Alternative Animal Agriculture I - Rabbits and Bison

This set covers terminology, production metrics, breeding, and regulatory requirements for rabbit and bison agriculture based on the AnSci 103 lecture notes.

Buck

A male rabbit.

Doe

A female rabbit.

Junior

A rabbit less than $6$ months of age.

Senior

A rabbit greater than $6$ months of age.

Intermediate (6/8)

A rabbit $6$ to $8$ months of age; most common for larger breeds.

Kit

A baby rabbit.

Kindling

The process of a rabbit giving birth.

Fryers

Rabbits processed for meat at a live weight of $3$ to $6\,lb$ at $8$ to $12$ weeks of age.

Angora

A medium breed of rabbit ($9$ to $12\,lb$) used for meat and wool, producing $12$ to $16\,ounces$ of wool per year.

Dutch

A small rabbit breed ($3$ to $6\,lb$) primarily used as lab animals.

Flemish Giants

A large rabbit breed weighing $14$ to $16\,lb$ used for meat.

Induced Ovulator

A reproductive characteristic of rabbits where they ovulate $10$ to $12$ hours after breeding rather than having a spontaneous estrous cycle.

Rabbit Gestation

A period lasting $30$ to $31$ days, with a range of $28$ to $35$ days.

Abdominal Palpation

The method used for pregnancy evaluation in rabbits at $12$ to $14$ days post-breeding.

Hindgut Fermenter

A digestive classification for animals like rabbits that have a single-stomach (monogastric) and ferment forage in the large intestine and cecum.

Cecotropes

A soft cluster of pellets covered with thick mucus that rabbits ingest to recycle protein, water, and vitamins.

Coprophagy

The act of eating fecal matter; rabbits produce a special stool (cecotropes) specifically for this purpose.

Urolithiasis

Calcium-based bladder stones that may be caused in rabbits by feeding high-calcium leafy greens like parsley, kale, or dandelion greens.

Bovidae

The biological family to which Bison belong.

Amenable Species

Livestock species, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and horses, that fall under mandatory USDA FSIS inspection according to the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA).

Non-amenable Species

Species such as bison, deer, elk, and rabbits that are not subject to mandatory USDA FSIS inspection.

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946

Legislation that gave the FSIS authority to perform voluntary inspection services for non-amenable animals.

Triangular USDA Mark

The specific mark of inspection received by exotic species that are inspected and passed under voluntary FSIS inspection.

Bison Breeding Season

Occurs in the Fall, specifically from August to October.

Bison Gestation

A period of $275$ to $285$ days, or approximately $9$ months.

Finishing Ration

A diet for bison in a feedlot consisting of approximately $10\,lb$ alfalfa hay and $7$ to $10\,lb$ corn per day to achieve an Average Daily Gain (ADG) of $2$ to $3\,lb$.