Breeders who show, breed for meat, breed for fun, breed for pets, will you tell me how you got started? I'm trying to envision what the next couple of years might hold for me. How did you pick the breeds that you breed? How many rabbits did you start with, and how fast did your rabbitry grow? What did you do to learn about rabbits? About how much money did you spend the first year or so, and at what point did you break even? Thanks so much for any stories or insights.
Breeders, how did you get started?
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5dognightfarm
Well-known member
I started raising rabbits very young, through 4-H and FFA. My first breed was picked for me because she was a gift from a friend of my grandmother's who raised Mini Rex. I got into Harlequins because my younger brother started raising them and lost interest. When I got into Checkereds it was purely coincidence, I wanted a pet and the breeder gave me a lovely show rabbit. Everyone's story is very unique, I think.
As for breaking even, it doesn't happen often. I've been raising rabbits since 2004 and the only time I made money was when I switched to selling mostly pet store Harlequins and I had about 15 does which I feel for myself was too many to manage on the basis that I wanted, but that all depends on the individual.
As for breaking even, it doesn't happen often. I've been raising rabbits since 2004 and the only time I made money was when I switched to selling mostly pet store Harlequins and I had about 15 does which I feel for myself was too many to manage on the basis that I wanted, but that all depends on the individual.
sammysue63
Well-known member
What are you breeding for or haven't you decided yet?
We started with a trio of yard sale meat mutts in July 2005. They had not been very well cared for, but given clean cages and increasing amounts of dandelions, clover and plantain along with their pellets, they perked up amazingly. We still breed meat mutts for our own table, but we brought in a New Zealand Red buck a few years back and he improved our stock a good deal. I like the mutts for their resilience and good health, their variety and their easy-going natures.
We have a very small rabbitry - less than half a dozen breeders - and expect to keep it that way so that we can continue to feed natural foods. Gathering greens is great, but but it does take considerable time and effort and I'm not getting any younger.
We have a very small rabbitry - less than half a dozen breeders - and expect to keep it that way so that we can continue to feed natural foods. Gathering greens is great, but but it does take considerable time and effort and I'm not getting any younger.
Thanks, Cait and Maggie, for that feedback. SammySue, I haven't decided yet, but I have a line on a little white angora doe, 6 months old. I'm going to see her tomorrow. However, I plan to work my way into raising meat rabbits for my family and for trade, and I'm on a waiting list for a Silver Fox pair in the spring.
how did I get started? As an adult or as a teen?
I had rabbits as a teen.
Got out of them for a good spell. Had mice and guinea pigs for a bit. (still have pigs and a fellow rabbit breeder sent me home with two young boars today). FREE!
Then... I connected a fellow who was looking for rabbits with a gal who had rabbits. he gave me two holland lops. and things continued on from there. I bred them. HATED the doe. Got rid of her and then got into generic "i don't want this pet rabbit anymore" type rabbits. Bred a ton of mutts and sold them for $10-15 each.
Fell in love with the curious but gentle mini rex. Raised those for a spell.
Discovered the harlequin rabbit and went "ooh...I like those!" So got a few of those.
I wanted to breed something small so I looked at the various small breeds. Had had someone give me a jersey woolie, and another give me a lionhead... both convinced me quite firmly that anything even remotely wooled or long-haired was NOT my cup of tea. Thought about the ND's -- hubby nixed that. Though hotot and researched them and discovered they have issues. Britannia's are too busy. So went with Polish. I LOVE my polish.
So right now I have harlequin, holland lops and polish. My mini rex though I love them, are hard to see the offspring off as there are simply bucketloads of horrid ones out there so selling the good ones for a decent price is more difficult. I have retained one mini rex as a personal pet.
I show my harles and my polish, my hollands simply pay the bills.
I had rabbits as a teen.
Got out of them for a good spell. Had mice and guinea pigs for a bit. (still have pigs and a fellow rabbit breeder sent me home with two young boars today). FREE!
Then... I connected a fellow who was looking for rabbits with a gal who had rabbits. he gave me two holland lops. and things continued on from there. I bred them. HATED the doe. Got rid of her and then got into generic "i don't want this pet rabbit anymore" type rabbits. Bred a ton of mutts and sold them for $10-15 each.
Fell in love with the curious but gentle mini rex. Raised those for a spell.
Discovered the harlequin rabbit and went "ooh...I like those!" So got a few of those.
I wanted to breed something small so I looked at the various small breeds. Had had someone give me a jersey woolie, and another give me a lionhead... both convinced me quite firmly that anything even remotely wooled or long-haired was NOT my cup of tea. Thought about the ND's -- hubby nixed that. Though hotot and researched them and discovered they have issues. Britannia's are too busy. So went with Polish. I LOVE my polish.
So right now I have harlequin, holland lops and polish. My mini rex though I love them, are hard to see the offspring off as there are simply bucketloads of horrid ones out there so selling the good ones for a decent price is more difficult. I have retained one mini rex as a personal pet.
I show my harles and my polish, my hollands simply pay the bills.
sammysue63
Well-known member
We raise meat rabbits, New Zealand Whites. We started with 5 does and a buck in January of this year. We now have 23 breeding does and 6 more that we are growing out, we try to keep 2 a week when we have the room. We also have 9 bucks, 6 we use and 3 are growing out.
We find what holds us back the most is the cages, they are expensive so we never seem to get ahead, although we have found that they are starting to pay for their own feed now which helps.
We were lucky when we started out we bought from a breeder in the area who has been breeding for over 10 years. He helped us make some excellent contacts and of course we get alot of help from rabbittalk.
It would have been a really rough start without the help from all the people here.
We find what holds us back the most is the cages, they are expensive so we never seem to get ahead, although we have found that they are starting to pay for their own feed now which helps.
We were lucky when we started out we bought from a breeder in the area who has been breeding for over 10 years. He helped us make some excellent contacts and of course we get alot of help from rabbittalk.
It would have been a really rough start without the help from all the people here.
ottersatin
Well-known member
I got started in Rabbits in 1989,
when a neighbor gave my Daughter a Rabbit for Easter.
The whole story is on my website.
Needless to say that this lead to: A lot of work in preparation
to do the Rabbit thing correctly. Being unfamiliar I borrowed
a book from the library, the information was "old".
I built a cage much too large that was eventually made into
two cages. I read every book on he subject I could beg, borrow,
or steal! [Not Really] I bent the ear of every knowledgeable
rabbit breeder I could. When I started I built many wood and wire
rabbit hutches, but found that I was standing out in the weather
way too long when caring for them! They were nice and Dry and I
was either Soaked in the Rain or freezing in the Snow and Ice.
I built my Rabbit Barn. [for lack of a better name]
I have learned quite a bit through books, the internet
and a vast amount of experience. I continue to learn today,
if you don't learn something new everyday, you are just not listening.
You WILL spend quite a bit of $money$, in fact, a LOT of $$Money$$
in an effort to do things correctly and to your liking.
You must try to make things as easy as you can for yourself and
your Rabbits. No matter what you do and how perfect you feel that you've
got it, you will constantly be rethinking yourself and changing this and that
in an effort to make things even better. This being the case, You never
stop reaching into your pocket to purchase something else to change
and make things easier. You can and will make a bit of money with Rabbits
but they will never make you a millionaire. I have rabbits because
I love and enjoy them, they give me a reason to get up in the morning.
I have more than just a few times threatened to throw in the towel,
but once you are bitten, you can't! Rabbits are like eating Potato Chips,
You cannot eat/have just one! Rabbits grow on you, and grow and grow
and grow, well, you get the picture.
Take a PILL, swallow it and enjoy your infection!
Ottersatin.ldtimer:
when a neighbor gave my Daughter a Rabbit for Easter.
The whole story is on my website.
Needless to say that this lead to: A lot of work in preparation
to do the Rabbit thing correctly. Being unfamiliar I borrowed
a book from the library, the information was "old".
I built a cage much too large that was eventually made into
two cages. I read every book on he subject I could beg, borrow,
or steal! [Not Really] I bent the ear of every knowledgeable
rabbit breeder I could. When I started I built many wood and wire
rabbit hutches, but found that I was standing out in the weather
way too long when caring for them! They were nice and Dry and I
was either Soaked in the Rain or freezing in the Snow and Ice.
I built my Rabbit Barn. [for lack of a better name]
I have learned quite a bit through books, the internet
and a vast amount of experience. I continue to learn today,
if you don't learn something new everyday, you are just not listening.
You WILL spend quite a bit of $money$, in fact, a LOT of $$Money$$
in an effort to do things correctly and to your liking.
You must try to make things as easy as you can for yourself and
your Rabbits. No matter what you do and how perfect you feel that you've
got it, you will constantly be rethinking yourself and changing this and that
in an effort to make things even better. This being the case, You never
stop reaching into your pocket to purchase something else to change
and make things easier. You can and will make a bit of money with Rabbits
but they will never make you a millionaire. I have rabbits because
I love and enjoy them, they give me a reason to get up in the morning.
I have more than just a few times threatened to throw in the towel,
but once you are bitten, you can't! Rabbits are like eating Potato Chips,
You cannot eat/have just one! Rabbits grow on you, and grow and grow
and grow, well, you get the picture.
Take a PILL, swallow it and enjoy your infection!
Ottersatin.
ldtimer:
hoodat
Well-known member
Originally I grew up around rabbits since my grandfather always kept them. I was without them for many years till about a year or so ago when I saw a buck and doe in a pet shop at a good price that looked as though they had meat potential. And AWAAAY we go.
Iggysbabysitter
Well-known member
I had 4 dutch bunnies for a while in the 80's as a kid. Then durring the summer of 2010 I was researching how to improve hubby's health and rabbit seemed to be the best thing (and avoiding beef). I wanted the breeders to be like pets. I found a flemish that I just fell in love with, and then I was given a friends unwanted lionhead male... they made around 24 beautiful babies, long in the loin and every one of them had a mohawk. I also had a nightmare of a doe... a cage lunging, growling, nipping fright. But she (Queen BB) gave me almost a dozen kits every time. Now I want to start all over again to get the bad bloodlines out (Queen BB's daughter has just turned into a cage lunging brat whenever I check the babies or place the orphans under her, and she has thrown 3 kits with "cement butt").
My new breeders are 2 flemish/NZ does, a NZ and a Californian... all 4 are expected to kindle Nov 3 or 4. I like my little colony shed, and have the ability to let them all out into the backyard for grazing (but that leads to them running and jumping way too much... they burn off a lot of energy outside!).
My new breeders are 2 flemish/NZ does, a NZ and a Californian... all 4 are expected to kindle Nov 3 or 4. I like my little colony shed, and have the ability to let them all out into the backyard for grazing (but that leads to them running and jumping way too much... they burn off a lot of energy outside!).
I got bunnies for Easter when i was a kid.New zealands.We lived on a small farm soo my parents raised meat rabbits.I decided showing would be fun.soo i bought some Angoras.which were too much work.i decided Netherlands where for me and i have them still.
