# new to meat rabbits



## vply (Apr 9, 2015)

My family and I would like to start raising meat rabbits in urban area and was wondering is all we need is hutches for two does and a buck or do we need a run also.  Does the kits need their own hutch after being off their mother or do they stay with mom until time to butcher.


----------



## Hens and Roos (Apr 9, 2015)

Welcome  We raise meat rabbits, each of our rabbits that we are using as breeders has their own cage. You will need a hutch for each breeder doe and buck.  Depending on litter size and sex you will probably want another area to be able to put them in to finish growing out. 

Which breed of rabbit are you looking at?


----------



## animalmom (Apr 9, 2015)

Welcome!  We love new people!

I agree with Hens and Roos about having a grow out cage for kits (babies) after you wean them from the doe.  If you leave the kits with the mom they will continue to nurse any chance they get.  The problem with that is it delays the mom getting back into condition.  It can make her very skinny, especially if it is a large litter.  My grow out cage is 4 feet x 4 feet.

The hutches, or cages, for the individual breeding rabbits should be tall enough that the rabbit can stretch up.  My cages are 18" tall.  As to how big the cage is depends on what you are breeding.  My bucks seem quite content with their 30" x 24" cages.  My does who are not expecting a litter or nursing a litter also have cages that are 30" x 24".  Does with litter have a 30" x 48" cage.  Again, that works for my rabbits and their needs.  

I don't think you need a run for the rabbits. 

How about some pictures of your set up, please and thank you, once you get the rabbits all settled.  We love, love, love pictures.  Of course we would love to see pictures of any litters you have so we can ohhhh and ahhhh over the kits.

Don't hesitate to ask any question.  Heck, if you are wondering about something rabbit then someone else may wonder the same thing or have worked through that question already.  You are not alone.


----------



## vply (Apr 9, 2015)

Thanks folks for all the info it answers many questions my wife and I have .  We are looking at new Zealand white breed .  Do the hutches need to be in the sun or does it matter


----------



## Hens and Roos (Apr 9, 2015)

the best answer for that is you would want to place the hutches where they are protected from the weather. depending on where you live and how hot it gets you will need to provide shade of some sort, same thing with how cold it gets- you will need to provide shelter.


----------



## vply (Apr 9, 2015)

We live in southwest ohio .  So our best place is against house where sun don't hit in summer heat . I have heard to place frozen water bottles in hutches when over 80 degrees


----------



## vply (Apr 9, 2015)

Are the new Zealand whites a good breed to raise for meat?


----------



## Hens and Roos (Apr 9, 2015)

New Zealand whites are one of the top meat breeds.  We raise Californian and are happy with them.


----------



## Shorty (Apr 9, 2015)

I have NZW they are great my buck is a total love bug. Mine reach 5lbs by 12 weeks dress out at almost 4lbs


----------



## animalmom (Apr 10, 2015)

I know rabbits need light, a certain amount of light, for breeding, but please keep in mind the heat of the sun.  I'm in North Central Texas and my rabbits are in the shade because the sun gets so hot.  

We have a three sided large shed for the rabbits.  The shed was originally built with a translucent roof... to allow for the light.  During our first year  with the buns we re-roofed with steel as it was just too hot.  We have a large fan and a misting system set up to help with the summer heat.

I tried using frozen bottles, but it didn't work with the Texas heat so we went to the large fan and misting.  The buns are at least comfortable when it gets in the 100's.  Fan turns on automatically at 80 and if it flirts with 90 I turn the mister on.

I don't know how hot you get, or how humid (humidity will make your heat feel even hotter) so you need to keep that in consideration when considering where to put your hutch.  I opt for shade.


----------



## Little EJ (Jul 11, 2015)

Hi all! I am new to the site and new to raising rabbits! So far, so good though. I have 1 Californian buck, 1 new zealand white doe, 1 NWZ/CAL doe and 1 flemish/nzw/cal mix doe. I have bread all 3 of the does and all had decent first litters. The flemish mix was my first, she had a rough start (my fault) with her litter... several of the babies got out of the nest box and got out of the cage, so they didn't live long. Lesson learned! Her young have grown well and I have since slaughtered. 

Now I have my NZW/Cal doe litter that is coming of age. They are 9 weeks old today, and from my reading, this should be the earliest to slaughter, based on tenderness of the meat. They are only about 3.5 pounds live though, which I think is too low. Any suggestions on live weight for slaughter? I am feeding a mix of hay and pellets, they always have plenty of food available to eat, they are in a large grow cage (4'x4') and have plenty of water. I live in north FL and the temps here are getting pretty hot during the day. They are very shaded and I keep a fan going to help circulate air. 

Any suggestions for quicker growth are greatly appreciated! (I am going through about 100 pounds of pellets a month for all babies and parents I do have 4 other babies and just recently slaughtered 4, so I am hoping food consumption goes down quite a bit)


----------

