rabbit cage question

[embkm]

Those of you raising meat rabbits, what size cages do you have? I am planning on getting either NZW or California rabbits.

And can you raise them in colonies, or do they need to be seperated? I was planning on 3 does and 1 buck.

 

[Sachasmom]

You *can* raise them in a colony, some people do.

Problem with a colony is you have no control over who gets bred, you can't tell which ones are from which Momma, so no pedigreed sales there. Plus you have dig outs, rabbit fights and disease control.

I'm sure there are a lot of pluses to it, I'm personally too picky to do it. I did think about a retirement colony for does though.

You'll need at least 24x30 for the bucks, 24x36 (or 30x36) for does with litters. Bigger is better, a NZ doe and 8 Jrs will fill that cage up fast!

If you do 30x36, make sure your doors are large enough so if you need to crawl inside the cage to reach the back, you can! I cannot reach the back of my 30x36's

 

[mekasmom]

I raise in a colony. The production is much higher. If you are using rabbits for pets or meat, then the colony will give you the highest production.
You really don't care who is dad or mom if you just want a pet market rabbit or a meat rabbit. And the increased production plus the ease of care makes colonizing the easiest (and best) way of raising rabbits in my opinion.
The only downside is that you will have dozens and dozens and dozens of rabbits. You have to sort them at least 3 times a year and choose which ones to keep, sell, or put in the freezer. These will not be show rabbits, but it really doesn't matter if your goal is not showing rabbits. I just cleaned out rabbits last week, sold dozens of them at the livestock auction and froze forty of them. I kept four does and two bucks. By July- August, I will again have to do the same thing. I already have two new litters, and another doe about ready to have a litter.

There are no rabbit fights because they are raised together. There is no dig-outs if you put them in a building with a concrete floor. Cleaning out the straw 3-4 times a year is a chore, but it's easier than having to feed rabbits separately everyday all year long.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I tried raising rabbits in colony with no luck.
I think its better to raise them in cages. You can keep track of everything better, you can tell who has been eating what, who bred to who and so on. In a colony, if one gets a dease, they all do.
Cage wise, bigger is better,but make sure you can reach all the way inside to get the rabbit.

 

[obsessed]

I have Cal and NZ. I have three females and one male. I raise in cages that are 30 x 36 inches. I chose to do the cages because there was a concern about rabbits having worms when they are in contact with the ground. I have been told my numerous hunters not to eat rabbit in any month that was warm. Of all the animals I am raising right now (ducks and chickens and kids) I like the rabbits best. Their cage is raised so the poop and pee goes to the ground and I clean it every couple of weeks and put it in the garden.

the hardest part is trying to cook it. It is so lean.