So... My wife wants meat rabbits. (We already have egg & meat chickens, and small meat goats)

[U_Stormcrow]

...plus two old dogs and a brand new barn cat.

I'm not opposed, but before I jump in, any advice? Rabbit hutch recommendations? Optimally, I'd like to build the hutch on the side of my goat shelter, in my run, in my pasture. That's decidedly "outside" - though we are in N FL, so the climate is very forgiving. Its just the two of us, we aren't likely to eat rabbit more than every other week - how many should we get? what ratio? Rabbit hut design considerations and recommends for controlling their breeding tendencies???? (Solid bottom? 1/2" mesh bottom? something else??? - how many square ft per rabbit??? I'd like to build it along one of the 10' walls of the goat shed to save materials and ensure its well protected against our worst winter weather - driving near freezing rains out of the north)

Please, I'd like to have at least some clue before I pull the trigger on this new "adventure".

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

@muddy75 ?

 

[muddy75]

I recommend NZ white (that’s what I raise anyway) because it’s easier processing and I tend to not get as “attached”. Number depend on goals and space. If personal use only….1 buck and 1 or 2 does . Does can be bred at 6 months…kindle 31 days +\- and bred back 21 days later. Litter size average 6. We built a divided box attached to wire hutches in old chicken run and covered with vinyl corrugated roof panels. You can also do wire or wooden hutches in a lean-to or shed shelter. It’s all about preference. Males and females kept separate until you move female to male for breeding. Nest box goes in at approximately day 28. Times may vary slightly for other breeds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you, that's very helpful! Thinking a cage with a removable divider, maybe 10' wide, 3 1/2' deep, and a slide out "floor" just below a wire grid to ease cleaning. One side just mesh, the other three solid. Roof will be sheet metal, like the goat barn itself. Do I need two partitions (females and babies, male) or three (female and babies, other female, male)? and does the sizing sound right?

I'm not wired to "get attached" - naming my chickens doesn't keep me from hanging and gutting them - but our local source has an NZ/something mix as their meat bunnies at good price and the NZs seem popular for meat broadly, so that's the way I was leaning.

Anything I need to know in terms of basic vet care? My goats need annual CDT shots (which I just gave yesterday) for instance.

 

[sunnie7]

Here’s our hutch. We did HC bottom and some thick wire we had from a dog pen that was given to us. The babies can move from cage to cage once they are old enough to get around well and we’ve never had issues with our bucks or other does killing any. We have NZ and California Reds and crosses. We live in Indiana and they do better in the winter than they do the heat of the summer.

Forgot to add we keep them all separated except while the young ones are growing out!

 

[muddy75]

Your cage/hutch idea sounds great! I’ve never had the need for veterinary care per se but mail trimming when necessary and being able to handle them when necessary is a plus! You will want to separate females during kindling and have “grow out” from weaning until processing (from 5-8 weeks give or take) if you plan to keep or sell breeding stock, you’ll want to become proficient with sexing and separate early. We just put ours on ground for grow out. And we have a little enclosed bed under cage to collect waste vs changing/cleaning trays. As far as attachment I was speaking more to DW vs you

 

[EverythingDucks]

I recommend reading this thread. There's lot of good information on breeding and keeping rabbits, including basic care info that's important to know. The OP is also located somewhere with hot weather, so thee are a few tips for that too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/things-you-wish-you-knew-before-breeding-rabbits.1499141/

Good luck with your future rabbits!

 

[NatJ]

Plenty of good points there.

Other things I can think of, in no particular order:

Rabbits tolerate cold very well, but have trouble with heat.
Make sure they have shade, and plenty of cool water, and good ventilation.
Yes, make sure they have shelter from rain and from cold wind.

Each adult rabbit gets their own cage. Bring the doe to the buck for mating, watch until it happens, then take her back to her cage (this doesn't take long.) Optional, repeat in 12 hours. Give her the nestbox in 28 days, and expect bunnies on day 31.

Cage floor: look for heavy-gauge wire with holes 1/2" by 1"
(16 gauge or heavier: smaller number is better)
The typical hardware cloth is NOT strong enough for the weight of a meat doe and litter!
For the wire with 1/2" by 1" holes, put the correct side up: the one with more wires is smoother for their feet.

You could consider all-wire rabbit cages (easy to clean, sometimes cheaper than building your own), and hang them from a support structure. Size 30 by 36 inches or larger for a doe & litter, 18 inches or more high.
Example of all-wire rabbit cages:
https://www.kwcages.com/cages/modular-wire-cages.html
They are commonly made of wire with 1" by 2" holes for the top and sides, sometimes with "baby saver" wire (smaller holes) for the bottom few inches, so newborn babies cannot fall out.

Bunnies are born with no hair, and their eyes are closed. The doe needs a suitable nestbox and plenty of bedding material (like straw or hay), so she can make a good nest for them.

Predators are a big concern. Dogs can rip apart rabbit cages, and can bite the feet of the rabbits through the wire floor of the cage. Raccoons can reach through most sizes of wire (but not 1/2"). Various animals can open hook & eye locks, sliding bolt locks, twist locks, and so on. A carabiner or the kind of clip you find on a dog leash can be good.

You can use trays to catch droppings, but you have to empty them frequently.
You can put a slanted tray underneath the cages, to direct the waste into a smaller pile or into a bin or bucket.
Some people put a worm-composting system under the rabbit cages, or big plastic bins to collect the waste.
For each cage, there will be one favorite corner where most droppings & urine are deposited. For a cage with young bunnies, probably 3/4 in one corner, and the rest spread around. Adults are more consistent about getting it in one corner.

Does that are pregnant and nursing, and bunnies that are growing, need to eat well. A complete pelleted food, with alfalfa as a main ingredient, will usually be fine. You can feed it free-choice to the does & litters, but you may need to limit the buck so he doesn't get fat.

It should also be fine to give them as much hay as you (or they) want. Rabbits have a sensitive digestive system, and they especially have trouble if they get a bunch of fresh greens when they are used to just pellets & hay. So if you want to give them grass and other green stuff, give them a little bit the first day and a little more the next day, and work up to the amount you want to give them. If you see diarrhea, reduce the amount again. (Greens are fine when the rabbit is used to them, and taking the greens away is usually fine, but adding them suddenly is what causes trouble.)

For pelleted feed, I like the metal J-feeders, that you can fill from outside the cage. But they must be protected from rain, because the feed will not flow when it gets wet!

Make sure they have enough water-- a cute little dish is NOT enough for a doe and her litter! I like big dishes (more than a quart, so they hold enough and are too heavy for the rabbit to spill). The kind of water bottles with a tube & a ball can be used, but they only let one rabbit drink at a time, and they are a nuisance to fill, and they can drip and run empty. Automatic watering systems exist, with tubes from a bucket and a little valve in each cage. I have no experience with them, but I know some people use them with good results.

Vet care: finding a vet for a rabbit is not much easier than finding one for a chicken. I'm not aware of any routine vaccinations. I've read that rabbits are prone to coccidiosis, but that it's almost a non-issue with wire-floored cages that are kept clean. (I raised meat rabbits for some years, in wire-floored cages but a different climate than yours, and never saw a case of cocidiosis.)

 

[Happy hen lover]

Lots of great advice above. It's been years my big issue was getting them cooled off in summer. lived in humid KS. My other issue was ear mites. I loved cleaning them though. Meat was great and their feed to meat ratio was a great. Poop is great bonus good for garden.

 

[muddy75]

Here’s our hutch. We did HC bottom and some thick wire we had from a dog pen that was given to us. The babies can move from cage to cage once they are old enough to get around well and we’ve never had issues with our bucks or other does killing any. We have NZ and California Reds and crosses. We live in Indiana and they do better in the winter than they do the heat of the summer.

Forgot to add we keep them all separated except while the young ones are growing out!

View attachment 2930533
View attachment 2930535

Here’s our hutch. We did HC bottom and some thick wire we had from a dog pen that was given to us. The babies can move from cage to cage once they are old enough to get around well and we’ve never had issues with our bucks or other does killing any. We have NZ and California Reds and crosses. We live in Indiana and they do better in the winter than they do the heat of the summer.

Forgot to add we keep them all separated except while the young ones are growing out!

View attachment 2930533
View attachment 2930535

I definitely need to touch base with you in the spring for new breeders!!!!! And you appear to be close by!!!!!