How to Breed Rabbits for Your Table (or Local Pet Store)

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

buck rabbit
1-6 doe rabbits
rabbit hutches
rabbit nesting boxes
feed crocks
automatic watering bottles
alfalfa pellets (rabbit pellets)
Timothy hay or other grass hay

Step 1

This is a very fat dwarf bunny but note the short ears and short face as is typical on dwarf varietys

Determine if you want to breed your rabbits for food and fur for your table or if you want to breed rabbits for your local pet store.

Pet stores want dwarf and mini varieties such as Netherland Dwarf, Dutch, or Hot Tot.

If you are breeding for meat production I would suggest a California Giant buck and New Zealand Does, the color is only important if you are selling your green (raw) pelts to the tanner
Step 2

This is a simple 3 hutch unit for housing rabbits they are above the ground and have roofs, note the outside feeders which make feeding simple.

A wire home for your rabbits is called a hutch. This can be as simple or as complex as you like to make it. Inside a barn you can get by with all wire units which are suspended over the ground but outside you need units with some sort of a roof to protect them from the elements and sturdy wire floors to prevent dogs, foxes, or coyotes from removing your rabbits through the floor... definatly not pretty!
Step 3

This is a typical feeder that hangs on the outside of the hutch. note the wire bottom to let feed dust leave the feeder.

You will need to feed and water your rabbits. Rabbits are messy nasty things when it comes to using crocks for dishes as they use them for toilets so you want to consider hanging feeders that you fill from the outside and lixit style water bottles where the rabbit licks a ball bearing inside a tube attached to a bottle for water.
Step 4

This is a Flemish Giant adult rabbit. While these get huge and can easily feed a family they do not have the feed to meat ratio of the New Zeland White who are ready for the table at 8 weeks.

Feeding is simple measure the correct amount of feed as determined by the breed and weight of your rabbit and if it is a male or breeding female. Place feed into feeder and pray that your rabbit doesn't decide to use his front feet to kick all the food out onto the floor! Bucks are notorious for doing this.
Step 5

how to sex a young male rabbit. If the testes have decended you simply need to feel for them. One on each side of the urinary fold. Otherwise you will have to pull back the fold to expose the genetali

If you intend on breeding your rabbits (the reason for this article) you will need to determine the sex of your rabbits. Adult rabbits are easier than babies to sex as you can look at the secondary sex characteristics of each. Males have a heavier more square head on average to doe's. Never house more than 1 buck together! They will fight.
Step 6

Image shows how to sex a young doe rabbit.

Does typically have smaller heads but large dewlaps which is the flap of skin under the neck that the doe uses to pull fur from to line her nest for the babies. House only 1 doe to a cage after 6 months of age as they may fight over nesting areas
Step 7

This is a typical nest box. Note the wire in the bottom... Some does will use their boxes as toilets this is to prevent it from getting nasty and attracting flies who's larvae can kill your bunnies!

Once your rabbits are 6 months old you can breed them. Place the female into the males cage. NEVER the other way around. The male has established his cage as his terratory and he should immediatly show interest in the female rabbit. He will chase her around the cage and finally corner her. Mating is quick, when finished the male will fall over. NO I am NOT kidding! Allow no more than 2 breedings and remove the doe from the bucks cage. Make sure you carry the doe so that her rump is tucked under her to prevent her from urinating.
Step 8

nest box full of 2 day old baby bunnies (kits)

In aproximatly 28 days she will have her babies, make sure that you have given her a kindling (nesting) box about 5 days before she is due, give her some hay. You will notice her gathering up the hay in her mouth a day or two before giving birth. The day before she gives birth she will refuse to eat so use this as an indicator of the upcoming litter. She will also pull fur to line her nest. Some does pull more than others so in warmer weather you may want to carefully remove some after she has had her litter. Do not do this for first time or nervous does or she may kill her litter!
Step 9

4 week old New Zealand White bunnies

You will want to re-breed your bunny between 3-7 days after having her litter.

At 4 weeks of age you can safely remove the babies and put them into a cage to grow out for meat production or take them to your local pet store to sell if you are raising dwarf bunnies.
Step 10

At 8 weeks of age your bunnies, (if you are breeding California Giant to NZ Whites) should be 5-7 pounds live weight and are a good size to butcher for the table. Some people prefer to wait till they are 12 weeks and a larger size.

Comments

mommyhen42 said

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on 11/6/2009 Considering the main purpose of the article is raising rabbits for FOOD, I see no problem in breeding them, they are quite flavorful and healthier for you than any other meat source

on 11/1/2009 Considering how overpopulated local rescues are, is having articles advocating BREEDING of even more rabbits a thing you really want on this site?

Maybe I should search for articles on breeding cats and dogs for food and profit on eHow before I judge..