Raising our New Zealand Meat Rabbits *Start to finish - Birth to processing* Possible Graphic pics*

[Angelicisi]

Addition going up for the rabbitry. We have used another indoor room for boarders and have built a wall of roomy wire cages for growing out some breeders. This new room will house our meat rabbits and neat chick brooding area. It's just so much easier when we can control temps indoors during dangerous heat or even cold weather
My daughter thinks its going to be a giant pink building because of so brace boards we used lol we may have to paint it pink now :/ doh least the neighbors can't see

 

[Angelicisi]

Still having issues sexing kits with confidence.
So tired of bunny bit pics lol
I think I have them sexed then I doubt one, go back n check others because, well, maybe I was wrong on that last one then I'm starting all over lol

 

[Angelicisi]

Alrighty! I think I got the sexes down! lol
I think I can see the difference in the two bits now lol

Doe #1 we have 4 girls and 4 boys. 99% sure
Doe #2 we have 1 girl and 5 boys. 85% sure lol

 

[Debs55]

Hi everyone! Me and my dad are interested in raising some rabbits for meat. I have always had rabbits. I used to show them and now I just have a male NZW as a pet so I know how to raise them, but I'm curious about what kind of set up we would need for a few breeding rabbits?

I was thinking I would have one larger pen and house 2-3 does in it. My buck has his own pen already. And then I thought I would get another buck at the same time I got the does and he would have his own pen. And then we would have 1 or 2 grow out pens. How does this sound?

Also, could the does remain in the same pen all the time? even when breeding and kindling? I figured whenever we wanted to breed we would just put a buck in the doe pen or put a doe in with one of the bucks. Would this work?

I'm open to any suggestions!

 

[Angelicisi]

I keep each rabbit in their own space, but I've seen people keep them in groups and colonies. I like to know what's up with each individual bunny for my own records and my rabbits seem less stressed in their own cages, no squabbles. I use double cages for each pair of does, single cages for each buck. I house kits together by litter until they are sexed then they are separated by sex also.

When my does were put out in the play area together they squabbled and humped each other (yes definitely all females!) They didn't hurt each other but it wasn't long term so I dunno.

As far as together when kindling, some does may become defensive of their kits. Or may try and steal kits. I had a few lops we rescued and put them in a pen in quarantine together (they were previously housed in a large group together) one doe was pregnant and surprised us with a litter. Awwww, we let her be for the day and came back to no kits! Another doe stole them and moved them to a corner out of the fur nest! That doe was Not pregnant lol never saw any violence or real fighting among any of them tho.

Hi everyone! Me and my dad are interested in raising some rabbits for meat. I have always had rabbits. I used to show them and now I just have a male NZW as a pet so I know how to raise them, but I'm curious about what kind of set up we would need for a few breeding rabbits?

I was thinking I would have one larger pen and house 2-3 does in it. My buck has his own pen already. And then I thought I would get another buck at the same time I got the does and he would have his own pen. And then we would have 1 or 2 grow out pens. How does this sound?

Also, could the does remain in the same pen all the time? even when breeding and kindling? I figured whenever we wanted to breed we would just put a buck in the doe pen or put a doe in with one of the bucks. Would this work?

I'm open to any suggestions!

 

[Debs55]

Thanks Angelicisi! Sounds like they would need seperate pens..or atleast a space where they could be seperated while kindling. When I had show rabbits we always kept the does all together but I see where it could become any issue when there are kits involved

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Debs, lots of people have successful colonies. The biggest issue is with breeding. You never know who is breeding who, when. Another issue is getting rabbits from an all-cage setting like most rabbitries and then moving them into a colony setting. I have had my rabbits fight before, they can get very aggressive and territorial, even bucks and does breeding left together too long.

The most successful colony settings are with one unrelated buck over a doe and her close relations (mother, daughters, sisters) that have been raised together and never separated. You still have no idea WHEN the breedings are going to happen or which doe, nor any control of colony politics like baby stealing, kit killing, etc... But this is the most successful colony setting.

My rabbits are housed separately. I keep two bucks and many unrelated does. it helps to know which rabbit came from which parents. Very important actually.

 

[Debs55]

I wasn't planning on housing the males with the females all the time, only when I want them to breed. woudl that still work? I don't know, now i'm rethinking my setup

 

[peeweesfarm]

In the books I've read when I was raising rabbits you always take the doe to the bucks cage ,does will damage bucks if you go buck to does cage . So when I was raising rabbits I took does to the buck cages an had realy good luck in breeding, I hope to start breeding this spring 1 buck an 5 does to start , have to get there cages built before finding breeding stock.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Peewee is right. Rabbits are highly territorial, especially when they have kits. They all have their own "space". They will defend that violently if they need to. If you bring a doe to a buck's area, the only thing in the buck's mind is breeding the doe, and the doe is submissive because it is his space, not hers. If you bring the buck to the doe she can get very territorial and may attack the buck. Alternately the buck may just not be interested in the doe, being too busy sniffing around and trying to claim the territory as his.

Colony setups are a delicate thing. In general when starting a colony none of the rabbits have had time to claim the space yet and so they learn to accept the space as a group, which works best if the does are already a group as does are more prone to fight with does than with bucks. So typically it's a doe, her doe kits, and an unrelated buck that works out well. Then you can have 2 generations of kits (kits from the doe and her daughters and kits from their daughters) from the group without needing to change out the buck due to inbreeding. Changing members in a colony can cause a major upset in the colony structure and lead to a lot of fighting all over again.

It's just a lot of work to balance a colony and rabbits tend to do just fine in individual cages.