Just getting started

[rabbitguy]

Hello everyone glad that i found this forum. I am very interested in raising meat rabbits for a household of only two. I first need to think of my design that i want to use for my hutch. I am thinking of having a square shape hutch with plenty of space. On one side will be the bucks home and the other will be the mothers/baby and nesting area. I plan on having a ladder leading underneath the hutch that continues to a little grazing area. Does anyone have any suggestions for someone just getting started? I hope that we do not end up with too many bunnies or else we will be freezing meat which id rather not have to do.
Thanks a lot for any help :bunnyhop:

 

[Maxine]

Welcome. I'm fairly new to this as well. We just got our buck and does the end of 2012. Thus far we have had 3 kindles! So lots of meat in our future. I'm not sure about advice. This is a great place to start. Read back posts and ask lots of questions!

 

[CWD]

Look at the older post. you will find a lot of pictures of other peoples hutches.
I hate to tell you, even with 1 buck and 1 doe and only 2 people eating the rabbit meat.
some of it will have to go into the freezer, as you will have too much to eat before it spoils.

Welcome to the form, and good luck with your rabbits.

 

[Marinea]

Welcome Rabbitguy!

Just an idea, but if you posted more specific information about hutch size and materials and such that you're thinking about, you might get more advice and lessons learned from others.

 

[Miss M]

:welcomewagon: Welcome, Rabbitguy!

Are you figuring on butchering them as you need to, then? I do know that if you can butcher quickly, you can cook the rabbit before rigor sets in. Otherwise, you would want to butcher several days ahead of time and bag it and put it in the refrigerator, so that it can get past rigor and be tender again. Depending on the refrigerator (and where in the fridge the rabbit is put), it can be 3 - 7 days.

 

[DumansArk]

Welcome RabbitGuy!

What breeds have you considered? A gal we know raises little tiny "Dutch Harlequins" (really pretty little buggers that look just like they sound) as meat rabbits. People laugh, but they give enough meat for her. They don't much either. So you could go with smaller breeds to save freezer space. Or set up something with reptile keepers in the area to have an avenue for extras.

 

[3mina]

Welcome
Another small meat breed to look at is Florida White, I get nice carcass sizes on mine

 

[starshotbandit]

Nice to meet you! Just my thought, if you have a Grazing aera under the hutch how will the grass get sun and all the poo piles up under there so they will be running around in their poop and all the moisture. I have suspendid cages dobble stacked with sloped plastik under the top run. I keep a "play" aera and turn each one out for an hr or 2 a few times a week.

 

[Mickey328]

Welcome! Where are you in CO? We're in Fort Collins, and also just getting into meat rabbits for DH and me.

We opted to go with Silver Fox, which is a heritage breed. They're larger rabbits (mature at 10 to 12 lbs) and have a trio which we hope to breed for the first time in about 2 weeks. DH is still working on the rabbitry area, which should be finished just in time for breeding. After a LOT of research, we went with new, all wire cages. We didn't want any wood involved since they spray and it tends to absorb urine and is very difficult to clean. We ordered 6 cages...one for each of our breeding stock and 3 for grow out cages for the kits. We have an 8 foot space between the east side of our house and the fence at the property line so that's where our rabbitry is going. It's been a lot of work because the slope was quite steep. DH had to remove the fence and put in a retaining wall, then bring in a couple yards of dirt to level it. The fence is back up finally. Next he's going to put a roof over the entire area to keep the rain and snow out as well as provide shade. We have a friend who's going to weld re-bar together to make racks for us to rest the cages on; 2 cages to a rack. These will go up against the side of the house, with a tarp for protection from the spray. It should end up being a rather nice, cozy space back there...sheltered from the weather but with good ventilation and lots of fresh air.

You'll almost have to do some freezing since you're likely to get 6 or more in a litter. One rabbit will easily provide a meal for 2 people with some to spare. I suppose you could just butcher one in the morning for that day's (or the next) meal and leave the rest in the cage. As they get older they do get tougher, so you probably wouldn't want to leave them too long. We intend to breed both does at the same time so that a foster is available if needed, so I anticipate having 12 or more of the same age at one time...and we'll definitely be freezing them The plan is to breed both does twice in the spring and twice again in the fall. Should give us 8 litters a year with probably an average of 6 or 7 per litter, which roughly translates to about 50 meals for the two of us. Of course, we'll have to see how it goes I'll probably can some of the meat but most will go in the freezer either as the whole or cut-up rabbit or as ground meat or sausage.

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

Welcome, Rabbitguy! Obviously, space available dictates your design, etc. Know that wood will be chewed on if it's at all possible, and the wood that isn't chewed will get soaked with urine. I've gone with all-wire pens suspended from the roof rafters. Some inside a barn that can be completely closed in, others under a roof with all opens sides that get covered with plastic in the winter. I've got plans to build a quarantine "hutch" that has 4 metal legs (post from chain link fence) supporting a square wooden frame w/ plywood top from which the pen is hung. I'm wanting it to be somewhat portable since it seems we're always moving things around.

 

[rabbitguy]

Thanks for all the replies. We live near boulder. I am buying a mix of new zealand and flemish giant. I believe that they will get pretty large, so i need to figure out how much space i will need for the doe and her babies and also the buck (which will be separated from everyone). We would like to build the hutches soon but want to make sure we give these guys plenty of room. Would like to have a living area and large roaming area. I was thinking a 7 ft long, 6 ft wide, 2 ft high living area. I would split that in half and one side would be for the buck and other side for doe and all of the babies until they are grown. Cant wait to get started! Any idea on this? Thanks

 

[Fire-Man]

for doe and all of the babies until they are grown. Any idea on this? Thanks

What is your plan--you said "until they are grown"? Are you going to raise to "fryer" size or adult size?

 

[rabbitguy]

fryer size<br /><br />__________ Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:01 pm __________<br /><br />Until they are a solid size to eat/store

for doe and all of the babies until they are grown. Any idea on this? Thanks

What is your plan--you said "until they are grown"? Are you going to raise to "fryer" size or adult size?

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

Just to warn you, I have no personal experience with this but know some people who have, and they found that Flemish Giants wreaked havoc on their meat rabbits...they got big but lanky carcasses with lots of bone and only moderate flesh...and they have told me that their Flemish and Flemish crosses consumed a LOT more food than your average commercial-type rabbit.

Someone above suggested a smaller breed...I just got a small starter-herd of some very nice Mini Rex to show, and they are really teeny little goobers (so darn cute) but any that are not show-quality will be used as a meat rabbit. They may be small but they are just as tasty, plus I'll get adorable little plush furs from them. With a smaller breed you'll have smaller carcasses but they don't consume much feed, and as their litter sizes are usually smaller you won't have an overabundance of rabbits.

Someone else suggested Florida Whites...those too are great little bricks of meat. I was admiring a few this past Sunday at a show, they are SO compact and SOLID. Really nice, and they're a pretty small breed with a high meat yield.

Basically, my point is that overall size isn't as important as meat-to-bone ratios and growout times and feed requirements. Ideally you want quick growth of a rabbit that has a lot of meat compared to bone mass, with minimal/moderate feed consumption. To my understanding, Flemish and Flemish crosses grow slowly, get honkin' big bones, and eat a tonne while not producing a whole lot of actual meat.

But! If you find the perfect crosses, go for it. YMMV.

 

[Mickey328]

:yeahthat: I've noticed lots of Flemmish Giants listed locally as "meat rabbits" too...but I'd avoid them. Yes, they get big..well HUGE is more like it. But it takes them a long time (during which you have to feed them a lot), and being a giant breed, they grow bone first. At dress out, their bone to meat ratio is very high, so they really aren't, IMO, a good choice for meat. Calis, NZ's and FW's are more commercial types which tend to grow faster (and therefore you don't have to feed them as long) and have smaller frames so their dress out bone to meat ratio is much higher. I've seen both Cali's and NZ's around locally quite a lot.

We opted for Silver Fox, which were a "go to" meat breed before the new commercial types. They tend to grow a little slower (ie butcher at about 10 to 12 weeks), but they're considered a Heritage Breed, so that swayed us. I was concerned about them being available locally because I couldn't find any on the breeders lists, but we went to the show in Henderson in January and found 2 local breeders there who had stock. One of them is just in either Frederick or Firestone...so quite close, really.

 

[rabbitguy]

I was going to purchase a doe and a buck both crossed with a New Zealand and a Fleming Giant. Maybe i will ask if she has just New Zealand's for sale. Thanks for the info, very helpful

 

[Fire-Man]

fryer size

__________ Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:01 pm __________

Until they are a solid size to eat/store

OK, I am with you now----you said "grown"---Fryer size is about 1/2 grown---LOL. I would suggest if you want fryer size---when they reach that weight, set-up and process the whole litter at one time ---vacuum seal them-----makes not having to clean up but one time instead of a bunch of times. I can process 8 to 10 in about a hour, then it takes my Wife about 30 minutes to look/wash/cut up/bag them for the freezer. Also once they reach fryer size, if you do not process them then or soon they will get to tough for fryers. We like fryers, but I had rather mine get some bigger, then she cooks them in the crock pot and uses the debones meat/brooth cooked in rice for what we call a "rabbit bog"(Some GOOD Stuff-LOL).

I too like to go with NZ or Californians or a cross of the two.

 

[MaggieJ]

Glad to have you with us, Rabbitguy. :welcome:

One thing that I would like to suggest is that you design your hutch so that you can easily reach into the back corners. Rabbits will often retreat there when you need to take them out and it is frustrating to waste time trying to get them to move to where you can catch them. Make sure the doors are nice and big and give thought to how they open.

I prefer a cage where the door flips out and down, but other people have other preferences: in and up, with a hook to hold it, out and to the side etc. So give it some thought before you build.

If you plan to use J-feeders, make sure they have lids to keep rats and weasels out of the cages. For the same reason, I recommend using cage wire with spaces no larger than one inch square. The floor should be 14 gauge 1/2" by 1" floor wire to support the rabbits' weight and prevent foot problems.

I'm not sure how severe your winters are, but rabbits need protection from wind and also from rain and snow. In summer they need good ventilation and shade. Just points to keep in mind when designing and locating your hutch. Rather than dividing the hutch in half, I'd give the doe and kits about two thirds of the space, unless you are planning on having a grow-out cage as well.

 

[jollysrabbits]

I just want to add in my $0.02 real quick, I am on a couple of forums regarding rabbits and I am not pointing fingers here or anywhere else in particular but it seems like there is a lot "Flemish bashing" on so many sites and most places I read the same thing (big bones, eat a lot, etc.) this is reason we have "heritage breeds" now! We will use the American blue as a perfect example. NZW's literally almost killed off the American. the Americans were the top rabbits from about 1920-1950 and then all the sudden everybody wanted NZW because they were more economical/fur color(even though there is a white strain. Having raised both I gotta say the difference in feed is not that big, but i will admit it would be noticeable on a very large scale (commercial rabbitry) you would definitely notice the feed ration but for backyard Come on.... My Purebred 18.5lb Flemish only eats about 6oz of food a day, a little more in the winter. Flemish were bred for meat and ARE a meat rabbit, the only thing that has changed are the more economical choices in "commercial breeds" NZW,Cali,Champagne,SF and so on. I also want to add if you do go with the Flemish you will most likely get very large litters, they average 12 or more per litter. My lines average between 13-16 per litter. Rant over. again this is not pointed at anybody just wanted to get some thinking wheel turning. the NZW/Flemish is a nice mix as well. Welcome Rabbitguy

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Welcome to RT, Rabbitguy!

:welcomewagon:

I also would suggest looking into one of the smaller breeds- Havanas are one that hasn't yet been mentioned, and they are a little larger than FWs.

As to your "roaming area", they will quickly mow it down to the dirt, and also scratch at the soil. You will need to put wire or concrete pavers to prevent them from digging out. A better alternative might be to build a mobile "rabbit tractor" that you can move around your property for grazing. This way each area will have time to rest and regrow.

We have a friend who's going to weld re-bar together to make racks for us to rest the cages on; 2 cages to a rack.

Rather than having the cages rest on the rebar (which will cause a collection point for urine, feces, and fur), would it be possible for you to have him build the racks taller so you can hang the cages? I am considering having something similar made, but plan to thread the support metal through the top of the cages to give full linear support. The ends would rest in channels on top of the support posts.