Clov3r
In the Brooder
At the risk of repeating what may have already been said:
1. Research your breeds. The most common meat breeds are Californian and New Zealand White. There are, of course, other meat breeds out there. Those two are usually easy to come by, which might make it easier to start with quality animals. Personally, I raise Chinchilla rabbits, but finding my starting stock was tough.
2. Even if you don't breed for show, you should do a little bit of reading on superior quality, so that you can keep your own lines strong. You'll want to cull off most of your rabbits, but if you breed an exceptional rabbit, add it to your breeding stock. If you do decide to breed for show, it's fun and opens up avenues to sell bunnies if you have more than you need.
3. Be ready to cull and don't overcrowd anyone. Some people successfully raise rabbits in colonies, but they are territorial and can fight to the death, so you want to have your ducks in a row in terms of safe housing. My rabbits are housed separately after they reach about 3.5 months old. Our setup is individual, ground-level pens that are 10x5. That lets them all have plenty of room to hop, run, nibble grass, etc without dealing with the arguing. I did colony with females in the past, but grew tired of the fighting any time I had to separate them for a while and try to reintroduce them. The females don't fight through the pens, BUT THE MALES WILL.
4. The "rabbit wringer" is the easiest way to cull that I've found. It's instant and doesn't require bullets. I built my own though: the price to buy one is silly, considering how simple the design is.
1. Research your breeds. The most common meat breeds are Californian and New Zealand White. There are, of course, other meat breeds out there. Those two are usually easy to come by, which might make it easier to start with quality animals. Personally, I raise Chinchilla rabbits, but finding my starting stock was tough.
2. Even if you don't breed for show, you should do a little bit of reading on superior quality, so that you can keep your own lines strong. You'll want to cull off most of your rabbits, but if you breed an exceptional rabbit, add it to your breeding stock. If you do decide to breed for show, it's fun and opens up avenues to sell bunnies if you have more than you need.
3. Be ready to cull and don't overcrowd anyone. Some people successfully raise rabbits in colonies, but they are territorial and can fight to the death, so you want to have your ducks in a row in terms of safe housing. My rabbits are housed separately after they reach about 3.5 months old. Our setup is individual, ground-level pens that are 10x5. That lets them all have plenty of room to hop, run, nibble grass, etc without dealing with the arguing. I did colony with females in the past, but grew tired of the fighting any time I had to separate them for a while and try to reintroduce them. The females don't fight through the pens, BUT THE MALES WILL.
4. The "rabbit wringer" is the easiest way to cull that I've found. It's instant and doesn't require bullets. I built my own though: the price to buy one is silly, considering how simple the design is.
Last edited:
