Looking to start a rabbit colony for first time

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I'm looking to start a rabbit colony and breed them for meat and possibly for sale as pets or breeders if I get to a quality standard.

I would prefer to keep the rabbits in a colony. Is a buck and two does sufficient for a colony? Would the buck over breed he does if there's just two, and at times just one if a doe is quarantined for nursing?

Are certain rabbits better for the colony lifestyle than others?

We have two young children. I need a breed that is not agressive in nature (understanding there's always outliers). Any thoughts on friendly breeds?

I'm leaning towards Flemish Giants as they would be fun pets and worth something at sale while still providing meat.
 

Bunnylady

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2 does + 1 buck in 1 cage/enclosure = 2 litters in 30-35 days, assuming everyone is fertile. And if you don't remove the buck before those litters are born, odds are, you'll have 2 more litters 31 days after the first ones arrive. :hide

That's the voice of experience, many, many times over.:thIn fact, I have two litters right now that were born about 30 hours apart from just that scenario - sans the back-to-back breeding, but I've had that happen, too, when I didn't keep track of dates. People who are serious about colony breeding usually keep compatible does together and only put the buck in when they want litters, and then remove him after a week or so. Older, overbred, less fertile does may not breed right away; they may seem not to be capable of conceiving at all, and then surprise you - I've had several "retiree colonies" that gave me litters I never expected, even months after being put together.

But like I said, if the animals are all young and fertile, however many does you put into the colony will most likely get bred right away. Of course, if you have a very dominant, "alpha"-type female, she may mount the other doe(s), causing them to experience false pregnancies and later refuse the buck when he tries.:rolleyes:

Anyone who believes in the saying "breed like rabbits" has probably never tried it; it's often not as simple as it seems.;)
 

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2 does + 1 buck in 1 cage/enclosure = 2 litters in 30-35 days, assuming everyone is fertile. And if you don't remove the buck before those litters are born, odds are, you'll have 2 more litters 31 days after the first ones arrive. :hide

That's the voice of experience, many, many times over.:thIn fact, I have two litters right now that were born about 30 hours apart from just that scenario - sans the back-to-back breeding, but I've had that happen, too, when I didn't keep track of dates. People who are serious about colony breeding usually keep compatible does together and only put the buck in when they want litters, and then remove him after a week or so. Older, overbred, less fertile does may not breed right away; they may seem not to be capable of conceiving at all, and then surprise you - I've had several "retiree colonies" that gave me litters I never expected, even months after being put together.

But like I said, if the animals are all young and fertile, however many does you put into the colony will most likely get bred right away. Of course, if you have a very dominant, "alpha"-type female, she may mount the other doe(s), causing them to experience false pregnancies and later refuse the buck when he tries.:rolleyes:

Anyone who believes in the saying "breed like rabbits" has probably never tried it; it's often not as simple as it seems.;)
Is such breeding overly aggressive on the does?
I could separate the buck if necessary and introduce him when breeding is desired only like you said. I do like the idea of getting litters frequently though as it would provide a steady meat supply.

Another question, how old do are does and bucks on average when they each stop or slow down breeding? I'm wondering how frequently I'll need to replace my breeding stock.
 

Bunnylady

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That sort of pace is rough on the does, yes. Even commercial meat producers don't push them that hard. Some does manage to keep good weight while nursing, while others lose condition and need a chance to build up their reserves before being bred again. A basic pelleted feed may be enough for does that are only bred a couple of times per year, while those in serious production will probably need some supplementation to keep them in good shape.

A doe's most fertile time is between the time when she becomes mature (6 months in smaller animals, 8 months or so in giant breeds) and about 2 years of age. Sometime between 2 and 3 years old, most does' numbers begin to drop, and they become essentially sterile by 4 years old (if they even live that long). Cancers of the reproductive system are very common in rabbit does, and are thought to be responsible for this. This isn't always true; some breeds and some bloodlines seem less prone to this (I have had the odd doe that was still having decent litters at 5 or 6 years of age).

A buck's usefulness usually lasts longer, to age 5 or more. It's quite possible for a buck to lose his fertility or ability to perform, which is why commercial breeders keep production records on the bucks as well as the does. Frequently, bucks wind up "shooting blanks" during hot summer weather, but since heat stress is significantly more likely to kill a pregnant doe (you can lose any rabbit to heat stroke, but being pregnant or nursing puts a doe at higher risk), a lot of people don't try to breed during the summer anyway.
 

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That sort of pace is rough on the does, yes. Even commercial meat producers don't push them that hard. Some does manage to keep good weight while nursing, while others lose condition and need a chance to build up their reserves before being bred again. A basic pelleted feed may be enough for does that are only bred a couple of times per year, while those in serious production will probably need some supplementation to keep them in good shape.

A doe's most fertile time is between the time when she becomes mature (6 months in smaller animals, 8 months or so in giant breeds) and about 2 years of age. Sometime between 2 and 3 years old, most does' numbers begin to drop, and they become essentially sterile by 4 years old (if they even live that long). Cancers of the reproductive system are very common in rabbit does, and are thought to be responsible for this. This isn't always true; some breeds and some bloodlines seem less prone to this (I have had the odd doe that was still having decent litters at 5 or 6 years of age).

A buck's usefulness usually lasts longer, to age 5 or more. It's quite possible for a buck to lose his fertility or ability to perform, which is why commercial breeders keep production records on the bucks as well as the does. Frequently, bucks wind up "shooting blanks" during hot summer weather, but since heat stress is significantly more likely to kill a pregnant doe (you can lose any rabbit to heat stroke, but being pregnant or nursing puts a doe at higher risk), a lot of people don't try to breed during the summer anyway.
Great info. Thanks!
I think I could do just 2 or 3 litters a year per doe with 2 does and be fine. That would give me 4-6 litters total per year, which should equate to quite of bit of meat.
Replace the breeder does every 2 years and buck every 4 would be doable. I imagine I would raise the best does or bucks and then bring in the opposite sex for new genetics since I wouldn't want to inbreed.
 

Nao57

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So how is this turning out for you? And saludos to the good people of Illinois.

I am interested in a colony style management also. I saw some articles that people in New Zealand and some other places prefer to do colonies over hutches. (But I don't know if its better or worse, but some people do prefer this method.)

If you do a colony style management with rabbits, with them all together, do you have to worry about them trying to dig out of the pen? (Some people said this was a problem if you did them in solo grass tractors without bottoms on the ground. But maybe this is because they wanted to be with 'the colony'? With ducks they will try to escape all the time being solo to rejoin the herd. And I get that ducks aren't the same but maybe this applies because herd mentality is also there.)
 

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