Starting Out?

[Bed_Spread]

I've never raised rabbits but have started becoming interested as one of my friend's doe put out a kit so I need a lot of info. I'll go to the library and talk to some people as well but when I'm excited, the more info the better.

Her doe & buck, I'm pretty sure are Californians (white with the black points). Her doe had a single kit during the night of the 28th. She'll raise it until fully weaned but all the shows for the next 6 months require a minimum of 3 rabbits to sell at the market shows. I'm going to try and buy it as a breeder to see if I really want to be in the rabbit industry.

So my first round of questions are about raising it. When I go talk to her about buying it, I'm going to refuse taking it until it's at least 8 weeks old and/or fully weaned, which ever is first. Is that a good time to separate the doe? Once I get it I have full access to bermuda/coastal, timothy, and alfalfa hays, regular rabbit chow, show feeds (mostly Purina), and pasture. Which feeds should I give and how much? That also ties into my biggest question: What do judges look for, preferences aside? I watched a friend of mine show once and it looked like he crunched the rabbit into a ball. I think I remember him saying "the more like a basketball it is, the better". Then again those were only breeders, not meat type.

My next round of questions is about breeding. I can remember that gestation lasts about a month but is there any special feeding I need to do? Reduce feed, up protein, increase feed at a certain time or such? Once they're born when can they be sexed & trained? Is there such a thing as rabbit creep feed I need to give the kits?

Sorry for the slew of questions! I've only raised one pig, lamb, and 2 steers & that's all I know. Learning a new animal & type since all those were only market animals. I've never really been interested in breeding type animals until recently. Thanks for your patience!

EDIT: Also, can I have recommendations on some wire cages? The less fancy the better; 2 steers can really drain the bank.

 

[ladysown]

a doe that is californian, and gives only one kit in a litter isn't a particularly good prospect as a breeding rabbit.
Mind .. if it's all you have available you take what you get... but just bear that in mind. That doe should be bred back immediately as one kit won't hurt her at all.
The kit can be weaned at four weeks, sold/rehomed 6+ weeks of age.

 

[Miss M]

I can tell you're excited!

Your questions cover huge amounts of information, and really, the solution is to start reading the areas of the board that would contain the answers. Let me see if I can help.

I'm going to try and buy it as a breeder to see if I really want to be in the rabbit industry.

Excellent. Start small, learn rabbits. They have a bit of a learning curve.

Ladysown is right: a single-kit litter is highly unusual for Californians. Some show lines breed for smaller litters, so the kits will grow faster (some other breeders cull to a certain number). If you want to raise for meat as well as show, you want to buy stock from lines that produce good-size litters.

In other words, if you want to buy that kit to help you learn, that's fine... but if you want to breed for meat, you need to make sure that the single-kit litter was an anomaly for its mother, and she doesn't normally have small litters. Even if it was an anomaly... I don't know. I'd want a kit from a good litter, from a doe who regularly produces good litters.

When I go talk to her about buying it, I'm going to refuse taking it until it's at least 8 weeks old and/or fully weaned, which ever is first. Is that a good time to separate the doe?

In many states, it is actually illegal to sell them below 8 weeks of age. But the vast majority of kits can be weaned and separated at 6 weeks, and some breeders separate the kits even a little younger.

Once I get it I have full access to bermuda/coastal, timothy, and alfalfa hays, regular rabbit chow, show feeds (mostly Purina), and pasture. Which feeds should I give and how much?

I would recommend, since you are new to rabbits, starting with good-quality rabbit chow, whether show feed or not. The colorful stuff in the pet stores is rabbit junk food, and some of the plain pellets are low quality. Feed stores often have better-quality feed. Purina is fine... some breeders won't touch the stuff, others feed it with no issues -- but every feed is the same in that respect. You want 16%, generally, though some use feed as high as 18% protein.

Once you have gotten used to caring for a rabbit, you can start experimenting with natural feeding (such as alfalfa, grass hay, mineral block, and a little grain or black oil sunflower seed (BOSS) or something. This has its own challenges, so that's why I suggest you don't start that way.

In the meantime, you can read the forums on feed:
commercial-feeding-and-supplements-f40.html
natural-feeding-for-rabbits-f11.html

What do judges look for, preferences aside? I watched a friend of mine show once and it looked like he crunched the rabbit into a ball. I think I remember him saying "the more like a basketball it is, the better". Then again those were only breeders, not meat type.

You can search in the Show Rabbits forum: show-rabbits-f21.html

Do a search for Californians in it by expanding "search" in the sidebar, and clicking "advanced search". Type "californian" (variants would be cals and cali) in the search query, and then in "search options", scroll down in the forum list to "show rabbits", and click that. Click "search".

(If you put "californian cals cali" in the search query, then you need to select "Search for any terms" below it.)

I can remember that gestation lasts about a month but is there any special feeding I need to do? Reduce feed, up protein, increase feed at a certain time or such?

Most keep the same feed during pregnancy, but free-feed instead of giving a limited amount. Free-feeding is usually kept up throughout pregnancy and nursing. Some breeders increase protein. You do what works for your herd.

More on that and these questions:

Once they're born when can they be sexed & trained? Is there such a thing as rabbit creep feed I need to give the kits?

...can be found in kindling-and-care-of-does-and-kits-f47.html

Some people can sex them at a couple of days of age.

There are creep feeders, but not special creep feed.

Also, can I have recommendations on some wire cages? The less fancy the better; 2 steers can really drain the bank.

You can get precut kits from several makers -- Klubertanz, Woody's Wabbits, and Bass, to name a few. We recommend GAW (Galvanized After Welding) wire, because the welds are protected from the urine. 14-gauge floors are great, 16-gauge works fine for many. J-clip every 2", especially for 16-gauge floors, and get good clips. Get good clip pliers, too. Local wire is usually not good enough quality to hold up over the long term. Ordering really is the way to go. Some vendors will bring orders to shows so you can save on postage.

More here: cages-hutches-and-equipment-f37.html

Sorry for the slew of questions! I've only raised one pig, lamb, and 2 steers & that's all I know. Learning a new animal & type since all those were only market animals. I've never really been interested in breeding type animals until recently. Thanks for your patience!

It's alright, though I have to confess that most newcomers don't ask for a condensed version of the entire forum in their first post! :lol:

Welcome to RT, Bed_Spread! :welcomewagon:

 

[luvabunny]

It's fun that you are so excited about a single kit that is a day old.....but don't count your chickens just yet. A single kit has a notoriously bad survival rate in my experience. A mama that has a single kit tends to be a notoriously bad brood doe. I would start being concerned about most of the questions you have asked AFTER the kit reaches the 8 week old mark.

Also, the answers to most of your questions could vary, depending on what you intend for this kit, if it does survive. If you want it as a pet then any good pellet from the feed store will suffice. The caging will depend on where you live, where you intend to keep it and how much room and money you want to put into it.

If you want it to breed, then the question is whether you want it for personal use only, or production use. I would pass on the kit from a Mama with a single kit litter for production use. For personal use, you might get enough babies to keep you in frozen rabbits after awhile, but that will be at least 8 months from today, before you can decide.

If you want to show, then I would bypass on the kit and attend a few shows. See what breed(s) you like, buy the best you can afford, and go from there. Generally, just any mutt from just any cross, is not going to place well at most shows.

Good luck with it all!