New to rabbits

[DebFred]

Hi All.

Just found this site a bit ago. The Hubby and I are going to start raising rabbits for food. We live in the Cincinnati area of Ohio. Get hot and cold weather. I would like to know what a good breed is for us. Also, I would like to know what to feed them other than pellets. We want to be as self sufficient as possible, and that includes being able to feed the rabbits and chickens in case we couldn't get feed for them. We want to house the rabbits and chickens in the same area, but plan on keeping the rabbits in cages. I think this is the best way to keep them, correct? We have about a half acre only, but somewhat rural, so we can have the chickens and rabbits.

Thank you all.

 

[Prairiechick]

Welcome to the site. There are some different options to raising rabbits. You could go with a natural diet and put them out in a run or pasture them if you wanted. I have seen right on here that some people do. Personally, I have all mine in cages. I have them stacked and so they have the poop pans under.
I raise Californians for meat. I like them and think they are a nice breed for friendliness too. They turned out for me to be a good meaty breed. I dressed them out live weight 6-6.5 and the dressed at 3-pounds and up. I think you will find there are several options there too, it is more a matter of which you prefer and how you want to do it.
Good luck and welcome to the rabbit world, and don't think the old "breeding like rabbits" thing has an ounce of truth to it, breeding rabbits can be a tricky undertaking. It is like this: when you don't want them to breed, you can bet you will get babies (kits). When you want a litter, it can be a real pain sometimes to get the doe to be receptive. And sometimes when they litter is born (kindling) the mother forgets to pull fur or make a nest, or does that then still has the kits on the wire. That is not to scare you, just making a point, it isn't as easy as putting them in the cage for a romp and bam you got babies. But it is a fun thing to do, and butchering isn't hard to do at all.

 

[Gagroundhog]

Wecome to BYH! Raising rabbits is alot of fun and yes can be tricky. Find a good breeder in your area. Somebody who is willing to spend time talking to you about their rabbits, who can show you breeding records, answer questions ect,. There are alot of breeders out there who will keep an interest in their customers after the purchase. Someone like this love to help their customers succeed. I like New Zealands and Californians but there are many other breeds to choose from. Good luck on your search!

 

[sawfish99]

Welcome to the group. Our best meat producers are mixes of several breeds. We have some that grow to 5lbs live weight in 12 weeks, but the average in our rabbitry is probably closer to 14 weeks. In your area, you can pretty much choose any rabbit and you will be fine for the temperatures.

 

[DebFred]

Thank you for the responses all ready. I plan on keeping them in cages. Easier to keep count of when they are put to the buck and keep control over them. As far as breeding and such. No possibility of keepiing them in a pasture. We live on half an acre. No fence.

I am still curious about food other than pellets. I don't mind buying those, just would like to know other feeding options for them.

Thanks!!

 

[sawfish99]

We feed all our rabbits pellets and hay. We have had some does that got too heavy and got limited to only hay for a while. We did implement a grain ration system instead of just free choice.

 

[DebFred]

Thank you very much. Appreciate it!

 

[Prairiechick]

I feed pellets (Kent Professional) and a good grassy hay. For supplements, each cage has a mineral spool. Otherwise, occasional yogurt chips to aid in gut health. In the warmer months, they also get a few dandelion leaves, clover and herbs from the garden. I like to feed them fresh greens but limit as too much can throw any animal if they aren't used to eating them a lot. I never feed free choice except for does with litters. I don't even free choice young litters after weaning, I set their food amount based on size and weight. Plenty of fresh water every day with a little bit of apple cider vinegar in (1 Tbsp per gallon).

 

[DebFred]

Thanks again. One more question: What is a mineral spool?

 

[Gagroundhog]

Its a salt spool sold for small animals. They sell them in white and brown, the brown one is the mineral spool. The white one is plain white, don't use the white one, get the brown one. You can find these in the rabbit section at Tractor Supply or local feed store. They are round with a little hole so you can hang them on the side of the cage but I don't recommend that b/c the salt will rust the wire on your cage. Its better to put it in a ceramic crock of its own. If you are using a good rabbit pellet, salt spools aren't necessary. I like having them so the choice is up to the individual rabbit when it feels like it needs more minerals or not.