Different breeds in colonies

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FrugalQue

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Hello all,

I really enjoyed reading this forum. First of all, I just wanted assure you that I did read just about every post in the colony forum. :)

We currently raise coturnix quail in a covey (similiar arrangement as a colony arrangement). Now we want to do the same for rabbits.

The rabbits will be just for meat. I want to raise mini rex and my husband wants to do the common NZ/CA mix. Can we do both in the same colony? They are quite different in size so I think it would be ok but I'm not sure.

We are thinking of having one buck and two does of each type. Any advice?
 
It likely will not work very well. You mini-rex buck would be harassed and possible injured by the larger buck. The larger buck would breed all the does and that could be bad for the mini rex girls. All the offspring would be mutts and many would be undersized for meat rabbits.

What you could do, however, is have two colonies side by side, with a secure divider in between. A bit more work, but not that much... and much safer and happier for all the bunnies.
 
I have mini rex and would like to get american chinchilla for meat. I was wondering about doing something similar but keeping the bucks separate. There just seem to be too many possible issues with a buck or especially multiple bucks in a colony with does. I'd much rather have more control over their breeding. I have a 170sq ft old oat bin converted to chicken coop and then I sold all my chickens. So I've been debating blocking off a corner for quail or guinea fowl (all I have left for birds are 3 very young guinea fowl) and turning all the does loose together in the rest. Then the bucks could be either let loose in the 8x8' former bantam coop or in individual runs in that building or raised cages in the bigger building.
 
Oh my, I wouldn't want my minis to be hurt so I think we will just do the secure divider thing and go with that.

Do any of you raise mini rex's for meat? I know they are a small rabbit but since we raise quail for meat, we figured in relation to the quail, they are quite bigger. :)
 
I used to have minirex. They are fine for meat, just take longer to get big, and not nearly as nice as they meat rabbits. But they taste just fine, and you get their little pelts.
 
Any mini rex I don't sell will be butchered. Most of the meat will probably be dog food though. I've never really liked any kind of meat that well and consider it more a side dish to meals than the main part. I think we still have quail in the freezer from last year...
 
Update:

We have put all the does in the same colony and they absolutely love it! We got one mini rex, one chinchilla and two NZ/CA does. Yes, we went a little crazy. :) Everyone is about 3 months old except the rex, she is 1.5 years.

We also got three bucks (one NZ/CA mix and two mini rex). The bucks are in cages inside the colony until their separate colony is ready.

We did attempt to breed our mini rex doe with one mini rex buck and we really think she is pregnant. She is sectioned off from the other does, although in the same colony, because she is just mean.

The does run all over the colony and jump on top of the buck's cages and just generally love the area. It is a 6x12 area. We will be adding levels within the colony after we move the bucks out but for now, the does love just hopping on the buck's cages. The poor bucks are going crazy trying to get to the does. Everyone sniffs everyone and seems to get along though.
 
adult does are territorial and will generally try and run off other animals she is not used to that are adult or getting close to being adult, she will accept her own daughters though,

you can leave the does all togather in the colony like you have it and just put the individual does in with the buck when you want them to breed, there is nothing wrong with that, just make sure you have enough nesting places for each doe to have a choice, i would put in more nesting places than you have does,
 

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