Raising Meat Rabbits

[nayeli]

I have rabbit cages. Right now they are both small enough and get along well enough to share one but I have extras. I mostly have grow out cages (smaller) so I need to get some more big ones for when they are older.

 

[nayeli]

We don't trust him with them. I have never seen him hurt another animal and he really is acting with them how he did with a little dog I had well looking for its owner, but I don't want to learn the hard way he sees them as lunch. He is also a big dog and could hurt them without meaning too. We will introduce out of the cage in another week or two, with very close supervision. He just watches and whines!

 

[misbhaven]

First level of the new rabbit cage almost all the way done.. second level will be built when weather is nicer outside....only took the dh about 40 hrs to build since he has to make the garage 90 degrees before he can work, and then all the breaks he takes while looking at it to see what he wants to do next.

 

[nayeli]

Looks nice! Better than my set up which are random size cages.

 

[misbhaven]

it is going to be 3 cages wid on the bottom ..and will be 2 wide on the top with one cage being a big growout cage...we used window latches for the doors instead of hooks keep the doors secure, and found them on clearance for $.50. on the very top will be plywood which we bought a rolled asphalt shingels for $25 which is more than enough..mostly it was built out of 2x3's which are 1.99 each, usb like $9 a sheet will use about 4 sheets. 50 ft roll of hardware cloth $45..we use door hinges us from a habitat for humanity store .60 each 1 for each door so 5 for the front doors, 5 for the back doors..in the built on boxes we put sticky tile on the floor make for easier cleaning and less pee soaks into the wood..the paint was mistint paint for $5 for porch and deck paint.oh and landscape timbers cheaper than 4x4"S for the legs i think they were like $1.50 last summer. my one chicken coop is teal the chickens and rabbits don't care what color it is so why should I..notice the pop bottle i have heated water bottles but they only kind of work at best and are on my other cages..up to a 2 littler bottler will fit onto the too that come with a regular rabbit bottle...i just change them out 2 times a day..and the food bowls i use glass cat food bowls from the dollar tree..the expensive metal one my buck has eaten they are pretty thin metal..i also use a rusty loaf pan..BTW see the new NZ buck i got from a breeder he was only 30 would have been 60 if i wanted papers and tatoo but my freezer doesn't care if he was tatooed... each cage is a close it cost only about $150 to make no fancy poop trays it will just fall through to the ground and i can open the back to brush it out of the boxes..I have some random cages also like guinea pig cage ( i put them in to clean a cage etc )but the pee doesn't run out and tends to stink worse because the rabbit roots around in the bedding and always ends up stinking like pee...

 

[GD91]

Looks nice! Better than my set up which are random size cages.

Hey, don't worry about it

I've currently got 2 rabbits in the double hutch & a tiny lop with an entire shed to herself & the buck in a dog crate on top of the double hutch. I had to bring everyone indoors onto shavings & hay

terrible weather, my garden flooded. 1 shed is full of chickens & the other 1 is full of rabbits.

One of my does was building a nest today to in the top hutch

come on, roll on first litter!

Oh, & btw the dog cage is working great, my buck has got a cat litter tray full of hay to sit on & shavings, metal floor tray with bedding (although would work well without the tray & a wire floor) & there's lots of lounging space + I like how tall it is. Plenty of room for him to stretch.

You know I'm a fan of the deep litter method, but its not possible now in the pens, the weather is far too wet outside. So most of the animals are on deep litter in the sheds apart from 3 of the rabbits. That was the planned for originally, thank god.

Proper rabbit cages are nearly impossible to find in the UK for meat purposes, so looks like I might be going with dog crates for when the bad weather sets in.

Proper meat rabbits are also nearly impossible to find, I have to breed mutts.

 

[nayeli]

it is going to be 3 cages wid on the bottom ..and will be 2 wide on the top with one cage being a big growout cage...we used window latches for the doors instead of hooks keep the doors secure, and found them on clearance for $.50. on the very top will be plywood which we bought a rolled asphalt shingels for $25 which is more than enough..mostly it was built out of 2x3's which are 1.99 each, usb like $9 a sheet will use about 4 sheets. 50 ft roll of hardware cloth $45..we use door hinges us from a habitat for humanity store .60 each 1 for each door so 5 for the front doors, 5 for the back doors..in the built on boxes we put sticky tile on the floor make for easier cleaning and less pee soaks into the wood..the paint was mistint paint for $5 for porch and deck paint.oh and landscape timbers cheaper than 4x4"S for the legs i think they were like $1.50 last summer. my one chicken coop is teal the chickens and rabbits don't care what color it is so why should I..notice the pop bottle i have heated water bottles but they only kind of work at best and are on my other cages..up to a 2 littler bottler will fit onto the too that come with a regular rabbit bottle...i just change them out 2 times a day..and the food bowls i use glass cat food bowls from the dollar tree..the expensive metal one my buck has eaten they are pretty thin metal..i also use a rusty loaf pan..BTW see the new NZ buck i got from a breeder he was only 30 would have been 60 if i wanted papers and tatoo but my freezer doesn't care if he was tatooed... each cage is a close it cost only about $150 to make no fancy poop trays it will just fall through to the ground and i can open the back to brush it out of the boxes..I have some random cages also like guinea pig cage ( i put them in to clean a cage etc )but the pee doesn't run out and tends to stink worse because the rabbit roots around in the bedding and always ends up stinking like pee...

Nice. Ya'll did a good job on it. Does the hardware cloth work? That is what your using as the wire for their cages right? I was told to use something else cause it couldn't support the weight

It looks really good though! I am thinking about making some sort of hutch for mine after we move!

 

[nayeli]

Hey, don't worry about it

I've currently got 2 rabbits in the double hutch & a tiny lop with an entire shed to herself & the buck in a dog crate on top of the double hutch. I had to bring everyone indoors onto shavings & hay

terrible weather, my garden flooded. 1 shed is full of chickens & the other 1 is full of rabbits.

One of my does was building a nest today to in the top hutch

come on, roll on first litter!

Oh, & btw the dog cage is working great, my buck has got a cat litter tray full of hay to sit on & shavings, metal floor tray with bedding (although would work well without the tray & a wire floor) & there's lots of lounging space + I like how tall it is. Plenty of room for him to stretch.

You know I'm a fan of the deep litter method, but its not possible now in the pens, the weather is far too wet outside. So most of the animals are on deep litter in the sheds apart from 3 of the rabbits. That was the planned for originally, thank god.

Proper rabbit cages are nearly impossible to find in the UK for meat purposes, so looks like I might be going with dog crates for when the bad weather sets in.

Proper meat rabbits are also nearly impossible to find, I have to breed mutts.

My cages are mostly a little small. My big dog needs a new cage so his old one will be converted, then my husband will build a couple uniform cages (so I'll have at least 2 that are the same size YAY!)

 

[nayeli]

I will sound horrible for asking this but litter method? I have just been giving mine hay, pellets, water, cardboard, and pine needles? I cleaned out some hay that they peed on but I have a tray below their cage. Do I need litter, won't it fall through the bottom anyway?

 

[nayeli]

Also, I had another thread but I need some help naming my doe
Name suggestions for this beauty?