hello, New to meat rabbits

[bigmike77]

thanks mama

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

If you have the same line, just weed out the ones with traits you don't want and keep the ones with traits you do want.

 

[bigmike77]

ok great info thanks guys, Sometimes you can work yourself around and around over the simplest thing as getting a buck and a few doe's. LOL<br /><br />__________ Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:43 pm __________<br /><br />Will have some cages hung 2night, I get off work in a few hours and want to finish what I started

 

[Miss M]

Don't feel bad... it's a discussion that happens with regularity here.

If you can find one good line, I'd buy them all from that breeder. Less chance of something one rabbit is immune to killing the other ones... that sort of thing.

 

[AnnClaire]

Also, some breeders keep seperate lines in their own herd, so even going to only one breeder, you can still put together an unrelated breeding trio

Your place looks like an awesome spread!!!

I live in NW OK where we get wicked winter storms and deadly summer heat. My one concern would be that you have used black visqueen rather than the clear which blocks out the sunlight. I use the clear visqueen draped over my cages and even in the winter when I keep them draped over the front of the cages all day, they can still get some sunlight. Also, in the heat, the black will absorb heat and radiate it to the inside, but I don't know if that is a concern in your climate?

 

[bigmike77]

<br /><br />__________ Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:48 pm __________<br /><br />

Also, some breeders keep seperate lines in their own herd, so even going to only one breeder, you can still put together an unrelated breeding trio

Your place looks like an awesome spread!!!

I live in NW OK where we get wicked winter storms and deadly summer heat. My one concern would be that you have used black visqueen rather than the clear which blocks out the sunlight. I use the clear visqueen draped over my cages and even in the winter when I keep them draped over the front of the cages all day, they can still get some sunlight. Also, in the heat, the black will absorb heat and radiate it to the inside, but I don't know if that is a concern in your climate?

I'm in michigan, same type of weather, as for visqueen was used to keep any poop/pee from soaking into the walls. I am going to have vermiculture pits under the cages. Also I moved from outside to inside the large carriage house. Thanks for the look out! hope i didnt mess up with the black, had a 10 min internal debate at home depot. yep I was that guy looking intensely at clear and black visqueen. LOL :lol:

 

[AnnClaire]

Looking good either way!! Yeppers, I have those conversations myself :gossip:

This is what my cages looked like last February

Now, we are going back into the upper 90s ... still not unreasonable, but needs soaker hoses to help cool the buns

 

[bigmike77]

rabbits in the house


2 nz white doe's
1 Californian doe
1 californian buck
1 nz white buck 9 weeks old

 

[AmysMacdog]

Congratulations BigMike! They look great!

 

[Flemishstar]

WOW mike nice set up you got there!!!!! I just got 2 NZ does today (bred) Im new to them also ..I wish you muccch luck!!! hopefully we both get kits SOON!!

 

[Marinea]

Congrats Mike!

Just a question- with the space you have, is there a way for you to offset the cages so that the droppings and urine from the top cages aren't directly over the bottom ones? Maybe it's me, but I didn't see any drop pans or anything.

 

[bigmike77]

I put up make shift runners, the poop and pee run off the back of the cages into a collection tray on the floor. I need to make larger ones and cover them with the visqueen I have. Right now it is working but i need to tweak it some more

 

[Flemishstar]

Big mike out of curiousity...how much do your NZ does weigh....Mine are very full and meaty...or fat, Im not sure lol

 

[Andrei]

It is a nice set up but with a dry clean up in the plan.
I like a similar set up but with the possibility of wet clean up with a hose when needed.
I had one as a kid and was a lot easier.

 

[bigmike77]

hello all, wow i have been busy, sorry about not being on here. I breed 2 of the doe's back on the 8th of july. I guess i should put the nesting boxes in there cages on the 4th right? All my rabbits are doing great except one of the mom's thats due. She tends to have a dirty backside. her pop looks normal and she acts and feeds normal, but only oh her. I will snap a photo of her and post it.

Cant wait to see if the breeding worked. LOL!

 

[Marinea]

Yep, day 28 for the nest box and extra hay.

*fingers crossed for healthy kits*

 

[OneAcreFarm]

__________ Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:38 pm __________

Question, when I dispatch a rabbit, do I need to soak it in water? and for how long? opcorn:

Soaking isn't really necessary, Mike. Some like to, but I don't. I let mine sit in an ice water bath while I finish processing all of them, then rinse and let them rest in the fridge, in a ziploc bag, for 2-3 days. The resting IS necessary if you want tender meat. Otherwise, you will be trying to eat meat that is in the middle of rigor mortis and will be tough tough tough!<br /><br />__________ Fri Jul 26, 2013 8:35 am __________<br /><br />

hello all, wow i have been busy, sorry about not being on here. I breed 2 of the doe's back on the 8th of july. I guess i should put the nesting boxes in there cages on the 4th right? All my rabbits are doing great except one of the mom's thats due. She tends to have a dirty backside. her pop looks normal and she acts and feeds normal, but only oh her. I will snap a photo of her and post it.

Cant wait to see if the breeding worked. LOL!

Could be that your doe needs some probiotics, or that she isn't cleaning herself well. Quick question, did you give your rabbits resting boards at all? NZW and Cals are large enough that they will need them to protect their feet and give them a spot to be off the wire.

 

[bigmike77]

yes they all have resting boards, she has two. one small near her food and one alone the back of the cage.

 

[Flemishstar]

My NZ white has the same backside problem, think what happened was one got stuck and it caused a "chain reaction" and its hard to pull all of it off ya know?...so I pick most of it off and she poops normal also?? I Dont THINK its a cause for concern as long as everything else is ok....DID you give her any fresh greens or anything that could of caused diarrhea ?

 

[bigmike77]

no just carrots and alfalfa hay. Same feed as old owner.<br /><br />__________ Sat Aug 10, 2013 9:44 am __________<br /><br />ok here is a head scratcher.......

woke up this morning with 14 kits on the floor.

Mamma with bad butt just used the nesting box as a litter box every day, I pulled it on Thursday, she never pulled fur.

The mamma that would never mate started what looked like pulling fur last night when I was checking them. I think she and the momma with bad butt had kits.

The crazy part is the mamma that would never lift always had a problem with the male and she was pulled from a group of 7 week old kits! crazy.

I split them up among the two mamas and we will see what happens. LEARNING CURVE!

I mated my other female on august 5th.

well everything happens for a reason and I learned a lot! Tiz the life of a rabbit guy!