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

[pipemum]

Alright, final question and then I'll go back to lurking. I'd like a real-person, honest answer. If I had a large laundry room that was going to serve also as storage room....let's say a 10x12' room total, would having a trio plus grow out rabbits be a little stinky? Like, the kind of stinky that you wouldn't want inside your house, around clean clothes? Cages under my care would be cleaned once a week, no more. The people who have told me that rabbits don't smell wouldn't really notice if rabbits did have an odor, if you know what I mean.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...they will be stinky. If you have cages with trays under them they have to be cleaned daily...their pee has a high ammonia content. The poop is not bad at all but that pee stinks, it doesn't just go downward to the tray...a buck will spray his pee towards the doe's cage, along the wall behind the cages, out onto the floor, etc.

If you are going to do a funnel system where the pee and poop funnels down into a receptacle, you'll have to empty that each day and rinse it out good. You can keep ACV in it to cut the ammonia odor and that will help. But you still have to deal with the stray urine spray on surfaces of walls and floor if you want it to smell fresh. Those can be cleaned off weekly but the daily offering you'll want to keep up with.

If you were in an outside rabbitry with plenty of airflow going on, you could do that weekly maybe but not in the summer...that would have to be more often then. But any tray system under cages is a daily clean out or the animals have to breathe that ammonia.

 

[SA Farm]

Alright, final question and then I'll go back to lurking. I'd like a real-person, honest answer. If I had a large laundry room that was going to serve also as storage room....let's say a 10x12' room total, would having a trio plus grow out rabbits be a little stinky? Like, the kind of stinky that you wouldn't want inside your house, around clean clothes? Cages under my care would be cleaned once a week, no more. The people who have told me that rabbits don't smell wouldn't really notice if rabbits did have an odor, if you know what I mean.

Absolutely stinky. I keep one little doe in the house (I also clean out once a week) and she gets bred occasionally, with just her and her babies, it's stinky. I can't imagine how bad it would be with NZs and an adult buck and another doe with her own kits! If you wanted to spot clean daily it may be doable...

 

[pipemum]

Okay thanks! No rabbits in the laundry room.

 

[guineagirl23]

I have a question. Does anyone have a cheap build plan for a big grow out cage? I'm only 15 so I don't have the authority to buy all the stuff myself, and my parents don't want to spend much money. I have 3 does, one I'd bred now. I bred her the 1st. We have one small grow out cage, but that definitely won't be enough. I won't have my other two bred until march, because for one they are too young, and I also want to show my broken black doe. I appreciate any help!

 

[michellemire]

I don't have meat rabbits but here's our dwarf

 

[Angelicisi]

I love these guys with the eye liner!

I don't have meat rabbits but here's our dwarf

 

[michellemire]

Dwarf hotot

 

[Angelicisi]

Virgin buck 2 has been given FF for 2 days now and while reluctant (swear I got the stink eye when it plopped in bowl lol) he's eating it.
My concern is how much. I can gauge a 1/2 cup with a lil left over per day. This seems like not enough. I do know its only day 2 so less may be consumed due to it being a new food. I know FF fills them up better and they can use more of the nutrition so maybe the amount is ok. Time will tell. I'll weigh him later to have a base weight so I can monitor him for awhile and make sure he is getting enough

 

[Angelicisi]

I had to separate some kits and give them some space. The addition to the rabbitry is still being built so we made a few cages and set them up inside our breeder room, I keep this room so clean I'm not used to even seeing hay in the floor and Now in 24hours time- whew can't wait to get these buggers on the racks lol there are bunny berries everywhere!

These kits are 8 weeks old now. Will weigh them in a lil bit.