New Questions

[Delighted]

I have several.

When you're growing out bunnies for meat, can you mix ages?

Babies leave their mother's cage at what age?

How big should a grow out cage be, and how many would I put in there?

I like my bunnies to have some space to run around and play--even if they don't really want to play with us, what do those of you who have meat bunnies do for them? Give them toys? Give them run space?

 

[rickerra]

Howdy... I'll take a stab at some of your questions... based on all my research and study... I'm expecting my first litters in a few weeks.

Mix ages
... shouldn't be any problem as long as they are all under 12 weeks old. Around that age they start "feeling their oats" and might begin mating and fighting as the hormones start pumping.

Leave the nest
... many folks leave the litter in the does' cage all the way up to the 8-10 weeks of age when the buns are butchered (So no grow-out cages needed). Others like to remove then around 6 weeks old, by which time they are eating from the feeders, this gives the does a break and put them in their own cages.

Grow-out cage
... use what you got. Normal size cage without the larger doe in there too give the fryers a good bit of room. But that depends how many you stick in it. Give them toys or whatever you think will make their short time more enjoyable. That's to each their own... just don't get too attached or it'll make the butcher time that much harder.

Cheers!

 

[Delighted]

rickerra thanks for your answers. I didn't realize the butchering age is 8-10 weeks--I thought they'd still be too small.

This current litter will grow to full size, and we are going to handle them-- a lot! Our current does were bred by accident-- we thought they were all males, and we were going to butcher 3 and get some does, so we never handled them. (Dunno if you'd seen my other posts, but long story short, we lost three litters before we figured out which were female) Anyway, we never really handled them much, so they're a pain inna hiney to figure out which ones were female and males.


Scratch, kick, fight EEEK!

But finally we have the one male separated and the three does sorta separated. (Two does in one cage, the pregnant and nursing doe in the other with her current babies--and the ones on the way! siiiiigh!) Now I gotta go to the other forum to ask about this pregnant doe, who's nursing too.

 

[brentr]

I've had growing out bunnies of different ages mixed in the same pen with now issues. They were only about 2 weeks apart in age, though. Just make sure that you have plenty of feeder space so that there is no crowding at the table. That is where a lot of fights/issues can start - if they have to start fending off each other to eat.

Rickerra is right on the slaughter age - depending on your breed and how big you want them to be when you harvest them.

I've never given my bunnies toys other than a good chew stick to keep them from decimating the wood in the cage.

Good luck!

Brent

 

[hoodat]

Most rabbits can still be socialized even if they weren't raised as pets.
Just a few tips.
1. Never move fast around rabbits. They are prey animals and you are a predator. Don't think they don't know that.
2.If you are handling buns who are not pets, wear leather gloves. Flexible driving gloves are good. The gloves don't need to be thick. Bun claws are sharp but they rake, not puncture so even thin gloves will do the job. Wear long sleeves for the same reason. Sweats are great and hard for a bun to rake through. If a bun bites you it's time to cull. That's a trait you don't want in your herd.
3.Never approch a timid bun from above. They have instincts that tell them something swooping from above may be dangerous. Aproach them on their own level.
4. Be sure the bun you are holding feels safe and well supported. Hold them against your body and make sure they are well supported from below. A lot of kicking happens when they are afraid of falling.
5.Never fight them. Get as low as possible, standing is a bad idea, sitting in a chair or on the ground is better. Don't hold them over a hard surface like concrete where they can be injured if they kick loose and fall. Grass is an ideal place. If they fight let them go as gently as possible. The muscles in a rabbits hind legs are more powerful than those in their back and if they kick violently they can actually break their own back. A rabbits spine forms a natural upward arc. Bending the spine in the opposite direction can strain or even break a rabbits back.
6. resist the temptation to swat them when they act up, even gently. Punishment does not work on rabbits as it does on dogs. It only makes them fear you.
7. Hold down the noise when you are handling them. Barking dogs and screaming kids are no-nos. Speak to them in a low gentle voice. It makes them feel safer. The worst I ever got raked was when a dog ran up on the other side of the fence and started barking. The rabbit launched itself using the back of my hand as a launch pad. I still have the scars.
8. Ears are tempting but never pick a rabbit up that way. It hurts. I've seen advice not to scruff them but sometimes picking a rabbit up by the scruff of the neck is the only way you can get hold of them. It does them no harm if they aren't held that way for long; just long enough to get then in a good support position in your arms. their natural tendency is to relax and not struggle when picked up that way.
Know exactly what you are going to do and how you are going to do it before you handle them and then just do it with as little fuss as possible. If you are hesitant or timid the rabbit will sense that and not have confidence in you.

 

[Kelly_Guy]

Most rabbits can still be socialized even if they weren't raised as pets.
Just a few tips.
1. Never move fast around rabbits. They are prey animals and you are a predator. Don't think they don't know that.
2.If you are handling buns who are not pets, wear leather gloves. Flexible driving gloves are good. The gloves don't need to be thick. Bun claws are sharp but they rake, not puncture so even thin gloves will do the job. Wear long sleeves for the same reason. Sweats are great and hard for a bun to rake through. If a bun bites you it's time to cull. That's a trait you don't want in your herd.
3.Never approch a timid bun from above. They have instincts that tell them something swooping from above may be dangerous. Aproach them on their own level.
4. Be sure the bun you are holding feels safe and well supported. Hold them against your body and make sure they are well supported from below. A lot of kicking happens when they are afraid of falling.
5.Never fight them. Get as low as possible, standing is a bad idea, sitting in a chair or on the ground is better. Don't hold them over a hard surface like concrete where they can be injured if they kick loose and fall. Grass is an ideal place. If they fight let them go as gently as possible. The muscles in a rabbits hind legs are more powerful than those in their back and if they kick violently they can actually break their own back. A rabbits spine forms a natural upward arc. Bending the spine in the opposite direction can strain or even break a rabbits back.
6. resist the temptation to swat them when they act up, even gently. Punishment does not work on rabbits as it does on dogs. It only makes them fear you.
7. Hold down the noise when you are handling them. Barking dogs and screaming kids are no-nos. Speak to them in a low gentle voice. It makes them feel safer. The worst I ever got raked was when a dog ran up on the other side of the fence and started barking. The rabbit launched itself using the back of my hand as a launch pad. I still have the scars.
8. Ears are tempting but never pick a rabbit up that way. It hurts. I've seen advice not to scruff them but sometimes picking a rabbit up by the scruff of the neck is the only way you can get hold of them. It does them no harm if they aren't held that way for long; just long enough to get then in a good support position in your arms. their natural tendency is to relax and not struggle when picked up that way.
Know exactly what you are going to do and how you are going to do it before you handle them and then just do it with as little fuss as possible. If you are hesitant or timid the rabbit will sense that and not have confidence in you.

Wonderful post, thank you very much.

Kelly

 

[Delighted]

Thank you again for your replies.

brentr my babies will probably be 3 weeks apart, so I guess there won't be any problems, either.


hoodat Wow! very helpful post! I'm already having less trouble now that I have them in pens off the ground. Again, the big community run was wonderful for them, but a real pain for us--hard to get to to clean and hard to get to the bunnies to handle--and we were ALWAYS coming at them from above-- no wonder they got so skittish!