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

[Bunnylady]

Quote: Your rabbit is clearly black, not chocolate, based. And I've never heard of amber as a rabbit color - I don't think there is any breed that recognizes it, at any rate.

Your doe looks like a gold tipped steel to me.

 

[chickadee5002]

She looks like a GTS to me... Amber and chocolate aren't New Zealand colors, I'm afraid. The only official NZ colors are red, black, white and broken. When the colors are crossed, you get chestnuts and steels and a blue variety is currently being worked on. As far as I know that's it...

Your rabbit is clearly black, not chocolate, based. And I've never heard of amber as a rabbit color - I don't think there is any breed that recognizes it, at any rate.

Your doe looks like a gold tipped steel to me.

Thank you both! Now I know what to call her color! I love her color no matter what you call it! lol

 

[Angelicisi]

I don't tan hides here but I know a lil age on a rabbit allows tougher skin and NZs come in 3 recognized and many other colors to work with. This could be beneficial in having options or a pain depending on litters colors...
I think both would work well if tanned well tho.

We raise NZs and CX meaties my layer flock is a group of different breeds we like

I'm joining everyone! I have 2 does Alice is an 11 week old nzw pure breed with a 16 lb daddy, Grace is a 6.5 month old nzw x sf that I will breed with Alice's daddy Jilly in 3 weeks or so.

My bf built them a big cage with 1/2" hardware cloth and old leftover oak hardwood flooring from a 1925 house we didn't need to finish our floors with.

We have 25 dp meaties that are 9 weeks old, 10 in my laying flock, and 12 ayam cemani with 3-4 haffies in the bunch between 2 days and 5 weeks old. 12 white bresse ship today I hope. All a part of not buying meat at the grocery store.

Grace is warming up to me, Alice is a cuddle bunny! I hope they end up both being good mothers. I guess in a few months we need to have a couple grow out cages built, but I might only keep 1 good big buck from when I breed them. Grace can be breed onto a blue nzw x sf buck, but I'm trying her with a big nzw first. Then see if there's a marked difference in hide/meat to bone ratio etc. I'm giving the extra parts to my 2 older greyhounds to eat from my chickens and rabbits when the time comes. Mine are outside with a tarp over them and I feed calf manna and the gro pellets, they LOVE the calf manna pellets! And hemp leaves and stalks. Grace is dark, sable? Idk. Alice is white, I want to tan their babies hides to make moccasins to wear around the house, will the silver fox leaning pelts be better for this than the nzw pelts? Grace looks like stormy from up above.

 

[Double Kindness]

I wanted cx for meaties but couldn't find any local but found ac, and the bresse are shipping right now, but only 8 I'm insanely tempted to go and put a bit more on my paypal acct and order some cx through ideal b/c my dp are going to take 8 more weeks anyways it seems, 5 started crowing this past weekend and caponizing equipment isn't here yet!

Between having to possibly cull 5 roos for crowing, being a few bresse short isn't getting me to my freezer full goals of homegrown meat, and these dp are so small compared to cx. My bf has given up trying to dismiss it and said the other day that if something bad did happen that we would be far better off than most other people as we have chickens, bunnys and soon ducks.

I want swedish flower hens, and marans too still, I'm planning for marans in the spring with cortunix quail, 3-5 beehives & bigger garden.

 

[All pourpose]

Hi I live in Barbados and I keep sheep but I'm selling them and buying New-Zealand -White rabbits for meat.I have some questions about them. How big should the nest boxes be.What age to breed them at. Will they weigh 5 pounds at 12 weeks old.How to sex .How big should the pens be.How many times can a buck breed a day. And last question is will they weigh more if in a confined space. Thank You and my name is Kazii

 

[SA Farm]

Hi I live in Barbados and I keep sheep but I'm selling them and buying New-Zealand -White rabbits for meat.I have some questions about them. How big should the nest boxes be.What age to breed them at. Will they weigh 5 pounds at 12 weeks old.How to sex .How big should the pens be.How many times can a buck breed a day. And last question is will they weigh more if in a confined space. Thank You and my name is Kazii

To answer your questions, Kazii:
Nest Boxes? 18lx10w is typical, I believe, for NZs (I have hutches personally, so don't use them).
Age before breeding? They should be 6-8 months old or 80% of adult weight before breeding.
Age before 5lbs? This depends on the line and feeding program. Most will reach 5lbs between 10 and 12 weeks, but it can vary and some lines can even reach 5lbs at 8-9 weeks. What and how they are fed will also determine how long they will reach optimum butcher weight.
Cage size? At least 24x24 18high for a single buck. At least 30x30 18h for a doe/kits. The more space the better IMO, but you also need to be able to reach them! They should always have room for every rabbit in the cage to be able to stretch completely out comfortably at the same time to be adequate.
How many does can a buck breed in one day? Most breeders will give a buck 2 hours to recover between breedings. I haven't bred more than 3 does in one day to a single buck, but my rabbitry is relatively small.
Weigh more if confined? Absolutely not. Confined rabbits may be fatter, but not more meaty. They need room to move and stretch out to build meat and muscle.

I would recommend starting with a trio of rabbits to get started. That will give you a chance to get into a routine and will prevent becoming overwhelmed. You may be surprised how much meat a trio can produce in a year

 

[Angelicisi]

Welcome! We do meaties too! I have a thread on them here I need to update

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/834385/raising-our-1st-set-of-cx-meaties/750_50#post_14161140


have over 100 3 weeks and less and another 150 arriving this Friday. its INSANE

Rabbitry is doing awesome! Have 3 does at 2 weeks building nests, 3 does due the 10th this week and 5 that just kindled! The buns are LOVING this cool weather snap we got and love is in the air.

I added 2 colored does to the herd for spring babies by request. A few community members want some brown eyed colored ones...so a silver marten and a NZxdutch doe are going to be bred too.

We're housing about 6/ rabbits right now and still have a wait list for litters and meat I need more bunnies.

I'm joining everyone! I have 2 does Alice is an 11 week old nzw pure breed with a 16 lb daddy, Grace is a 6.5 month old nzw x sf that I will breed with Alice's daddy Jilly in 3 weeks or so.

My bf built them a big cage with 1/2" hardware cloth and old leftover oak hardwood flooring from a 1925 house we didn't need to finish our floors with.

We have 25 dp meaties that are 9 weeks old, 10 in my laying flock, and 12 ayam cemani with 3-4 haffies in the bunch between 2 days and 5 weeks old. 12 white bresse ship today I hope. All a part of not buying meat at the grocery store.

Grace is warming up to me, Alice is a cuddle bunny! I hope they end up both being good mothers. I guess in a few months we need to have a couple grow out cages built, but I might only keep 1 good big buck from when I breed them. Grace can be breed onto a blue nzw x sf buck, but I'm trying her with a big nzw first. Then see if there's a marked difference in hide/meat to bone ratio etc. I'm giving the extra parts to my 2 older greyhounds to eat from my chickens and rabbits when the time comes. Mine are outside with a tarp over them and I feed calf manna and the gro pellets, they LOVE the calf manna pellets! And hemp leaves and stalks. Grace is dark, sable? Idk. Alice is white, I want to tan their babies hides to make moccasins to wear around the house, will the silver fox leaning pelts be better for this than the nzw pelts? Grace looks like stormy from up above.

 

[Angelicisi]

Retired a 4yr old great buck because his hips looked 88 yrs old when he tried to mate :lai
Usually we cull and eat but he's just the coolest bunny so I put him in a hutch with the chickens awhile back. Well he's made friends with all the hens and has a girlfriend he has breakfast and catches up on current events with everyday...but "she" is a Cornish cross hen .
This Hen escaped during processing a batch of CX. 2 days later she was in the coop at roosting time with our layer flock. She's at 12lbs and ranges with the layers well. Flock didn't even make her go through a pecking order.

 

[Angelicisi]

 

[Angelicisi]