Anybody breeding meat rabbit?

[jackelope]

Got my hutch built out this weekend, still have to make nesting boxes and gets some waterers and I'll be set to start. Cages were a gift from my dad he used then for chicken quarentine years ago, I will build more but having trouble finding 1x 1/2" floor material in 14 or 16 gauge

Floors should be 14 gauge. 16 gauge will tear up their feet and it's flimsy.
You can order it from Klubertanz. Get their floor supports for those bigger cages too.

http://www.klubertanz.com/

[Norman89]

Planning to start with new zealands just for meat production, maybe branch out later for different breeds. My wife is not a fan of the red eyes, but been watching a guy on youtube that through selective breeding came up with a blue eye white that's what I would really like

[jackelope]

Planning to start with new zealands just for meat production, maybe branch out later for different breeds. My wife is not a fan of the red eyes, but been watching a guy on youtube that through selective breeding came up with a blue eye white that's what I would really like

Start by breeding your NZ with blue eyed white rabbit then breed the offspring back to the blue eyed parents.
The problem you’ll run into is a quality rabbit that’s properly built that’s also big enough to be able to breed to a New Zealand. Most BEW’s that people have developed are smaller rabbits. You might be able to get a blue eyed buck bred to a NZ doe. Don’t do it the other way around. The babies will be too big and the Doe won’t be able to deliver them.

[Norman89]

Well the plan was new Zealand, but I had a trio of rex given to me, so I'm up and running with meat rabbit breeding, here is my intro video all input is appreciated!

[jackelope]

I like the video a lot. Good info. 1 suggestion, and if you ask 5 people you might get 5 different opinions here. I’d feed more pellets and less hay. Hay is good for gut health and the rabbits love it, but overall it doesn’t have a lot of nutritional value. The good stuff is in the pellets. Don’t let them fill up on hay and not eat the pellets.
Id maybe take a look at how much pellets you’re feeding them too. We feed feed the same Haystack feed. We’re feeding 4-5 pound rabbits 1/2 a cup a day. We feed no hay.
One of my 4-H kids raises very nice Rex, shows them snd wins at 4-H shows, fair, ARBA shows and shows meat pens with them and she’s also feeding Haystack. She’s giving them a cup of pellets a day.  She feeds them no hay at all unless they’re about to give birth.

The other thing I was going to mention is that doe you bred in the video is not an otter. The buck looks like a black otter. Doe looks just plain black. Didn’t see the other doe so not sure what color that one is. Blue, black, chocolate otters all exist. The otter variety is identified by the tan markings on their undersides, inside their ears, behind their ears and under their noses.

[Norman89]

Great information and much appreciated! I have noticed the does will eat more hay then pellet for some reason and iv been reducing how much I give them to see if they will take more pellet. Ya the buck is full otter colors, one doe is pure black the other is hard to describe I don't know what it would be called but black brown and gray, in a extremely tight pattern like a good quality camouflage think mossy oak type pattern

[jackelope]

Lots of different recognized varieties of Rex. Could be anything. Post a pic. I might be able to tell you.

[Norman89]

Picture doesn’t really show the grays

[Norman89]

No clue why it’s upside down

[jackelope]

I think it’s a tort which is not a recognized color. One of my 4-H kids raised sable mini rex. It might be a sable but the colors aren’t quite right for a sable. This is a correctly colored sable mini rex. Basically the same rabbit as a Rex, just a miniature version.

[lhrbull]

We haven't done it for years but when kids were young we had red satins for meat and show great first livestock project for fair and chores

[Norman89]

DID MY RABBIT KINDLE?? Rabbits, Quail, Woodgas, Ducks update

[HighlandLofts]

This spring I will building a new pigeon loft for my white homing pigeons for doing dove releases for weddings and funerals.
I want to make it big enough to include some rabbit cages to get back into breeding meat rabbits again.
It will have a small room for feed storage and the rabbit pens.
And suggestions of what types of cages to build for the rabbits?
Size & height.
Size of wire-1/2x1 for the floor
1x1 for the sides & top.
Should they hade dividers so they can't see each other.
What gauge of wire?

[jackelope]

This spring I will building a new pigeon loft for my white homing pigeons for doing dove releases for weddings and funerals.
I want to make it big enough to include some rabbit cages to get back into breeding meat rabbits again.
It will have a small room for feed storage and the rabbit pens.
And suggestions of what types of cages to build for the rabbits?
Size & height.
Size of wire-1/2x1 for the floor
1x1 for the sides & top.
Should they hade dividers so they can't see each other.
What gauge of wire?

14 gauge 1/2x1" for the floors. 16 gauge 1x2 for the sides and tops. 18-20" tall so they can get in and out of the nest boxes. I'd get baby saver wire for your breeding doe's coops so the babies can't squirm through the wire if they end up out of the box somehow. I can verify that it definitely happens. I'd put solid dividers so they can't bite each other, pee on each other, or breed each other. Wouldn't worry about them seeing each other. I'd put a support across the floor to prevent the floor from sagging because I assume you're cages will be on the larger side. I'd go 24x30 or 24x36 for the breeding does. 24x30 or for your bucks and then you can do smaller ones to maximize space for your growouts. We kept growouts in 18x24's but they were a smaller breed.
Used to be able to get all this stuff from Klubertanz but I think they shut down. It's pretty easy to find 16 gauge wire but not so easy to find 14 gauge floor wire at the hardware store. You'll probably have to order it.

Are you going to do hanging cages without trays or going to use trays?

[HighlandLofts]

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.