# Do I cull him or keep him?



## Carla D (Jan 24, 2019)

Im having some issues with one of my rabbits. The bigger of my two sibling bucks, Heath. He has never been a very friendly rabbit since I got him. Over the last few weeks I’ve witnessed him brutalizing the little brother. He was chasing him around relentlessly. He chases the little one out of the water and feed bowls. The littler one will run into one of the boxes and hide. But if he steps out or sticks his head out Heath is back after him. I tried breeding him to my female lop yesterday. He has chased her around relentlessly as well. Actually chase through the water dish three times. I understand some of what I’d seen yesterday could be mating ritual. But Heath bit her in numerous places, face, ear, paw, butt, lower back. She was so disturbed by his aggression that she began to fight and bite back. They had what appeared to be one successful mating, I was trying for a second one but I had to separate the two of them. Then his aggression toward his brother was so bad that I had to pull Heath out and put him in a cage,by himself.

So besides his behavior and aggression there is the factors of him being of none or little use at all. He can’t be caught and held like a pet needs to be. He’s downright huge for being a mix of lion head and mini rex. He is at least three times the size of his brother. He’s also to big for me to breed for pets. I’m hoping to breed a really small breed of rabbit to sell as pets. Something less than 3-4#. I’m thinking Netherland dwarf, American fuzzy lop, or Jersey wooly. And he’s not big enough to be a meat mutt either. The only reason I’m considering keeping him is my other buck, which doesn’t seem sexually mature yet he’s also a really small rabbit. The size I’m aiming for for my pet sales. I know I can find a fitting buck that won’t bust the bank. But if we breed the two breed able rabbits we already have we aren’t out anything if we decide we don’t want to raise rabbits. No sense buying to nice purebreds to figure things out with. My husband also wants a batch of Easter bunnies. One for our daughter and the rest to sell. To see if we are ever able to sell them during what is probably the easiest time of year to sell rabbits. I should add that Heath and his brother were born last May. My Lop, Ginger is at least a year old, but not more than a year and a half old.

With these things in mind would you cull him or keep him? If we did cull him we could eat rabbit for the very first time. Decide if we like rabbit meat enough to raise for our freezer. I do have a small list of people who are interested in rabbit meat if that’s the route we take.


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## B&B Happy goats (Jan 25, 2019)

Dinner


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## Mini Horses (Jan 25, 2019)

Read your post -- I think you know the answer and just need confirmation.  Why annoy yourself & other rabbits more?

Dinner.


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## Carla D (Jan 25, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> Dinner


I think you’re right. There are a lot more benefits to getting rid of him than there is to keeping him. I guess I need to look for a breed rabbit to replace him.


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## Carla D (Jan 25, 2019)

Mini Horses said:


> Read your post -- I think you know the answer and just need confirmation.  Why annoy yourself & other rabbits more?
> 
> Dinner.


I was pretty sure about eating him, yes. My only thought was could it possibly be the behaviors of a young sexually mature rabbit. Creating the pecking order and typical mating behaviors. I’ll be look up on things related to killing, butchering, cooking rabbit. The confirmation was greatly appreciated. Thank you and @B&B Happy goats .


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## Rammy (Jan 25, 2019)

I agree. If I were a breeder of anything and I had something that was being aggressive or didnt have good qualitlies, Id cull it. He is beating up on your females and not allowing others to eat. Thats a one way ticket to the stew pot.


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## B&B Happy goats (Jan 25, 2019)

Your welcome, my solution  for all my animals is simple.....if you can't  all get along, and your not providing to the cause ....your dinner  for someone or something...(.not including cat or dogs for dinner.....yet, lol) 
Carla, try  craigslist for the goats and rabbits you are looking for, but this time look for dam raised up to eight months old....I have found dam raised and older to be respectfully  friendly when you spend time with them. Good luck


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## promiseacres (Jan 25, 2019)

Many rabbits don't need companions and doesn't sound like he fits your needs. But there's a very good reason most breeders have their rabbits separated from 12 weeks on.


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## Bunnylady (Jan 25, 2019)

Sounds like very normal young buck behavior to me, the reason why most people have to separate bucks by 12 weeks. The constant aggression toward the other buck is typical; people talk about fighting, but this is what happens when the pecking order is established and there isn't room for the subordinates to get far enough out of the alpha's way (it can happen with does, too - even a doe and her daughters). Not being nice to does isn't unusual, either; it's the reason breeders usually only put the doe in the buck's cage for a few minutes. While I sometimes set up colonies of several does and a buck, I never use a young buck, nor one that has demonstrated serious aggression toward does (I had a Mini Rex buck that was a real love bug toward people, but I never put a doe that I wasn't sure about in to breed with him. A doe could be as submissive and willing as possible, but he would still get nasty and bitey  "in your face" with her right after he bred her).

Most rabbits_ hate_ being picked up, even friendly ones. I once had a Harlequin buck that I called my "doorman" because I had his cage near the door, so everyone coming in the rabbitry could be sure to pet him. He had a "friends we haven't met yet" attitude toward everyone, but when I picked Tim up to trim his claws, he shook like a leaf until I put him down again. "Pet me, but but don't pick me up" is pretty much normal.

Rabbit personalities are partly what they are born with, and partly what you make them. I once had a pair of Holland Lops that produced nothing but love bugs; doing anything in Madison's cage when she had a litter was a constant battle to keep them from falling out of the door, because they were that eager for attention. Most aren't quite that outgoing. I often advise people looking for a pet to "open the cage door, and see who comes to you." The pretty one that sits at the back of the cage and ignores you may come around, but why make it harder than it has to be? A rabbit that is friendly from the get-go is much more pleasant as a pet. Early handling as babies is pretty important, but even with it, there will be some that just never really want anything to do with people.



Carla D said:


> my other buck, which doesn’t seem sexually mature yet



This is the subordinate, smaller brother? If I read your post right, he's, what, 8 months old? Rabbits (particularly small breeds) become reproductively viable at around 12 to 16 weeks of age, so what's the problem with this guy?

But I agree, there's no point in keeping a rabbit that you really don't like and have no real use for.


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## Carla D (Jan 25, 2019)

Bunnylady said:


> Sounds like very normal young buck behavior to me, the reason why most people have to separate bucks by 12 weeks. The constant aggression toward the other buck is typical; people talk about fighting, but this is what happens when the pecking order is established and there isn't room for the subordinates to get far enough out of the alpha's way (it can happen with does, too - even a doe and her daughters). Not being nice to does isn't unusual, either; it's the reason breeders usually only put the doe in the buck's cage for a few minutes. While I sometimes set up colonies of several does and a buck, I never use a young buck, nor one that has demonstrated serious aggression toward does (I had a Mini Rex buck that was a real love bug toward people, but I never put a doe that I wasn't sure about in to breed with him. A doe could be as submissive and willing as possible, but he would still get nasty and bitey  "in your face" with her right after he bred her).
> 
> Most rabbits_ hate_ being picked up, even friendly ones. I once had a Harlequin buck that I called my "doorman" because I had his cage near the door, so everyone coming in the rabbitry could be sure to pet him. He had a "friends we haven't met yet" attitude toward everyone, but when I picked him up to trim his claws, he shook like a leaf until I put him down again. "Pet me, but but don't pick me up" is pretty much normal.
> 
> ...


Yes, that is one of my questions as well. The little brother is probably the size he should be because he’s a lion head-mini Rex across. With that in mind, why is Heath the size of small-large breed rabbit?heath must be around 7-8 pounds. Clover is possibly 3.5 pounds. As far as sexual maturity goes, they are both really late bloomers or aren’t going to bloom at all? Heath has only been acting “ready for action” for three weeks max. Is he possibly the reason why Clover is so small? Maybe I haven’t been watching rabbit behavior as closely as I should have. Could clover be stunted because he has possibly been pushed out of the food and water dishes? I don’t think that’s the case. They seemed to be buddy buddy up until recently. Is it safe to assume that at this age clover will not be breeding material and remain as a pet? I’m ok with having a castrated boy rabbit and a second boy that hasn’t reached sexual maturity? 

Two more thoughts and questions. Since my lop is more than a year old, possibly year and a half and never been breed until recently, could she have troubles with pregnancy, health by shortened life? Then in a month from now if we don’t have baby bunnies would sticking her in with Clover, the small buck be beneficial? Maybe he just needs to not be dominated? He is about much smaller than she is. She’s about the same size as Heath. I have so many questions that I’d like to find answers to. Plus I would really like to have at least one litter of babies under my belt before I buy and breed purebreds.


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## Carla D (Jan 25, 2019)

promiseacres said:


> Many rabbits don't need companions and doesn't sound like he fits your needs. But there's a very good reason most breeders have their rabbits separated from 12 weeks on.


I do understand that. The two of them didn’t appear to have any problems with each other until 3-4 weeks ago. That’s when I should have separated them.


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## Bunnylady (Jan 25, 2019)

Mini Rex and Lionheads are what are known as dwarf breeds, meaning that they employ the dwarfing gene to get the tiny, compact animal described in the breed standard. Unfortunately, the dwarfing gene is a lethal gene; any rabbit that gets a copy of it from both parents (referred to as a peanut) will be deformed and die, usually within a couple of days of birth. Virtually all of the purebreds of the dwarf breeds that meet the size requirements of their respective breed standards have one copy of the dwarfing gene, and one copy of the normal growth gene. When breeding dwarf rabbits, one of the possibilities is a rabbit that didn't get a dwarfing gene from either parent, but instead got the normal growth gene from both of them. We call these animals "false dwarfs," and they generally grow to be half a pound to a pound over the showable maximum for their breed. You can usually spot them easily; they have longer bodies, longer, narrower heads, and longer ears than their "true dwarf" siblings. Looking at pictures you posted of Heath and Clover on another thread, their proportions give me the impression  that Heath is a false dwarf, and Clover is a true dwarf. 

Obviously, there are other genes besides the dwarfing gene that influence how big a rabbit grows; even false dwarfs are waaayy smaller than the commercial breeds. Breeders have to watch the size, even of the true dwarfs, because they can creep upward or downward over generations. Mini Rex are one of the worst for this; Rex breeders refer to an animal they call a "Midi Rex" that is much too small to be a standard Rex, yet much too big to be a Mini.


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## Carla D (Jan 25, 2019)

Bunnylady said:


> Mini Rex and Lionheads are what are known as dwarf breeds, meaning that they employ the dwarfing gene to get the tiny, compact animal described in the breed standard. Unfortunately, the dwarfing gene is a lethal gene; any rabbit that gets a copy of it from both parents (referred to as a peanut) will be deformed and die, usually within a couple of days of birth. Virtually all of the purebreds of the dwarf breeds that meet the size requirements of their respective breed standards have one copy of the dwarfing gene, and one copy of the normal growth gene. When breeding dwarf rabbits, one of the possibilities is a rabbit that didn't get a dwarfing gene from either parent, but instead got the normal growth gene from both of them. We call these animals "false dwarfs," and they generally grow to be half a pound to a pound over the showable maximum for their breed. You can usually spot them easily; they have longer bodies, longer, narrower heads, and longer ears than their "true dwarf" siblings. Looking at pictures you posted of Heath and Clover on another thread, their proportions give me the impression  that Heath is a false dwarf, and Clover is a true dwarf.
> 
> Obviously, there are other genes besides the dwarfing gene that influence how big a rabbit grows; even false dwarfs are waaayy smaller than the commercial breeds. Breeders have to watch the size, even of the true dwarfs, because they can creep upward or downward over generations. Mini Rex are one of the worst for this; Rex breeders refer to an animal they call a "Midi Rex" that is much too small to be a standard Rex, yet much too big to be a Mini.


So if I’m understanding you correctly Clover has one dwarf gene and one standard gene. Then Heath inherited non dwarf genes from both of his parents. Does that make Clover a breedable bunny if I want nice and small bunnies? Then the only reason Heath carries a dwarf name/title is because both of his parents had dwarf genes but did not pass them to Heath. So logistically speaking Heath doesn’t have any dwarf gene to pass on to his offspring. Right? Genetics can get confusing to sometimes.


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## Bunnylady (Jan 25, 2019)

"By George, I think she's got it!"(Professor Higgins, My Fair Lady)

(Gads, my age is showing, isn't it?)

Though it is possible that only one of Heath's parents had a dwarfing gene to pass on. A lot of breeders will use the false dwarf does (some call them brood does, or even 'big ugly does') with true dwarf bucks. False dwarfs have slightly larger litters on average than their true dwarf counterparts, seldom have delivery problems, and never have peanuts. But, as I said, you have to learn what good type looks like without the dwarfing gene, because size, especially, can creep upward on you, and even your true dwarfs can wind up too big.


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## Mary Nunn (Jan 30, 2019)

I raise rabbits both to sell (pedigree) and for meat. I always seaparate my bucks because they will fight. It’s a natural instinct. 
Saying that, I have culled many and want to share something about cooking rabbit since this will be your first time. 
Brining then overnight has worked wonders for tenderness of the meat. The loins cook great on grill, spit and oven. 
I personally love the Flemish better than the others we have tried. 
Good luck.


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## canesisters (Jan 30, 2019)

I know NOTHING about rabbits but will toss out my reasoning when deciding about roosters.  (Applies, I think)
1. Is he friendly? I will NOT tolerate aggression to me or to the other chickens and I believe that it is often 'passed on' (in MANY species)  The most PERFECT roo I will ever own will be in the canning jars because of a nasty attitude.
2 Does he have any traits that will improve my pen?  Even an interesting color combo will sometimes get a good roo a 'pass' for a year to see how his chicks turn out.  I don't have many purebred birds so I'm only concerned about health, size & egg laying consistency in my flock. 
3 Does he have any traits that will weaken my pen?  A roo with a great attitude and unique coloring that has had bumblefoot 2x is going in the canning jars.


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## Carla D (Jan 30, 2019)

Mary Nunn said:


> I raise rabbits both to sell (pedigree) and for meat. I always seaparate my bucks because they will fight. It’s a natural instinct.
> Saying that, I have culled many and want to share something about cooking rabbit since this will be your first time.
> Brining then overnight has worked wonders for tenderness of the meat. The loins cook great on grill, spit and oven.
> I personally love the Flemish better than the others we have tried.
> Good luck.


May I ask this? Why do you prefer Flemish Giants over other meat rabbits. I had a Flemish giant when I was a child. He was the sweetest rabbit I had way back then. I want a rabbit that tastes really good. I don’t mind the large bone structure, their slow growing, or that they eat quite a bit. I want a rabbit that is easy to work with, gentle, and on the friendlier side. I had thought about New Zealand rabbits as well. But, beyond those characteristics I really do want a rabbit that tastes really well. I do know Flemish also make amazing pets as well. Do you have a favorite breed of rabbit that you think tastes the best?


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## Carla D (Jan 30, 2019)

canesisters said:


> I know NOTHING about rabbits but will toss out my reasoning when deciding about roosters.  (Applies, I think)
> 1. Is he friendly? I will NOT tolerate aggression to me or to the other chickens and I believe that it is often 'passed on' (in MANY species)  The most PERFECT roo I will ever own will be in the canning jars because of a nasty attitude.
> 2 Does he have any traits that will improve my pen?  Even an interesting color combo will sometimes get a good roo a 'pass' for a year to see how his chicks turn out.  I don't have many purebred birds so I'm only concerned about health, size & egg laying consistency in my flock.
> 3 Does he have any traits that will weaken my pen?  A roo with a great attitude and unique coloring that has had bumblefoot 2x is going in the canning jars.


I like your points. I too believe that attitude and personality is also passed along in genetics. I’ve heard a few people say all you have to do is show the animal/roo who’s boss and that usually settles them down. I’m an animal lover. Personally I don’t want an animal around that I need to teach them who’s the leader of pack. I will kick at a nippy or aggressive dog or cat. But if I have to do it a second time they will be gone. I just don’t want to deal with bad behavior, but I also don’t want to teach that “I’m the boss” method of animal raising to our young daughter. She’s already too sharp and picks up on many things that I really don’t want her .


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## Rezchamp (Jan 30, 2019)

I very much dislike making those kinds of decisions and I believe I can relate to your dilemma. That said I think for the sake of the rest of the herd and my own peace of mind I need to consider making a meal out critters such as Heath. My own personal thoughts here now.. Honor his life essence by making a meal for myself and my fam.
FYI We do like domestic, feral and endemic wild rabbit meat in many different ways of cooking it.


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## Carla D (Jan 30, 2019)

Rezchamp said:


> I very much dislike making those kinds of decisions and I believe I can relate to your dilemma. That said I think for the sake of the rest of the herd and my own peace of mind I need to consider making a meal out critters such as Heath. My own personal thoughts here now.. Honor his life essence by making a meal for myself and my fam.
> FYI We do like domestic, feral and endemic wild rabbit meat in many different ways of cooking it.


I hadn’t thought about that. But I think rabbit is one of the more universal meats eaten around the world.


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## Bunnylady (Jan 30, 2019)

Carla D said:


> Personally I don’t want an animal around that I need to teach them who’s the leader of pack. I will kick at a nippy or aggressive dog or cat. But if I have to do it a second time they will be gone.



You don't do horses, do you?


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## Carla D (Jan 30, 2019)

Bunnylady said:


> You don't do horses, do you?


Nope. No hors. But that’s also a different type of boss training. At least in my eyes.


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## MiniSilkys (Jan 30, 2019)

Sexually mature rabbits should not be housed together. I had two and the stronger one always pulled the hair out of the smaller one. Until I separated them at night and let them run free in a pen during the day. problem solved.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 30, 2019)

Having raised both meat rabbits and Holland Lops for many years, I think you should cull the large aggressive buck.  None of our bucks in a 100 cage rabbitry were ever aggressive, although we had many does that were not friendly.  Does get aggressive when they want to breed (which is practically anytime they are not pregnant).  I never sold recommended does as pets for children since they eventually got grouchy wanting to breed.  Bucks on the other hand usually would stay pretty docile forever. 

Keep the small dwarf rabbit to breed.  If the larger rabbit is traumatizing him, after ridding yourself of that problem buck the small buck should breed just fine. 

The main problem that I see for your breeding plans is the age of your doe.  Production does should be bred by 1 year of age.  After that they sometimes fight against breeding, or simply don't take.  Many people don't realize this when they start with rabbits and let the does get too old before trying to breed them.  Rabbits are on the bottom of the food chain, in the wild a doe will have a litter in the  nest and another gestating.  She will abandon her litter at 4 weeks and immediately give birth again.  The doe is most fertile within 3-7 days after giving birth.  Age of the doe was a problem for us when showing a doe that needed one more leg for a championship as summer came around.  In hot southern California the rabbit show season is from October through May due to the heat.  If a doe did not finish her championship by May, we retired her and bred her since keeping a yearling until the show season started 5 months later meant a doe who often would refuse to lift for the buck or simply was reluctant to breed.  Does who have plucked all their hair for a nest do not usually do well in a show and they also tend to blow coat after kindling.

Rabbits have a very short life span.  They are breedable from 6 months.  Does have lessening fertility from 12 months on if not already in a breeding program.  Bucks can go temporarily sterile during the heat of the summer.  When does reach 2 years old you will notice their litters getting smaller, and more missed pregnancies.  By 3 years old a production doe's breeding life is pretty much done if you are counting on litters to pay the bills. 

One trick we used with our Champagne d'Argents (notorious for being difficult to breed) was to put the doe or does in a carrier and go for a drive for about 20 minutes.  As soon as we returned and parked the car, we would race the doe to the buck's hutch and immediately breed her.  She would usually immediately lift and we would have a successful breeding.  You can try this if your doe is not receptive.

Do not just leave the doe in the buck's cage with him since you will never know when the kits are due.  You can try switching cages and putting the buck I the doe's hutch and the doe in the buck's hutch.  All your rabbits should be in their own cages.  Aside from fighting, caging rabbits together can result in bad habits like fur pulling and eating, one rabbit eating more food than they need, etc.  I would check the body condition of both rabbits.  Fat does won't breed well either.

Another trick to use during the winter is to hang a light in the rabbitry.  Rabbits respond to the number of daylight hours to breed, just like chickens do for laying eggs.  Most people have trouble getting their rabbits to breed successfully during winter.  By keeping light on in the rabbitry, the rabbits will respond to the extended light hours with willingness to breed.  During several years of dark rainy weather we were the only people with winter litters.


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## MiniSilkys (Jan 30, 2019)

Ridgetop, are rabbits the same as Guiena pigs in that if they are not bred by 1 year of age their pelvic bones may fuse together and prevent labor?


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## secuono (Jan 30, 2019)

MiniSilkys said:


> Ridgetop, are rabbits the same as Guiena pigs in that if they are not bred by 1 year of age their pelvic bones may fuse together and prevent labor?



I've found that to be bull.


Also, buck rabbits should be in solo cages once sexually mature.
Separate him, wait a few weeks and bring him to a doe.
Some bucks, or does, are aggressive or too shy for awhile. But separate immediately once one starts to bite the other.
If he refuses to mellow, eat him. Gazillion of bucks out there, no point to keep him.


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## MiniSilkys (Jan 30, 2019)

I had a guiena pig once and bought a book on them, so it is just what I read. Never had a female.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 30, 2019)

Since you mentioned wanting to breed for Easter and holiday bunnies, here is more information.  I used to do a good business breeding my Holland Lops for the pet market from Valentines Day through Easter and Mother's Day.  This is a business and you have to keep good records to know your costs or else you will be selling for less than you have invested in them, or more than the market price which will mean no sales for you.  Your breeding schedule is very important when breeding for the pet market.  Miss the prime selling time and you will have no sales and a barn full of unsellable no longer cute bunnies.  This is what you want to avoid so planning is everything.

First, you need to make sure on a calendar when your target holiday falls.  Breed one or two does for Valentine's Day.  That means you will need to breed around November 18.  This gives you a week or so to make sure the doe is pregnant and enough time to rebreed her if she is not.  Gestation takes 30 days and the bunnies sell best if they are 6 weeks old.  Younger and they are too fragile, older and they are not as cute.  Breed for flashy colors.  Then breed another doe 2 weeks later.  People will return for replacement bunnies when they disregard your care instructions and let little Jenny or Billy hug Fluffy too tight or let Fido play with the bunny.  This means repeat sales for you.  

Breed for Easter 12 weeks before the holiday.  Again this gives you enough time to make sure the doe is pregnant and rebreed if not.  Your sales age should be around 6 weeks.  You should start advertising a week before.  Again breed another doe 2 weeks later for replacement bunnies.  Do the same for Mother's Day.  If you are handy with tools, and can get the wire, cage parts and tools to make cages, selling the bunny with a cage, feed crock and water bottle can also add to your profits.  Make sure to add all the costs and add in about 10-25% for profit.  

After 3 years I stopped selling pet bunnies.  I could no longer deal with the stupid people who returned for replacements because they let the bunny hop around loose and it drowned in the pool, got squashed accidently or killed by their (or the neighbor's) pet.  However, I did make a nice profit while I did it.  After 3 years I decided I preferred selling NZWs and Cals for breeding stock or meat.  Breeding stock went to sensible people, and at least it was quick when we killed them for eat.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 30, 2019)

*NO*, their pelvis bones do _NOT_ fuse together!  The does just decide that they don't want to bother breeding.  Once you have them in a regular breeding cycle, they will breed until 3-4 years of age.  The litters get smaller, and older does will eventually not take.  Then they become stewers.

When DH and I were running our 100 cage semi-commercial rabbitry, I was in an accelerated breeding program.  I bred the does at 6 months, then after the litter was 4 weeks old I rebred the doe.  When the litter was 7 weeks of age I moved the doe to the cage next to the original cage with the litter.  The doe would kindle a week or so later.  The bunnies were graded and sold as fryers at 8 weeks.  Since this was an accelerated breeding schedule, I fed a higher protein pellet.  Standard Kruse pellets had a protein level of 16%, my does were on 18% with a 2 oz. supplemental feed of mixed oats, barley, calf manna, sweet feed and sunflower seeds (our own recipe).  I fed 1 cup pellets per day at night, the grain in the morning.  The doe's ration was increased very slightly before she kindled, and afterwards.  Once the kits were out of the nest at 2 weeks, the doe and litter got free fed in a 12" screen feeder.  My rabbit cages were 36" wide by 30" deep, hung in a pole barn over manure pits.  They had baby saver wire on the bottoms, and automatic waterers.  I had urine guards on the bottom front of the cages, and urine guard panels between each cage.  The nest boxes were made of plywood, open on the top.  I had 12" x 18" pieces of drywall in each cage  for the does to rest on.  I replaced they as they got chewed up.  The bucks had chunks of pine hung from the cage top for amusement while the does were busy with their litters.

Since DH showed his rabbits and had buyers coming for breeding stock, we also had sorting and grower cages where we would sort the bunnies every month into individual cages for showing and breeding sales.  Anything determined to be not up to our exacting standards was sold for meat.  I kept detailed breeding and kindling records. The manure pits were filled with sawdust.  Several times a year the manure pits were emptied and tilled into the vegetable garden.  There was no odor in the barn, and the shavings soaked up the nitrogen rich urine and made a balanced fertilizer for the garden.  Lots of earthworms too!


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## Bunnylady (Jan 30, 2019)

MiniSilkys said:


> Ridgetop, are rabbits the same as Guiena pigs in that if they are not bred by 1 year of age their pelvic bones may fuse together and prevent labor?



No, absolutely not. Rabbits are lagomorphs, guinea pigs are rodents; not even related. There's a persistent internet rumor that applies this problem (which has to do with the fact that the guinea pig babies are quite large in comparison to their mother) to a number of other species, but it is only an issue in guinea pigs.



Ridgetop said:


> Your sales age should be around 6 weeks.


 Actually, you need to check on this. In a lot of areas, my state included, it is now illegal to sell rabbits that are less than 8 weeks of age. At that age, they have lost a lot of the "baby bunny" cuteness, and look more like young rabbits.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 30, 2019)

Absolutely you should check the regs in your state and county.


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