Management of lactating female rabbits
1. Feeding goals of lactating female rabbits
The milk output of high-quality, high-yielding female rabbits can reach 7kg during the lactation period. The milk production reaches the peak 18-21 days after the female rabbits complete delivery and then declines rapidly. Before the rise of lactation, the daily milk production of female rabbits is about 280g. The milk production of female rabbits 21 days after giving birth usually accounts for more than 55% of the total milk production during the lactation period and then gradually decreases until the milk secretion stops. In short, to ensure the high survival rate and rapid growth and development of the young rabbits, it is necessary to ensure that the mother rabbits, during lactation, produce more high-quality milk.
2. What should a lactating female rabbit eat
Lactating female rabbits should be mainly fed green and juicy feed; good beans and Forage grass should account for more than 1/3 of the female rabbit’s meal. In addition, the selection of concentrates should be based on soybean cake, peanut cake, bran, etc. In addition, animal feeds such as fish meals can be added, and crude protein should account for 17% of the dietary ratio.
In summer, the lactating female rabbits can be fed 1000-1400g of grass and wild vegetables and 50-90g of concentrated feed.
The daily feed in winter can be 150-250g of high-quality green hay, 250-500g of carrot or beet, and 75-105g of concentrated feed. In addition, a little salt can be added to the concentrate of female nursing rabbits. 1-2g per meal. Then, according to the lactation of the female rabbit, the feeding amount can be gradually increased, and the mixed concentrate feeding can be gradually increased ten days after the female rabbit gives birth.
However, it should be noted that the feed of the lactating female rabbit cannot be replaced. Otherwise, the milk production will be significantly reduced, and it will take at least 5 to 7 days to restore its average milk production. In this case, It will seriously affect the growth and development of the young rabbits and even make them suffer from digestive system diseases.
3. Drinking water requirements of lactating female rabbits
While meeting the nutritional needs of lactating female rabbits, ensure an adequate drinking water supply, and the temperature of the rabbit’s drinking water should be appropriate.
4. Daily management of lactating female rabbits
The owner needs to observe the lactation of the female rabbit frequently to ensure that the young rabbits drink enough milk. Under normal circumstances, female rabbits with strong motherhood and good lactation will breastfeed at the same time as giving birth. When the female rabbit is finished giving birth, almost all the young rabbits are whole and fall asleep. And after giving birth, they will quickly jump out of the farrowing box to drink water and graze but return to the farrowing box to feed after 1-2 hours.
And some female rabbits with poor motherhood and low lactation ability, especially those who give birth for the first time, may not breastfeed the young rabbits until 3-5 hours later, and some female rabbits may even abandon their offspring. No matter, in this case, the owner must take corresponding countermeasures. In addition to feeding some green feed, you can supplement it with soy juice, soybean soaked in warm water, and other foods to promote lactation.
5. Precautions for the feeding and management of female rabbits
Some female rabbits produce large amounts of milk, The milk is thick, and the young rabbits will stay in the breast if they can’t eat so much. The breasts are easily stimulated by foreign objects such as iron wires and nail tips in the cage to cause infection, and even cause mastitis, and cause the young rabbits to drink this milk. Yellow diabetes died, so the owner must prevent mastitis in lactating female rabbits. According to the weight of the female rabbit, sulfathiazole (0.3-0.5g) and one tablet of soda can be fed each time, two times a day, and fed continuously for three days.
The above is our summary of the correct diet for lactating female rabbits. If there is any omission, I hope you can point it out and add it later. Correct!
