How to improve the conception rate of female rabbits

The conception rate of female rabbits is directly related to the production level and economic benefits of the rabbit farm. In order to improve the conception rate of female rabbits, the following work must be done:

1. Strengthen seed selection. To choose healthy and disease-free, libido, but not too fat or too thin female rabbits for breeding, all ovarian cysts, uterine hypoplasia or other reproductive tract diseases must be eliminated in time. It is best to choose from the 3-5 fetus of excellent female rabbits, and the nipples should be more than 4 pairs. Female rabbits with low litter size, low conception rate, poor motherhood and poor lactation performance can not be used for mating and reproduction.

two。 Choose the right season to breed. Although rabbits can reproduce all the year round, spring and autumn are the best, when the temperature is suitable, the rabbits have a strong appetite, active reproductive function and high conception rate.

3. Breeding at the right time. Should pay attention to observe the female rabbit estrus performance: excited and restless, jump in the cage, foot stamping, loss of appetite, frequently raise the tail to climb across other rabbits, and take the initiative to approach the male rabbit, vulva swelling, moist, dark red, the most suitable for breeding at this time. The female rabbit can be put into the male rabbit cage to mate, lift the female rabbit buttocks in time after mating, and tap twice with the hand to promote vaginal and uterine contraction to prevent semen outflow.

4. Repeat breeding. Under normal circumstances, as long as the female rabbit is in normal estrus, the male rabbit semen is of good quality and can be conceived after one mating. However, in order to ensure the pregnancy of female rabbits and prevent false pregnancy, the same male rabbit can be mated again 6-8 hours after the first mating. The purpose of the first mating is to stimulate the ovulation of female rabbits, and the purpose of the second mating is to formally conceive. The experiment shows that the conception rate of repeated breeding can reach 95%-100%, and the litter size is 6-8 per fetus.

5. Double breeding. A female rabbit mated continuously with two male rabbits of different consanguinity, with an interval of no more than 20-30 minutes. The aim is to use the sperm of different male rabbits to compete with each other in order to increase the selectivity of eggs.

6. Multiply frequently. Frequent breeding is also known as "blood matching". In general, most rabbit farms are weaned at the age of 40-45 days, and then breed again, so they can only reproduce 3-4 births a year, and the breeding speed is very slow. By using the method of frequent reproduction, female rabbits can breed and conceive, lactation and pregnancy at the same time during the lactation period, so they can reproduce 8 to 10 babies a year. After blood mating of female rabbits, because lactation and pregnancy are carried out at the same time, there is a large demand for nutrients, and the quantity and quality of feed must meet the needs of female rabbits themselves, lactation and fetal growth and development.

7. Increase the light. Although rabbits are not strict with light, lack of light will significantly affect the reproductive performance. According to the experiment, under the environmental conditions of 20 ℃ ~ 24 ℃ and sunny, adding 1 watt of light per square meter for 2 hours, although the female rabbit has a certain fecundity, the conception rate is very low, and the conception rate of one mating is only about 30%. If the light is increased by 5 watts per square meter and the light time is extended to 12 hours, the conception rate of one-time mating can reach about 50%. Under the same light intensity, if irradiated continuously for 16 hours, the conception rate of female rabbits can reach 65%-70%, and the survival rate of young rabbits can also be significantly improved. Therefore, increasing light intensity and time can significantly improve the conception rate of female rabbits and the survival rate of young rabbits.

Chang Fujun, Changzhuang Livestock and Poultry Institute, Qingxu County, Shanxi Province