If I'm going to raise meat rabbits, how many should I start out with?

Question

How many meat rabbits should I start out with?

Where can I get these meat rabbits to start breeding?

Will the babies start breeding with their siblings in the cage??

Answer 1

Start out with a trio (1 buck, 2 does).   You can certainly just start with a pair (1 buck, 1 doe) if you want to keep things small scale or for personal use.

First decide what breed of meat rabbit you'd like to raise.  Popular breeds are New Zealands or Californians.  They grow out faster.  Some people really enjoy breeding rare breeds, though.  It's all about what you want out of the herd.  You can see the various breeds on the ARBA's website.

Click on the photos to go to each breeds national breed club website.  There you may find a breeder's list by state.  Find a breeder in your state and contact them.  

Alternatively, you could attend an ARBA sanctioned rabbit show.  They can be found every weekend all over the country.  Again, see the ARBA website to find a show near you.  At the show you will not only see many breeds in person but will find local exhibitors who breed their rabbits.  You can make contacts at the show and make plans to purchase some nice meat rabbits for your breeding project.

You'll be butchering the offspring at about 12-15 weeks old.  They will not be sexually mature just yet.  So, no worries about siblings breeding.  But you'll want to let them grow out in separate cages if you can anyway.  They'll grow out faster and you'll get more for your money.

You can find used cages from other breeders.  Ask around once you have made some contacts.

A very good book to read is Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett ($15).

Good luck.

Answer 2

I'd start out with a trio- 1 buck and 2 does.

You can get your meat rabbits from a meat breeder or a regular show rabbit breeder in your area. I'd suggest googling the breed you want and your location to find out if there are breeders in your area.

Californians, New Zealands, and Satins make good meat rabbits. The best meat rabbits for meat pen seem to be Californian/New Zealand rabbits. They tend to mature faster than the individual breeds do, so make for more tender meat. But Satins are a little prettier, so you could also sell some on a pet market.

When the babies are 12 weeks old, they need to be separated into separate cages. Sometimes, you can keep females together with each other longer, but not males or they'll start fighting.

Answer 3

A male and two females.  You will have all you can handle in a few months!

Answer 4

Most people start with a pair, 1 male/1 female.

Check out the yahoo group for meatrabbits.

There is a lot of rabbit related groups in yahoo

http://www.rabbitgeek.com/groupsyahoo.ht...

Yes, the babies will start breeding their siblings, so you need to separate boys and girls at 8 weeks. Rabbits are usually processed at 10-12 weeks of age.

Answer 5

After your rabbits breed you will have to make separate nesting boxes for the females. Otherwise somebody may get eaten by a jealous relative.  

Answer 6

Depending on how many rabbits you want, start with one or two females and a male. These rabbits can be pets, since you will be raising their offspring for meat. Breed your females once or twice a year and raise the babies until they reach a butcherable size. It's best to separate the genders to prevent unwanted breeding. I'm not sure if there are specific breeds that are best for meat production, but you might research that. You can often find rabbits in the classifieds.  

Answer 7

I would recommend a trio, one buck and two does. In my area, many 4H nd FFA members use Champagne D'argent crosses. Find out the date of your show,....and back up 99 days, and breed your does. This will give you rabbits of the right age/size at show time. Remember when you pick out your show trios, to make sure they are as alike as possible-uniformity is the key here. Always house rabbits individually, and separate the bunnies from each other around 12 weeks.