A Practical Guide to Rabbit Ranching E-Book

Deborah Mays

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 333

Beschreibung

A totally novel, analytical perspective with the goal of financially rewarding and sustainable agriculture, author Deborah Mays shares her knowledge from running her own successful rabbit ranching business with her husband, as well as having a degree in Wildlife Biology and academic experience in animal husbandry. This is a must-have resource to learn not just the details of how to raise rabbits, but why. Covering topics such as housing, feeding, breeding, growing, disease management, genetic selection, and so much more, readers will understand the foundation to rabbit ranching and how to make rational management decisions for their own farm. From this guide, you'll be able to humanely raise healthy meat while also maximizing efficiency and controlling costs, as well as explore the different marketable venues and understand the laws governing the industry in the US.

Leseprobe

A Practical Guide to Rabbit Ranching

Companion House Books™ is an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing.

Project TeamManaging Editor: Gretchen BaconAcquisitions Editor: Shelley CarrEditor: Joseph BordenDesigner: Mary Ann KahnIndexer: Jay Kreider

Copyright © 2023 by Deborah Mays and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Fox Chapel Publishing, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Print ISBN 978-1-62008-364-2ISBN 978-1-62008-365-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019950100

This book has been published with the intent to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter within. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author and publisher expressly disclaim any responsibility for any errors, omissions, or adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein. The techniques and suggestions are used at the reader’s discretion and are not to be considered a substitute for veterinary care. If you suspect a medical problem, consult your veterinarian.

Fox Chapel Publishing903 Square StreetMount Joy, PA 17552

www.facebook.com/companionhousebooks

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

CONTENTS

Preface

CHAPTER 1Meat Rabbits and the Rabbit Industry

CHAPTER 2Getting Started and Rabbit Basics

CHAPTER 3Breeding, Pregnancy, and Birthing

CHAPTER 4Feeding and Growing

CHAPTER 5Cages and Housing

CHAPTER 6Selection and Genetics

CHAPTER 7Slaughter and Carcass

CHAPTER 8“Going Commercial” and Regulations

CHAPTER 9Markets and Marketing

CHAPTER 10Costs and Profits

CHAPTER 11Alternative Agriculture in Action

References and Additional Information

Appendix A: Rabbit Purchase Agreement Example

Appendix B: Brochure Example

Appendix C: Restaurant Flyer Example

Photo Credits

About the Author

PREFACE

My college degree is in wildlife biology, and I worked as a wildlife biologist, zookeeper, and veterinary technician, as well as in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, before finally settling on a career as a research specialist in the biomedical sciences. Though I loved my job, I missed working with animals. So with my husband, John (Beau) Mays, we bought a 100-acre farm that he immediately dubbed Chigger Ridge Ranch. It was head-high in brambles when we moved in; if we could have found a market for chiggers, we would have made a fortune! Since that didn’t seem likely, we began experimenting with goats, chickens, ducks, and even mini-cows before deciding that hair sheep were best suited to our land. Thus, we created our “Luscious Lamb” label, selling the packaged meat locally at farmer’s markets.

It was one sunny afternoon while at the market that a favorite customer asked rather desperately where he could buy “game meat,” as he wasn’t a hunter and he was trying to follow his doctor’s recommendation to switch to game. Knowing the doctor probably didn’t mean the corn-fed, farm-raised (super-expensive) deer available on the Internet, we began to explore what might meet this need. Next thing we knew, we had launched Chigger Ridge Rabbits and began learning about this amazing animal that has the lowest fat and cholesterol of any agricultural animal. Even better, rabbits eat alfalfa-rich pellets and hay rather than corn and grains. This makes rabbit meat even more heart-healthy with a super omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Rabbits are notable among farm livestock for their unusual estrus cycle and high birth rate, their unique physiology, their awesome feed efficiency, and the fact that the US government regulates them under different laws depending on whether you are raising them for pets, meat, breeding stock, or research.

Within two years, a farmer can evaluate 60–80 kits from a single doe rabbit, compared to maybe 1 calf from a cow, 3–4 offspring from sheep or goats, or 10–20 piglets from a sow. Even small changes in farm management practices, feed, or genetic selection of breeding stock will result in rapidly seen improvements. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is our motto at Chigger Ridge, and this is reflected throughout this book by charts, graphs, and tables to make it easier to see not just the how but the why of our suggested practices.

We raised rabbits on a commercial scale for many years as Chigger Ridge Rabbit Ranch. We marketed them through commercial rabbit meat processors, restaurants, farmer’s markets, local groceries, the pet food industry, and as breeding stock. We had more market than rabbits available—constantly. (Those who claim rabbit ranching for meat cannot be a viable enterprise until more demand is out there are just plain wrong!)

I have a background not only as a veterinary technician and zookeeper working with hundreds of different animal species but also took college courses in animal nutrition, animal pathology, animal physiology, animal parasitology, lab-animal science, and animal production. There was no book of this type available when we started, and much effort was wasted sorting through contradictory information from breeders and self-proclaimed experts. We made our share of mistakes but learned from them how to improve our stock and our bottom line. We hope that this book will assist others to prosper and avoid problems that other animal industries have encountered.

When we first started Chigger Ridge Ranch, we decided hair sheep were the best animals for our land. We later found meat rabbits were an even more viable income source for our operation.

HOW IS THIS BOOK DIFFERENT?

What makes this book different are the words “practical guide.” All too often, rabbit-raising books seem to consist of pages and pages of pretty photos of all the different rabbit breeds available, some advice on how to breed them, general plans for hutches, and a bunch of rabbit recipes. On the other end of the spectrum, you might encounter the rare rabbit “textbook,” which often has confusing and complex information on rarely encountered diseases and in-depth physiological data but few recommendations on how they apply to the rearing of healthy animals. Such texts give advice on optimal nutrition requirements that would require a Ph.D. in nutrition and your own feed mill to implement.

This book is intended to help people raise rabbits efficiently and humanely as a food source for themselves or others. It is directed to the individual producing safe meat for their family alone, the small farmer trying to diversify, or the large-scale commercial rabbit rancher. Though the book is specific to the United States, as far as wading through laws and regulations, the majority of the book can be applied anywhere in the world.

As a practical guide to raising rabbits for meat or money, this book covers a range of topics, such as the breeds best suited to meat production; how to find a quality breeder; common avoidable ailments; breeding strategies; what to expect in pregnancy, birthing, lactating, and weaning; feeding during different stages of life; various housing options and watering systems; scientific selection of replacement stock; and carcass quality. We incorporate very specific relevant details, such as recommended cage sizes, the pros and cons of various nest boxes, what gauge wire you need for housing and where to find it, how to evaluate a feed tag and supplement your feed when needed, how to protect against predators, and how to keep your barn water lines from freezing.

In addition to realistic husbandry advice, this guide illuminates the challenges of running a small farm business, such as how to navigate regulations, taxes, and insurance; how to maximize profits by varying your business plan; how much you should charge for your product; and how and where to market. We spend a whole chapter on all the various marketing outlets available for rabbits and how to approach them. And we give you the tools to evaluate your costs and income and be able to set a product price to keep you in the black.

Those who claim rabbit ranching for meat cannot be a viable enterprise . . . are just plain wrong!

If you follow the guidance provided in this book, the answer to the question we are asked over and over (“Can I make money raising rabbits?”) will most definitely be YES! The answer to the question of “Will I make money raising rabbits?” is dependent on many factors, such as how well you research the field, how diligently you pay attention to the needs and health of your stock, how much effort you put into marketing your product, how close you are located to potential buyers and rabbit processors, and most importantly, how much time you have to devote to the enterprise. Rabbits don’t raise and market themselves. It can be a time-intensive operation (depending on the size of your herd), but if you put in the effort to keep your animals healthy and happy, are located in a state that is amenable to rabbit agriculture, and are near a potential market, it is hard to not make money on such an efficient and prolific creature.

I would like to acknowledge my Content Editors at Fox Chapel, Anthony Regolino, Kerry Bogert, and Joseph Borden, and my Acquisition Editor, Bud Sperry—without whom this book would never have been published. I am also indebted to Dr. Ester van Praag for kindly providing some of the medical photographs included in this work.

DedicationThis book is dedicated to my wonderful husband, John Mays, co-owner and co-manager of Chigger Ridge. Our goal was to produce a “practical guide” for both current and future rabbit ranchers. It is our hope that this work may improve the industry and provide others with a framework for a successful alternative farm enterprise with a real and predictable income.

John Mays with rabbit raised on Chigger Ridge Ranch

CHAPTER 1

MEAT RABBITS AND THE RABBIT INDUSTRY

RABBIT—THE HEALTHIEST MEAT YOU CAN EAT

Rabbit meat is a tender, mild-flavored, all-white meat that can be prepared any way that chicken can—baked, grilled, roasted, sautéed, fried, or stewed. It is low-fat, high protein, very filling, and takes up flavors and marinades well. Commercial rabbit feed generally does not contain added hormones, animal by-products, or antibiotics, and it is more plant-based (alfalfa) than grain-based. This makes rabbit meat higher in omega-3 fatty acids than many livestock species raised today. So if a healthy diet is a consideration in farm production, rabbit actually tops the list (see chart below).

Rabbit is lower in calories and fat and higher in protein than any other typically farmed meat.

RABBITS ARE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

In addition to the heart-healthy benefits of rabbit meat, the rabbit is a superb example of sustainable agriculture. If managed correctly, it could conceivably feed the planet. As shown in the chart below, rabbits are more efficient at turning feed into edible protein than any animal except the chicken, which it matches.

Rabbits are three times more efficient than cows or sheep at converting plant-based feed into meat.

The rabbit has a feed conversion ratio of 2–4:1, with a mean feed conversion of 3:1. This means that it takes between two to four pounds of feed to convert into one pound of rabbit meat, with the average being three pounds of feed per pound of rabbit. The reason for the variation in feed conversion has to do with differences in breeds, feeds, time of year, etc. (All of these factors affect how efficiently any species of animal converts feed into muscle meat.) Just as an Angus cow is different from a Longhorn cow, different rabbit breeds have different feed conversion ratios. All feeds are not the same in quality and bioavailability. And, of course, in winter more feed is required for an animal to stay warm than in the summer. This chart is just for general illustration between species of animals. Careful measurements of feed intake and weight gain on your farm are needed to determine a specific feed conversion ratio for your operation (see Chapter 6). The main source of the rabbit’s efficient feed conversion is its unique digestive system, which will be discussed in detail in Chapter 4.

In addition to efficient feed conversion, rabbits are famous for their reproductive capabilities. One doe rabbit is easily able to produce as many as 6 litters of 8 kits or more per year—that is 48+ kits. If the kits are harvested at approximately 4.75–5.75 pounds live weight (the range recommended by many rabbit meat packers), the doe can produce 228–276 pounds of rabbit per year. Not bad, when you consider how little she costs to purchase, house, and feed compared to other livestock.

Genetic selection of your herd, improvements in feeding strategies, and attention to the health and well-being of your animals may permit an extra litter per year, rearing of 9–10 kits per litter instead of 8, or reaching a higher harvest weight in the same amount of time and feed. These strategies can all increase the pounds of meat per doe rabbit to between 300 and 350. Any way you calculate it, rabbits are an economical way for families in many parts of the world to supplement their pantry, even if agriculture is not their primary source of income. Startup costs are low, compared to most other animal-based agricultural enterprises, and return on investment is much faster.

Rabbit farming is also one of the few agricultural enterprises not affected by adverse weather conditions that are a major problem with field crops and grazing animals. When housed correctly, rabbits are not subject to predator animals. They can be raised as a year-round product and are not a seasonal crop, but instead can be bred to meet market demands. Thus, they can actually produce predictable monthly agricultural income—a rare and valued commodity in today’s farming world. In short, the rabbit is one of the more controllable agriculture enterprises.

If managed correctly, rabbits could conceivably feed the planet.

New Zealand Whites are prolific and have fast-growing kits (photo at approximately one week old).

OTHER REASONS TO RAISE RABBITS

Rabbits are quiet, safe, and relatively clean, making them one of the few animals that can be raised on small-acreage farms or even in suburbs or cities, by kids, grandparents, men, or women. They are becoming popular as a means to teach and to reconnect children with the cycle of life and show where food actually comes from, and they don’t require having to purchase large tracts of land. With the short time span from birth to harvest, rabbits make awesome 4-H projects and homeschool science and genetics lessons. They have even become part of community garden projects in depressed neighborhoods. Others today opt to raise them to have personal management over a healthy or emergency food supply.

Other Commercial Opportunities Include:

• Worm production

• Soil building directly from the manure

• Selling compost

In addition to the rabbit itself as a product, its manure is highly prized by organic farmers and those wanting to enrich their garden soils, as it does not have to be composted. It won’t burn plants if applied directly to gardens. Thus, the rabbit demonstrates sustainable agriculture even more. One working rabbit doe may provide as much as 12 cubic feet, or 300–400 pounds, of manure per year, and that is not even considering manure from her kits. It is drier than cow manure and thus has more nutrients per pound. The composition of the manure varies with the rabbit feed, but since alfalfa is usually a high percentage of any commercial rabbit pelleted feed, rabbit manure is generally high in valuable potassium as well as nitrogen.

Rabbit manure is highly prized by organic farmers, as it is high in potassium and nitrogen.

The photos below show four tomato plants grown in straight rabbit manure with no additional chemical fertilizer. They produced pounds and pounds of tomatoes for months! Note: never sell your rabbit manure labeled as “fertilizer” unless you are prepared to conduct laboratory tests and component-percentage labeling. Instead, call it organic soil enhancer, soil enricher, or soil dressing. Or you can simply label it rabbit manure.

Worms can also be easily raised under rabbit cages as a sideline product (for fishing bait or for gardens). They turn the rabbit manure into a wonderful rich, black, organic soil, which can also be sold at a premium. Worm and manure sales may be lucrative enough to pay for a good portion of your feed bills in certain seasons of the year. Saving old feed bags to sell this enhanced soil in saves money and is appreciated by your sustainable agriculture customers. (The worms are usually filtered out and sold separately.)

Sideline products from rabbit rearing can pay for a good deal of their upkeep. These tomato plants grown in rabbit manure produced many pounds of tomatoes!

With their efficiency and ease of cultivation, meat rabbits played a vital role in the “victory gardens” of World War II.

PROBLEMS OF AN INFANT INDUSTRY

So, if rabbits are all that great, why aren’t they a major part of the agricultural landscape? Raising domestic rabbits is actually nothing new. They have been raised since 1000 B.C., and since at least 1840 in the United States. During the Great Depression in the United States, they were often the salvation of families with little or no income. During World War II, they were part of the “victory gardens” in Europe and also encouraged by the US government to alleviate the meat shortage. In fact, this very history may be one reason why the rabbit is only just now becoming popular again.

In the past, they were sometimes considered the food of the poor, not the exotic delicacy of today. This “poor man’s meat” stigma, coupled with the arrival of television and cute rabbit cartoons in the 1950s, made the idea of putting rabbit on the table less palatable. Note: when marketing your meat rabbit, NEVER EVER refer to them as “bunnies”! NEVER EVER put pictures of fuzzy baby “wabbits” with big dark eyes on a meat brochure or business card!

Other reasons the rabbit is not yet a major part of today’s farming industry is that rabbit meat processors (or live animal buyers) in the United States are not as readily available as with other farm animals. Alternative markets must be researched for your particular area if you are planning on a commercial rabbitry (see Chapters 8 and 9). Farmers must often develop their own market and educate folks on the delicious taste and health benefits of rabbit meat. One cannot depend on being able to dump them at a local sale barn, as is possible with sheep, goats, or cattle. The regulations on packaging and selling rabbit meat also vary by state in the United States and are “gray” and changing. Rabbits are not considered livestock by the federal government and are thus not regulated under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has jurisdiction instead. With its other obligations, the FDA does not really have the time, funding, or expertise to meet this demand, which often leaves regulation and inspection completely up to the states. We will address US rabbit meat regulations and how to cope with them in detail in Chapter 8.

Even with the industry problems, rabbit production is beginning to take off with a growing awareness of the worldwide necessity of efficient utilization of natural resources and sustainable agriculture. The industry is growing rapidly as people look for a renewable nutritious protein source, equal to the chicken but able to be raised in many places where chickens are prohibited. Rabbit agriculture is an answer to the increasing consumer concern for products with low fat, high protein, and no added antibiotics or hormones.

As it matures, the industry must develop animal-rearing protocols that are humane and hygienic, procedures that take into account the social and psychological as well as physical needs of the species. Even then, some people will always argue that rabbits should be in the category of horses and dogs as pets, not food. Indeed, we agree that some individual rabbits have more personality than, say, most sheep or chickens, but are not as engaging or sociable as a lot of goats, cows, or pigs we’ve known. Rabbits were created and evolved as a prey species at the bottom of the food chain. Their entire psyche is to eat, flee danger, and try to pass on their genes before they are eaten. In the wild, they rarely live over a year before they are dinner for some predator, or before they meet a car on a dark night. In a properly run rabbit ranch, the animals are given food, clean water, and a safe, stress-free environment. They are allowed to breed and raise their young in safety. If animals are not kept happy and healthy, it is not only wrong to raise them for food, they will not produce the nutritious and sustainable protein our own species needs to live.

CHAPTER 2

GETTING STARTED AND RABBIT BASICS

MEAT RABBIT BREEDS AND RABBIT BREEDER SELECTION

Every rabbit guide seems to start out with addressing what breed of rabbit you might want to acquire. As this book is specifically concerned with raising rabbits for meat, we will focus only on what makes a top-quality meat rabbit. Any rabbit breed can be used for meat. A “meat breed,” however, is considered to be the larger, more muscular breeds—for obvious reasons.

There is much more to consider, however, when selecting a breed that will put food on the table (or lots of tables) in a cost-efficient manner. To economically and efficiently raise meat rabbits, whether it is for your family or commercially, you need a rabbit that reaches a slaughter weight of 4.75–5.75 pounds in the shortest amount of time possible (2–4 months). If it takes longer than 4 months, you have a “roaster” versus a “fryer” animal (i.e., less tender dinner, same as in the chicken industry).

The rabbit grows very rapidly from birth to two months, then the growth curve begins to flatten out (discussed more in Chapter 4). In the superior meat breeds, this curve doesn’t flatten out as fast, and the animal continues to grow rapidly until that magic harvest range. You can still eat the smaller or slower-growing rabbit breeds that may only reach 3.5 or 4 pounds at 3–4 months, but the meat-to-bone ratio is not what you want for an ample family meal, and definitely will not market well to the public. The carcass quality of these rabbits resembles a squirrel more than a plump, meaty domestic rabbit.

On the other end of the spectrum, you do not want to select the giant breeds. These have an adult weight of 15–20+ pounds and take much more food to maintain and more space for living quarters. Plus, a lot of that extra weight is not necessarily meat, but bone. The muscular mid-size breeds are recommended.

Consider your potential breeding rabbit’s physique when selecting or buying. They should have a good long, wide back, as the loin is the tenderest and best cut of the rabbit (see Chapter 7 on rabbit carcass and cuts). They should have large, muscular thighs, as that is where most of the meat is located. But don’t neglect the front legs—your rabbit needs to be well balanced. Select a rabbit with a wide rib cage that allows more growth room for kits during pregnancy. Ear size can vary depending on where you live. We prefer larger ears in the hot south, as the heat exchange for a rabbit is mostly in their wide ear surface. We also choose rabbits with less dense coats for the same reason. White-colored rabbits with lighter meat are desired by commercial meat packers, so colored rabbits should be avoided.

Rabbits come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. How do you choose which to raise?

Other than fast growth and conformation, a major consideration in deciding on a rabbit breed is how prolific or productive they are. We need to mention the term “maternal breed” here. This refers to the doe or female rabbit’s breed. Maternal breeds have been selected for maternal traits. This means characteristics such as how easily they will breed or rebreed after having kits, how many kits in a litter they have, how long their reproductive life is, how consistent they are at making adequate nests and caring for their young, and how much milk they produce. A good maternal meat rabbit breed conceives readily, makes a good nest even with their first litter, has eight or more kits for several years, and raises them all to harvest reliably.

A long, wide back and muscular thighs will result in tender loins and meatier drumsticks.

There are over 50 breeds of rabbit in the United States, from minis to giants. There will always be some controversy over the “perfect” meat rabbit breed. Much of this debate is based simply on anecdotal experience. If you have a really great Californian rabbit breeder down the road, you may be able to get high-quality, well-selected, productive breeding stock from them, whereas others (based on their own experiences) may swear all Californians are small and unproductive.

Regardless, the New Zealand White and Californian rabbit breeds are undeniably the two most common and intensively bred rabbits for meat in the United States. They are large but not considered giants. New Zealands generally run 9–12 pounds adult weight, and Californians are slightly smaller at 8–10 pounds adult weight. Since they are the two most common breeds, it is far easier to find a good breeder of one or the other of these breeds rather than the less prevalent breeds.

By “good breeder,” we mean a good commercial breeder—not a show breeder. Nothing against rabbit shows, but shows do not judge for maternal traits such as large litters, easy breeders, fast breed-back times, good nesting instincts, or heavy milking ability. Show raisers are not necessarily looking at feed efficiency, strong immune systems, or rapid growth in kits. Yet all of this is absolutely essential for the successful meat rabbit raiser. Far more important than the breed itself is the breeder that you select. I would much rather a breeder be able to tell me how fast his kits grow than how many shows he has won.

There are other breeds that can match the New Zealand and the Californian, such as the Champagne D’argent (9–12 pounds adult weight), known for its excellent meat-to-bone ratio and fast early growth, but they are colored and with slightly darker meat that is not desired by the meatpacking plants. Additionally, the Champagne D’argent and most other such breeds are simply not raised in the United States on a commercial scale for meat, and thus it is much harder to find good selected breeding stock to start you off right. In our opinion, why reinvent the wheel? We recommend that you go with the two breeds that have already been selected for nearly a hundred years in the United States as productive commercial meat animals to use for your maternal lines, the New Zealand White or the Californian.

The muscular, mid-size breeds are recommended.

NEW ZEALAND WHITE RABBITS

The New Zealand White, despite its name, was actually developed in the United States. It was recognized as a breed in 1920. It is a mix of Angora, American White, and Flemish Giant. It is a solid white albino rabbit. A white rabbit has always been preferred by meat packers because it has lighter meat, and some say it is easier to skin and process. This is one reason the New Zealand and Californian became popular meat breeds.

Along with New Zealand Whites, there are also New Zealand Reds, Blacks, Broken coloration, and Blues. These color variations have not had the intensive commercial selection pressures of the New Zealand Whites, however, and it is recommended that the Whites be your choice if you are looking for an efficient operation. Whenever we mention New Zealand throughout this book, we are referring to the New Zealand White. The New Zealand reaches sexual maturity and can be bred between 4–6 months old. They have strong nesting instincts and are excellent milkers, easily able to raise 10 or more kits. They consistently produce eight or more kits per litter and can be productive for up to five years.

New Zealand Whites are among the most popular meat breeds because they have lighter meat that is preferred by packing plants.

CALIFORNIAN RABBITS

The Californian was also developed in the United States in the 1920s and is a mix of the Himalayan and Standard Chinchilla Rabbit with some New Zealand blood thrown in. Like the New Zealand White, they have been extensively selected for maternal traits. They are white where it counts (i.e., the meat parts), with black only on the “points” (that is, the ears, feet, tail, and nose). People lucky enough to have access to both good New Zealand and Californian commercial breeders to obtain their initial breeding stock may elect to buy both breeds and tap into some of the hybrid vigor that crossbreeding can give (i.e., using a California buck with a New Zealand White doe and vice versa; see Chapter 6 on crossbreeding). Or you might want to keep both breeds purebred and see which does better for you. This will probably be the result of the rabbit breeder you buy from and their selection over the years, not necessarily the breed.

Californian with excellent conformation. The rabbit’s fur is white on the meatier parts, which is a desirable trait due to meatpacking plant preferences.

HOW TO TELL IF A BREEDER IS GOOD OR NOT?

First and foremost, look for signs of disease in the rabbitry you are considering buying from. Check for signs of:

• Ear mites (dark wax in ears or missing fur around ears)

• Sore hock (sores on bottoms of back feet)

• Weepy eyes

• Sneezing

• Matted hair on the insides of the front legs (caused by the rabbit cleaning a runny nose and indicative of respiratory infections)

• Missing fur or excessive scratching

• Any signs of diarrhea

• Overgrown nails or teeth

Red or dark urine is normal in a rabbit and is not a problem. If the breeder won’t let you tour the facility, run! A few may try to tell you that they have a “closed rabbitry” to prevent disease introduction. To that we say they can provide prospective buyers with disposable smocks, shoe covers, and gloves for less than two dollars if they are that worried.

If the breeder won’t let you tour the facility, run!

To prevent introduction of disease, avoid breeders who use wooden cages and open water bowls.

Next, look for housing that is sanitary and takes into consideration the animal’s comfort. Make sure the housing is well-ventilated, has no smell, has little evidence of rodents or flies, and has a means to keep the animals cool in summer. Look for water systems that are designed to prevent disease transmission—NOT water bowls, which are notorious bacteria breeding grounds, but automatic water systems or at least water bottles. Likewise, feeders should be situated to prevent contamination of feed. Try to find a facility that does not use wood in the hutches or for nesting or resting, as this is notoriously impossible to disinfect well.

After you have decided that the facility is clean and disease-free, you should get some idea of how the breeders maintain productivity.

• Do they keep breeding records to prevent too much inbreeding?

• Do they know at what age their kits hit market weight?

• Can they tell you their average litter size and kit survival rate?

• Are they able to explain the criteria they use in selecting which breeders to keep (or sell to you)?

If they don’t keep records and can’t answer these basic questions, they are hobby breeders, not serious commercial breeders. Without good productive genes to start off, it is difficult to select for all the traits you need to make your operation cost-effective.

SHOULD YOU PAY MORE FOR A PEDIGREE?

People often ask if they should buy rabbits that come with a written pedigree or are registered as purebreds with various breeder associations, even if they cost much more. To decide this, you should know that a pedigree can be anything a breeder wants to write out. There are plenty of templates available on the Internet for fancy-looking pedigree papers, and there is no way to tell if what is written on the paper is actually the parents of the rabbit you are buying. Even if the breeder is totally honest and the pedigree papers are perfect, what do some rabbit’s ancestors’ numbers actually tell you? Not much.

However, purchasing a rabbit registered with the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association is different from just buying a rabbit with a pedigree. Registration costs $6 per rabbit (at present), and the rabbits must be examined by a registrar when they are at least six months of age. Since we suggest you buy your rabbits before 6 months for optimal breeding in a commercial setting, this requirement may delay breeding and impact productivity. ARBA registration will show that the rabbits have met the minimum breed standards for conformation (which is good), but it tells you nothing about the line’s productivity. There is nothing wrong with buying rabbits that have pedigrees provided by the breeder or are ARBA-registered, but in our opinion, it is not really all that helpful in a commercial enterprise.

Once you have found a reputable commercial breeder from whom to buy your initial stock, you may ask, “Why can’t I simply buy both new females and males whenever the animals start to lose their productivity instead of raising replacement animals and doing all the selection stuff myself?” For your bucks, this is an option if you have found a breeder that you like within a reasonable distance. The buck can be kept productive for about six years. The doe rabbit is a different story. It is absolutely essential that you be able to cull unproductive females. Some individuals may be productive for 4–5 years, but many start to become less productive by three years. By productive, we mean breeding easily, making a good nest for her 7–10 kits, milking well enough to raise all kits to a good weaning weight, and regaining enough weight herself after rearing her kits to breed back in a reasonable amount of time (we will go into breeding schedules in Chapter 3).

If you need to buy new does often (at $30–$40 per doe), this can obviously become cost-prohibitive. You can raise your own doe rabbits to breeding age for well under $10. You are also more apt to cull an unproductive doe when required if you do not have to make a trip to buy another but can simply pull one out of your own replacement pens. Every time you buy a new rabbit, you also risk introducing disease to your rabbitry. (Besides all that, half the fun of raising rabbits is watching the improvements in your stock in as little as one year!)

SELECTING YOUR BUCK’S BREED

Once you have decided on your maternal breed, you should think about what breeds of bucks you might like to use. You can stay purebred and use New Zealand or Californian bucks on the same breed of does. You can crossbreed New Zealands and Californians. Or you may want to consider what is known as “terminal sires,” where the breeding is considered “terminal”—all the offspring will be slaughtered and used for meat, not used for replacement breeders in your herd. Flemish Giant and Altex are examples of two breeds that may be considered as terminal sire rabbits to be bred to your maternal-line (New Zealand or Californian) females.

Why not use these resulting crossbred kits as replacement breeders? Because the Flemish and Altex breeds have not had that extensive selection for maternal production traits that the New Zealand or Californian have had. So a kit descended from these breeds may or may not be a good maternal animal. The terminal sire is just to give size and fast early growth to kits intended for meat and to provide hybrid vigor, resulting in a robust and hardy meat kit (see Chapter 6 for rabbit breeding genetics). If you use terminal sire breed bucks to raise meat animals, you will still need New Zealand White and/or Californian bucks to produce your replacement females and maintain your purebred maternal breeding stock lines.

Flemish Giants

Flemish Giants are definitely that—giants. They were developed in Belgium in the 16th century and can range from 13–20 pounds as adults. (Due to the heavy bone structure, however, not all of that is added meat.) A whole herd of female Flemish Giants in your rabbitry would eat you out of house and home, but a Flemish buck or two, bred to your New Zealand or Californian does, will give you a very nice, fast-growing, crossbred meat kit. Flemish Giants come in a variety of colors. Since white is preferred for the meatpacking industry, that color is the best choice.

Flemish Giant terminal sires can add weight to your meat kits.

Altex

The Altex is another breed that was specifically developed as a terminal sire. It was developed by Dr. Lukefahr and his students (Medellin and Lukefahr 2001) in the rabbit research program at Alabama A&M and Texas A&M Universities (thus the name Altex). The Altex is a mix of Californian, Champagne d’Argent, and Flemish Giant. It is colored like a Californian, with white body and darker points (ears, nose, tail, and paws). The Altex rabbit’s sole purpose and development was for very rapid and sustained early growth of kits. The measurement used exclusively for selection in the development of the breed was heavy, 70-day kit market weights. This means that Altex doe rabbits were never selected for maternal traits. Indeed, we found the Altex doe harder to breed in general and with a shorter productive life than the New Zealand White. It was also rare that the Altex does we had produced eight or more kits.

If you are a large enough operation, you may want to keep a small herd of a purebred terminal sire breed such as the Altex or Flemish Giant—both females and males, to breed your own replacement terminal sires. It should be noted that this starts adding extra cages and extra work to maintain two or three different breeds.

The Altex rabbit was specifically developed to breed kits that showed rapid and sustained early growth.

Many people ask, “Do I need to have terminal sires?” The answer is absolutely not. These are used mostly by the larger breeding farms to give a slight increase in finished weight or finish at a target weight a week or 10 days early. When you are talking hundreds or even thousands of kits per month, a week of feed cost savings can be absolutely critical. However, if you are just raising for your family and friends, the added costs of keeping terminal sires available may not be worth it. Instead, you can select your herd bucks from your most productive and fastest-growing maternal breed females and stay with all one breed.

Altex cross kits get large fast. Note the size of this kit (right) compared to the full-grown New Zealand doe (left).