Nesting boxes and baby savers

[traildad]

I am thinking about buying some rolls of welded wire to make cages. Can anyone tell me what percentage of cages with nesting boxes and baby savers I would need. I know the cages that hold the bucks don't need a nesting box or baby saver wire. I have read that I don't need a nesting box for each doe. Since she doesn't need it constantly they can share them. Would it be a good idea to put the nesting boxes in some cages with baby savers and then put the pregnant does in those cages to give birth and keep them in regular cages the rest of the time?
I am trying to figure how much wire I need to make the cages. Since it comes in 100ft rolls I will have enough to build more cages later. I plan to start out with 4 cages raising Florida Whites. I will have enough wire to build 16 cages total. What would be a reasonable number of bucks out of the 16? How many nesting boxes would I need, and would I have to put baby saver on all the doe's cages? Thanks Ken

 

[ottersatin]

Hello traildad,
are you planning on breeding only for Meat,
are will you want to Show your rabbits somewhere down the line?
If you are breeding just for Meat, two good Bucks could service
20 Does, no problem. For Show you may need a few more Bucks as
not every Buck will produce the best type with every Doe.
I would build a nestbox for every two Does. you never know
when you require an extra nestbox. When you build your cages I suggest
that you build three Buck cages and at least six Doe cages.
When you wean the kits you will have to have a place to put
the Does you will retain for breeders. You will also need
a holding cage for a young Buck as replacement.
When you start you might want to retain the two best typed Does
and the best typed Buck from each litter, this will enable you
to improve the type in your Herd. You can always cull the ones
that don't grow to your expectations. You can never have enough Rabbit cages,
and I would baby saved wire all of the cages intended for Does.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Jessykah]

Like Ottersatin said, Put baby saver wire on all doe cages. You should not move your does around unless you have to (like if you're changing your setup, etc.). Keep a few extra buck, fryer, and doe cages clean and disinfected easily on hand. Make your cages easy to remove. So when a doe/buck/fryers need a clean cage, you can just switch it up with one that you have on hand. Then promptly clean the cages that you have removed(toilet brush works good, and maybe a power washer) and disinfect. Also disinfect the feed/water dish/bottle, and while you're at it, disinfect nestboxes that you have on hand, so that everything is always clean and ready to go when you need it in a hurry. It's annoying to have to clean a cage, etc. when you are in a hurry....I keep a spray bottle of bleech and water mix handy at all times. If you will install trays, disinfect them once in a while too for disease prevention and to keep the smell to a minimum.
I also keep a "quaranteen" cage or two on hand, disinfected and ready with clean waterer/feed dish. I sometimes don't know when I will need to rescue a bunny or bring in replacement stock for new blood.
I hope this helps (yes I know, I talk a lot) <br /><br />__________ Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:41 am __________<br /><br />As for how many, I am not sure. It depends on your market in your area for selling meat fryers/show rabbits/pets, or if you are just using for your own consumption or showing. I would probably make 2 or 3 buck cages, 1 or 2 quaranteen cages, and the rest doe/fryer/replacement stock cages.

 

[traildad]

Thanks for the info. I am planning on meat rabbits only. If the economy gets really bad in the future, I will be able to expand and sell or barter my extra rabbits. Ken

 

[Truckinguy]

You don't say what type of rabbits you are raising but if you're raising for meat I"m guessing it's one of the bigger breeds. I raise NZ's and my kits never come out of the nestbox early enough to fit through 1x1 wire. I"m guessing the babysaver wire is for smaller breeds.

 

[ottersatin]

Whatever works best for you is the right thing to do.
That being said, I have Satins[Not one of the smaller breeds]
and have always had Satins. It is my experience that Satin kits
that happen to get out of the nestbox early will eventually,
a few of them at least end up with their heads stuck in between
the one X two wire when crawling around on the cage floor.
It may not be a necessity for some, but I would prefer to err
on the side of the safety of the kits by installing a 4 inch
section of floor wire [1/2 X 1 ] around the bottom four inches of the sides.
What you do or do not do is up to you.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Truckinguy]

You're right, Dennis. It's better to err on the side of safety.

 

[traildad]

I am planning on raising Florida Whites. They are smaller and do need the extra baby saver wire. Thanks again.