With rabbits, things can get out of control fast. Last year I learned a very important lesson the hard way. Living up to their reputation of ‘breeding like rabbits’ in no time I was overwhelmed, out of cages and clambering to keep everyone happy.
This year, there’s a very strict plan.
Choosing Future Stock - The Genetics
Since I started with rabbits from the auction, I have no history on them. The only way to learn their genetic traits is to breed them and see what they make! Colours, fur type, body shape, overall health and temperament are all things that can be passed down to their kits. Last year showed me which traits I prefer, and I chose which genes to keep for the next year’s breeding program.
Fur Type
My first doe, ‘Stoic’ is an extra fluffy angora. Angora rabbits are furbearers like sheep and make fancy wool. They’re high maintenance and need to be brushed regularly to prevent matting, which makes them less ideal for meat breeding.
Ginger has nice thick soft fur ideal for tanning, while Twunny’s is short and thin making hers into what I call ‘B-side’ hides.
Body Shape and Health
As a kid I had a Cornish cross chicken as a pet. Even then I could tell, it wasn’t meant to live a good life. I watched it die of what looked like a heart attack within its first summer. Animals meant only to grow fast aren’t ethical in my opinion.
A huge part of why I grow meat is to ensure my food has lived the healthiest, happiest lives possible
We all know the main cut of meat on a chicken is the breast. On rabbits, the hind legs and loins are the biggest parts. The loins are the long muscles that run from the neck and down the back, giving the rabbit hopping power.
Twunny has long thin loins and passed that along to her kits.
Ginger is a thicker lady and has nice chunky loins.
The Boys
The champions of the herd, my two big bucks. They each weigh over 10lbs. Big brown is a slightly thicker fella with a nice temperament. Hit kits are often solidly coloured. Like Twunny, Big Black is a longer rabbit and his kits sometimes have a gene that gives them light-coloured bellies, inner ears and around the eyes.
I’ve tried other bucks, but none compare to these two.
The Plan
Meat
This year I’ve narrowed down which traits I think will do best. Daughters and granddaughters of the original does will be the main focus this year.
Foxy - Daughter of Twunny, she’s huge and has gigantic ears. I named her Foxy because she’s a very nice-looking rabbit.
Heather - Daughter of Ginger, has a big dewlap and thick loins. She had small litters last year but was an excellent foster.
Tart - Granddaughter of Stoic. She isn’t a very big girl but has a lovely dense coat and a nice personality. She’s a bluish colour on top and brown on the bottom, like a blueberry tart.
Fawny - Looks just like her mother, Heather. She makes me look forward to doing morning ‘chores’ because she’s so friendly and demands pats.
The plan is to breed each of the does 3 times this summer. Rabbit gestation is only a month and they can get pregnant again immediately after having babies. Though three times might seem like a lot - if they were left to their own devices it would undoubtedly be more.
Rabbits have 8 nipples and ideally, each of their litters will have 8 kits. Some will have more, some will have less. For that reason, I’ve planned to breed them on the same dates. That way if one has ten but another has 6, I can foster a couple to ensure they all get milk.
If The Plan Works
At the end of the season, I’m hoping to have grown nearly 500 lbs of rabbit! That should equate to more than 250 lbs of canned, smoked or frozen meat. That’s a lot of delicious, happy, high-protein meals.
Though it’ll be a ton of work, I’m looking forward to raising my food in such a sustainable way.
Great names, especially Stoic! Thanks for the story.
Sounds like an excellent plan, and the meat is excellent, and very healthy. Yes one time, I did not separate soon enough. Had a surprise litter pretty soon.
As always, enjoy your world and all the lord provides.