Do you eat Rabbit?

[Bleenie]

Thank you ack, the other 2 look pretty healthy but I still have to get them all done too. It really seemed like the people that sold them cared...not like the usual, toss em in a box all filthy people:/. They were in a very nice, big pine crate & not cramped. you see some nasty bunnies at the auction. we bought 15 last year to 'rehab' they were all just bones. bought them for $1/ea

The new girl will probably go into a seperate cage from the hutch for a while, so she gets used to seeing me and me being close a lot. They aren't too scared of people but obviously dont wanna be caught/touched. he said she was a Dutch Mix, but she looks like a tortie cat

 

[Anianna]

This article is a good starting place for free information on raising rabbits, btw.

http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb0975/eb0975.pdf

 

[kuntrygirl]

When is a rabbit old enough to cull and eat? At what age?

 

[Anianna]

Fryer age is about 6-10 weeks. It's usually decided more by weight. I can't remember the full animal weight right off the top of my head, but cleaned meat resulting from the butchering should be about 2 - 2.5 lbs of meat for the fryer. Roasters are older and bigger, equaling about 3 - 4 lbs of meat.

 

[Randy]

I have eaten a lot of rabbit in my life and have no problem with eathing them but I just don't seem to like it as much as I use to. Seems to have a strong taste to me. I have wondered if it something about the feed that I'm feeding them or maybe just my taste has changed.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
woo! Thanks!

 

[Bleenie]

I have NO idea what breed my current 2 are but the doe is about 5lbs and the buck maybe around 7? i am sure they're still growing though...they're definitely well fed, lol. I held them today and coulda swore they got bigger since a few days ago.

I will have to get new pictures soon. The buck is more timid than the doe, eventually i would like them to be used to my hands & me so i can clean their cage without them standing where im cleaning (far back of the cage).

How do you guys house your meaties?
I built that large, 3 section hutch. each unit is about 2ft x 3ft & the floor is 3/4 wire and a board in the back..which of course they poop on

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I don't think the doe is pregnant right now, and i plan to wait a while longer before i breed her. I would like to get a double hutch built for the babies. Their current hutch would be only for breeding.

If i have 2 does and 1 buck housed in the same hutch will it cause problems when they give birth? Rabbits can be pretty sensitive and i would hate for them to smell the neighbor bunny and freak out and massacre their kits.

thanks everyone

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
I would say focus your attentions on the does. They need to feel comfy with you more than the bucks do.

We keep ours in hanging wire cages in a well ventilated shed. Poops fall to the floor and I can sweep them up for the garden and the rabbits are never in their own excrement. The shed has electricity and I have a fan set up to help keep them cool in the summer. Shelves are nice because the rabbits like hopping from one level to another and it gives them something to do. We also give them trimmings from our apple trees to chew on, but you can use wood from the hardware store so long as it isn't treated. If they don't have something to chew on, sometimes they will overeat. Cedar isn't good for them, though, so don't give them Cedar.

The does, ideally, should have a larger space than the buck so there is plenty of room for her and the kits as they get old enough to leave the nest box. Breeding should occur in the buck's space. When you ask about having them together, do you mean in the same space or in the same hutch with separate spaces? Bucks will sometimes eat the kits, so it is not a good idea to have him in the same space with the doe. Also, keeping them together makes it difficult to record and control production. Having them in a single hutch with separate sections probably won't be a problem, though. With the amount of space the does need, though, your hutch would need to be really big to house all three rabbits plus the litters. 36x30 is the minimum recommended space for each doe. Bucks don't need so much space, but keep in mind rabbits like New Zealands get very big compared to most pet breed rabbits.

If you do not slaughter all of your buns at the same time, American standards recommend separating males and females by 3 months of age. I'm told the standard in Europe is to keep them together until six months old, but you will risk pregnant sisters by that age.

If you watch the does pretty closely, you can tell when they are ready to breed. They get antsy and start rubbing their chins on their cage.

I think if I were you, I would use that hutch for the buck. You said it is a three section hutch; are you able to remove the separator between two of the sections to make it larger? You could use that one for one of the does or as a place to put the kits as they get bigger if you want to give mom some space (though they can stay with mom right up until slaughter, particularly if you dispatch them all around the same time).

 

[jadeflower999]

Quote:
Ha ha that sounds like me! I'll do the cleanin' but I don't think I could kill them. I've shot wild ones in the past and have forever been traumatized my one I wounded and it's squealing, it was terrible. I never thought a bunny could make such noises.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Ha ha that sounds like me! I'll do the cleanin' but I don't think I could kill them. I've shot wild ones in the past and have forever been traumatized my one I wounded and it's squealing, it was terrible. I never thought a bunny could make such noises.

First time I ever heard a rabbit scream I nearly fainted! scared teh ever living beejessus out of me. course the vet laughed hysterically. ( ear mites)

I raise Show and meat rabbits , when I want rabbit meat I go to the Store for it LOL.( ya I know whimp)