anyone raise rabbits?

[redman2006]

I need some help with my next step.

So, I have been raising rabbits pretty successfully, but I just lost my buck. So, where to go from here. These were just mixed breed, smaller rabbits. They really were not meat breeds. I am afraid if I buy a new Zealand or some other large meat breed, it will be too big for my females and I will kill them with dystocias.

At the same time, I don't want to continue with these smaller and slower growing breeds. Then again, I don't want to pony up to replace all of them and start from scratch.

What do you suggest?

[reddawnspokane]

Redman -- do you have enough space to separate them in the pens? Have an area for each breed?

[Tex]

We raise rabbits, Redman. Ask anyone who came to the branding and they will tell you how big they are. The best thing you can do is to keep an eye on craigslist and pick up some of the meat breeds there. Ours are a cross of New Zealands, California and Flemish Giant. If you are going to raise rabbits, you are money ahead to raise something that will actually benefit you.


Tex

[Dode]

New Zealands are raised for meat for a reason; they have a good feed to meat ratio. Keep your eyes open on craigslist. Eventually, someone will be in a hurry to sell their stock for a price of $5-$10 each. Last year I bought 4 does, 5 kits and a breeding buck for $40 from a seller on CL. All you need is a male and a female and you're on your way to having dozens.

As for Flemish Giants, they don't have as good of a feed/meat ratio and are large boned.

The Flemish these days is primarily a fancy breed, raised for show and pets. People who first see them sometimes think these biggest ones must be meat rabbits, but Flemish consumes too much feed for the meat yield to be a very efficient commercial breed. They have always had a strong following.
http://rabbitbreeders.us/flemish-giant-rabbits

[redman2006]

Thanks everyone.
I do have plenty of room for more pens. The ones I have now are slow growers, and I am not getting a good feed conversion, but they were free, and I have Kudzu from mid Spring to mid Fall that reduces the feed required by a huge amount. Until this one died, I was not too worried about conversion. Now, I need to improve the genetics if I am going to keep this experiment going. Using a New Zealand on the does I have concerns me.

Right now, two rabbits feed 3 of us with leftovers for a couple of my lunches when we do them in a Dutch oven with vegetables if that gives you an idea of size. Small or not, they taste great.

[redman2006]

I have been using hutches. Does anyone use actual pens for theirs?

[Dode]

I had hoped to use a rabbit 'tractor', but had to put them in hutches, in a shed, in order to hide them from neighbors who would complain about them. I had to slaughter them sooner than expected, as the feed bill was too much w/o grazing. They were purchased as an experiment, that had to be cut short. However, I did find them to be a good meat source, if one has their own grasses and hay to give them, w/o resorting to commercial feed.

[redman2006]

Bit of an upgrade on this. I have a huge Silver Fox buck on some black New Zealands Talk about a producer. Beats the heck out of the rex crosses I was using.

[Betty Buckshot]

I'm just guessing, but a couple of weeks after Easter might be a good time to find free rabbits. Parents who get their sweet little darlings a cute little bunny for Easter then realize they didn't want to actually take care of a pet.

[redman2006]

I agree, but that is how I got those darned rex crosses. They did not produce worth beans. Now, feed out a few of those pets and eat them, that is ok, but not to breed them unless they are something like a New Zealand.

[Dode]

If you can get some 'easter' bunnies for free, go ahead and slaughter them if they aren't the breed you want. I got my black New Zealands from CL (5 adults and 4 kits) for $40. They weren't pets, but breeders and my plan was to let them breed for a few months and then fill the freezer. Due to STRICT city ordinances and fussy neighbors, I ended up slaughtering as soon as the kits were full grown. The feed bill was outrageous without grazing. One really needs their own hay production to keep the costs down.