Raising our New Zealand Meat Rabbits *Start to finish - Birth to processing* Possible Graphic pics*

[Angelicisi]

So our rabbitry project has begun I started this thread to help me keep track, help find info or tips and share me bunnies! Jump in anytime, share yours please! I intend to follow this thread though from births to processing with photos. I LOVE photos lol.

We raise meat rabbits, sell plenty as pets because we sweeten them up lol but they are raised to be eaten. Please don't take offense.

So, as this thread progresses there may be pics of Graphic nature to some, from birthing/injuries (hope not)/butchering/dressing/what to do with extra parts...etc.

I have NZ whites we've been working with. I love them. Large and meaty, great meat to bone ratios, large litters, they socialize very well making the whole process go a lil smoother.

We have half of a large workshop that is being used at the moment. Built racks, nest boxes, perches (to give them a spot to chill off the wire) and cages ourselves. This saved us a ton of start up money.

The cages sit on racks with tubs below them. The tubs slide out to be easily dumped into bags/gardens/compost piles-we use it constantly.
Ground is concrete indoors. Windows all the way around building and half are open to allow fresh air in with the sunlight but not get drafty. Sometimes we set up a brooder nearby (chicken math sometimes sneaks up on me lol)

We feed organically grown- right here from seed, veggies in moderation. High quality pellet feed is offered 24/7. ACV is added to their water currently. Recent recommendation to add canna instead. Haven't found it in stock when I'm at a feed store but they carry it!

So this is our adventure in meat rabbits.

We wanted quality breeders from multiple lines. We got some with some patience. We are very pleased with our start. We chose NZs.

Our 1st trio to come of age has been successful so far . The 2nd trio is still a bit young so we're waiting awhile longer.

I spent a lot of time socializing these breeders to make working with them easier.
It was worth letting them settle in and warm up to people. Treats and scratches and music. Lol don't laugh. Ok, go ahead...but I will say at least its Rock music! No worries, no heavy metal! Just low volume tunes for noise to be around. They seem to really enjoy it.

I'm going to use different posts for different rabbits.
It's just easier for me because they all look almost the same lol. I keep good written records tho on each rabbit because I'm sorta OCD about that lol


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[Angelicisi]

Dogs... dogs really? At 6 am? 2
Large loose dogs doing laps around the rabbitry knee deep in mud, so I grab my gun and extra ammo and run for the rabbitry in the downpour of a storm. I holler at them now standing in back of it trying to get in to a bunny cage through wire wrapped enclosure (thank you baby for enclosing the rabbitry itself in wire!), I raise my gun, my own dog at my side growls and both trespassers turn and start wagging huge tails and rolling in the mud. Maaaaan, deflated - lucky, lucky dogs- if I was more confident in my distance accuracy I'd have shot those dogs from my porch without blinking. Someone almost lost their dogs today to a bullet. One completely without tags one with a collar but definitely well fed. Couldn't see that until after the drama in the storm, Now they're loose on a 45 mph road in the pouring rain. They're going to get hit or worse, kill someone on that unforgiving road. Shameful. I'm still mad.
I expect wildlife, I don't want to put someones pet down tho.

BE RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE AND KEEP YOUR ANIMALS UNDER SUPERVISION. Because so many don't and then they're a predator threat

 

[Angelicisi]

We have a pure white NZ Buck. Pic later...sorry bad WiFi at the moment lol
He's 8 months old. Got an "A" for effort his first try with a girl lol but needed a 2nd round to properly finish. He's young tho and it was his 1st try (other than a stuffed penguin...shhhhh, we don't talk about the penguin)

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I have a small, black spiral bound notebook. On the right page I write the month, breedings, kindles, kit numbers, deaths (and causes) and weigh-ins for the month. On the left page I write other, more particular, notes that may come up such as "X rabbit didn't eat for a whole day" or "x rabbit had runny poo" or "X rabbit is sick, treating with Y". Mind you, none of my rabbits have ever had runny poo... But you get the idea. Aside from that I keep a lot of mental notes. It's really easy for me to keep bits of info in my head and hard for me to write them out. XD

 

[Beekissed]

Loving this thread!!! Good pics and vids and I'll be following the progress right along. We used to raise the NZ for some years and really like the breed. I'm throwing around getting a couple does and a buck come spring and trying out some FF whole grains on them, so I'll be enjoying reading about your buns. Keep on posting!

 

[Beekissed]

I had a really good chuckle about the penguin....

 

[Beekissed]

They have tiny plastic ear tags like you'd use for larger livestock....

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/rabbit-ear-tag.html


And they have metal ones they use for "fur bearing" animals, even for rats in a lab.

http://www.hascotag.com/livestock.php

 

[Beekissed]

I would take deposits and I'd take reserving kits, but I wouldn't pay to grow them out for them that long. I'd let them take them home at weaning, as per usual for most any reserved offspring of dog, cat, cattle, sheep, etc. Rarely does a person grow out your reserved animal for you, even a little bit. That's a loss of profits and if you stick to that rule from the get go, you will have a system that won't take up your space and cages~not to mention food~ with someone elses property.

I think it's great that you have such interest in your kits! That bodes well for your operation, that's for sure. There's really nothing you have to do to prepare them for sale unless you want to tattoo them with the rabbitry of origin number/letters. That's a good thing to start if you want to advertise your line at shows, while also letting people keep better track of the origin of that specific animal. I would keep track of these numbers and who you sold them to, their addresses and phone numbers.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I use magic markers to temporarially mark kits to keep track of weights and genders and who has which rabbits on reserve. I do not do deposits right now but I also don't grow out kits. I'd ask a lot extra for growing out kits and a deposit.

 

[Bunnylady]

Just a note -

If anyone is interested in showing your rabbits, you can't put a tag on them. The only identifying marks allowed by the American Rabbit Breeders' Association are tattoos in the left ear. Any marking in the right ear is a DQ (other than the registrar's mark that the registrar puts there when he registers a rabbit). Holes, tears, or missing pieces that are large enough to significantly affect the appearance of the ear are also reasons that a rabbit would be disqualified.