New to rabbits

[Phlip_ Side]

Hey y'all! Just getting into meat rabbits. Looking to get a trio shortly. Just got done building our hutches and getting eager to get started on this journey. Love reading all the threads and posts here. I am know for being a bit OCD with research, so I am ALWAYS looking for input and info of all sorts for the rearing, care, butchering, storage and cooking of rabbits. Going to get some Tamuk's seeing as we are in Dixie County Florida, as I know they are very heat tolerant. So anything y'all have to offer I will eagerly accept. Thanks for a great resource and place to meet like minded individuals. Hope y'all like my hutches. They are 12' long and hold 2 hutches each. Felt they deserve a bit more room to live. Look forward to all the posts.

 

[Florida Jeff]

Welcome aboard Phlip_Side: If you check with

Ablebreeze here in the blog she can get you started with Tamuks. She has several for sale. She lives close to you also, you said you live in Dixie Co. Her rabbitry is in Fort White. I traveled there from North Fl. to purchase some Tamuks to start a new line. I got some 3rd generation removed from University of Texas.​

A couple of recommendations: build twice as many cages as you think you will need. you will need them. Larger cages for grow outs, quarantine, different sexes, a couple of bullies, etc etc.
Also put in a good gravity water feed system, I use two coolers. one 7gal one 5 gal. you can put refrigerated water in them and it stays cool in summer. run hoses and feeder nipples to each hole. Its a lot easier than cleaning and filling water bottles every day twice a day when needed. Also if you have large feeders it will let you leave for a couple of days if needed and the herd will be fine. One side of my rabbitry with 3 breeders and 18 grow outs will drink 3+ gal a day. Put drain valves and dirt legs at the end of each run to drain, clean and keep cool water to holes. It will heat up in hoses during summer.

This is getting long so I will shut up for now. You will like your Tamuks I find them tamer with better dispositions than my NewZeland REWs.

GOOD LUCK

​

 

[Florida Jeff]

PS. You may need insulation under the tin roofs it gets hot in the summer. I had to insulate my metal roof on the barn. It will get EXTREMELY hot for the rabbits in summer and could lose some.

 

[Preitler]

Right about the insulation, my hutches have an internal plywood roof, 2-4cm styrofoam on that, and then the currugated sheet metal that allows some airflow.

I'm pretty sure I would cut those stumble-faceplant-devices on the ground short in the first week of operation , my hutches just stand on big stones and concrete slabs, but we don't have hurricans here. If that is an issue I would rather weight them with stuff between the legs than having those beams protrude in that way.

 

[Phlip_ Side]

Welcome aboard Phlip_Side: If you check with

Ablebreeze here in the blog she can get you started with Tamuks. She has several for sale. She lives close to you also, you said you live in Dixie Co. Her rabbitry is in Fort White. I traveled there from North Fl. to purchase some Tamuks to start a new line. I got some 3rd generation removed from University of Texas.​

A couple of recommendations: build twice as many cages as you think you will need. you will need them. Larger cages for grow outs, quarantine, different sexes, a couple of bullies, etc etc.
Also put in a good gravity water feed system, I use two coolers. one 7gal one 5 gal. you can put refrigerated water in them and it stays cool in summer. run hoses and feeder nipples to each hole. Its a lot easier than cleaning and filling water bottles every day twice a day when needed. Also if you have large feeders it will let you leave for a couple of days if needed and the herd will be fine. One side of my rabbitry with 3 breeders and 18 grow outs will drink 3+ gal a day. Put drain valves and dirt legs at the end of each run to drain, clean and keep cool water to holes. It will heat up in hoses during summer.

This is getting long so I will shut up for now. You will like your Tamuks I find them tamer with better dispositions than my NewZeland REWs.

GOOD LUCK

​

Lol. Thanks for the great tips!. I have convinced my wife to let me buy cages for the grow outs etc. These hutches cost about $300 each to build, when not using what I had around the homestead. This is supposed to help save $ in the food department and not bankrupt us trying to keep up with the growing community LOL.
I will contact ablebreeze and check into her lines info, thank you again. This is such a great community

 

[Phlip_ Side]

Right about the insulation, my hutches have an internal plywood roof, 2-4cm styrofoam on that, and then the currugated sheet metal that allows some airflow.

I'm pretty sure I would cut those stumble-faceplant-devices on the ground short in the first week of operation , my hutches just stand on big stones and concrete slabs, but we don't have hurricans here. If that is an issue I would rather weight them with stuff between the legs than having those beams protrude in that way.

Insulation in on the agenda. Already picked up more plywood for the roofs. They also sit in an area where they only get sun about 2 to 3 hrs a day directly on the hutches. All thanks to my neighbors bamboo jungle next to me lol. Thank you

 

[Phlip_ Side]

Insulation in on the agenda. Already picked up more plywood for the roofs. They also sit in an area where they only get sun about 2 to 3 hrs a day directly on the hutches. All thanks to my neighbors bamboo jungle next to me lol. Thank you

Hurricans are definitely an issue here. We just went through one last season. The legs will stay, I also used screw downs to be as safe as possible.

 

[Mckatie]

Welcome to the forum Phlip _Side!

 

[Phlip_ Side]

Welcome to the forum Phlip _Side!

Thank you