Raising rabbits?

Question

I am about to get some rabbits, first timer and would like to know how to house them? and how often at what age they breed? Raising for Meat. there are 7 does and 2 bucks, unknown if any are related.

Answer 1

Aw.  There is not enough meat on one of those guys to be worth eating.  ...If you are going to do this regardless, at least make sure they are raised and killed super humanely, and lead good little lives.  I think there are a lot of other jobs that are going to make you a lot more money, though, and be kinder as well.

Answer 2

I don't know how to raise rabbits for meat, but I hope you have done research on how to do this right. Especially if you are planning on breeding them and don't know whether they are related. Gross, I'm glad I'm not eating at your home! Stick to buying from the super-market. And I hope you are not buying pet rabbits.

Answer 3

youre gonna kill a bunch of rabbits. and its your first time, and your asking on a website where more than half the people are against animal abuse. most all of them are, actually. youre making more rabbits to be killed. theres plenty of them in the shelter, i would rather you use those!

Answer 4

First off, if you're going to raise for meat, you should be buying the best breeding stock you can get. There shouldn't be any "don't know if their related" going on..

The best meat rabbits have been Californians and New Zealands. Another good potential meat rabbit choice is Rex if you'd also like to have different fur.

Nice breeder stock in those breeds will set you back on average about $35-$45 for a doe and about $25-$35 for an unproven buck. Initally, you only really need one buck. The only time a second bloodline becomes important is if you hold back does from your breedings to rebreed. Initially though, you do not need a second buck, you can wait to get a second one until you have 8 month old does from your first litters..

For your typical meat rabbits, 8 months is a good breeder age. Smaller rabbits may be ready as young as 5-6 months, but the larger meat rabbits are better at about 8 months..

Buying quality breeder stock will mean faster mature rates and better meat distribution. A poorly bred rabbit will produce undesirable meat rabbits. A well bred rabbit carries the meat in the right places. A lot of people make the mistake of buying cheap rabbits for their breeder stock, but, they pay for that later when their rabbits don't grow as fast or as large. If you can't afford to shell out that much, then just get two does and a buck and save the females from the litters. Your much better off to buy quality and be patient then to start out with that many breeders and have them all be low quality..

You'll want to pick up a few books on the subject as there's not much in the way of websites that deal with raising rabbits for meat. Another good idea would be to go to a rabbit show and talk to people. Find out where their judging the market class and ask around. People who already raise rabbits for meat would probably be able to offer you the most help in terms of how to set up housing them for your area.

Here's the ARBA site with recommended publications..

http://www.arba.net/publications.htm

You can search for upcoming shows here..

http://www.arba.net/Shows.htm

Really, you'll want to work hands on with someone that will give you some pointers to get you started. When I started raising rabbits, I walked through other people's barns to get an idea for how to set up my own. I asked them what they didn't like about their barn and what they wished they had done differently to give me ideas of what to avoid.

Don't go cheap on your barn or housing either. Quality materials will cost less in the long run and take less time to maintain then building it the cheapest way.

Answer 5

Well rabbits will start to breed very young, but not always a good thing considering that young mothers can have problems.

House your rabbits seperate in large cages (males can usually go together as long as no female is with them) and 2 females to a cage.

Take 1 male and 1 female out and let them breed in a seperate cage once you think they have mated then seperate them again. When the female is ready to give birth she will start to nest by pulling out the fur from her belly (you will have babies within at the most 2 days when this starts) Once she has started nesting take the other female out. The babies will look like little pink mice for about a week before they start to run around and look like bunnies.

Ensure that you have all the proper minerals for your rabbits because if you don't then the mother rabbit may start to eat her babies due to the lack of them. (Do not let the litters breed at all or else you can start to get STD's within your breeding and meat stock)

Answer 6

first i think you are making a mistake raising helpless animals for meat. there are other ways to make money.you do know they skin them alive right. how can you raise any animal and then let them go to such torture. no advice for you!