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The only breed bred exclusively for the needs of the Soviet fur industry is the “white giant” rabbit. This breed traces its origins to the albino version of the Flemish giant that appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Albinos brought to the young Soviet state in 1927Flanders did not have sufficient endurance for successful reproduction in Russian conditions.
To improve the characteristics of the Flanders albino, it was decided to cross it with its closest, already “Russian” relative, the “gray giant” and the “Soviet chinchilla”. Both mixed breeds of rabbits carry the agouti gene and have a “wild” color.
All these three Soviet breeds of rabbits are very large animals, and in further work with them, backcrossing was also used. In particular, the white giant was infused with the Soviet chinchilla. The white giant was also used in breeding the black-brown rabbit, whose fur imitates the fur of a black-brown fox.
When breeding productive animals, the main criterion is the correspondence of the characteristics of the animals to the goals set. It is possible that when crossing a white giant with a Soviet chinchilla, the breed of the offspring was recorded by the color of the rabbit’s skin.
Requirements for a white giant
Rabbit breed “White Giant” was bred primarily for the fur industry, taking into account the fact that when making products, fur often needs to be dyed. In this case, obtaining meat was in second place, although the breed was classified as meat-skin breeding.
Due to the need to dye the fur, the main requirement for rabbits of the “white giant” breed is impeccable whiteness of the fur. No yellow tint is allowed. Such a pure white skin allows you to sew large fur products and dye them without fear that the shades of the skins will not match.
Description of the breed
General form. A large, powerful, but not massive animal. Pure white skin with dense hair. No shades of white are allowed in wool. A white giant that has at least a milky shade of skin is discarded from breeding. The thick coat, inherited from the Soviet chinchilla, protects the rabbit well from frost and bad weather. The length of the coat should be 4 cm.
Head. The structure of the white giant's head differs from the structure of the heads of his ancestors - the Flemish giants. The white one has a lighter head and has an elongated shape compared to Belgian rabbits.
The photo clearly shows the difference in the structure of the heads of the white and Flemish giants.
On the left is a giant rabbit, on the right is a Flemish giant.
Ears. If Flanders rabbits often have mug-like ears, then Russian giants have more neat ears. Their length is 15 cm. The ears are narrower at the base than in the middle, the tips are rounded. Ears should be erect.
Frame. All skin breeds of rabbits have a long body, since in this case the skin is larger. The white giant is no exception here. It belongs to the leptosomal type, that is, it has an elongated body with short legs.
The rabbit's chest is deep, but not wide, with a developed dewlap in rabbits. The breed standard requires a chest girth of at least 37 cm. The back is straight and wide. The croup is rounded. The body length of a giant cannot be less than 60 cm.
Paws. Strong, powerful, with a wide set.
These rabbits are often kept either on wooden slats or in enclosures.
Breed weight requirements
The weight of a rabbit of this breed, along with the quality of the skin, is one of the main requirements. When grading by weight, all rabbits are divided into three classes: elite, first and second.
The weight of rabbits at the age of 10 months and after a year is recorded. By ten months, the elite should weigh 5.6 kg, the first class - 5.1 kg and the second class - 4.6 kg. After a year, the weight of the rabbits is respectively 5.8; 5.3; 4.8 kg.
With a strict approach to the evaluation of a rabbit, such a manufacturer as in the video should not be allowed for breeding. He has too little weight even for class II, short ears and a short body, although for a female rabbit this would be a very good rating. But where can we find decent producers after the collapse of rabbit farming? Yes, and today no one orders rabbit breeders.
Evaluation of the White Giant rabbit
Breed defects
Animals with signs of rickets are not allowed for breeding: a humpbacked or drooping back, or splayed front paws. Clubfoot on the front legs and an x-shaped stance on the hind legs are also unacceptable.
A narrow chest indicates a too weak constitution. Such rabbits are found in this breed and are subject to strict culling.
An overly developed dewlap is also a defect, since it is evidence of a damp constitution and phlegmatic nature, which is unacceptable in breeding rabbits.
Features of keeping and feeding white giants
At one time, selection was aimed at breeding an animal resistant to Russian frosts. White giants are indeed quite capable of walking outside in winter, which is what the owners of these rabbits brag about in the photograph, having also introduced a black-brown one to them.
But even a frost-resistant animal requires more high-calorie food in winter and in larger quantities than in summer. Provided that the rabbits are kept outside. In winter, animals are given free access to highly nutritious hay, such as alfalfa or timothy.
But in winter, the energy of the alfalfa will not go into fat, but into warming the rabbit’s body. In addition to alfalfa, they also provide concentrates and succulent feed. In winter it can be carrots, kale, high-quality silage, or beets.
In summer, rabbits are given dried grass and concentrates. In the case of complete replacement of hay with grass, it must be taken into account that grass is required 3 - 4 times more by weight than hay.You should not give wet grass, which is likely to ferment in the intestines leading to bloating.
Contents in a cage
Keeping these animals in a cage is undesirable due to their heavy weight and paws that are poorly adapted to mesh floors. In addition, the breed requires a cage 1.5 times larger than the standard one. If plywood is placed on the floor of the cage or the floor is made of flat slats, then the white giant will be quite comfortable in such a dwelling.
In winter, animals must be provided with heated drinking bowls and queen cells. If there is a warm queen cell, the rabbit will calmly give birth even at -20°C. At lower temperatures, it is better to move the cells to a warm room.
Breeding white giants
Rabbits become capable of reproduction at the age of 4 months, but they can be bred no earlier than 8–9 months, since this breed, like all other giant rabbits, is late-ripening, and the female rabbit will be fully formed no earlier than 8 months. If mating is earlier, the female rabbit may die during the birth along with the babies.
The female rabbit brings 7 - 9 little rabbits at a time. The maximum number of rabbits in a litter is 12. Being multiple mothers, female rabbits of this breed have high milk production. But it happens that for some reason the nursing rabbit has little milk and the rabbits remain hungry. In this case, some of the baby rabbits are placed on another rabbit who has few babies.
Matings can be carried out compacted or regular.In normal mating, the rabbit is allowed to approach the uterus a month after birth. When compacted 2 - 3 days after birth. But you need to know that compact matings greatly shorten the life of the rabbit and worsen the quality of the offspring. If in normal matings a female rabbit can live for at least 4 years before culling, then in compact matings she will need to be culled after 2 years.
Such dense litters also have a very bad effect on baby rabbits. In order for the female rabbit to carry the next litter, the baby rabbits must be laid out at the age of 1 month, when their gastrointestinal tract is still poorly developed. This increases the mortality rate of rabbits. With normal births, rabbits are separated at 45 days.
Where to buy and prices for white giants
The Soviet breed “white giant” is domestic and its cost is not too high. How much a baby rabbit costs often depends on the class of the parents and the greed of the breeder. It is best to look for baby rabbits on specialized sites. However, the chances that you will be deceived when buying a white giant are small. Today, white pannons of the Hungarian selection are becoming fashionable. Pannons are expensive, and unscrupulous sellers are more likely to pass off a giant as a pannon than vice versa.
“How can you tell a white pannon from a white giant?”
Reviews from owners of white giant rabbits
Conclusion
Compared to foreign breeds, our white giant wins primarily in terms of endurance and ability to survive in the Russian climate. This reduces the cost of building a farm and keeping rabbits. But for raising for meat, which is now the most profitable, this breed is not very suitable, since it has a rather long growth period and is significantly inferior to recently bred broiler breeds of rabbits.
