grow out cages

[Dave760]

i have a question i have searched and really havent found an answer for hoping some of you that have had rabbits for a while can answer i have 2 does and one buck they are cali whites im pretty sure they have ample room in their cages now i will start breeding them this spring my question is how many grow out cages do i need i will be raising them to eat and probably wont over breed thinking maybe 6 litters each per year starting out does this seem right

 

[animalmom]

My grow out cage is 4' x 4', and it works well for giving the juniors room to move around and eat.

I'm a tad concerned about your proposed breeding plans for a couple reasons. Not saying you can't do 6 litters per doe a year, just saying it may not be possible. Bucks get temporarily sterile in the summer when temperatures stay hot, like 90 degrees every day. This is a problem where I live, North Central Texas, so I don't even think about putting a doe and buck together past May. I start to breed once it cools off, like October. I'm pleased to get 2 litters per doe from my herd. That would give me a whole heck of a lot of freezer meat (80 rabbits) if I always got 8 kits/kindling but I don't. Currently I have 5 does and 3 bucks and stagger the litters so I don't have more than one age group in the grow out cage at a time. We like to butcher around 12 weeks. I also leave the kits with their mom for 5-6 weeks... some will consider this excessive, but it works for me. Also I'm feeding just two humans, so the number in your family will make a difference in your production goals.

The second thought is you have two does X 6 litters (Calis have nice sized litters, like 8 kits) = a whole heck of a lot of kits. 2 X 6 X 8 = 96. Not only is that a whole lot of eating my friend, but a lot of wear on the doe since you would breed, 32 days later kits and 28 days later rebreed. You may want to consider two grow out cages.

I'm not going to tell you it can't be done, I'm just asking you to reconsider if that is what you want. Please I am not being critical of your plan, just asking you to think about it one more time. Your herd is yours and only you can determine how best to use them.

 

[Dave760]

well thanks best info i got im new so just going off what i have read and researched and i dont need that many rabbits so i have 3 grow out cages 30 x 36 does this seem to be enough

 

[animalmom]

@Dave 760, short answer is yes your three 30 X 36ers will do just fine. The occupants are not going to be there forever... just long enough.

I've enjoyed having rabbits, the ups the downs and the excitement of discovering "exploded bunny" as that's what it looks like when a doe pulls fur when she kindles. Best of luck with your project. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

 

[Pastor Dave]

@Dave760, I agree with @animalmom on the 6x a year. Where it is physically possible, it will really wear your does out fast. I have heard of the commercial outfits breeding a week or two after the doe kindles, and she delivers a new litter just after the last kits are weaned.
The heat issue is a factor as pointed out. I try to use fans in the rafters to pull the heat away from the rabbits. I use one on the floor to keep the air moving, and one in the window to pull in some fresh air. When it gets above 80 or 85degs, I put in a frozen two-liter bottle of water per cage. If it gets real hot, I chill 12"x12" ceramic floor tiles in the freezer and put them in the cages for the rabbits to lie on. My buck seems to just want to lay around and pass out if it gets 90degs outside. If the heat wave doesn't last too long, he seems back to himself if we get a day or two that cools back down.
I also lay off the breeding if the weather gets very cold. It is not fun having kits coming out of the nest box and freezing if they can't get back in.
I have 4 does, and two grow-out cages. I stagger my does in pairs, and have two kindling and weaning at the same time. The bunnies go to the grow-out pens, and generally my other two does are abt ready to wean as the fryers in the grow-out pens are ready to vacate them. I generally rebreed when the kits are around 6-8 weeks. it gives the doe a bit of a rest between litters. They also get rest in the peak heat months or cold months.
I have just started back up last summer after a twenty year absence, but we operated as a family for ten years in the 80's and 90's. Hope this helps, and maybe we can bounce some ideas off each other from time to time.