Questions about meat rabbits

[nachoqtpie]

So, hubs and I are thinking of making our journey into meat rabbits. I want to do American Chinchillas because they're some of the better meat rabbits (or so we've read) and they're an endangered American breed. So... we found a place that sells pedigreed rabbits $125 for a trio. Not that we will foray into showing rabbits any time soon, but you never know! Kids might want to do some for 4H or something. Not only that... my book says that their fur is very soft and collectible, so they're actually a dual purpose rabbit.

So... my questions are

When would be the best time to get these rabbits? (Meaning season wise, we know they can't breed until after they're 6 months old)

Since we have "mild" winters, would they need to be covered in the winter?

Would it be better to put them up next to the house so we can run a fan for them in the summer, but they will be in direct sunlight for about half the day, or behind the ducks and chickens where there's no electricity, but shade for most the day and we can put in frozen bottles? (I can take pictures of all of these places if you would like them)

Should we separate the hutches completely, or can we build a large divided hutch and put the buck between the 2 does with the sides touching?

These will PRIMARILY be meat rabbits, what sort of feed should we get them? Is it like chickens and have different levels of protein for different ages?

They say that a mature AC will weigh between 9-12 pounds... is that "mature" age when you butcher? (10-12 weeks?)

Should we think about getting another buck from a different breeder so we have very distinct lines and can extend our breeding if we would like to?

I'm sure that I'll think if more questions... and you can feel free to tell me to get a book and read... but please at least suggest a book! I'm going to do some searching around the site to see what I can find in terms of meat rabbits as well. Thanks in advance guys.

 

[the funny farm6]

ok...

When would be the best time to get these rabbits? (Meaning season wise, we know they can't breed until after they're 6 months old)
if you are getting babies, if you got them now they would be close to breeding in the spring. but any time of year is fine. remember that rabbits dont breed as well in the real hot or cold.

Since we have "mild" winters, would they need to be covered in the winter?
as long as they are out of any wind and wetness, they should be ok. it is best if they have a box of hay to keep warm in. and in the heat we but frozen water bottles and tiles in for them to lay on. (they like the tiles better but they dont stay cold as long) and during the real hot days i put a frozen milk jug in front of a fan and blow the cold air on them. (bunny a/c)

Should we separate the hutches completely, or can we build a large divided hutch and put the buck between the 2 does with the sides touching?
i prefer to keep the bucks away from the does a little bit-just my prefernce. the buck get more excited to see the does.

These will PRIMARILY be meat rabbits, what sort of feed should we get them? Is it like chickens and have different levels of protein for different ages?
i feed the rabbit pellits from the farm store. for pregnant or nursing does i add a little old fashond oats (that you would buy yourself at the grocery store) and a teaspoon of calfmana supplament, esp if they have a big litter (my nz doe has 9-12 babies each litter and i give her 3 teaspoons) it is pricey-$33.00 for 50 lbs but some farm sstores will get you the 10 lb bags. i asked mine and they ordered it for me that way.

They say that a mature AC will weigh between 9-12 pounds... is that "mature" age when you butcher? (10-12 weeks?)
generaly you butcher when they are smaller than full grown- you might be butchering 5-8 lb rabbits.

Should we think about getting another buck from a different breeder so we have very distinct lines and can extend our breeding if we would like to?
it will depend on if your buck you get in the trio is related to your females. if you want to keep back females and breed then yes. but untill then and extra buck wont be nesasary

stories guide to raising rabbits is a good book. you might also go to your local library. they should have some books on the subject.

hope this helps! we love our rabbits. we have new zeland white, harliquen, and standard rex for our meat rabbits.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Thank you so very much! We just want to be as prepared as possible when we do this, and it probably won't be until spring that we get started into this venture. We were planning on getting the Storeys book on rabbits, we have several of their other books as well.

 

[DianeS]

When would be the best time to get these rabbits? (Meaning season wise, we know they can't breed until after they're 6 months old)
That really doesn't matter. Bucks can go temporarially sterile in the summer heat (above 80 or 90 degrees F), and you may want to avoid having a litter born in freezing temps (truly freezing, below 32 F), so timing getting the rabbits so you can breed as soon as they hit 6 months or so might save you some frustration. Nothing like getting 8 week old kits, raising to breeding age, and not being able to breed yet. That's wasting a lot of money feeding them without any return, and can get people annoyed.

Since we have "mild" winters, would they need to be covered in the winter?
Do you mean "covered" as in a roof? They need a roof year-round. They should not be out in the rain, or the snow. And like chickens, protect them from direct wind. But you do want a lot of ventilation, and a mild breeze is fine (and necessary in the summer heat). Rabbits can handle cool and temperatures just fine. When I lived in Colorado, my hutches were roofed with plywood, and I had a large (ugly, secondhand) carpet I could use to cover one side of the hutches when the wind got bitter. If that's all they need in 90% of the Colorado snows, you can bet they'll be fine in NC. Just a roof for rain, and windproof sides for strong winds, would be my guess.

Would it be better to put them up next to the house so we can run a fan for them in the summer, but they will be in direct sunlight for about half the day, or behind the ducks and chickens where there's no electricity, but shade for most the day and we can put in frozen bottles? (I can take pictures of all of these places if you would like them)
I personally would choose the shaded area. Electricity can always go out, you could always get distracted and forget to turn a fan on, etc. But shade is shade. Don't forget they'll be surrounded by metal, and metal gets hot even with a fan blowing. It will be cooler to the touch in the shade.

Should we separate the hutches completely, or can we build a large divided hutch and put the buck between the 2 does with the sides touching?
I keep about 2 inches between my hutches. Rabbits that want to mate can be crafty little creatures. Not at all sure how it happens, but more than one breeder has gotten an unexpected litter from just having wire hutches touching. If you're building your hutches, you'll probably get more mileage out of them by making them separate. Then you could put them beside each other - or not - as you felt at the time. If you would rather build the one long one and have separate areas in it, just put double walls inbetween the rabbits, with about 2 inches of nothingness in between.

These will PRIMARILY be meat rabbits, what sort of feed should we get them? Is it like chickens and have different levels of protein for different ages?
Regular rabbit feed is fine. As prices fluctuate and as you discover things in your rabbits you want to improve upon, you'll eventually develop a favorite that you feel works best with your lines. Rabbit feed does not change depending on age. Kits start eating solid foods by nibbling what mom eats, and they can stay on the same foods. The only caution is to ONLY feed young kits the same foods mom ate in her life time. If mom ate only pellets, the kits get only pellets. If mom ate pellets, hay, and veggies, kits can have pellets, hay, and veggies. Kits get their ability to digest things from their mom. Don't change kit feed while they're young and you'll be fine no matter what pellet you pick.

They say that a mature AC will weigh between 9-12 pounds... is that "mature" age when you butcher? (10-12 weeks?)
No, "mature" means age 6 months and above. When they hit full size and sexual maturity. The kits at butcher age will be about 5 lbs apiece, giving you a 3 lb (ish) carcass for eating.

Should we think about getting another buck from a different breeder so we have very distinct lines and can extend our breeding if we would like to?
That's personal opinion. For your original cross, the rabbits that are going into the freezer, the mom and dad can even be brother and sister if you want. It doesn't matter when you're going to be butchering the kits. It's only when you choose to keep kits from that litter and breed them back to one of the parents that it might become an issue. And really it isn't going to become an obvious problem until you're on your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation of crossing kits back to parents that people usually start seeing issues. Because really, it doesn't matter if the head size is wrong on a meat rabbit. Or if you get an unshowable coat color. Or wrong color toenails. Etc. I have it on good authority that the kits don't get three heads and glowing green fur for quite a while. Get what you can afford this time around, and worry about a super-unrelated buck or doe if you find you really love this and want to do it on a bigger scale for many many years. Once your buck is proven you might even find someone else in the same situation, and just do an even swap of your bucks.

I do recommend you go over to BackyardHerds.com (a sister site to this one), and check out their Rabbits section. Only post in the Meat Rabbit section for now - the other sections have some people who raise their rabbits for pets and can get horrified that you might eat Fluffy. Definitely read the other sections, but figure out how to make your posts appropriate for those other sections before you post there. But post how you like in Meat Rabbits, we're all eating Fluffy in that forum.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Lol! Yes... I've already been chastised for wanting to eat Fluffy from a few of my friends.

I thank you very much for the info! We've got a lot to process before we take the final leap! Some are saying we will need a whole building, while some are saying just cover the top and one side. We just want to do what is best for them, and for us. I was thinking about maybe a carport type structure with half sides and hang the hutches from the top.

 

[DianeS]

My ideal rabbit structure would have:

>>A sloped roof - the tallest side would be six feet from the ground so I can easily walk under it, the rabbit cages would be set in about 2 feet from that side. I want to be able to walk up to the cages and stand under the roof out of the rain!
The short side would be about 4.5 or 5 feet from the ground so I could easily keep the roof cleaned off, the rabbit cages would be set in about six inches from that side for good air movement.
The short side would have a wall that goes from the ground to maybe 2 inches short of the roof line, for a little bit of fresh air.

>>The cages would be suspended from the roof so that the bottoms of the cages would be a bit lower than my shoulder. Makes reaching in for a rabbit (or a water bowl, etc) really easy at that height. (That would keep the 2 inches of cross ventilation right above the level of their hutches, too.)

>>The corner posts would be large 4x4s. I'd have various hooks and loops on them so I could hang supplies there - like a shovel for manure, pliers for quick cage repairs, etc.

>>I'd have a fiberglass "poop chute" that takes the droppings and urine that fall from the cages and funnels it to the side. All the manure from all the cages would end up in a pile (or bucket) that is outside the roof.

>>I'm debating whether I'd like an automatic watering system. It'd be nice to only fill one huge bucket each day, rather than opening and closing each cage to fill individual water bowls. But at the same time I think I'd still be opening and closing cages each day checking to make sure they weren't clogged. Need to do more research on that one.

>>Also, my eventual ideal will include having cages that all match, so that they have the feeders in the same places, they all open the same direction and have latches that work the same way.

Currently I have nine rabbit cages, and I have repurposed a metal bunk bed frame to hold them. Four sit flat on the top (single bed), five sit on the bottom (double bed). So I have to go around the frame to get to all the rabbits. There is a piece of plywood on the top, and I have it sitting at an angle so the rain all runs off the same direction. The roof I have now is not long enough for me to stand under it, so I get wet when I'm feeding them in the rain. The rabbits stay dry though.
Here in Oregon I don't "need" a side wall, but I'd like to have one. I use a second piece of plywood in the worst of the summer to keep direct sun off the two cages that aren't completely covered by the shade of the trees they're under.
The top set of cages are at the ideal height for me. The bottom ones I have to stoop to get to, but it's tolerable. I use a tarp strung between the top bunk and the bottom cages to contain the poop and urine, and I wash that out every other day. The manure from the bottom set of cages just falls to the ground and I shovel it up. Again tolerable but not ideal.
My cages are all Craigslist finds. As cheap as I could get them. They are a variety of sizes, open a variety of ways, some have feeder cutouts and some don't. I have some that are big enough for a breeding pair of rabbits and some that aren't. So I juggle rabbits a bit. (Male should have the larger cage so the female can join him in it for breeding, but then the female gets to keep the larger cage so she can have the kits with her and the male gets moved out to the smaller one, etc.)

My point is - don't over think, and don't over plan. A wonderful setup will help you, certainly. But it isn't required for good rabbit management. My rabbits are all healthy, well fed, have plenty of room, and are well protected from the elements. You do need to expect the unexpected but you dont have to have a perfect, enclosed rabbit shed with electricity and fans to account for it. Remember people had rabbits for centuries before that stuff was invented. And don't get married to your plan, especially before you get the rabbits. Once you have them you may decide something else would work better for you. If you spend too much time or money on your setup, you may end up unable to change it because of your investment. My advice is to go simple but adequate, and then improve as you go. A carport type thing should work fine. If you don't do the sides right away you can keep tarps and extra straw on hand for unexpected weather. Stuff like that keeps rabbits affordable and manageable.

Hope that helps!

 

[the funny farm6]

if you want a building without spending too much money (and can be used for other things) check this out.

these are the tent awnings you see a lot at flea markets. the canopy itself is @$80.00 and the sides are @$60.00 i thisnk and they were just on sale even cheaper at menards!

i am going to put one up for my rabbits. they are 10X20 and during the winter, i will put all but 1 side (end) down and when it rains i can drop the sides. i am going to hang a fan from the front top. and put the legs in 5 gal buckets of cemant. they can be put anywhere. and moved if nessasary.

 

[the funny farm6]

my husband liked the latice in the second picture, for shade and looks nice. wont keep rain and wind out though. but if you are somewhere that you have neighbors to worry about...