Getting my kits today!

[terri9630]

If your hanging them in the chicken coop definately have a board for them. The chickens WILL grab at their toes. i ended up moving my rabbits out of the chicken coop because I had one that wouldn't stop tryint to get the rabbits. I went out one day and this stupid bird was hanging off the side of the cage like a parrot and had hold of my bucks tail. I'd have ate her but she is one of my best layers.

 

[Sama_Lama]

Thank you, the diarrhea did clear up after that evening. I figured that the change in enviornment, temperature, feed and routine could be the culprit but I also know that bunnies can be sick before showing any signs so I was a bit worried. The are doing fabulously and I'm just in love with one of the girls (I call her Pandi). She is such a love and so even tempered. They all spent the morning chasing around the chickens (and here I was afraid the chickens would hurt the buns!), munching on weeds and doing bunny zoomies all over the backyard.
I have a few questions though. 2 of my females and both of my males have the same father. The breeder said this was considered line breeding with bunnies. Is that true? I know I want to breed quality bunnies and will want to show them eventually. Although most babies will end up in the pot I still want a quality animal, especially since I'm working with the Americans.
Also, I was told not to give them many treats. I give my chickens things like fruits, veggies and meal worms at least weekly, sometimes more than that. But that's not good for bunnies?

 

[Hop N'Tail]

They don't make any pads for the rabbits. Maybe you can have a new section for the rabbits and use the hanging cages there. But watch out for sore hocks.

 

[terri9630]

If you give them a bunch of treats they will get fat and not breed or have breeding/delivering problems. Too many treats isn't good for any of us.

 

[DianeS]

Also, I was told not to give them many treats. I give my chickens things like fruits, veggies and meal worms at least weekly, sometimes more than that. But that's not good for bunnies?

A "treat" is really something that the rabbits like to eat, but that contributes nothing but calories or fat to their diet. You should limit these things as much as you possibly can.

A "nutritional suppliment" is something that rabbits like to eat, that you have carefully researched and use as part of a balanced diet. Feed this sort of thing as often as you like! A balanced rabbit diet doesn't have to be just pellets. It can be pellets plus grass hay plus seeds plus veggies - you just have to figure out the correct percentages, and keep a close eye on them to be sure it works well - keeping them at a healthy weight and in good condition and fur.

So I avoid stand-alone treats, but cheerfully give nutritional suppliments. Does that make sense?

 

[cattlecait]

The bunnies having the same father won't affect their kits much if at all. If you bred their kits together you might get problems, but rabbits tend to handle inbreeding very well compared to other breeds. I went to a clinic taught by a judge (I think it was Don Havlicek, but I'm not sure) and he raised Himilayans, he told us that his rabbits' family trees go straight up, no branches. This is especially true with the rare breeds, since there's not much genetic difference to work with in the first place.

I couldn't have put the treat answer any better than DianeS, so I'll leave that one

 

[RabbitMage]

As far as inbreeding/linebreeding, I have a litter where I bred a doe to her grandsire (he is her paternal and maternal grandsire, so her parents were half siblings). Not all of the kits are shaping to be show stoppers, but I have some nice babies and none of them have two heads or anything like that.

Had to add a note, though: I don't recommend throwing rabbits together willy nilly. I've owned every rabbit on this doe's pedigree, going back three generations to about 2002. I'm very familiar with the bloodlines of this litter and the potential issues that might come up.

 

[Sama_Lama]

I do plan to get as much knowledge as possible before starting my breeding program. I really want to find a mentor but I guess I'll try and go to some bunny shows when time comes to find one. The buns are doing well and I had them out with the chickens today with no issues (except the bunnies kept scaring the chickens). They will spend the night in the coop in the one cage I built which is sitting on the ground (oh my gosh this isn't as quick as I though it would be! I didn't get the j hook pliers though. I have 6 more to make, arg!). I'm trying to figure out how I can mark them to tell them apart in the yard. If collars are out what is another good idea? I'm not really into the idea of ear tagging (they do have tattoos). I ended up getting a different feeder than I thought I was getting. The size of the whole is 4"x4", will that be too small for an adult American? It's obviously too small for the group of them but they will be separated soon so they won't have to fight for it.
As far as the treats I was just wondering if I could feed things like cucumber pieces or a small amount of fruit. The breeders said they maybe give a carrot top like once in a blue moon. Is it just a watch the weight thing? I'm certainly not someone who keeps fat animals... well except for the chickens, they are a bit useless

Chicken does not approve of bunnies:

Bunnies love being outside though:

 

[DianeS]

I feed radish tops, carrots, yams, alfalfa, grass hay, sunflower seeds, bird seed, parsley, etc to my rabbits. But in teeny tiny amounts so I can really keep track of what it does to them. One rabbit gets diarrhea a day after eating alfalfa, so she doesn't get it any more. Another rabbit is so enamored with the birdseed she'll push all the pellets out of the way and out of the cage in her hurry to get to the seed, so she only gets seed when she's finished her pellets. That sort of thing. Rather like starting a baby on table food - slowly and surely and the same food repetitively until you are certain how it affects their digestion, size, fur, behavior, allergies, etc.

The handful of seed that I might scatter for my chickens to scratch is the same size handful that I divide among my rabbits. So each rabbit gets some, but only a tiny bit. Compare the addition that you want to give them to the amount of regular food they would get that day - the addition should only be the size of a "side item" or a "dessert item" compared to their main food unless you are intentionally intending it to replace their main food.

Cucumber and fruit can be very healthy, if you watch the proportions. I don't think either have much protein, so you might want to suppliment with some additional protein items to keep the diet balanced. But fruit (like apples) has good fiber in it, so you wouldn't have to suppliment the fiber. Make sense?

 

[rabbitman]

Hey DianeS where did you buy your cages from??? Im looking to buy store bought ones and get rid of our hand made one. Thanks