Raising Meat Rabbits

[Andrei]

I have a pretty big hutch setup where it has five separate compartments. Three of them are 2' x 3' and two of them are 3' x 3'. Should I keep the doe and the buck in the compartments farthest from each other? Does it really matter? I read somewhere that they shouldn't be able to see each other all the time, is that true?

 

[pepperpellets]

I have a pretty big hutch setup where it has five separate compartments. Three of them are 2' x 3' and two of them are 3' x 3'. Should I keep the doe and the buck in the compartments farthest from each other? Does it really matter? I read somewhere that they shouldn't be able to see each other all the time, is that true?

I have only ever had one problem one time with a doe and buck next to each other. The partition wasn't quite secure and a nursing doe squeezed herself between the rafters over the partition and got herself re-bred while she was nursing week old kits. Yikes!

 

[Bunnylady]

Bucks spray. Some aren't bad about it, and with some it seems like a hobby. It could be really annoying to have buck urine all over the doe and her litter.

Another infrequent issue is that some rabbits actually manage to breed through the cage wire when housed next to each other. I don't know how they do it, but I have had it happen once - a doe that I wouldn't have bred, and one that was too nasty for anyone else to have taken out, put into the wrong cage, and fished out again, without winding up bleeding. If I can't avoid housing a buck and doe side by side, I make sure they are the same breed, so if "accidents" happen, at least they will be purebreds.

 

[Andrei]

Wow thanks bunny lady that's some great information. My cages dont have any partition between them, so now it looks like I'm going to put some up.

 

[Andrei]

Is a 2' x 3' space enough for a buck to live in comfortably?

 

[Outpost JWB]

Depends on the breed of rabbit. For most, yes, that would be big enough.

 

[Andrei]

I plan on raising NZ, Californian, maybe a Rex which are all medium sized breeds. I'm very fond of the Rex because I hear the fur is super soft.

 

[SEP Board]

I joined this board as I just started raising quail. Doing a bit of exploring led me to this thread. I started raising meat rabbits the week before I got the quail. So that's a grand total of just over two weeks with the rabbits.

I have one buck and two does. They are mini lops that I purchased for $15 each from a buddy at work that has rabbits (and pigs and goats and chickens and a horse). The buck is one year old and the does are around four months old.

I made a PVC framework and have suspended the cages about three feet off the ground. I currently have made three 3x2 cages (one for each). The PVC framework is supported and 12 feet long so I'll be adding a fourth cage (3x2) for overflow. I plan on putting a divider between the buck and the doe next to him. I also want to install carabiners so that I can quickly detach the cages from the support and put them on the ground for some 'rec' time for the rabbits.

I have them on pellets which they seem to really enjoy. I also give them the occasional hay and leaf lettuce from my garden. From what I've read, four months is old enough for greens and it hasn't seem to adversely affected either doe.

I put each doe in with the buck on separate days. If it took I should have a litter by the end of this month.

 

[Andrei]

Can anyone tell me when setting up my automatic watering system do I need to use something different than the standard 1/4" clear tubing? I heard that the tubing can create algae and apparently that is bad for the rabbits?

 

[Bunnylady]

It doesn't create algae; it's just that algae can get enough light to grow in the clear tubing. For me, the problem is that you can get enough algae in the lines to block water flow - I am constantly on the watch for blocked lines.