Goatiegirl":3nhrdm8o said:
I just wanted to say hi and ask a few questions. I've been reading about raising meat rabbits and, um, it's overwhelming! I'm glad to have found this forum, it looks super helpful and informative.
Welcome to RT, you've definitely come to the right forum. I've learned lots here, and I have raised rabbits for years.
My biggest question: Is it hard to breed them?
Crossbreds, which is what you'll most likely be using for meat, usually breed like, well, like rabbits. Keep back babies from your best mothers (largest litters, most surviving to weaning) for your next generation of breeding stock.
Once you start getting into purebreds, the rarer/more expensive/more you like them breeds, can be guaranteed to give you headaches in the breeding department.
I read a lot about people losing kits.
Rule number 1 for raising rabbits is that rabbits die.
Rule number 2 is that you can't do anything about rule number 1
Expect to lose some kits. Everyone does, sometimes whole litters die through no fault of the breeder.
If you find yourself losing a lot of kits, some thing may be wrong with your rabbit husbandry. (please note, this is the generic "you" I'm referring to here, I don't actually mean you yourself,)
I raise dairy goats and am there for every birth and haven't lost any kids so I guess it's easy compared to rabbits. I'm nervous these animals will take a lot of "near perfect conditions" for successful matings and deliveries.
Rabbits are tough, in a fragile sort of way. We all do our best to keep our rabbits in perfect conditions but its not always possible.
So long as they are well fed, healthy and clean, rabbits will mostly take care of the rest themselves.
[/quote]Any tips on getting started in that department? Like is it mostly weather conditions or housing conditions?
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Weather is a big factor in rabbit health. A wild rabbit goes underground to protect itself from the elements, a caged domestic rabbit can't do that, so they need protection from all weather extremes.
Heat is the biggest killer IMO it can kill a perfectly healthy rabbit in a couple of hours.
Cold is usually well tolerated unless the rabbits are compromised in some other way. (young/old/sick/stressed/underweight)
Wet - while a light shower can be tolerated, constant wet conditions will kill rabbits.
Wind - rabbits don't like draughts or wind whistling through their cages, they should always have shelter on the windward side.
I won't get into the intricacies of housing. There are as many ways of housing a rabbit as there are breeds.