# Thinking about getting meat rabbits



## nigerianbreeder (Jan 12, 2013)

I would like you guys to help me out here. I'm considering getting rabbits for meat and pets but I have not much of a clue as to what breed I should get. I live in northeast Ohio so It gets to be really cold in winter. Summers can get hot too but usually not in the 90's. I want one that will be cold and heat hardy as it will be living outdoors. They must be able to breed and do all that kind of stuff easily. I'd like them to be readily available so I don't really have to pay more than like $60 for a breeding trio. I might and I might not show them. I also need to  know if 9 sq. ft. would be enough for one. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


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## Gagroundhog (Jan 12, 2013)

There are alot of great breeds to choose from and you live in a great area. Down here heat is a concern for us. Meat breeds are very cold hardy so you shouldn't have to worry about that. Alot of people use 30" x 36" cages for bucks and 30"x 48" cages for does. The doe cages should have baby saver wire along the sides to prevent babies from falling out of the cage should they fall out of the nest box while still small. New Zealands are a great first breed and come in red , black, white and broken colors. Also Californians are great too and are often crossed with the New Zealands for meat purposes. Others you could look at/for Silver Fox, Cinnamon, Standard Rex, Beveren, American and giant chinchilla, Palomino just to name some there's more. When checking out rabbit ads on line I've seen alot up  where you live. There may not be much right now but soon there will be! Enjoy your search!


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## nigerianbreeder (Jan 12, 2013)

Well my two coops/hutches I was planning on using for the doe's are wooden so I won't have to worry about babies falling out. I've done a bit of research and I'm thinking I might want new Zealands but I'm sure yet.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Jan 12, 2013)

*My Cali's are super hardy. Winter, summer all outdoors, no problems breeding or kindling. They are great!*


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## Gagroundhog (Jan 12, 2013)

I'm trying to find some of both New Zealands and Califorians. I would also like to find a third breed for fun, it is hard picking just one breed! 

WhiteMountainsRanch
I found a new Cali the other day! Now I have 2!  I do love these rabbits   
Now if I could just find a buck...  sigh...


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## nigerianbreeder (Jan 12, 2013)

I was thinking and at rabbit shows do they have like a for sale section like at poultry shows?


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## Gagroundhog (Jan 12, 2013)

I know they do but hopefully someone with more experience will chime in soon and advise you on that. I've never bought at a show. I would think thats a great idea. Look forward to learning about that myself.


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## sawfish99 (Jan 12, 2013)

At our local fair, you can put price tags on the cages the final day after judging is complete.  I don't know about ARBA shows.  I would go to the ARBA website to find registered breeders near you.  That will help you find quality stock.

$60 for a quality trio might be hard.  I sell breeding stock for about $30 each.  We are in CT and have American Chinchillas and New Zealand mixes for our meat rabbits.  Honestly, I don't know of any meat breeds that won't be able to handle Ohio temps.  

As for wooden hutches, the solid floors will get old FAST!  Wire floors are tons better for manure management.  

For cages, most of our cages are about 30" by 24".  Some of the largest does have 30" by 48", but they usually have litters of 8-10.  Start small (like your trio idea) and make sure you want to stick with it.  It is amazing how fast you can acquire 50+ rabbits.


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## nigerianbreeder (Jan 13, 2013)

Well there is no way I can have that many rabbits because I already have at least 50 chickens and this year I plan on hatching many many more chickens. As far as wire bottom floors I could probably change that easily.


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## Gagroundhog (Jan 13, 2013)

Read an interesting fact the other day, I new my rabbits gave plenty of poop for my garden but never really thuoght about how much until I saw this statement "rabbits produce about a pound of manure a week giving you about 50 lbs of manure a year."
I clean out from under my cages freqently for the garden but I had no idea I was moving about 350 lbs  of bunny berries a year from 7 rabbits!
I would definately go with the wire floors for your hutches, plus you don't want your bunnies sitting in pee. Its hard to keep them clean on hay or shavings and you'll save alot of money and time taking care of them.    
My daughter would love your house! She loves her chickens Too.


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## secuono (Jan 13, 2013)

You need to spend good money to get good stock. I was cheap and got nothing but drainers. This year I'm replacing them with 'real' meat rabbits, by that I mean rabbits that hit weight on time and don't eat up all my money and time to get there! 
If you want young rabbits, you might get away with a low price, but if you want near breeding age or better, you'll spend more for them. 

Ohio has a ton of meat rabbit breeders, should be easy for you to be selective and find what fits your budget.


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## nigerianbreeder (Jan 13, 2013)

I'm assuming when I am looking for my rabbits I should be getting registered ones right?


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## brentr (Jan 13, 2013)

nigerianbreeder said:
			
		

> I'm assuming when I am looking for my rabbits I should be getting registered ones right?


Not necessarily.  Registered does not automatically mean better.  There are plenty of registered rabbits sold that are culls from breeding programs.  If you want to show your rabbits, looking for registered stock does two things for you: one, a breeder who keeps registered stock *probably* is going to be more attentive and take good care of them.  Two, the stock will be more purebred.

Most of my rabbits (NZ and Cali) are not registered, but for meat production they are pretty darn good when I compare them to what I see around me.  I get good litter size, they're great mothers, and the bunnies grow well and are healthy.  My original stock just came from Craigslist.

Once you decide exactly what your goals are for rabbits (meat, show, etc.) and what your priority is, that will give you a better range for what you should expect to pay when purchasing your first set of breeders.

Good luck in your venture!


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## nigerianbreeder (Jan 13, 2013)

cool thanks


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## nigerianbreeder (Jan 14, 2013)

Ok I have good news. I put an ad on craigslist selling some chickens and I put that I would be willing to trade for new Zealand rabbits or California rabbits. I got a text today and some one had a new Zealand white doe(6 months ) for $15,  a California( unknown sex ), and a black new Zealand( unknown sex) $10 for the younger ones which are about 6 weeks old. The only minor problem is I only really discussed the rabbit thing with my mom and not my dad so I kind of have to convince him first. Shouldn't be too hard as I already conned him into driving 4 hours one way to let me buy a new goat.


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## starlight012 (Feb 8, 2013)

In my Opinion New Zealand Whites and Californians are the best meat rabbits. Just one thing though! Don't fall in love with the babies!!!! Make pets of the working does if you must. It works better that way! I would say check craigslist! Hope this helps!


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## Hens and Roos (Feb 8, 2013)

Good Luck!  We have 4 Cali- 3 does and 1 buck, my DD is raising them for 4-H.  Our 3 does just had babies Wed and Thursday.  Our older doe is a fantastic mother and raised 8 in her 1st litter and we kept 2 does from that litter, so far the new does are also doing a good job with their babies.  We processed the extras for meat and from the start told her plus her 2 brothers what would be happening- since we were planning to keep 2 does back they were able to pet and cuddle them.


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## Prairiechick (Feb 11, 2013)

WhiteMountainsRanch said:
			
		

> *My Cali's are super hardy. Winter, summer all outdoors, no problems breeding or kindling. They are great!*


I can't agree more.  I love my Cals.


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