Anybody breeding meat rabbit?

[jackelope]

Oh man, what’re you going to put in that fancy rabbit shed?

I knew it would happen as soon as I built the frikkin shed.
Pretty sure it’s going to be my hunting and fishing dude room.

[HighlandLofts]

I will take it, do you need any reloading brass?

[HighlandLofts]

I will take pics tomorrow.

The doe is a californian and the buck is from a litter i raised a few years ago.
He is a brownish color.
He is halh Black New Zealand and half dark gray Rex.
These babies and black.

I will keep a doe out ot this litter. I will keep this buck for a while then replace him with a New Zealand buck.

I had a friend make a HOPPER POPPER for me.
I always held them by the back feet and used a thick wood dowel to the back of the head.

I have butchers quite a few rabbits, lots of deer, several cows.
 I have been watching a few videos of butchering rabnits on yourtube.
Some people use a wood dowel or a steel rod, put the rabnit on the ground with the dowel or steel rod over their neck

Stand on the rod and pull op.on the back feet.
About the same an the hopper popper.

On one video they dipped the rabbit in water before skinning it .
Supose to keep hair off of the meat.

A couple of them suggested soaking the rabbit in water in the refridg over night to relax the musle whis is supose to make the meat more tender.

One of the guys placed the meat in ziploc bags and put then directly in the freezer.

I vacum seal everything that goes in our freezer.

I take a whole month off of work every year to go back to New York for a month of deer hunting.
We generally shoot from five to ten deer a year and butcher all of them.
Ladt year we shot nine deer.
I this when we have dead time this year we will cut deer up for other peope. The butcher shops are charging from $100 to $135.

Id like to cut up four or five deer a week.

[jackelope]

I just tube skinned them.
The key is to harvest them at 70 days old before they start growing a bunch of fat. At that age you also don’t have to worry about the flavor either. Just take care of the meat like you do everything else. They’re a ton easier to skin at that age too.

Hopper popper works fine, as does the broomstick method you described. I’ve probably used the broomstick more, but have killed probably 30-40 with the popper too.

We’re busy the next couple weeks with high school graduation and stuff. I’ll get ahold of you when I have some time and we’ll get you a condo cage.

[HighlandLofts]

Sounds good, these kits will be resdy to wean in four weeks or so.
I am gping to go look at a couple of does this afternoon and will ptobably buy one of them.
I will be picking up another doe here shortly.
I texted you my number.

[HighlandLofts]

I am going to let the buck breed the doe I bought last weekend.

The new zealand does didnt work out so i'll wait on getting a new Zealand doe.
The doe I bought is a harliquin cross.

[HighlandLofts]

I had the buck breed the harlequin cross doe on the 7th and he rebred the Californian doe on the 19th.

[HighlandLofts]

The first liter out of the California doe will be ready to butcher in a few weeks. Then the harlequin mixed does liter will be ready to wean, then shortly after the cali liter will be ready yo wean.

[jackelope]

The first liter out of the California doe will be ready to butcher in a few weeks. Then the harlequin mixed does liter will be ready to wean, then shortly after the cali liter will be ready yo wean.

Sounds like you’re on the right track!!

[HighlandLofts]

I will probably keep a couple of does from the Cali mix and butcher the harlequin cross doe.
Three does will supply all we will need.
How many time should a doe be bred a year?
And should they get a break after reaising two liters back to back?

[jackelope]

I will probably keep a couple of does from the Cali mix and butcher the harlequin cross doe.
Three does will supply all we will need.
How many time should a doe be bred a year?
And should they get a break after reaising two liters back to back?

We never bred them very much. Some people  breedthem back to back to back. I like to give him a break. We were never in the big production though either.