Want to be Newbie

[NeoChia]

Hi I want rabbits (for food) but I don't know anything. Ok that's not quite accurate but I'm going with it.So please share any and all advice you can. I live in Central Indiana so weather can be hot and cold. I've had chickens for two years and know how to weather them but not rabbits.
Ok, so my questions are...

1.How to prepare for winter?
2.How often to breed/rest for does?
3.How big of cage and how many? (I think, for my family, I need three does)
4.How big are the litters usually?
5.Do I need more than one buck?
6.How old do the kits need to be before I butcher them?
7.What is the weight of a dressed NZ?

And any thing else is most definitely appreciated. Thank you!

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Hello NeoChia! Welcome to BYH!!
I can answer a few of your questions...
Litter size will probably depend on the breed... my doe (I think she's part Flemish giant) had 7, and my Dad's rabbit (I think part Flemish Giant as well) had 8. Mine was a first-time mom, and Dad's has had a couple of litters.
One buck for three does should be good. You'll probably only need the one unless you're planning on breeding their offspring as well, when I'd recommend a second one to prevent inbreeding.

 

[NeoChia]

Thank you. I guess I should have put I'm probably going to get New Zealand's.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

You're welcome!
Aww! You must be excited!!

 

[mikiz]

I think for NZW the butcher age is usually 8-10 weeks or 5lb? whichever is first. If you plan on using the skins, I think most people wait until 20 weeks so the skin is a bit tougher and won't tear as easily.
Dressed weight can vary, I think for a 5lb live rabbit you'd probably get around 1.5-3lb dressed weight depending on how fine boned and how much muscle it has, which would come down to genetics.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong

 

[promiseacres]

Generally people cage them separately as does get very territorial. about 24 X 30 for a single nz, larger for a doe with kits. There are better cage by size ratios on the arba website. Winter they need to be kept out of the wind and dry, actually are more cold tolerant than heat tolerant.

 

[samssimonsays]

IF you are looking into colonizing I know enough about it and have tried and failed but my French Lops are show animals and they go for the dang ears when they fight... boogers. I have had major losses from heat, never to the cold. Use water crocks not bottles when it is cold. Frozen water bottles help with heat, they lay against them. Or frozen tiles and a fan. They need three solid sides to block wind and an escape from it all together.

This is a fancy hutch, they don't need to be this fancy.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

1.How to prepare for winter?

Give the does some more food, make sure they can get out of the wind / snow. I use open waterers (not bottles) because it doesn't freeze as fast. But if possible use a heated system, lol. Just so much easier.
2.How often to breed/rest for does?
Depends on what type of program you want and how much meat you want. New Zealand's are not unknown to have litters of 10-12 at once, even if you only get 8 out of that, that's still 40lbs (live) of meat per litter by the time they're weaned. If you want a fairly aggressive breeding system, wean at 4 weeks, and breed the does again 2-3 weeks after she kindles. If the doe isn't keeping condition wait to rebreed her. Making the babies isn't very taxing, it's the raising the babies. Some people just breed when they're running low on meat. You'll get about 2-3lbs of meat per rabbit dressed.
3.How big of cage and how many? (I think, for my family, I need three does)
Do you want a colony or separate cages? Separate cages is recommended. I can give more info on colonies though. You'll need a fairly large space, and be willing to do a lot of cleaning. I much prefer wire cages. The wire cages should be big enough the rabbit can fully stand up, and fully lay down. You need to be able to fit a nest box in there, and eventually 8+ babies.
4.How big are the litters usually?
NZs tend to have 8-12, up to 14.
5.Do I need more than one buck?
Depends on your breeding program. For a starter, 2-3 does + 1 buck is fine. If you solely just want meat for your family - don't care about showing, or selling - this is good. You will need to either save a buck eventually or buy a new genetic line. You can reuse doe kits forever (for example, you can keep doe A great great great great grand doe) but you need to eventually get a new buck. At least, it's cheaper to get new bucks every few years than new does.
6.How old do the kits need to be before I butcher them?
8 weeks is fairly normal, but anywhere from 8-12. Usually at 5lbs you butcher
7.What is the weight of a dressed NZ?
2-3 lbs is normal for a 5lb kit.

 

[NeoChia]

Thank you for all the replies! Ok so I have another question. Do I need to get the rabbits when their young or when their adults? So I can have tame rabbits because I will want to pick up and pet the parents.

 

[Bunnylady]

It's probably a good idea to get them young, so they can get used to you (and vice versa) before they are of breeding age. Rabbits are not naturally cuddly creatures, and if they don't get handled much as youngsters, they usually continue to be standoffish as adults. Even rabbits that get a fair amount of handling often don't care to be picked up; the difference between picking up a "friendly" rabbit and an unfriendly one can be just a few scratches as opposed to being truly lacerated. With practice, you can learn how to pick up a rabbit without freaking them out, and your rabbits can learn to feel secure enough in your arms not to struggle (much).