Raising Meat Rabbits

[CyndiD]

ii have been watching youtube videos on sexing rabbits, AGAIN, and i am doing it correct and i am seeing all males in my 6 kits. i will try it again to make sure.

Well, i sexed them again, and i found 2 females and 4 males.. one of the males i was a little unsure. i kept pushing and trying and to tell the truth it looked like both male in length and a female in shape/slit, kwim? i marked him as a male w/a "?" mark. i am seperating them now.

i tried putting the 2 females in w/t 3 does i already have that are 3-4mo and these younger ones are2-3mo. the 2 younger ones got beat up almost immediatedly. i took them out. should i try putting them together again? will the older ones kill the younger ones? should i let them establish a pecking order? i dont want anyone getting injured or killed.
thanks

 

[Bunnylady]

Rabbits often get pretty territorial once they hit puberty . . . I wouldn't try it, that's for sure. They absolutely can kill the younger ones; you may need to watch to make sure the older does don't start fighting among themselves at this age.

 

[CyndiD]

Really? oh boy, if that happens then i will have to do some culling and fill my freezer.
thanks for the tip. i will watch them closely.

 

[CyndiD]

i moved the 4 boys to the wire cage on the left:

these are the 2 females kits 2-3mo:

these are the 3 does, 3-4mo:

my 2 bucks, under 2yo:

pics are blury, sorry.
ive been told they are all "mutt" rabbits. does anyone have any suggestions for me; should i keep them and just keep breeding for meat or should i start over w/different breed?
thanks

 

[CyndiD]

Rabbits often get pretty territorial once they hit puberty . . . I wouldn't try it, that's for sure. They absolutely can kill the younger ones; you may need to watch to make sure the older does don't start fighting among themselves at this age.

When is puberty? when is a rabbit fully grown?

 

[CertifiedChaser]

I don't have any rabbits yet but from what I've read about meat rabbit breeds is that at around 2-3 months they should be at a good slaughter weight. I would say fully grown at 6 months or so. Again, I have no experience just based on what I've read. Most seem to mature (hit puberty) at about 4 months but obviously it varies with some happening sooner (mostly males it seems). And your rabbits may be mutts but I guarantee there are people out there that really don't care. I'm looking for heritage breeds but some people just want rabbits. You should be able to find buyers since they still produce meat and their rabbits you know? Their cute. At the very least you could sell em as pets to provide a bit of extra income. If however you're looking for a more consistent meat rabbit, it's best to get the real thing. From what I've read they produce better and therefore more meat.

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote: 12 to 16 weeks, generally, though I've seen some pretty randy behavior in bucks that were only 8 to 10 weeks of age.

 

[CyndiD]

I don't have any rabbits yet but from what I've read about meat rabbit breeds is that at around 2-3 months they should be at a good slaughter weight. I would say fully grown at 6 months or so. Again, I have no experience just based on what I've read. Most seem to mature (hit puberty) at about 4 months but obviously it varies with some happening sooner (mostly males it seems). And your rabbits may be mutts but I guarantee there are people out there that really don't care. I'm looking for heritage breeds but some people just want rabbits. You should be able to find buyers since they still produce meat and their rabbits you know? Their cute. At the very least you could sell em as pets to provide a bit of extra income. If however you're looking for a more consistent meat rabbit, it's best to get the real thing. From what I've read they produce better and therefore more meat.

Hi, thanks for your thoughts and opinion of selling my rabbits as pets. they are really sweet and are already friendly and trusting.
thanks for the info on puberty too.

 

[CyndiD]

 

Rabbits often get pretty territorial once they hit puberty . . . I wouldn't try it, that's for sure. They absolutely can kill the younger ones; you may need to watch to make sure the older does don't start fighting among themselves at this age.

When is puberty? when is a rabbit fully grown?

12 to 16 weeks, generally, though I've seen some pretty randy behavior in bucks that were only 8 to 10 weeks of age.

thank you Bunnylady, i will keep an eye on my rabbits, i still have a month at the earliest or 2 months.

I have another Q. is there any foods to feed the meat rabbits so their meat taste good? thanks again

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote: 12 to 16 weeks, generally, though I've seen some pretty randy behavior in bucks that were only 8 to 10 weeks of age.
thank you Bunnylady, i will keep an eye on my rabbits, i still have a month at the earliest or 2 months.

I have another Q. is there any foods to feed the meat rabbits so their meat taste good? thanks again
Not by my math - or were you meaning, "a month or two until they are old enough to breed?". The age at which they can breed, and the age at which they should breed, are two different things. Lots of people didn't separate soon enough and have had young does give birth to accidental litters at 4 to 5 months of age, but you really should wait until the doe is 6 months or older before breeding her.

25 or so years ago, I had a Jersey Wooly doe give me a litter of 5 bucks. I pulled the doe out when they were 8 weeks old, and thought things should be fine. I noticed bits of fur near the cage every now and then, but had no idea about what was really going on. By the time they were 10 weeks, the most dominant buck in the litter had mutilated his 4 brothers to the point that I had to sell them as snake food, because there was no way I could even give them a.way as pets.

Another time I sold a couple of Harlequin does and a Holland Lop doe to a family, along with a Mini Rex buck (they were all meant just to be pets; no breeding intended). The does were in the 8 to 10 week range, and I told them they could probably keep the does together, but to watch for signs of aggression and be prepared to separate. A month or so later, the father contacted me, and asked if they could return the does - the buck had wrapped the whole family around his paw (he was that kind of personality) but they just hadn't really bonded with the does . . . I said "sure." When they brought the does back (maybe 4 months old at this point), one of the Harlequin does was being kept separate; it seems she was being just too nasty to the other two. They requested that if I rehomed the rabbits, that I make sure the other Harlie and the Holland go to the same home, "because they are the best friends in the whole world." Well, within a week of coming back to me, the Holland's "best friend in the whole world" took a piece of hide the size of a postage stamp off her backside . . . If I was ever complacent about rabbits living together, that taught me; though I may have rabbits living together peacefully, I don't take it for granted that it will stay that way.

I don't know of anyone that has deliberately fed rabbits in a way to "pre-season" the meat, as it were. Rabbit meat is very mild in flavor, the proverbial "tastes like chicken" situation, lol, so you can pretty much season it anyway you like.