in our climatic conditions, only about twenty breeds are bred.

Experts pose new challenges in rabbit breeding. They achieve their goals by improving meat productivity, achieve better quality fur, develop resistance to various ailments.

Black Rabbit

Each breed is conventionally referred to a specific species:

  • meat;
  • fur;
  • fur.

A black decorative rabbit stands a little apart.

The quality and length of the fur of the animal is also taken into account. They are subdivided into long-haired and short-haired.

Breeds of rabbits with a dark color, their characteristics

Rex rabbit

It is worth mentioning that a pure dark brown or black color is rare in life. In addition, there are about 20 such breeds. So, consider several breeds of dark rabbits:

  • Vienna black;
  • Black fiery;
  • Black-brown.

Vienna black

The variety was bred about 100 years ago by crossing Alaska and a blue rabbit. It is attractive not only because of the color, but also because of the nutritional value and taste of the meat. Outwardly, the breed rabbit is wide in the tail and front parts of the body: the strength of the chest, neck, large skull, rounded ears 12 cm long are direct evidence of this. The density of the hair on the ears adorns the beast.

Vienna Black Rabbit

Smooth back, slightly rounded at the back, has a smooth curve. Front and hind legs are parallel to each other, the first are rather short. The Viennese black rabbit also has a small tail that fits tightly to the body. The main cover is made up of long guard hairs - the main feature of such smooth and thick fur.

Attention! The skin of the Viennese black is considered the standard and is the pride of selection, its color can be compared with the color of a crow's wing.

The weight of one individual is approximately 5 kg. The main food for this breed is considered to be plant products saturated with moisture and vitamins. To ensure productivity, a complete combination feed with a large amount of nutrients is also added to the food.

Black fiery

Fire black rabbits were bred by English breeders back in 1880. At the very beginning of their existence, the individuals were extremely aggressive, because in order to get this precious species, they had to cross a hare and a wild rabbit. The situation was corrected over time, and their specificity was gone: everything turned out thanks to the crossing of an individual with the appearance of a Belgian giant.

Together with a more modest disposition, very large sizes also came, although on average an individual weighs 2.7-3.5 kg.The massive body has an even back, a deep, narrow chest, erect strong legs, a small skull and straight ears.

Important! It is still not possible to forget about the origin of the breed. The black fire rabbit is an excellent jumper and lover to start out of the cage, for which he always uses even the smallest chance.

And yet it is difficult not to get pleasant impressions from the appearance of the rabbit: its black-fiery color is similar to the color of a silver fox. Natural rabbit skins are not even dyed during production. Whitish and light spots are a marriage. Breeders allow only the color of the guard hairs of a red hue. The outside of the paw is a deep black color, shiny in the sun. The upper body and the covering of the skull are of the same color - both in the back and in the area of ​​the facial region. The fiery red rabbit becomes at the bottom of the abdomen and on the inner side of the paws.

Black fiery

As a rule, this type of rabbits are kept in cheap rooms built from scrap material. The only important thing is how comfortable it will be for timely service and hygiene. Young animals are usually placed along the walls, leaving a small gap; more mature representatives of the species are placed in the middle.

It is not difficult to feed such a breed - black-fire rabbits eat the same food as others.

Important! It is necessary to observe the diet for rabbits who have just given birth to offspring. The need for food at such a time becomes stronger at times, because you need not only to get enough yourself, but also to give milk for young rabbits.

The daily norm of milk under normal conditions is about 180 g, while the rabbit will consume 2-4 times more feed than usual. Immediately after okrol occurs, the young mother is fed in the summer with various herbs, such as alfalfa, clover and even oat mixture. In winter, it is recommended to give good silage, root crops, hay, beans and herbs. It is recommended to increase the proportion of concentrate by 80%.

Black-brown

This breed was bred in Tatarstan on the site of the then Biryulinsky fur farm. The work was personally supervised by professor and honorary laureate of the State Prize Fedor Nikitin. The process of breeding began in the war year 1942, using the method of the most complex reproductive crossing of several different species of hare at once.

In order to get a black-brown individual, they crossed the White Giant, Flandre and the Vienna Blue Rabbit. This breed was not recognized for a long time as a stand-alone breed, until 1948. There are several features that scientists wanted to achieve when breeding: easy adaptation to the harsh Russian climate, excellent meat quality, fast-growing carcasses and high milk production, the ability to quickly adapt to various kinds of feeds growing in the middle zone of the country.

Black-brown rabbit

Outwardly, the black-brown rabbit has individual features:

  • uneven fur color;
  • the density of the hairline of a pure brown color.

If we talk about the density of the coat, then an individual of this species occupies one of the first positions in comparison with other existing breeds. The color of the guide hairs is mostly dark with a shiny sheen; the base of the hairs is several shades lighter, has an indistinct silvery-gray tint. The irregular color of the guard hairs on the sides of the rabbit is yellowish brown.

An adult black rabbit of this breed is quite large and weighs about 5-7 kg, females weigh a little less than males - the scales will not cross the 5 kg line. The body of a rabbit is about 60-70 cm, the circumference of the sternum ranges from 34 to 39 cm.This is a species with a strong and taut body, a large head and rather long ears up to 19 cm.

Interesting! Black-brown rabbits are one of the most caring breeds, they are good parents.

At one time, the rabbit can bring offspring of 7-9 individuals. The body of a female black-brown rabbit is capable of producing a lot of milk per day and thereby perfectly providing offspring.Born rabbits of this species weigh about 100 grams. At 3 months, if, of course, they were well fed and kept in favorable conditions, these rabbits will already weigh 2.5 kg. Eight-month-old individuals begin to form the usual black-brown color.

The black-brown rabbit is unpretentious in care and tolerates extremely severe climatic jumps, easily adapts to any bad weather and temperature.

Worth knowing: in order to contain the black-brown look, you need space in the cages, the width should not hinder movement, as it happens in standard cages.

Five-kilogram rabbits are too large, they will not be comfortable, as a result, reproduction will stop. By the way, inside the cells, you can additionally build shelves in the side parts.

The breeder should also take into account the fullness of the feeders and the availability of drinking water, and keep it clean. This breed is extremely clean and requires the same from its habitat. Therefore, the cage must be cleaned at least 2 times a week. So you can not be afraid that the animals will get sick, and you will have to invest money and effort in their treatment.

Feeding

The taste of meat and the appearance of the fur of black-brown rabbits is directly proportional to the quality of the feed that the individuals consume. The summer period is always distinguished by the presence of freshly cut grasses, fodder cabbage grown on the site, carrot and radish tops, and sunflower leaves. Black-brown rabbits prefer:

  • young branches of white acacia;
  • love pine;
  • linden;
  • aspen.

Among other things, the diet should contain herbs such as:

  • chicory;
  • dill;
  • yarrow.

Despite the abundance of plant vitamins, you need to add a complex of vitamins purchased in specialized stores to the feed.

Care and feeding methods

California rabbit

You can buy a domestic rabbit from the age of 1 month. A suitable cage is immediately bought with him. Keeping an adult implies a plastic pallet of about 0.6 m in length in a new dwelling. The lattice bottom in the cage is not suitable for the animal to live in, because its legs are not initially adapted for thin twigs.

Important! You cannot place a cage with an animal near batteries or, conversely, in a cool place, in drafts. The bottom of the cage is covered with straw or sawdust.

Care rules:

  1. The black rabbit requires hay, compound feed and rolled oats at its disposal. It is recommended to give them a mixture of feed, it is sold in pet stores. A new type of feed must be carefully considered and gradually added to the diet. However, nothing can replace hay.
  2. The water should be clean, but regular tap water, subject to cleaning, filtration, or simply settled, is also suitable. Boiled water will not provide the animal with the required amount of oxygen, calcium and minerals. Bottled mineral, on the contrary, will be overly saturated, which can cause kidney disease in the rabbit.

Knowing how to care for black breeds of rabbits, you can raise good offspring for further breeding of peace-loving animals.