Anyone else breed/raise rabbits here?

[Mvan42]

I have always had rabbits, from as early as I can remember; I've raised breeding stock for meat, we've raised them as pets and we've taken in aged rabbits people have had as pets and given them their final home. We have had our bunnies confined at times in the past, but the rabbits we have now free range in the yard under the guard of our Pyrenees. We live in a rural area and actively farm; we have two very large yards with lots of grass and grain in the summer and lots of hay and grain in the winter at our disposal. They have their babies in the tunnels they dig. Our bunnies had babies that showed up.

We did the free range thing when the kids were little. Loved watching the rabbits and babies play in the yard.. at one time we had 60+ running on the yard..

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Me too!

In fact, my rabbitry went from 4 to 6 this week.

We don't have grass that grows naturally and my buns are indoors so I am establishing a bed of clover for them and building little tractors. I am going to be seeding in various other tasty and nutritious species over the next few seasons. That's my only interesting tip/news.

 

[LuvinBlueBirds]

We raise and show rabbits. Show, meat and pelt as well as pets at our house. Holland lops and mini rex for the kid and Rex and silver fox for me.

 

[Mvan42]

Lost four out of 7 bunnies due to a bear attack.. sad morning for us.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Lost four out of 7 bunnies due to a bear attack.. sad morning for us.

I'm so sorry! I lost 22 birds to a bear in one morning, I super sympathize. They are big furry murdering butts.

 

[Mvan42]

I'm so sorry! I lost 22 birds to a bear in one morning, I super sympathize. They are big furry murdering butts.

Thanks. It is sad. We found I found another one alive and well this morning. Yay. We have only had the, since last Saturday, they were my daughters. She is going to be happy about another one alive. Stupid dumb bear made my baby girl cry.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Actually, I do have one more tip.

Try a few breeds before you land on one! My fourth rabbit ended up about 150x more laid back and people oriented than all my others, characteristic of the breed, and that's making enough of a difference in my enjoyment of them that I'm considering selling/eating everyone else in a year or two and starting over with all that breed.

 

[Bunnylady]

My fourth rabbit ended up about 150x more laid back and people oriented than all my others, characteristic of the breed

"Characteristic of the breed" only gets you so far; IME, the breeder is more important than the breed when it comes to the temperament of the rabbits. A certain amount of personality is inheritable, but some of it is nature, some is nurture, and some is dependent on what the breeder selects for. I have known people whose rabbitries are full of fall-in-your-arms friendly rabbits, of breeds that I have also seen individuals that would as soon bite you as look at you. Rabbits are individuals, and personalities can vary widely within a breed, you can't just say "it's a (name of breed), so it's going to have this personality." Generally speaking, nicer rabbits often have offspring that grow up to be nicer rabbits, but even lovebugs can give birth to buns that become dragons when they grow up.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

"Characteristic of the breed" only gets you so far; IME, the breeder is more important than the breed when it comes to the temperament of the rabbits. A certain amount of personality is inheritable, but some of it is nature, some is nurture, and some is dependent on what the breeder selects for. I have known people whose rabbitries are full of fall-in-your-arms friendly rabbits, of breeds that I have also seen individuals that would as soon bite you as look at you. Rabbits are individuals, and personalities can vary widely within a breed, you can't just say "it's a (name of breed), so it's going to have this personality." Generally speaking, nicer rabbits often have offspring that grow up to be nicer rabbits, but even lovebugs can give birth to buns that become dragons when they grow up.

I understand your point but I stand by my advice. Genetics are a factor. So is upbringing. Certain breeds are known for having better temperaments. There will always be outliers in any direction. Arguing that seems a waste of time to me.

Not to mention all the other reasons you might find out you like one breed over another down the road. Size, coat, litter size, activity level, etc.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

EDIT: Copper is my 4th rabbit while Butterscotch is my 5th rabbit.

Here are both my rabbits

Butterscotch, a Mini Rex/Lop mix doe.
She was born March 12th.
(Ignore the boxes in the background, my cats had made a mess so this picture was taken before they were cleaned up)
As soon as she's old enough, she'll be getting spayed and then a few months after she's healed I'll be attempting to bond her to my other bun.

Copper, a Dwarf/Lionhead mix buck.
His age is unknown, however I think he's now starting to become sexually mature as his behavior has changed.
He's getting neutered next month.