Raising Meat Rabbits

[RedRidge]

What breed of rabbits are these?
We have a similar butcher/grow out but we never sell any rabbits for breeding that aren't 3.75 lbs minimum by 8 weeks.
We butcher at 12 weeks (or a week or two later if we're crazy busy).
Our breeders are in raised pens and grow outs are in tractors in the summer (raised cages in the winter).
We offer a few extras every once in a while like sweet potato vines (or a couple of sunflower seeds prior to shows). Never carrots as they are high in sugar.
During the spring and fall when not feeding hay and only feeding pellets the adults get about 2/3 c/day. When we are feeding hay they eat a lot less. So mine ate eating about half what yours are which made me curious if you had a heavy boned breed?
Fascinating to see how folks do it differently. ;-)

 

[AmericanMom]

What breed of rabbits are these?
We have a similar butcher/grow out but we never sell any rabbits for breeding that aren't 3.75 lbs minimum by 8 weeks.
We butcher at 12 weeks (or a week or two later if we're crazy busy).
Our breeders are in raised pens and grow outs are in tractors in the summer (raised cages in the winter).
We offer a few extras every once in a while like sweet potato vines (or a couple of sunflower seeds prior to shows). Never carrots as they are high in sugar.
During the spring and fall when not feeding hay and only feeding pellets the adults get about 2/3 c/day. When we are feeding hay they eat a lot less. So mine ate eating about half what yours are which made me curious if you had a heavy boned breed?
Fascinating to see how folks do it differently. ;-)

The are Flemish/NZ and Ca mixed... Sometimes they eat less but most times its as I posted.. I guesstimate on the amount of feed, just came in from morning chores and the females have hardly eaten anything but the males typically empty their dishes. I added some things to my garden for the rabbits over the summer, turnips ,leaf lettuce and they got all my Beet greens.. We were butchering at 16-20 weeks but found the bones were thicker and it was to much meat for just DH and myself.

 

[LeslieG87]

Thanks for the info...I'll be sure to look for horse quality squares bales

 

[LeslieG87]

Had to share this... In the book Storeys Guide to Raising Rabbits it deems crossbreeds as the "mongrels" of the rabbit world. Basically they are considered worthless.
Wait, what? Not at all trying to start a debate here but thought that was odd. I've seen and read where people swear by crossing some of the bigger rabbit breeds for meat purposes. On my way tomorrow to get a Cali doe and a Cali/NZ buck who's daddy is quite proven.
I guess this book along with a few others I got from my library are older.
Things have changed! Hehe.
Leslie

 

[chickadee5002]

Had to share this... In the book Storeys Guide to Raising Rabbits it deems crossbreeds as the "mongrels" of the rabbit world. Basically they are considered worthless.
Wait, what? Not at all trying to start a debate here but thought that was odd. I've seen and read where people swear by crossing some of the bigger rabbit breeds for meat purposes. On my way tomorrow to get a Cali doe and a Cali/NZ buck who's daddy is quite proven.
I guess this book along with a few others I got from my library are older.

Things have changed! Hehe.
Leslie

definitely has changed a bit! Hybrid vigor and all!

 

[AmericanMom]

Last evening our Brown female was pulling fur so I knew we would have kits this morning.. waited until just light and went out, she had them all right, silly rabbit decided not to use her box and instead lined the wire floor with hay and fur and had them right there... LOL.. I counted 8-10 and shame on me for not thinking to take a picture before I fixed her box and transferred the kits in there... I can say they are all greyish/black and seem healthy!

Now waiting for momma #2 ... No fur being pulled, they were bred at the same time so I expect to see something today...

 

[Double Kindness]

Congrats! We rebreed my doe Grace a couple days after Thanksgiving, so I'm hopinh she doesn't absorb this pregnancy too and plan on breeding my nzw Alice next month to be popping out baby bunnies every other month between the 2 does until I find a good buck to keep for breeding.

Good catch moving the babies to the box. I worry b/c it is so crazy weather here.

 

[AmericanMom]

Congrats! We rebreed my doe Grace a couple days after Thanksgiving, so I'm hopinh she doesn't absorb this pregnancy too and plan on breeding my nzw Alice next month to be popping out baby bunnies every other month between the 2 does until I find a good buck to keep for breeding.

Good catch moving the babies to the box. I worry b/c it is so crazy weather here.

Might have to re-breed the flemish, she was showing no signs of gathering hay last night and we bred her at the same time the Ca/Nz was bred...

 

[Double Kindness]

Maybe she is just running "late"?

 

[AmericanMom]

Maybe she is just running "late"?

No, she didn't take so we bred her again to a different male, she accepted him immediately... Never figured Does would have THAT much of a preference but this one does, she will only allow one male to cover her successfully.. Her mother would allow anything with a thingy so the difference is kinda funny..


On a sad note... Our Brown Doe kitted last week, was finally was able to get an accurate count last night... She had 8.. One died early so that left her with 7 very fat active kits.. Went out this morning and four were dead!! We froze last night (first one in a couple weeks) and for whatever reason she had taken most of the bedding and fur out of the box... All 7 were exposed, three were still alive...barely...repacked the nesting box but I have little hope she wont go in and remove it again... I think she is not a very good winter Mother.