Setting up my first rabbitry. Hi! Couple questions.

[Tre3hugger]

Hi everyone. I am in the process of setting up a small meat rabbit system and figured I would introduce myself. I'm Bryan. My partner and I have a 5 acre homestead in western Massachusetts. I currently keep chickens for eggs and meat, guinea fowl for tick control, and will be starting with rabbits and quail this spring.
My goals for rabbits are reliable meat and fertilizer for the garden. I would like to have a buck and 1 or 2 does that I alternately or concurrently breed giving me a harvest of 1 litter (about 6) rabbits to harvest per month. The cages ( https://www.kwcages.com/cages/modular-wire-cages/72-x-30-x-18-2x-modular-wire-rabbit-cage.html for the buck/grow out, https://www.kwcages.com/cages/modular-wire-cages/96-x-30-x-18-2x-babysaver-modular-rabbit-cage.html for the does) will be mounted to the walls of the chicken barn. Plastic roofing panels at a slant underneath the cages will direct droppings to a collection bin in the corner. This is the water system. https://www.kwcages.com/accessories...r-kits/nivek-trade-starter-kit-5-hutches.html These are the feeders: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ware-manufacturing-sifter-feeder-with-lid-5-in

Questions:
1. I was thinking that some mix of NZW and Californians would be ideal for this set up. Do you agree? If you could choose any trio for meat production WHAT WOULD IT BE?? Which male, which females? This is what I am most hung up on. I am thinking maybe a NZW buck and a doe of each? This way I have a line of pure NZ, but the slightly smaller bones and hybrig vigor in the mixed line? Adjust accordingly? Am I close? Way off? Help!?
2.Anyone else keep chickens and rabbits in the same building, but separated? Any foreseeable problems?
3.Anything I'm not thinking of?

I have the smaller of the cages assembled and hung. Second cage is here but not yet hung. I am planning to get the rabbits around March 1st. Trying to do my due diligence, and set myself up for success. Thanks so much in advance for any info you can share. I have enjoyed participating in backyardchickens forum, and am looking forward to being an active part of this forum as well.

 

[Alaskan]

f you could choose any trio for meat production WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Sounds great and well thought out.

Personally I would pick a trio that were super healthy, and genetically had easy breeding ( moms had great success with breeding without any interference).

But...... then I have never raised rabbits...

Kids and I have butchered spent rabbits from a breeder, and wild rabbits.... and sure the domestic ones are way bigger and meatier than wild....

But rabbits are just so dang easy to butcher... and so tasty.. . Eh... all good.

So.... super healthy, and excellent mothering instincts would be vastly more important to me than exact breed or size at maturity.

Because I have read some of the issues and heartache that happens when things don't go right with rabbits.....

 

[Alasgun]

@Tre3hugger, it appears we are on a similar path. When we we’re on the ranch, many years ago; in the Dakota’s, we kept rabbits and chickens in the same building. Rabbits in hung cages and chickens where ever they cared to roam. It worked fine!

it looks like you’ve done some reading which is a good thing. Being a reader as well, i located a guy who’s site is called “rise and shine rabbitry” and find him to be a reliable, knowledgable sort.

like you, my goal is to have a good manure source for the garden and, of course the meat!

i’ll follow along and watch your progress!

 

[promiseacres]

Make sure you have cages and plan on replacing does yearly. If they are bred that often. I haven't researched commercial set ups but am guessing does won't last much beyond that if they are having 6 litters a year. Not sure how many cages you're planning but plan on cages for those replacement does. Bucks I would guess would last 2,3 years. New Zealand and California are mature around 8-10 months.
With the chickens I would just try to keep them from roosting on or above the rabbits.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Thank you for the replies! I will continue to update this thread as I progress. Any more advice on breeds or breeding schedules that people use successfully? Thanks again!

 

[SA Farm]

I agree with the above. Parenting ability and health are the most important. If you’re getting young rabbits, be aware that some can get aggressive when they reach maturity. I always culled those. Not worth dealing with imo. I always liked keeping an extra doe around to give me options.

If your breeding schedule isn’t too intense does should last 2-3 years. Breed, 4 weeks later kindling, 4 weeks later breed, 2 weeks later wean kits, then 2 weeks later should be your next litter so the doe gets a 2 week pregnant without nursing break. It’s not much, but it’s easier on the doe than strictly back-to-back breedings and easier on the kits than weaning at 4 weeks.
That way, too, if you have a runt kit, you can leave with mom for another week or so to help it out. (Usually only necessary with larger litters. The most I’ve had/heard of is 16 kits in one litter.)

Most grow outs from NZ and/or Cali should be about 5lbs by 8 weeks. Wait much longer than that to butcher and you’ll be putting a lot of extra feed in for only an extra lb or so.

Keep in mind your weather when it comes to breeding as well. If you have a climate-controlled barn, you’re good, but otherwise, you won’t want to have litters during the hottest/coldest parts of the year (depending on what those temps look like where you are.) I always gave my rabbits a few months completely off in the winter and summer with my setup.

 

[Tre3hugger]

@SA Farm Thanks so much for the reply! That is just the schedule I was planning to follow, but at first I will probably alternate does. Call them A and B. So breed A. 4 weeks later A kindles litter 1, breed B. 4 weeks later ween A, B kindles harvest 2. 2 weeks later Breed A, harvest litter 1. 2 weeks later, wean B. 2 weeks later harvest litter 2, A kindles, breed B.

This will give does a 4 week break in between litters, hopefully elongating their effectiveness a bit. If I find this is not enough meat I can intensify the breeding but I think this will be a manageable way for me to get used to the rabbit game and breeding rotations etc. Seem reasonable/doable? Thank you again for the input!

 

[Kusanar]

@SA Farm Thanks so much for the reply! That is just the schedule I was planning to follow, but at first I will probably alternate does. Call them A and B. So breed A. 4 weeks later A kindles litter 1, breed B. 4 weeks later ween A, B kindles harvest 2. 2 weeks later Breed A, harvest litter 1. 2 weeks later, wean B. 2 weeks later harvest litter 2, A kindles, breed B.

This will give does a 4 week break in between litters, hopefully elongating their effectiveness a bit. If I find this is not enough meat I can intensify the breeding but I think this will be a manageable way for me to get used to the rabbit game and breeding rotations etc. Seem reasonable/doable? Thank you again for the input!

They were recommending leaving the kits on 6 weeks.

If you follow the pattern below you will have new kits born every 3 weeks with 6 weeks on and the does getting 2 weeks pregnant without nursing as advised above.
Week 1: Breed Doe A
Week 4: Doe A kindles
Week 5: Breed Doe B
Week 8: Breed Doe A - Doe B kindles
Week 10: wean Doe A
Week 12: Doe A kindles - Breed Doe B
Week 14: Wean Doe B
Week 16: Breed Doe A - Doe B kindles

And keep repeating that pattern.

Edit to add, if you follow this pattern, if all goes correctly, you can have up to 4 does with 1 growout pen that is large enough to hold an entire litter of 6-8 week old kits as long as you harvest at 8 weeks at all times because as soon as you harvest 1 batch, the next goes in the pen.

 

[Baymule]

Many years ago, when I was in my 20’s and the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I raised Satin rabbits for show and meat. I usually had over 300 in various stages. I also had a chicken coop attached to make things easier on me. They scratched through the droppings, eating fly larvae and dropped feed, The chickens kept it turned and there was never a smell. When needed for the garden, I just dug it out and wheelbarrowed it to the garden. MUCH easier than cleaning trays, collection, etc.

I bred 10 does at a time. This gave me a margin of error. This covered missed breeding-non pregnancy. It also gave me other does to foster kits to, if a doe had too many or rejected her kits. They WILL lose litters, reject kits, everything that can go wrong will smack you up the side of your head. Just know this and don’t be blindsided, get heartbroken and give up. The success and the joys far outweigh the failures.

My advice is to get 6 does and 2 bucks, breed 3 at a time, on the same day. If one skips, you still have 2 to have babies. Or if one rejects her litter, you have 2 other does to foster to. Let them kindle, raise and wean their kits at 6 weeks, give them a week before breeding back. Intensive breed back schedules wear the poor does out and really isn’t fair to them. You can breed the 3 does, wait a couple of weeks and breed the other 3. Or breed all 6 on the same day, to kindle all at the same time, giving you more options for spreading the kits around if necessary. Of course, the does may have other ideas and utterly refuse to accept the buck. Welcome to the world of animal husbandry!

By keeping chickens in the rabbitry, the rabbits will get ear mites from the chickens. Their ears will get all crudded up with crusty gunk that freaks you out. It itches, they will scratch at it with their hind feet, leaving bloody scratches. Gross. This is easily avoided by putting a eye dropper full of mineral oil in each ear on a monthly schedule.

Put a slick top table, comfortable at your standing height, in the rabbity. You will need to examine, groom and otherwise handle your rabbits. Place them on a scrap of carpet so they can get their feet under them and feel secure. This will help you tremendously and be an asset.

This ought to be enough for you to chew on for now. LOL

 

[Baymule]

You have gotten all kinds of good advice. Take what you want, use it to apply to your wants. None of us will get our feelings hurt if you don’t follow exactly what we have said. Different points of view, experiences, and advice gives you a broader idea to pick and choose what works best for YOU.