First time raising rabbits for meat production, questions following.

8 years ago

As the title suggests, I'm going to begin raising rabbits for meat production for the first time. In raising rabbits as a pet I'm barely experienced even. So here's my setup: Right now I have 4 chickens that I plan on giving away to a friend or my neighbor, they are in a coop that's approximately 3' x 3 1/2' I think (could be wrong on that, I didn't build it but it's more than enough room for all of them to be in and move around) and that coop is hooked up so the ramp goes directly through the wall of a chain link kennel for dogs (no dogs in it of course). I have a chicken wire roof over the kennel to prevent hawks or cats from jumping in and what I was going to do for the rabbits was dig out approximately 1 foot of dirt and line chicken wire along the walls of the dirt and on the floor and attach it all and fill back in, that way the rabbits will have a natural environment to live in and can still dig if they wanted without being able to get out. Also I have chicken wire wrapped around the bottom of the walls of the kennel so that will help preventing runaway kits. The roof of the coop opens up so I can easily reach in and grab a rabbit if needed. I also have a standalone rabbit hutch from a few years ago that held 2 rabbits I was raising back in high school.

Now for the actual plan.

I was going to start with 1 buck and 1 doe as long as I was able to have them properly identified as male or female. They would both start out in the coop that way they'll both be used to it, the doe would stay in the coop but after they both get used to the scent/area I was going to move the buck to the hutch to live separated but close to the doe. The doe would be having the kits in the coop/kennel area and the rabbits would live in there with the doe until they are all ready to get processed. Whenever breeding time comes I was going to either move the doe to the bucks hutch since she won't have as much room to run away (as bad as that sounds) or move the buck to the kennel since he's used to it. I'm assuming this will work since they won't all be cramped in hutches and will have a somewhat natural environment as well. One problem I'm only slightly aware of is the fact that the floor of the coop is all wood, so I fear that may cause issues if they decide to spend more time in the coop, of course if needed it shouldn't be too difficult to cut out the floor and line it with mesh instead along with supports.

So, does it seem like the above idea wouldn't work by chance? I've been researching this for months but it seems I can never get answers to some of the questions I have and I'm just a young guy that's never done anything like this. Another question is regarding diet. Could they eat normal dried hay or does it have to be fresh greens? I'm looking for the best (wait for it) bang for my buck. Trying to avoid the horrible quality of store-bought meat in my area and this will just bring me that much closer to really meeting that goal since the extra meat is good for my family as well as pets. None of the local rabbit farmers will help me with my information because they just want me to buy their rabbit meat and try to convince me it's a better deal than raising my own. I'm not paying $15 for a 3 pound fryer when I could pay $5-$7 per live rabbit and keep getting more of them from a source where I know how they're being treated and what they're consuming.

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User

8 years ago

Sounds to me like a good plan, and your set up sounds good. We are currently using a medium sized chicken tractor for our three young rabbits, and will eventually move them to a larger kennel or coop... depending on if we decide to keep the chickens that are currently in the coop. :-)

Yes, all the hay they want every day is a good thing - and any fresh stuff you may have to pass on to them too. I pulled up our broccoli plant that was starting to bolt, and threw the whole thing in the rabbit pen, and they ate every single scrap of that thing except for 3" of stem and the rootball! We also pick them a handful or two of clover/grass every day, as well as supplying rabbit food if they so desire.

Hope it works for you!

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Comments (10)

slagathor
Original Author
8 years ago
Great! There's a place here called Seminole feed that I go through and they typically have this hay called Coastal and it's typically dried out and brown, wasn't sure if whatever they ate had to be green and fresh picked, thanks for the info!
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buckeye_brian2
8 years ago
I have over 100 rabbits in my barn right now. You can ask (10) people the same question and get (10) different answers on anything...and everyone could be a good / correct answer. It all comes down to circumstance and what works for you! What works for one person may be a total disaster for someone else. I could never raise rabbits like you are describing because I am too much of a control freak. I have hutch cards, computer spreadsheets on every doe and buck along with calendars full of useless information (to anyone else) about this or that. But it all comes down to...you work with what you got. One of the reasons for doing this is to provide meat for your family that is affordable and not full of GMO grains and hormones. You can't go out from the get-go and invest thousands of dollars on a professional set-up. It is not feasible.

There are a lot of people out there raising rabbits in a colony and it seems to work for them. The one thing I hear them complain about is disease, predators and record keeping. With the rabbits living on the ground, the dampness is a perfect breeding ground for disease. Also when you get more than 1 or 2 does, you will never know whose kits are whose and which doe is the best producer. Not to mention not knowing when they breed and when to expect kindlings.

I raise mine inside a barn in all wire cages. Like everyone else I started out with a wood hutch. Trying to keep them clean was a nightmare. I started with (2) Californian bucks and (3) Californian does. My first litter took 12-weeks to reach 5-lbs. Over the last year I have culled and saved rabbits to get my 5-lb rabbits in 10-weeks. I am still saving the best and eating the rest. My goal is to get a 5-lb rabbit in 8-weeks. I have incorporated a FB NZW buck to produce crosses and they were a big improvement over the FB Cali's when it comes to grow out times.

Remember you get out of it what you put into it. A commercial 16% rabbit feed will provide the rabbits with everything they need to thrive. A small handful of hay will keep them content and their teeth ground down. If you want to get a typical 5-lb frying rabbit in 10 - 11 weeks...you must put in good quality feed. If "timing" does not matter...feed them garden scraps or forage for them everyday. But remember...a good frying rabbit is between 10 - 14 weeks old. As they get older, they start to get tougher and become roasters or crock pot rabbits.

Like I said when I started this (longer than intended) post...you need to work with what you have. You are going to create what works for you and your animals. When something doesn't work, change it to something else. You will eventually find out the right combination and then you will be enjoying some AWESOME fried rabbit. There is nothing better!

GOOD LUCK!
summersrhythm_z6a
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Since you are raising rabbits for meat, why not rasie chinchillas for meat and fur, make more profit. :-) Chinchilla fur is very very expensive, a good profit making.
User
8 years ago
are you refering to Chinchilla rabbits or the Chinchilla rodent you see in pet stores?
summersrhythm_z6a
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Chinchilla rabbit. A Chinchilla ( rabbit) fur coat costs more than a avg mink coat. It's highly priced. :-) I think chinchilla rabbits are called American Chinchilla, Sable Chinchilla (it's same as American Chinchilla in a different color).
slagathor thanked summersrhythm_z6a
buckeye_brian2
8 years ago
I have heard nothing but GREAT things about American Chinchilla's....
redtartan
8 years ago
If you are raising for fur you may have to get a special permit. You should check into it just in case. I didn't realize their was such a thing as a chinchilla rabbit. I'll have to look into that. We promised my youngest a rabbit about a year ago after he did such a good job helping with our bottle calves. He recently brought it up again so we've been looking a shelters and online, but haven't found anything suitable yet.
buckeye_brian2
8 years ago
If you are just looking for a pet...nothing wrong with a rescue animal. If you are wanting to start raising rabbits for meat, show or supply breeding stock...do not start your herd with a rescue. Start with the best stock you can find for your desired breed. It will save you from lots of frustration...
redtartan
8 years ago
Buckeye, no it would be a pet for him. I just wanted to add to the thread with aspect to hide production because in some areas you do need a farmed fur license.

First time raising rabbits for meat production, questions following.

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slagathor
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First time raising rabbits for meat production, questions following.

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