Mary Allen
April is a very exciting month for rabbit breeding. The breeding boxes are very busy. The young animals dare to leave their protective and warming nest for the first time, still a little awkwardly.
There is an additional effort for nest checks, keeping the breeding boxes clean, and checking the young animals for coat quality, teeth, and health. The first removal of the young animals is also time-consuming. Usually fed once a day. As soon as there are females with young animals, they are fed twice a day. The basic diet consists of hay, grains or cubes, and water. There are also fruits, vegetables, and branches to nibble on. The rabbits are slowly getting used to the first green fodder.
Furthermore, the outdoor enclosures are cleaned of autumn leaves and repaired. From the end of April, the breeding females and those young animals that cannot be used for exhibitions will have generous free-range areas. The females that best fit into the breeding concept are then moved back to the indoor stalls in early winter. The remaining animals are used. Local rabbit meat is in great demand again in our latitudes.
Stable tours are particularly popular with fellow breeders in the spring. On this occasion, the first young animals are tattooed by the chairman. In addition, each breeder gives an account of his tips and tricks for successfully mating the females. This information is often very exciting – in hunter circles, one would speak of “hunter’s Latin”. The criteria for obtaining the best cover readiness sometimes have a certain similarity with those of the Muotathal weathermen.
The most important thing about such stable shows, however, is that at the end of the day, exchange and socializing prevail at the round table.