Anybody breeding meat rabbit?

[jackelope]

I'd like to use trays for easier clean up.
Maybe two high for easy reach.
With the price of food these days, I'd like to start up with three or four does.
I still have my Rex - New Zealand buck.
I'll look for flooring wire and get some cages built here shortly.
What do you think of Flemish Giant cross does?
I was happy with my cross buck on New Zealand does.

The problem with flemish giants is they're all bone. You're feeding a rabbit that's going to spend a bunch of time and fuel growing bones and not meat. I'd stay away from any flemish giant anything cross.  We had trouble connecting last fall due to it being crazy busy fair time but I can probably connect you with some NZ or satin does or something like that that is more a meat breed.

Put the 2 high condos up on a table or something so you're not killing yourself bending over to feed them. 3 high condos aren't too tall. Woody's 3 hole condos are a little over 5' tall. Easy peasy. We have 4 hole condos from him where each hole is shorter so 4 holes are only slightly over 5' tall. Good for your grow outs, but not good for breeding cages.
 
Don't build them too deep or you wont be able to reach the back of the cage to catch them.

[HighlandLofts]

A couple New Zealand does would work for now if any are available.
Color isn't important to me. I have a few wire cages I can get by with until I build what I want.

[HighlandLofts]

I picked up a four month old Californian doe yesterday.
I'll let it breed in a couple of months.
I will probably breed it one maybe two more times with my New Zealand/Rex buck then swap over to a new buck.

I'll keep a few of the young does for breeding stock out if these young kits.
I'll probably replace it with a New Zealand  buck.

[HighlandLofts]

I will be buying two New Zealand does and a tripple decker cage next week.

[Norman89]

Whipped up a tractor for the grow outs, I知 quickly running out of room and need to make more hutches and cages so I can scale up more

[HighlandLofts]

If i had a bigger yard I'd build something like that.

[Norman89]

I have a pretty small yard but every little bit counts to knock down the feed bill. Just built a second one today for the bucks, does got the first one and so far are very happy on the grass and probably eat 40-60% less pellet now. Gotta keep cage space freed up just introduced a third doe into my breeding program and these ones will be weening next week

[Norman89]

Next modification to further the rabbits being hands off is these automatic watering cups from rentacoop. I already use there poultry cups for the quail and they work great, these will be rigged into five gallon reserve buckets so hopefully watering will be a weekly activity instead of daily

[jackelope]

Eating all that grass will affect your growth rate. Plus it痴 really rich. Not the best for their gut.

[Norman89]

I知 willing to take the risk and I知 watching closely, so far no issues with muddy butt and they are very happy. I値l be working the breeders more towards a wild diet to lessen the feed cost and yes a slower growth rate is acceptable for these grow outs that I知 finishing on pasture for the last 2-3 weeks. It痴 a trade off I spent a lot of time researching before I decided tractors were the answer for my herd and the limited cage space I have. I know pasture raising is highly controversial amongst rabbit breeders

[HighlandLofts]

I am planing to put the california doe with the rex/new zealand buck on sunday.

[HighlandLofts]

I placed the doe with the buck yedterfay afternoon, he bred her three times. We,ll see what happens.

[hunter399]

Next modification to further the rabbits being hands off is these automatic watering cups from rentacoop. I already use there poultry cups for the quail and they work great, these will be rigged into five gallon reserve buckets so hopefully watering will be a weekly activity instead of daily

We used to just screw the normal water thing.
Onto a 2 liter soda pop bottle.
Make a new wire for bigger bottle.

[HighlandLofts]

I use the little smaller soda bottles with the screw in nipple from the Coop.
They last almost a week.

[hunter399]

I use the little smaller soda bottles with the screw in nipple from the Coop.
They last almost a week.

I don't have rabbits any more.
We would use smaller bottles,fill with water,freeze,then put them in there. While it was hot in the summer,so they could lay next to a frozen water bottle.