# Anybody have meat rabbits?



## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

On Friday I'm picking up 2 New Zealand Whites: buck & doe.

Since I've never owned rabbits before, I did some homework & found some people saying that you don't have to feed hay, just pellets.

Any ideas? And other suggestions for a newbie rabbit owner would be great


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Hi,
you don't HAVE to but it is good for them....I feed mine pellets and give them hay as a treat....the pellets are geared to supply what they need but they love the hay. Careful of feeding too much as a fat doe will not breed as well.
Be ready for babies...my New Zealand white had 11 her first time kindling 

Oh, and give them some soft wood to chew to keep teeth from overgrowing. 

Rabbit is delicious....have fun !


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

We keep hay in with ours...Also salt and minerals...and of course quality rabbit pellets..


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Happybleats~after some research I have found that they don't need the minerals anymore due to the pellet contents....so it must depend on what kind you get?
I did have some in there and they used none of it....


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

Somebody told me rabbit tastes "gamey", is that true?


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

We breed and raise meat rabbits! I like it! Tastes a lot like chicken but not quite.. I don't think it's very gamey...

Sent from my iPod touch using GoatSpot


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I have not found it to be true. I think it tastes like really high quality chicken.Very tender and delicious...


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

Great!


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Another thing to know....the meat breeds get really big, so it's better if they have a place to get off the wire flooring at times if that is what you have.If not they have a tendency to get sore hocks...


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

My first litter should be born any day now! I'm looking forward to some tastey rabbit. You are going to love them!


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## nursehelg (Jul 5, 2012)

Wild rabbit may have a slight gamey taste but meat rabbits are alot like chicken. I have American blue and whites. Mine haven't had babies yet.


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## Macyllehub (Jan 6, 2013)

We have done them before and will again this year. We go in waves. 

We give hay and pellets but we also have "grow cages" that are similar to Joel Salatins poultry cages. Basically it's a rectangle with an open bottom that we move around the yard for them to graze on grass freely and fertilize!


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## Cali (Aug 2, 2012)

I have Californians, Satins, a mutt, and am hoping to get some Standard Rex. I feed mine hay, its good for them. They get pellets as well but I'm currently doing research on a grain mix diet to get away from commercial feeds.
They are super tasty, easy to raise, simple to process. It's really quite rewarding. They are not gamey at all.. I think wild rabbit can be. It's important to cook rabbit "low and slow," as it's quite lean and will get dry if you try to cook it like beef.


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

NyGoatMom said:


> Another thing to know....the meat breeds get really big, so it's better if they have a place to get off the wire flooring at times if that is what you have.If not they have a tendency to get sore hocks...


Yea they'll be in a 15 x 5 chainlink pen, (covered) & it's floor will be...grass!


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Do you have a way to keep them from digging out?


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

I'm still working on that :scratch: any ideas?


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

I read that rabbits spook easily and some don't do well in a large space. But obviously you will need wire around the edges on the ground to keep them from digging out. 
We keep hay out with ours all the time or fresh grass/garden stuff, and limited pellets daily. But if the doe is nursing she gets free choice pellets, grass hay, a little alfalfa hay and greens when we have them.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Not sure other than wire on the edges....also if dogs or fox are a problem they will dig in....
I house mine in rabbit hutches as I prefer them not to eat ground forage that way I have no need to deworm and I don't have to worry about predators. (totally a preference thing)
20kidsonhill is right....sometimes too much space is overwhelming and these are domesticated rabbits...not wild rabbits....they don't feel "caged" like a wild one would.Don't get me wrong...space is important but having a rabbit caged,IMO, means a rabbit that stays alive.Around here it is too hard to keep them safe without wire.

Another thing to consider....are you going to be moving the cage? Rabbits poop and pee a LOT and will quickly kill an area.They do usually use a corner but not all will use the same one per say.Even if they do, it adds up fast! Another reason I prefer to have them in a hutch with wire flooring.It keeps them out of their mess.My rabbit cages get cleaned every 3rd day....they have trays that pull out and we use a thin layer of used chicken shavings to soak urine up.It's never that dirty since we do this every third day....keeps the chickens clean, let me tell you  since we replenish them with new.


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

What if I laid chicken wire, planted grass, and then divided the space into smaller sections: 5 x 5 maybe?


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

Ha we posted @ the same time. You all are making me re-think this... maybe I should just keep them caged


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Not trying to discourage you! Just want you aware of how labor intense it could be depending on set up and how many etc...

Maybe cage them and have "outside time" ??


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I think it will be hard to keep the grass.....their urine is really high ammonia...

If you decide to go with a cage....it is said to allow a minimum of three leaps across the cage....longer is better.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

A rabbit could chew through chicken wire....I would use something heavier.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Sylvie said:


> On Friday I'm picking up 2 New Zealand Whites: buck & doe.
> 
> Since I've never owned rabbits before, I did some homework & found some people saying that you don't have to feed hay, just pellets.
> 
> Any ideas? And other suggestions for a newbie rabbit owner would be great


Not a bunch of hay but a bit little if you want


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

NyGoatMom said:


> I think it will be hard to keep the grass


I havn't put any grass down yet..could I just leave it dirt & that would take care of all the grass problems?


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Sylvie said:


> I havn't put any grass down yet..could I just leave it dirt & that would take care of all the grass problems?


I wouldn't 
Id build some cages off the ground if i were you (kind of like the stacking ones)
I sold someone a rabbit and just had her rabbits in kind of what your talking about and something got in and killed all her rabbits.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

NyGoatMom said:


> Not trying to discourage you! Just want you aware of how labor intense it could be depending on set up and how many etc...
> 
> Maybe cage them and have "outside time" ??


I totally agree! Best thing to do from my personal view.
We had 24 by 24 by 24 cages that mine stayed i 24/7 mine were strictly for breeding and show.
My friend keeps hers in the same size cage but lets it run around.


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

goatgirl132 said:


> I wouldn't
> Id build some cages off the ground if i were you (kind of like the stacking ones)
> I sold someone a rabbit and just had her rabbits in kind of what your talking about and something got in and killed all her rabbits.


 Are you serious? It kept an escape artist buck in when he was in quarantine, and I mean that boy is amazing at getting loose


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Yeah Im serious i think she found Maby 1 rabbit.
So i seriously don't recomend it.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Sylvie said:


> I havn't put any grass down yet..could I just leave it dirt & that would take care of all the grass problems?


Maybe someone else on here has a better idea of how to keep them on the ground....I just think it's hard to do that way and dangerous as far as predators and harder to keep them clean. If I were you, i would create a smaller portable caged area where you could put them out in nice weather and have the cages for when they aren't outside.That way you still get the benefits of the grass you want but don't end up with a big mess where they are.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Oh yeah, and believe it or not....too much greens are deadly to babies....especially if there is dew on the grass....it causes diarrhea and dehydration from it....


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

Ok, ok here we go with cages


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

LOL...I'm just telling you what I learned....the young ones can't handle a lot of greens until they are older.


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## MarthaP (Feb 10, 2013)

We made our own cages. It is a safer way to keep them. The bottoms of cages should be no bigger than 1/2" by 1". They should have something in the cage the get off the cage whenever they need to. They sell some plastic mat pads or you could use anything from wood to ceramic tile but I find the plastic easier to clean.









We have our cages in an old converted shed out back.









The shed is wrapped with chicken wire and is down 1 foot deep to prevent anything from digging in. I haven't had any animals trying to get in but I would still like to make it safer than chicken wire. I'm working on that.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

I wouldn't
Id build some cages off the ground if i were you (kind of like the stacking ones)
I sold someone a rabbit and just had her rabbits in kind of what your talking about and something got in and killed all her rabbits.[/QUOTE]


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Very nice


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Don't feel like were forcing you to have cages.
We all just feel its better for them to be in a cage off the ground.
If you dont want cages that's fine


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

yep...I agree with GG132....we don't want you to feel forced! Just telling you some of the reasons I went with cages....I'm sure there are those out there who don't....


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

No, that's why I asked! Thanks everyone for chiming in... and keep it coming


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

http://www.raisingmeatrabbits.info/building-a-wire-cage.html

If you do choose cage she's a sight with some help if you want wire cages 
If you good with wood then i can get you a sight with a bunch of amazing rabbit hutches.

We used 24, 24, 24 for our breeders too its your choice


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Ok, whew!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I have cages on the ground. A chicken tractor with fencing on the bottom. That way my rabbits can have fresh grasses to chew on, along with all the fresh food I gather daily and alfalfa pellets and fresh water. I'm dealing with not being able to move my tractor right now due to a litter due today/tomorrow. Once she has the babies, I'll move the tractor when the babies are a couple days old.

I do not have any real predators though. We have mongoose, cats, rats. My cats keep the others away and they leave the rabbits alone. I guess a baby mongoose could get into the chicken tractor, but a baby mongoose vs a full grown rabbit momma? My money is on Honey Bunny! Besides, my cats and dogs seem to make all mongoose and rats stay far away. I've not had any problems with them bothering my parrots or chickens.


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

goatgirl132 said:


> I wouldn't
> I sold someone a rabbit and just had her rabbits in kind of what your talking about and something got in and killed all her rabbits.


Just curious, do you know how it got in? like over the top, or did it dig, or just push the whole thing over?


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

I have know ideal how it got in sorry.
I know it was covered but dunno much else


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## MarthaP (Feb 10, 2013)

Here is a wonderful PDF I always go back and check on. It has great info on raising meat rabbits. 
repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/87730/pdf_645.pdf 

By the way, to us rabbit tastes a lot like chicken. Right now since everyone is sick we are having fresh "chicken" noodle soup.


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

MarthaP said:


> Here is a wonderful PDF I always go back and check on. It has great info on raising meat rabbits.
> repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/87730/pdf_645.pdf
> 
> By the way, to us rabbit tastes a lot like chicken. Right now since everyone is sick we are having fresh "chicken" noodle soup.


thanks


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## Sylvie (Feb 18, 2013)

goatgirl132 said:


> http://www.raisingmeatrabbits.info/building-a-wire-cage.html
> 
> If you do choose cage she's a sight with some help if you want wire cages
> If you good with wood then i can get you a sight with a bunch of amazing rabbit hutches.
> ...


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## IONFarm (Feb 12, 2013)

We raise ours in 3 by 3 cages and give them pellets, hay and the occasional veggie treat. We also use prunings from the apple trees for them to chew on. The meat is great, not at all gamey.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

If you don't have preditor problems rabbit tractors would work. The box in back gives them a small safe place. There is a farm by us that uses them and is trying to raise like 300 rabbits. It wont work for us, because in our yard we have 3 dogs and all our pasture has goats on it. We would have to fence off half an acre or so and keep the rabbit tractors in that. Which is a possibility for you. Rabbit tractor is really pointless if you have no pasture or grass anyway or no room to move them around. These people have like 100 acres and use like 10 of it to move around their rabbit tractors. 
My father n law also has a few rabbits and uses rabbit tractors on and off. 

skyview acres in Winchester, VA I have never been there, but htey have a website/blog and a facebook page. But they do the tractors. 

We use cages, outside. 

Look up Youtube videos for ideas. We built ours based on "Raising rabbits for meat, building cages, Part 1" by JRSKICK1 He has some great design ideas and a lot of videos about nesting and raising rabbts. We built his design but only made it one cage wide, not two cages deep. And our cages are 24" wide by 36 inches deep with 4 cages on the system. Just doors in the front. ANd we put winterizing boards around it for the colder weather and then plan to take them off here in a month or so. It was around $150.00 to build, maybe a little more. 
We used 1/2 squars on all of it, but the next one we build we are going to use 1/2 " x 1" squares. The floor is a little too shacky on ours. 
We use 32 ounce and 64 ounce tin cans as feeders. I think he also shows how to do that.


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## IONFarm (Feb 12, 2013)

Our setup is similar to yours, 20kidsonahill. Something else to think about with rabbits is the warm/hot weather. Put them in a building that you can temp control, or if outside, under the trees. You don't want them out in full sun.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Some of ours are in cages, but most are in pens. We have 2 pens that we keep ours in. One is half the garden fenced off with welded wire and rabbit fencing (we plan to rotate them to the other half every couple of years) and the other is a movable pen made of 4 cattle panels and chicken wire. If you go with this last idea, be sure to fasten the chicken wire securely at both top and bottom. We didn't have it fastened at the top at first, and one of our dogs was able to climb in and kill a bunch of rabbits. Also, stakes to hold the sides down are a must. Now we don't use that pen for the rabbits at all because our lawn is not perfectly smooth and they were frequently getting out.
The only drawback to these is if you have a problem with predators, which we hardly ever do.


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## Frosty (Feb 13, 2010)

I was wondering if meat rabbits taste like chicken why not just eat chicken.. I am picking up four rabbits saturday just for pets and for now because of cold and snow am setting them up in a horse stall. Not sure about summer as we have coyotoes around and not sure what esle yet cause we just bought the farm..


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

IONFarm said:


> Our setup is similar to yours, 20kidsonahill. Something else to think about with rabbits is the warm/hot weather. Put them in a building that you can temp control, or if outside, under the trees. You don't want them out in full sun.


you have a website, I see you also have boer goats?


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

Frosty said:


> I was wondering if meat rabbits taste like chicken why not just eat chicken.. I am picking up four rabbits saturday just for pets and for now because of cold and snow am setting them up in a horse stall. Not sure about summer as we have coyotoes around and not sure what esle yet cause we just bought the farm..


Other than the taste of the meat, raising chickens and rabbits don't have much in common. I do not care to raise chickens nor do I care to butcher chickens. We really enjoy raising the meat rabbits. I do not this for sure, but chickens are probably a little cheaper to raise per lb of meat.


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## IONFarm (Feb 12, 2013)

20kidsonhill said:


> you have a website, I see you also have boer goats?


No, I let my website go due to issues with maintenance. I have looked at yours and love the look of it and your goats. My family is originally from Fulks Run, Timberville, Broadway, etc. I still have family there and hope to be moving there in the next year or two. Do you like weebly? I really need to get a website back up and running.


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## IONFarm (Feb 12, 2013)

I raise broilers a few times a year and rabbits spring and fall. I much prefer raising rabbits but each have their pros and cons. Fortunately, I have a great Old Order Mennonite farmer who butchers the broilers. For $2 a bird, I can't pass it up.We do our own rabbits.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

IONFarm said:


> No, I let my website go due to issues with maintenance. I have looked at yours and love the look of it and your goats. My family is originally from Fulks Run, Timberville, Broadway, etc. I still have family there and hope to be moving there in the next year or two. Do you like weebly? I really need to get a website back up and running.


Love weebly, and I never ever built a site before or new anything about it. And I did the site all by myself, well with the help of weebly. . I also love taking pictures, But none of my photos are alatered other than some cropping, except for on my homepage, the picture of Goldman someone did for me. I took the picture of him and they adjusted it to look like a painting.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

My web site is weebly too..very user friendly..: ) mines happybleatsdairygoats.weebly.com...they have lots of choices ...I love it.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Frosty said:


> I was wondering if meat rabbits taste like chicken why not just eat chicken.. I am picking up four rabbits saturday just for pets and for now because of cold and snow am setting them up in a horse stall. Not sure about summer as we have coyotoes around and not sure what esle yet cause we just bought the farm..


I don't think that rabbits taste like chicken. Rabbits are much cheaper for me to raise because I feed them a more natural diet that I forage for them daily off our three acre guava farm.

If I was raising meat chickens, I would have to feed them only prepacked food, where my rabbits get very little packaged food.

While I've not butchered one yet, it looks a bit easier than butchering a chicken. No plucking, no crop, etc.


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

Heres what a friend of mine uses for her rabbits "outside time"


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## HalfAChanceFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

We breed and show rabbits, 
Many people say that rabbits only need pellets. I disagree! I believe a quality Alfalfa hay is a very good _supplement _as a dry roughage_. _I have also heard people say hay is enough for them too, wrong! 
I like to give my rabbits pellets with sunflower seeds, barley, ****** corn, dried beet pulp, brewer's yeast, milk, & *_hay*._ They also get carrots, turnip greens, and lettuce in moderation in their diet, not the babies.


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