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One more rabbit breed with a mysterious origin.
Either the breed comes from the Patagonian giant rabbits, which were either brought to Europe in the 17th century, or they became extinct there long ago. That is the product of crossing the Patagonian rabbits with European large Flemish (and where did the large Flemish ones come from?) Rabbits, that is, with the European species of rabbit.
All these theories side-up the problem of interspecies crossing, in which the offspring of the South American, if such really existed, and the European rabbits would be sterile. And, of course, no one pays attention to one small discrepancy: the division of the continents happened long enough for the South and North American continents to develop their own species of animals, and the Eurasian fauna, which crossed to the North American continent via the Bering Bridge, simply did not have time to penetrate the South American continent. Therefore, it is easier not to multiply entities, but to use Occam's razor and admit that artificial selection works wonders if you clearly know what you are trying to achieve.
Everything in the picture is good. Rabbit. Giant. Already extinct. The trouble is that he lived in Menorca, not on the American continent. Although weighed those same 12 - 26 kg.
Presumably, as a breed, the Flanders rabbit took shape in Flanders, which is today part of Belgium. But on the question of where the ancestors of the Belgian giant came from in Flanders, a lot of copies were broken. However, if you remember that the first rabbits of the Flanders breed were rather small animals, weighing less than 5 kg, most likely there is no secret.
The flanders rabbits, apparently, were bred by simple selection for the tribe of the largest individuals.
After the spread of the Flanders rabbit across Europe, local offspring of this breed appeared quite logically in different countries. Somewhere flanders was crossed with local breeds of rabbits, somewhere just a selection was carried out according to the desired characteristics.
Almost all breeds of rabbits with the word "giant" or "giant" in their name are descendants of the Flanders rabbit or the Belgian giant. German, English, white, gray giants - all descend from the Flanders rabbit. True, if the English and German giants were simply adapted to the climate of their countries, then the blood of other breeds was poured into the gray and white giants in order to increase their endurance and resistance to the Russian climate. The French descendants of the Belgian Flanders, as a result of the infusion of other blood, generally turned out to be lop-eared, having received the name of the French ram.
But usually all offspring of Flanders have erect ears, although they often look like burdocks.
Belgian giant standard
A description of the flanders rabbit usually begins with a general impression. And the general impression of this rabbit is a large, powerful, clumsy animal with powerful paws and a wide chest.
Minimum weight of flanders 5 kg. Breeders strive to increase the live weight of the rabbit and today the average weight of animals of the Flanders breed is 6 - 7 kg. The record weight of flanders is up to 12 kg.
Moreover, the network often comes across photos in which just giants are captured. The network contains information about the Belgian rabbit Ralph, entered in the Guinness Book of Records and weighing 22 kg according to some sources, 25 kg on others, 28 on the third. However, not only weight, but also nicknames differ.According to other sources, the huge Belgian is called Darius.
You need to start with the fact that only one rabbit is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. And it's downy. I got into the Book for wool length 36.5 cm.
Here is Darius. It looks like not only large, but also able to levitate, since the second hand of the lady rabbit clearly does not support. The first is a little too big for a woman, but what does not happen in the world.
But in the photo from the Chihuahua, you can already see the original dimensions of the rabbit Darius.
The second largest flanders rabbit in the world is Ralph.
If the photograph of Flandre was genuine, the girl would have to be entered into the Guinness Book of Records for her exorbitantly large hands.
So you don't need to flatter yourself and hope to grow a giant weighing over 20 kg. If you are lucky, individual specimens will gain 12 kg after fattening and before slaughter.
Therefore, we return to the standard weight, appearance and statues of the breed of the Belgian giants.
The normal size of the Flanders giant is "stretched out" to better see the length of the body.
As a result: Belgian flanders do not grow larger than 10-12 kg, if this is not a rare genetic disorder.
The Belgian giant has a large, broad head with well-defined cheeks. Incidentally, this is often the distinguishing feature of breeds originating from Flanders. Especially those who were bred by selection according to the necessary characteristics, without the infusion of blood from other breeds. Flanders ears are narrower at the base and widening towards the middle. As a result, the shape of the ears resembles a primitive spoon.
Flanders' body must be at least 65 cm long with a chest girth of at least 42 cm. The back is flat, equal in width from the withers to the rump. The legs, supporting the massive body, are powerful, widely spaced, the thighs are well muscled.
The disadvantages of this breed include improper paws, chest girth less than 35 cm, body length less than 65 cm.
The Flanders breed has 10 standard colors: silver, agouti, blue, gray, black, dark gray, white, fawn, opal, sand. Any other color is a fault.
Features of the maintenance and breeding of the Flanders breed
The keeping of rabbits of the Belgian Flemish breed has certain restrictions related to the size of the animals.
Flanders cage
Since the Flanders rabbit is a very large animal, to live it needs a cage measuring 1.0x1.1 m. The height of the cage should also be 0.5 m, instead of the standard 0.4 for common breeds of rabbits. The ideal option would be to keep any breed of giants on the floor in a mini-aviary, where they will not have height restrictions. But such mini-aviaries take up a lot of space. This method is suitable for professional keeping of breeding animals or amateurs who breed large breeds in the country.
The herd to be slaughtered is usually kept in sheds to save space.
When kept in a cage, experienced rabbit breeders take a galvanized sheet of iron, make holes in it, fold one long side at an angle of 90 degrees and put it on top of the grate. On the back of the cage, a portion of the net is usually removed so that the homemade inner tray can be removed from the cage and cleaned of droppings without removing the rabbit. The urine will drain through the hay and holes by itself.
The folded up part of the pallet closes the gap cut in the mesh.
Hay is used as bedding in the cages.
There is no need to make pallets in aviaries, but it is more convenient to make a two-component bedding, since in an aviary, unlike a cage, there is nowhere for urine to drain. Therefore, sawdust is laid down in the aviary, which will absorb moisture. A thick layer of hay is placed on top.
After each cleaning of the aviary, it must be disinfected.For the convenience of cleaning and disinfection, rabbits are placed in other cages for this time.
Ideally, the aviaries should first be scorched with a blowtorch, burning out the "megafauna", and then sprayed with a disinfectant solution until the surfaces are wet in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms.
Feeding the Flanders rabbits
Although here, flanders do not have any special differences from ordinary breeds, except that they need more feed than usual. Professionals prefer not to be zealous with juicy and moist food, not wanting to get problems with rabbit intestines. Hobbyists often save on feed, adding kitchen waste and tops from the garden to the flanders ration.
When eating juicy food, Flanders will not present you with any special surprises, except for the already familiar diarrhea or bloating. And with the skillful giving of this type of feed, it is possible that there will be no usual problems either.
The specifics of breeding the Belgian breed
Breeding rabbits of the Flanders breed is also not very different from breeding ordinary rabbits. Technically speaking. The female also needs a mother house, and she, like an ordinary rabbit, builds a nest there.
Flanders are late maturing. If ordinary rabbits are allowed to mate at 5-6 months, then flanders can happen no earlier than 8 months. At the same time, puberty begins at 4 months. But an early birth will result in weak cubs that will most likely not survive. And the time for keeping the female and feeding the non-viable litter will be lost.
If one rabbit needs 1 m², then a rabbit with a brood already needs 2 m².
Bunny Flandra brings 6 - 10 rabbits in a litter. Rabbits grow quickly. Already by 4 months they reach a slaughter weight of 3.5 - 4 kg.
This explains the loss of time during early birth.
Buying a Flanders bunny
The purchase of a Flandre rabbit should be made no earlier than the rabbit turns 3 - 4 months old. It is better to buy a rabbit in a nursery or on a farm.
How to choose a rabbit
From animals of any kind, the first litters are usually unsuccessful. You don't have to expect high-quality offspring from old animals either. Therefore, it is better to take young rabbits from a middle-aged rabbit. Only a farm or nursery can provide such a choice of rabbits of different ages.
When choosing a rabbit, a buyer taking an animal for breeding will have to puzzle over how to combine two incompatible factors.
For breeding meat animals, it is beneficial if the rabbit brings the maximum number of rabbits in the litter. This factor is inherited through the maternal line. But with a large litter, each individual rabbit gets less milk than its counterparts from small litters. And this means that the quality of a rabbit from numerous offspring will be lower.
To keep a rabbit of the Flanders breed, it is better to take a rabbit from a small litter as an ornamental animal.
In addition to the number of rabbits in the litter, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the animal. A healthy rabbit of any breed has shiny eyes, a clean nose, and a coat that is pleasant to the eye and to the touch.
If there is sticky hair on the paws, and in whites it is also brown, discard this particular bunny. This coat appears if the rabbit has nasal or eye discharge. Trying to clear the nose and eyes, the rabbit rubs them with its paws.
Discharge can be symptoms of rhinitis or myxomatosis.
Although a rabbit of the Flanders breed is a calm animal, the "rag" should not hang in the hands either. Such lethargy indicates illness.
Conclusion
When buying a Belgian rabbit, keep in mind that all giant breed rabbits are already beginning to lose their importance as meat animals, since the slaughter yield of meat from the carcass of the Flemish rabbit is only 50%, while the Californian rabbit gives 80%. The dignity of giant breeds is in the size of their skins. But the quality of the skins of animals of the Flanders breed is also often inferior to other breeds of rabbits.
