# New with questions a plenty!



## GrowURown (Jun 29, 2010)

Howdy from TEXAS!  I am new here, but have been lurking for a while.  The wife and I are slowly converting to a more agricultural lifestyle - doing a LOT of grow your own projects.  Tonight, the rabbit discussion came up.  We have both eaten it, found it tasty, she raised a few as a kid for pets, I have hunted quite a few so I am familiar with cleaning and all that.  My question is this:

It seems better all around (and like a sure thing) to raise our own.  It also seems that the California or New Zealand are the desired meat breed? Am I correct in this?

Also, do you just feed them regular rabbit pellets? Or do they get special feed like broiler chickens require? 

Thanks!


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## the funny farm6615 (Jun 29, 2010)

we raise the new zelands, but we also have some harliquens- and we cross them. the californias are good also. another breed is flemish giants. they are very large and you have to reinforce the hutches. but the plus side is you can butcher the babies at a younger age.
 when we butcher, we tan the pelts and i make mittens for the kids and they like the colored fur.

 you can feed the regular rabbit pelets that you can purchace at your local farm store. i also feed good 3rd cutting alfalfa hay, but it not nessisary. hope this helps.


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## PattySh (Jun 30, 2010)

I started with Californias bred to a large lop and recently purchased a trio of  New Zealands for more size. The NZ's are nice for size but I don't care much for their temperaments, a bit snappy. My Californians are wonderful moms, bred to a large lop dad the offspring was very meaty and tender. We have yet to butcher any NZ offspring but the first breeding was a California mom to the NZ buck and the babies are getting big fast and all look like the NZ dad all pure white. Am liking the crossbreeds temperaments, the NZ's does are scratching the crap out of me everytime I have to handle one. The buck not so bad. I feed rabbit grower pellets and each rabbit gets a bit of grass/timothy hay each day. Salt blocks in each pen and 32 oz water bottles with this heat they drink ALOT!


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## miss_thenorth (Jun 30, 2010)

I raise californians, and have cali/NZ/Flemish mixed does.

While it is true that flemish are huge--they re not reccommended for meat breeding, due to the fact that they take longer to grow out, and they have bigger bones.  But if you can find a good combo, (like I have) they throw large kits that grow out quickly.

I feed regular pellets, but also in the summer, I take out the ole clippers and clip away  at the weeds and feed them to the bunns.


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## GrowURown (Jul 1, 2010)

thank you everybody!  After reading this, I think I have found further inspiration.  It also seems that rabbits are ready to process fairly soon compared to dual purpose chickens (we haven't raised any of the fast grower broiler birds yet, just the excess roos from dual purpose breeds.  Am I correct in this as well?  It seems like a good average is 8 - 10 weeks with a rabbit vs. 12 - 16 with the birds.

My wife is all into the spread sheets and tracking of costs and time - so that will be an aspect of this.  The start up is something she calculates a little differently.  Really, by the end of the year (if it is possible) we would like to compare a batch of the broiler chicks, to rabbits, to our rhode island red roos and see where we stand with every thing mostly for curousity.  I know in the long run we will probably still do both rabbits and chickens (can't get the hens to just stop laying and the wife enjoys hatching the babies once in a while with the incubator).

Does anyone have any numbers already put together that they would like to share? Just asking, as it doesn't hurt to do so


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## lklisk (Jul 3, 2010)

Hi TX  

  I am from TX also, I moved to IA 2 years ago. I am loving IA. I was happy to see your intrest in rabbits. A good book to read is Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennet. I read it about ten times. He gives you the numbers that you are looking for about feed conversion. I would but them down her for you but it is a library book.

 I diagree with him on 2 things, He says that you do not need extra heat for new babbies even in very cold weather. 
 That was not the case for me. I lost 2 litters this spring to cold.
 He also says not to leave a doe in with a buck alone. I have better luck with conception if I just leave the doe and buck together for about 3 days.

 I can tell you that rabbits produce more meat, faster than chickens and I beleive that they eat less. Do you live in the country? There are all kind of greens that you can feed to yout Rabbits. Dandilion is very good for them it is high in protien. It is easy to find or grow yourself.

 Every morning I go out and pick fresh greens for my bunnys. I grow spinach, brocoli, lettuc,beets ect. But I also pick lots of wild things for them. I do not give greens to kits less then 5 weeks old. When I give greens to kits I start them with just a little. I give the kits hay. They love it, and it helps with there digestion.

 I have no money so I did what everybook says not to do. I started with very cheap rabbits. I bought a 3 yer old Champian D Argent doe for 5 dollers and a litter of scrub bunnies that were given to me. I did by a good buck, I think he cost 40$ a NZW. He is very sweet. My grand kids call him whitey. 

 The CDA doe had not been breed for a long time. It took me a while to get her breed. I finaly left her in with the buck for 3 weeks last fall  now she is raising her second litter of 5.  

 I am kepping her doe bunnys and breed them to a NZW. Her babies are big enough to eat at 6 weeks. I am very empressed with them. 

 Hope all goes well for you...   Lisa


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## GrowURown (Jul 5, 2010)

We have a dandilion farm going out in the yard EVERY spring! Dont even have to try!  Hopefully we will get our rabbits soon and be able to put that to good use! I am searching Amazon right now for books - specifically the one you mentioned lklisk!  I have started a seperate post - I think we want to keep them inside as really for us 2 does, 1 buck, and 2 - 4 litters a year would be more than plenty.  But it doesn't seem worth it to risk keeping them outside here in the country when it is something that small...idk...still thinking on that...still haven't decided on a breed....really the only thing I am sure of is wanting to give meat rabbits a go.  But it is best to start slow and have plans in place anyways right?


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