where to keep them???

[bturbo87]

I finally concvinced my wife to let me get some breeding stock to start keeping rabbits for meat. i ended up with a flemish giant/holland lop buck (i know not the best but theres almost no selction around here right now) and a full NZ doe. ive done all my research, since the last time i kept rabbits was when i was much younger and my father helped out alot. i plan on putting them together tomorrow morning, then 12 hours later that night, thankfully the weather has been very pleasent this week so im hopefully for high fertility. i know that gestation is 28-32 days and to ween at roughly 6-8 weeks or when mama is tired of having them around. my question is, once they are weened, will they get along together as litter mates in a colony setting for the next few weeks until they are processed, or do i need to seperate them into seperate cages until they are big enough to process? thanks in advance.

also i would like to tan the pelts, and advice, recipies, or website links that helped you in that process would be greatly appreciated.

 

[missfire]

They will be just fine together, mine stay together for 8 to 10 weeks when I process them.

Dan

 

[wYs Ranch]

Here's a good link for hide tanning, with a few options.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1983-01-01/How-To-Tan-Rabbit-Hides.aspx

I bred my doe on the 2nd, put the doe and nest box in a larger cage @ 21 days and she started nesting at day 25, and had 12 kits day 32. (glad I have a larger cage for her if they all survive) I should probably thin them out, but I have a hard time doing that when they all seem viable.

 

[missfire]

12 is going to be tough, may not notice it yet but 2 or 3 maybe will start falling behind, might be able to help her out by giving her some milk supplement, but be sure to stop it a couple weeks before weening or she will wind up with Mastitis due to the extra milk prodution. If you have another lactateting Doe you could foster them out to her. Just put them under the kits already there so their scent will cover them and she should accept them with no problem. Good Luck

Dan

 

[wYs Ranch]

12 is going to be tough, may not notice it yet but 2 or 3 maybe will start falling behind, might be able to help her out by giving her some milk supplement, but be sure to stop it a couple weeks before weening or she will wind up with Mastitis due to the extra milk prodution. If you have another lactateting Doe you could foster them out to her. Just put them under the kits already there so their scent will cover them and she should accept them with no problem. Good Luck

Dan

Thanks Dan, Unfortunatly I dont' have another lactating doe so it will be survival of the fittest. I'll check them more closely (it's been so cold I hate to disturb them too much).