JTS' Meat Rabbit Adventures

[Namentuppen]

Okay, the adventure hasn't really started off yet. Right now it's more in the gathering supplies stage. This wasn't supposed to happen so soon, but my dad committed suicide a little over a week ago and I need some projects to work on. This one has been in the works for a while, so I'm happy to see it come to fruition.

My goal is to produce healthy, well-tempered meat rabbits with some nice coloration. Most will be used for that purpose, but some of the best babies I'll keep for future stock or sell. I plan to tan hides for personal use. I know young rabbit hides aren't the sturdiest, but some mittens would be nice.
I just contacted two breeders. We'll see if either works out.

So far I've ordered:
Supplies to make the cages
Food dishes

Will be going to TSC tomorrow for:
Rabbit food
Rabbit waterers
Hay

I should be able to finish the cages on Saturday. Goal is to get bunnies around mid-May after my finals.

 

[MissE]

Condolences about your father.

I raised meat rabbits for many years. Not to drive traffic away from BYC, but Rabbit Talk is a good place for info on rabbits. It's like BYC, and is a great resource.

What breeds are you thinking of?
If you have questions, just let me know. I will be happy to help. I miss doing it, and plan on starting up again next year. Too many other projects this year.

 

[Tre3hugger]

@VeryHappyHens Litter box is totally unnecessary for meat rabbits.

@JoyThatSticks Sorry about your dad. I just had my first litter of meat rabbits a little under two weeks ago. It is really fun! Rexes would be cool. I am doing mutts for meat ( Amchin x NZ) and Pure American Chinchillas to sell as pets. They are easy keeping and a joy to be around. Here is a thread of my meat rabbit experiences thus far. Good luck and have fun!

Tre3hugger's Rabbit Thread

 

[Namentuppen]

We have some names!

New Zealand buck - Yoshi
Californian doe - Kona
Flemish Giant doe - Nutmeg or Hazel

Yoshi is really curious. He likes to stand on his hind legs to look around and enjoys nibbling on things. I'm going to have to get him a chew of some sort. He does decently well with being lifted. He's good once he's secure in my arms. It's the reaching for him he's not a fan of (can't blame him).

Nutmeg/Hazel is a sweetheart. Good with being lifted and loves exploring. She even binkied!

Kona is very nervous. Understandably so, but she'll need the most work I feel even once she's used to the new setup. She does okay if you cover her eyes. She'll try to do the whole alligator roll/kick when being securely lifted. She doesn't try to bite me when I lift her though, so she's got potential. I'll give her some time to unwind then start trying to socialize her (with long sleeves, hah).

 

[Namentuppen]

She's making a nest! Not much fur in it yet but it's pretty nice so far!

 

[Namentuppen]

We have babies!! I guess Yoshi did it correctly on the 19th! There are six of them!

 

[Namentuppen]

I find rabbits easier & faster to butcher than chickens. Most of the difference is in skin vs. feathers, although the gutting is a little easier for me also with rabbits.



I used to raise rabbits in Alaska.
I can tell you: the water bottles with little spouts are a problem in cold weather, because the end freezes up and then the rabbit cannot get a drink.

And in summer, when I wanted to dump out the warm water and put in fresh cold water, it seemed to take forever to get all the water through the tiny neck of the water bottle.

And some water bottles drip, so they empty themself and then the rabbit goes thirsty.

So I eventually switched to large water dishes. Rabbits dump little dishes, and they sometimes sit in them too. But I got some that held more than a quart (or liter) of water each, and those were heavy enough that rabbits did not dump them. The water stayed pretty clean too, so the rabbits must not have been sitting in them.

It was very easy to dump the old water from the dish into a bucket, and refill the dish from a jug, twice a day. (Then dump the bucket on the lawn or garden, to avoid having puddles near the cages.)

For cold weather, it worked best to have two dishes per rabbit. That way one was thawing indoors while the other was freezing in the cage.

I have seen some automatic watering systems with a tube carrying water to a valve in each cage, and they look like a good idea, but I never got around to setting one up. I still would have worried about it freezing, and about the water getting too warm in summer.

Ooh, thank you for that information! We don’t deal with much cold over here, but I have had issues with those water bottles malfunctioning with my small pets. Good to know there is another option!

@VeryHappyHens Litter box is totally unnecessary for meat rabbits.

@JoyThatSticks Sorry about your dad. I just had my first litter of meat rabbits a little under two weeks ago. It is really fun! Rexes would be cool. I am doing mutts for meat ( Amchin x NZ) and Pure American Chinchillas to sell as pets. They are easy keeping and a joy to be around. Here is a thread of my meat rabbit experiences thus far. Good luck and have fun!

Tre3hugger's Rabbit Thread

Thank you! I’m going to check that out when I get home!

 

[Namentuppen]

TSC today after my final (A&P lab final, not going to be fun). And my painter's tape is coming in so I can paint my office! I think the bottom portion of my cages is coming in today so I can assemble that. Hopefully the walls come in early; I think they're expected Saturday.
Only three semesters to go before I graduate college. Woohoo!

 

[Namentuppen]

Also I bought a 50 pound bale of hay and the car smells like tea now.

 

[pintail_drake2004]

The otter rex are my favorite. I kept this pair back for breeders.