Recommendations on getting started.

[Melwynnd]

Hi everyone,

So the first "critters" I'm planning on adding to my little half-pint homestead are rabbits. I've never raised rabbits for meat before (I did have a pet though), but decided that they would work better for my in town farm than chickens since they don't make noise and butchering can happen in small batches rather than buying 50 chicks and butchering them all at once. Besides, I HATE butchering chickens.... it's the feathers!!

We have a large back deck about 8-14 feet off the ground that I am going to lattice in and use as an eclosure to hang my cages. I have room for 6 6'x24" cages split in the middle and stacked 3 high. I do have a couple of people interested in buying a dressed rabbit now and then, but mostly it's meat for us. We are big meat eaters, but there are only two of us.

I would love to get Silver Foxes or Champaign 'd Argents, but they are so rare in the area I would have a hard time getting replacement stock I think. Still, I don't like the look of REW New Zelands (the pink eyes just creep me out) and would like some color in the pelts. Has anyone done any crosses between NZ Blacks, Whites, or Reds?

Thanks,

Sherry

 

[DarayTala]

I haven't been able to find NZR or NZB around my area, they seem more rare than some heritage breeds around here, but I would imagine they would give you some variety in color. My recommendation though, would be to try crossing NZ rabbits with some other breeds to get nice colorful litters. Also, if you cross two purebreds, you often get hybrid vigor in the first generation and have kits that grow out wonderfully fast. Or, meat mutts are great if you don't care about showing, because you can work towards getting the meatiest rabbits possible with no worry about breed.

I would recommend seeing if you can find Satins, Standard Rexes, or Americans in you area, since Silver Foxes and Champaign 'd Argents seem scarce. They all also make excellent meat breeds, and have a nice variety of colors. I also have a lop/NZW cross who is a nice meaty rabbit and who has kits of all colors (she herself is black), so don't ignore some of the breeds that are less traditional for meat.

Are you planning on using the pelts along with the meat? If so, be aware that its very difficult to tan the pelts of younger rabbits as the skin is too thin. I do leather work myself, and found that to get a halfway decent pelt you need to wait till the rabbit is about five or six months. With younger rabbits though, you can remove the hair from the skin and turn it into felt.

I hope your meat venture goes well, it sounds like you are well into the planning stage and should have a successful set-up in no time!

 

[Melwynnd]

Thanks!!

I see NZR and NZB on Craiglist here fairly often. I have only found mini rexes, but will look more carefully. I don't care about showing. I'm glad to know about the pelts, I think I read something about that in one of the books I checked out, but I'd forgotten it. I do want to be able to use them. I think I'll have enough cages to separate litters for a month or so until they're ready to go. I'll probably pressure can a lot of the meat. We love stew and I'm thinking shredded rabbit enchiladas will be really good. Canned meat is so nice because it's ready to go!

Do you think three does and a buck would be a good start?

Sherry

 

[currycomb]

start with what is available to you. and cheap can be good too, especially if you find someone selling out like we did. can get cages and rabbits for half of what new would be.(we have 12 cages, but mini rex rabbits) we sold ours for 5 and 10 each. feed prices have made it difficult to feed everything, and rabbits are labor intensive.(hubby wanting to go visit his daughter that moved to oklahoma)

 

[DarayTala]

Three does and a buck is what people often recommend for someone just starting out. Personally, I started with two does and two buck, and then later got a third doe when I had space. I liked that set-up because I had a spare buck just in case one was sterile, aggressive, or had some other problem. I also made sure to get a variety of breeds. My starting rabbits were a NZW buck, a NZW doe, a flemish/NZW doe, a lop/NZW doe, and an American Blue buck. So far, I've found the NZ rabbits to be a lot flightier and harder to handle than the American or crosses, even though they were from the same breeder as the crosses and raised the same way. I have heard mixed experiences from others though, and some love purebred NZ rabbits.

Another recommendation would be, get at least one proven doe, and one proven buck, but preferably still under a year if possible. A lot of people (myself included) have some trouble getting rabbits to breed or successfully kindle at first. Having a couple of bunnies that have some idea what they are doing really helps the process along, and they can help teach you what to look for. Also, when buying younger rabbits, a lot of the times you hear and read that they can breed at four to five months. Don't count on that though. I've had one doe in a colony setting decide to lift for the buck at four months, and others who just point blank refused until they were seven or eight months of age. A lot of people often also have does have difficulty with a first litter. I'm not sure how common this is, but I've seen a lot of new mothers be unsure what to do and lose kits. I've also had this happen with an experienced doe though, so you never know. Just prepare for everything, and when figuring out how much meat you need, don't expect anything to go as planned.

 

[brentr]

Thanks!!

I see NZR and NZB on Craiglist here fairly often. I have only found mini rexes, but will look more carefully. I don't care about showing. I'm glad to know about the pelts, I think I read something about that in one of the books I checked out, but I'd forgotten it. I do want to be able to use them. I think I'll have enough cages to separate litters for a month or so until they're ready to go. I'll probably pressure can a lot of the meat. We love stew and I'm thinking shredded rabbit enchiladas will be really good. Canned meat is so nice because it's ready to go!

Do you think three does and a buck would be a good start?

Sherry

I can vouch for the goodness of shredded rabbit enchiladas. They're a regular on the menu in our house. Any way you would use chicken, you can use rabbit.

The number of breeding stock you need to start with is dependent on how intensively you plan your breeding intervals. If you want lots of bunnies but don't want to tax your does too much, you need more stock. If you are okay with pushing your does a little harder you can get the same number of bunnies with fewer breeding does. Be prepared to manage your feeding program closely if you choose to push your does.

I have four does and two bucks. I breed my does in pairs (so i can foster if needed) fall through winter and into spring; I take the summer off because of high heat & humidity. I breed back at 14 days in fall, slide off to 28 days to avoid (hopefully) kindling in the worst part of winter, and close out with 14 day intervals in the spring. My fall litters come ~Labor Day, my last litters are born no later than June 1.

I put 130 lbs of meat in the freezer Aug 2011 - Aug 2012. I get on average a 3 lb. dressed carcass from my rabbits (5.5 lb. live weight at butcher). Usually 12-15 bunnies (two litters) going to the freezer at one time; new litters ready to enter the grow out pen as the older ones head to the freezer.

I learned this the hard way: make sure you have adequate grow out space for your litters! Can't put 5 wk just weaned bunnies in with 10 wk almost ready to butcher bunnies.

I have a Cali and a Silver Fox buck. My does are Cali, NZW, NZr/w, NZW/Giant Chin. For me, my best kits have been from my NZW/Giant Chin doe bred to my Cali buck. I have no detailed data, but they seem to be my fastest growers & more meaty.

I agree with the other responders to explore meat breeds beyond Cali and NZ (even though that is what I have). Get what works for you. The nice thing about backyard meat rabbitries is that if you buy stock from Craiglist, etc., you can rotate breeds in/out without a huge cost. You just eat want you no longer want to breed!

Good luck in your venture.

 

[Melwynnd]

Thanks so much for all the advice!

I designed a Fodder growing system for my little place and that's what I'm planning on feeding primarily along with free choice hay and maybe some foraged stuff (lots of mulberries here and I'm planning on a Jerusalem Artichoke hedge). So my bunnies will get green feed year round.

We have pretty mild winters here, but summer can be brutal, so I may give my bunnies a break from mid June to Mid August. I'm planning on having 12 3'x2' cages, so I should have plenty for grow out pens (I hope).

 

[Citylife]

If you have 12, 3x2 pens you can easily have 6 does and 2 bucks and then the 4 grow out pens or a spot to grow our a rabbit or two you may be thinking of keeping as replacement stock.
I am a bit far away from you but right now I have 9 wk old CA/NZW bucks and one nice nice CA/Florida White doe , she is 8 weeks old. I am in KC.
I also am just getting into the American blues and will be looking forward to adding more to my rabbitry.
I would be carefull how much green stuff you give the adults. You may want to talk to more or look for other threads re: green food for your rabbits. Mine get it sparingly once adulthood.
Good luck in your venture. Its always nice to hear of more people suplimenting thier diets with such good food.

 

[animalmom]

Sherry;

Hey, it is AnimalMom chiming in on rabbits. I second CityLife's comment about feeding green to young rabbits. I don't feed mine any green (leaves, lettuce, celery) until the rabbits are 6 months old. I'm also slow in introducing the young rabbits to fruit. My adult rabbits love a piece of apple or watermelon rinds in the morning. What you are trying to avoid is provoking runny poop in the young rabbits. If you have a bunch of lettuce you can let it air dry to a crunchy state. Young buns love dried lettuce.

I started out with three does and two bucks, all Cali/NZ crosses from two breeders, so I had a lot of genetics to play around with. I culled (yummy) the ones that were just fine, but they didn't measure up to my requirements.

This year I have gone to an all Altex herd, but previously did real well with a Cali/NZ cross. I grow the little beauties and my husband cans them (pressure cooker). Rabbit meat is beyond yummy.

Need nesting boxes? I have three for sale at a good price. By the way, I'm still super interested in your fodder system and am researching where to get barley, oats or wheat. I'll be back to you on that shortly.

Good luck with your buns. Your gardens will thank you for the bunny berries. From the bun to the garden!

 

[Melwynnd]

Hi there,

I suppose it's like with any livestock... there's just a learning curve. I always feel kind of sorry for the first of any kind of critter I get. I've never killed one with ignorance, but the second and third always benefit from the first's sometimes rough introduction. I'm thinking if I'm always feeding the doe Fodder and the babies always have it from the time they first start to nibble food, it shouldn't be a problem. However, I will watch VERY carefully for any signs of illness.

I'm also very excited about the fur! I found a Silver Fox breeder 3 hours away and I think I'm going to go with them. They have such PRETTY fur and it's supposed to be very nice. Fur coats and enchiladas for me!!