Meat Rabbit Math | How Many Do You Need?
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
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We are a small homestead in south central Oregon living the best sustainable life as possible. We raise goats, rabbits, and heritage birds. Follow along as we divulge our secrets to surviving off-grid on solar power and growing our own food.
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If you've read some of the magazine articles claiming you can grow 300 pounds of meat with a trio of rabbits, they aren't being truthful. While they tell you the theory, we're going to show you the real math and why they are wrong. I know, we're debunking the myth with actual experience!
We often see many questions on "how many rabbits do I need for my family" or something similar. We're going to give you the math theory of how to calculate what you need and the variables to consider.
Let us know if this doesn't make sense!
Three harvests a year and a bit of fishing sounds like a sustainable deal. With a decent garden, of course.
It sure could be.
Still needs more fat
You also need a bread thrift store. Oh, and a liquor store.
@@kevymoranski3887 Grow your own grains, make your own bread & booze...?!? ;^p
Kevin Eldridge easier said that done
The rabbit scraps that you don't eat your chickens, cats, dogs (or bears if you bear hunt) might. Don't forget about bone broths too! You can also do lots of cool stuff with rabbit fur and hides. If you're creative enough and put in the time and effort there is very little waste. Even their poop can be used in the garden!
Very well done. The math doesn't lie and the whiteboard breeding schedule was very beneficial. I appreciate homesteaders who tell it the way it is. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks a lot for sharing. You've made it a lot easier to start, because now I know what to do and what to expect. It's people like you that make the internet awesome.
This is a great video. Love the presentation.
If i may add a few tips to this wonderful info.
Bucks may go heat sterile during hot weather. In most cases it's temporary. Just realize that you may need to give your rabbits the summer off.
I always put my young new breeder does in a cage near other bred does. They do watch what's going on, and they kinda do learn from seeing the neighbor mom doing her thing.
When it gets time to breed, I make sure the doe can see the buck for a few days, and I add some sunflower seeds to her diet a week before breeding. This makes a big difference in success.
I bred angoras and angora crosses for fiber, meat and pet sales.
I had cages for 8 does and 2 bucks. All of my cages had a shelf in them so the rabbits could have a vantage point, and it gave mom a place to relax away from her kits.
I live in Texas - it gets hot! I keep 2 bucks/4 does because I basically don't breed from end of May to End of October, which only gives me 7 breadable months. Well, technically, I do the 1/2 but have 1 set breeding and 1 set maturing to breeding age. (i.e. keep 2 does from May kindle and pick up a non-dna related buck from a "after easter" sale to replace the aging buck. I'll keep a really good mother, but generally dress them out after 1-2 breeding "seasons". We eat approximately 1 per week, so 52ish per year (empty nesters). The balance are sold/traded and the $ from selling a few pays for the feed for the rest. Feed is about $16.00/50# and supplement with grass clippings, garden scraps, kitchen scraps, and hay.
@Dan Segarra Not from a catch bag, but I use a weed eater and go find some overgrown areas and cut that and they love that. I don't treat my yard with any chemicals. In the wild their diet is probably 90% or more grasses.
@@mekon1971 domestic rabbits haven't been wild in over 100 years, so a "wild diet" doesn't apply. In fact, when fiber gets over 25% it actually slows down gut function and inhibits vitamin absorption.
True wild rabbits also don't take in that high of percentage of grasses. Wilds eat a large (surprisingly so) amount of barks and woody plants. Almost HALF of their diet in fact is woody plants, not grass.
@@68Tboy you must be new around here. Never did I say anything about trusting any feed company. Watch more of our videos before you tell me what my opinions are.
I pointed out that the comment about diets in the wild being over 90% grasses is bull. Plus that science shows a diet in domestic rabbits with more than 25% fiber sllws growth and inhibits gut function.
I'm well aware of when feed started being manufactured. A true rabbit feed wasn't even developed until the late 70s.
@@68Tboy rabbits were domesticated in the 1400s (possibly 1300s as research is ongoing), so your "thousands of years" isn't correct either.
As rabbits were domesticated and we changed their feeds we changed the animals themselves. That's how selection works. Animals that thrive on how we feed get used for breeding. Those who don't, die whether by nature or culling.
Yes, you can feed rabbits a "natural" diet. Some will thrive, some won't. Regardless, it doesn't change my above comments.
Yeah I don't breed my does in the winter, I live in Canada and it's COLD. The babies would die, breeders around here pause breeding from October to March unless they have indoor facilities or some sort of heating system which most breeders around here don't.
thanks, excellent info, straight talk no wasted chit-chatting
Thanks for doing my math. I have no experience, but wanna start ASAP. Thank you!
For someone who is a visual learner, this video was really helpful! I appreciate all of the great tips you gave as well - this was so helpful to consider and keep in mind from an experienced homesteader with rabbitry! Thank you 🙌😊
Not quite ready to start bunnies... still have a lot of work to do to get my place ready for anything beyond a few chickens but this was turbo helpful in planning for the future. Thanks for being so efficient in your presentation.
this is indeed a great lesson. i am a beginner with 3 bucks and 4 does but with this maths I can now calculate my production for this year.
Thanks for your video it was a big help to me. I am wanting to start breeding my own rabbits and was needing this question answered. You have give me just what i need to start this journey. Thanks again.
I agree with you on the numbers. I am in the stages of getting ready to breed meat rabbits and I loved how you presented your information. I will be following your channel from now on....Thanks so much for the info. Anything about rabbits and I'm interested.
I totally agree, thanks!
i’m a super visual learner! i might actually draw this out for myself! i love this so much thank you!
I enjoy your videos. You stay on point and make following you easy. Thanks for your non-complicated approach. I also appreciate your husband's videos - no fluff - just topic on hand- his style keeps me from skipping to the next video.
Thank you for your time and efforts in making these videos available to us. This one was excellent.
You're very welcome!
@SpragueRiverHomestead Thank you so much for this information. Is there a way to make this schedule have only 3 or 4 litters a year. We do broiler chickens 2 times a round and I'm very interested in doing rabbits but 5 litters would be a but too much for our family with out broilers as well.
In the tropics. Daylight length is not a problem, so we breed year round. Summer heat can be problematic and to overcome that, a gallon jug of frozen water is placed in the pen every afternoon to cool the air. If I plan to breed 2 does, I always start off with 3 and keep the two better ones.
Great video! I love that you get straight into the numbers, and also balance the maximum theoretical output with what is more humane. In my mind if you need ~200 pounds finished meat and you could produce it with two does and one buck at an unsustainable rate, why not get three or four does. That gives you more resilience in case one of your does is a bad mom. And if you increase it to two bucks, you can keep a great deal of genetic diversity when you keep your next generation of does and bucks.
We prefer to keep more animals that don't have to work as hard.
in the deep south of Louisiana, air condition room worked well when i raised new zealands
I had 2 Bucks and 4 Does in a city environment in Ft. Worth, Texas. Feeding a family of 5. I staggered the breeding for a litter every 2 weeks. At 4 weeks they were weened and the kits from 2 does would go in a growing cage. The doe got a month off to recover. I fed the kits rabbit pellets and calf manna. When they were 60 days old, I harvested the young ones, and re-breed the doe. Live weight was 5 lbs. Harvest weight was right at 2 1/2 lbs. This provided us with plenty of rabbit. Additionally I only harvested in a month which had an "R" in it. It was just something my Grandfather told me he did as a kid hunting wild rabbits. I also had other sources of meat.
The "R" tradition is because wild rabbits have the highest rates of parasites during the growing season (March-August).
I just subbed. I like your no beating around the bush. Straight up to the point with honest figures by the been there done that method. Proof of just what to expect. Thank You. Oh, YA! I did not hear or see any Bambi syndrome.
We're pretty blunt on our videos. Thanks for the sub!
Just watched your video on best meat rabbits. Great! I really like your openness. Thank you.
Thank you for the breakdown from a knowledgeable viewpoint. Doing my research, you have been very helpful!
I breed NZW/ chinchillas, on a much less aggressive schedule, not as firm to a timestamp either. My does stay relaxed and breed well into year 4. I process at 12 weeks and my kits average 5.5 lbs bone in at that time. I tend to sell more than I get to consume due to high demand,,,lol,,, great info
Joe Bee do you have pure chinchillas? And where are you located?
I’m in PA. Are you anywhere nearby??? I’d like Chinchillas as well.
what do you sell them for?
A great resource for new starters. Very well done and thank you.
This was very informative. Could you also show the layouts of your pins? Thank you
Great video, I’m just getting started with breeding rabbits and this was really helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
@@SpragueRiverHomestead George I would like to if rabbits is pregient will she still let the buck mount her
Dose rabbit go over her due date if so how long
@@lydiasammy1857 a pregnant doe will sometimes let a buck mount, but she won't lift for him (usually). They'll also make grunting noises to discourage him. A doe can go as long as 38 days, so if she looks and acts pregnant then give her some time.
Straight forward, and detailed, THANK YOU!
Just starting thanks for your support
Thank You!! I've seen this formula before and thought it was a bit aggressive and idealistic to rely on but not knowing much about rabbits thought maybe that's just how things work with rabbits and I need to adjust my expectations. So good to see you clarify it and that my gut feeling was right, damn you ever knowing gut feeling!
Always trust the gut. Thousands of years of evolution can't be too wrong.
Thank you for the amazing detail! Keeping good records of stock is so important.
Cassity ART - absolutely agree! We track everything here, from goats to rabbits to birds. Thanks for watching!
I have been dabbling in rabbits for several years. I agree on much. I live in a northern area. I do not breed does more than2-3X a year. Slowly learning more and growing. Kinda keep around 2 bucks and 4-6 does. Am not losing weight due to malnutrition
thank you for the knowledge and I from Indonesia will increase my knowledge of raising rabbits
Thanks for information and keeping to point. No fluff in video. Also thanks for noting that schedule was aggressive and may not be best for does.
Glad it was helpful!
Hey, I have zero interest in breeding rabbits except as an academic exercise, but I wanted to say that your handwriting was great, and you were very clear in your explanation. Great video, thank you for producing it.
Thank you!
Great presentation. I hadn't considered how quickly they burn out and stop producing. Still in the planning phase, but I will take your recommendations into consideration when I get started.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO; YOU REALLY BROKE EVERYTHING DOWN FOR ME.
Thanks for the visual! Definitely helps me see where i was slightly off. Getting ready to pull the trigger for starting my rabbitry. ❤
Rabbits are smart because they know how to multiply.
Thanks for sharing!
That just put a smile on my face. Nice one!
Thanks for this informative video. I have 4 does and 2 bucks. I can breed only 2 does at a time because my rabbitry is small - and I can't house more than 20 kits at a time. So they can get a break by taking turns.
It sounds like a good setup. 20 kits is plenty.
Hi quick question what size is your rabbitry. Height width and length .. thanks
This was one of the most informative videos I've seen on the subject so thank you!! Just subbed!! And how don't you have more subs lol, you guys are awesome and I def appreciate the help!
Glad the info could help. We tried to build the complete series covering everything we've learned in the last 8 or so years, but we continually find better ways to explain the subject.
We can't breed in summer here as it's too hot and bucks are heat sterile. This year first breeding for winter started Nov. So we will breed into spring and then done till late fall.
My NZW averaged 7 kits per doe. My English lops averaged 10 kits per doe. So when the English were not raising pure bred for sale they got crossed to my California buck for a great meat rabbit. Sadly the California does only averaged 5 kits per litter. They were great confirmation and won me several ribbons as they came from a breeder that cared more about show standards than production. Thought some more real world numbers may help.
Depends on lines for sure. My NZ averaged 9 when I had them. A friend that raises Californians averages 8. Overall, studies indicate that 8 is the average in meat breeds.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks very well done.😊
I live in Arizona, so I am glad you said that about the heat.
Back in the days, I would rebreed the doe 4 days/kit after she has her litter. So for 8 kits it would be 32 days, for 3 kits, 12 days. Breeding both at the same time allows for sharing of the kits across each nest, so each would be synchronized in rebreeding.
I'm really curious as to why you used this method. Understanding rabbit physiology as I do it seems to be just an arbitrary number/method, and one I've never heard of. Can you get me some details/explanation on why the four days? Super curious. Thanks for watching and really looking forward to your response.
Good video. Will probably do some variant of this, but it is a good starting point at least.
Math got a little wonky when adding up the total. 80 kits at 5# each is 400# LW, NOT 360. Leaving you with 240# of meat from the year of stock. Maybe you decided not to count that last litter since its not processed til mid jan??
You're right on both counts. I wasn't counting the litter to be processed in January because it was out of the scope of the year we were looking at, but I also made a mistake in my math. LOL
You are the Best !~ Thank you .
I love you guys , I'm glad there's finally good info ;)
cLEAR CONCISE AND TO THE POINT, VERY VERY HELPFUL. tHIS WAS THE BEST VID I've SEEN YET. wow.... caps, sry. lol
Glad it helped!
Well done!Good information, pros and cons. 3x’s a year with good exercise, can get 4 to 5 years of good breeding.
Thanks for watching 😊
Americans!
We breed year round!
Oh, and thanks for the info! It's very helpful and much appreciated.
Thank you. Very helpful information.
That’s very descriptive. Good job.
This is awesome, if only i could find such presentations for other livestock as well :)
I'm working on one now for Cornish cross meat chickens. What other livestock are you looking for?
@@SpragueRiverHomestead chickens and goats also, looking forward to your chicken video!
Quail seem to be much talked about in place of chicken for the urban farmer. Have you raised quail in a small setting?
@@TheRogZone we haven't done them yet but are planning to give them a go in the spring. A dear friend of mine has raised them, and says they are fabulous for urban growers.
I breed Holland lops. My breeding season is from Late March to about Nov. Im in NH it got down to - 45 F here. My litter size is only 4 lol
I have a herd of 28 bunnys.
Do you breed them as meat rabbits or show rabbits?
Nice run through of the math. First time viewer. I subscribed.
Another approach if you breed the rabbits one week to 10 days after kindling, you can get about 60 or so rabbits to harvest, per doe, per year. Give or take. That's about 300 pounds of meat per doe, per year. Again, give or take a few pounds or kits here and there.
Very few breeds will breed back that fast. It's also very unhealthy and dangerous for the doe.
If you are harvesting your kits at 8-10 weeks they'll end up around 5#. Dress out percentage is around 60%, equating to roughly 3# per animal. You are looking at 300# live weight, with a dress out rate of 180# (meat). Also, weaning kits at 4 weeks vastly increases your odds of bloat and increases your mortality rate by nearly 25%! You'll keep your doe alive and fertile longer, have healthier kits, bigger litters and a higher survival rate if you give her time between litters.
I've seen the numbers you're mentioning in several articles and they just aren't correct.
Thanks for watching.
Exactly the prince info I was looking for! Thanks!
Hope it helped. Thanks for watching.
Love this, we just bought 2 does and 1 buck of Californian and 1 buck of New Zealand so that we can mix and match as well as get some pure breed for sales and we are really excited to watch the rabbit math in action.
That is awesome! Good luck!
So helpful seeing it explained like this
Thank you for the information. Wife and I just might make this commitment.🌈😃🤙
Good clear video good information thank you very much young lady
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I was able to convince my neighbor to join me on this rabbit quest by sending him this video. Thumbs up
Awesome! Do you have breeds in mind already?
@@SpragueRiverHomestead the Californian and chinchilla look interesting. Im going to have to build another hutch since all of my bays are currently full.
This has been so informative. I have been considering rabbits as a source of protein and am still studying the concept. I live in the city and don't have much room. I do wonder if I could manage two Bucks and four Doe's.
Growing up we always hunted the wild cotton tails for extra food. They were plentiful where we lived. I've never tasted a farm raised rabbit. I would imagine they would be more tender and less gammy.
Imagine replacing rabbit in anything you put meat in. We say it tastes like chicken. Not a powerful taste, but not completely bland either. We've experimented with ways to cook it and found a lot of good ways. It is a tender meat. You may have the room for a stacker unit that could hold 6 rabbits. It'll require cleaning the drop pans every 1-2 weeks, but shouldn't be too hard to manage.
@@SpragueRiverHomestead Thank you for that information.
An Interesting & Educative channel thanx.
I miss my meat rabbits. Used to give me 9-14 kits per kindle.
Can't wait to be able to start up again.
I bread my 3 girls twice a year and has plenty of meat for my needs.
(60 rabbits)
I had a New Zealand buck and 3 New Zealand/California mix does.
That's a good mix and healthy numbers in every litter.
If they are silver fox rabbits you need as many as you can feed. 1/3 are for cuddling, 1/3 are for getting whisker kisses from, 1/3 are to listen to the cute puppy noises.
Very thoughtful information well done thanks
Awesome explanation, thank you! Now I have a schedule I can picture when I begin breeding 1 Oct (too hot still here!)! I have two sets of does, so I'm gonna alternate them, so as not to wear them out! Love your channel!
Thanks for the awesome breakdown.
My pleasure!
I got a lot of useful information from this video, thank you!
Great video thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
This is fantastic information. Thank you so much!
I have had less coherent lectures in school. Great video!
Glad it was helpful!
Helped a lot fixn to get started
From mississippi
Good Luck!
Thank You
Very sound advice. Thank you
I just learned my e-book reader is bunch of baby rabbits...
Good job Mis
I've been doing research about rabbits because at some point I would like to start breeding meat rabbits. It's very confusing because everyone says different things. I've read somewhere that you shoudn't take babies away from their mother before they are 10 weeks old, other places say 8 weeks, you say to take them away and rebreed mom when the kits are 6 weeks old. You say you harvest them when they are 11 weeks, I've seen other people say to harvest when they are 12 to 16 weeks old. Also there's so many different ways of housing rabbits.
You're going to find that things vary greatly by breeder, and breed, in every animal species. Not just rabbits.
This video is about what you CAN do with rabbits. I do have an entire video series on how I actually do things. We wean at 8 weeks and butcher around 10 for the bigger rabbits. Feed conversion drops off after 11ish weeks, so raising them until 12-16 weeks costs more money per pound, but for smaller breeds that might be necessary to get them large enough to make processing worth it.
Thanks for the reply, I'll watch the videos. @@SpragueRiverHomestead
This is such a great video! Greetings from Norway.
Great video, thanks!
This is si helpful. I want to start but i have no idea where to put/keep track off all these damn rabbits!!
i was in the process of trying to plan and figure all of this out and this video pooped up yay !
Hopefully it helps!
How do you dispatch them? What type of rabbits do you consume? Thanks.
We use a Rabbit Wringer for cervical dislocation. Quick, easy and effective.
We've used a variety of breeds over the years but presently have Harlequins and Americans as our main breeds.
What breed did you first use when you started keeping rabbits? My husband Don raised rabbits when he was a teenager and loved it. I'm thinking about getting some to be able to put good, healthy meat on the table. What all do I need to get to get started? My husband said he doesn't want anything to do with it & it's all up to me!😳😥 I'm brand new to having rabbits. My mother's uncle raised Flemish Giant rabbits. They were so big you could almost put a saddle on them and ride them!🤣🤣🤣 He had one that won the Texas State Fair. It's weight was 45 pounds! This was when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I'm 63 now. I feel like I'm 35 and ppl tell me I look like I'm only 50!😳🤣🤣Years ago I would have thought that was an insult but now it's a compliment!🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for your time! God bless you, SCOOTER🛵
When we first started out we had New Zealand and New Zealand/Flemish crosses. However, if you'll be doing the raising and culling yourself I would pick a breed that's a bit smaller. 10-12# adults can be a bit of a handful.
To get started you'll need a hutch or cage for each breeder, plus an additional 1-2 cages per doe for grow outs. I would recommend watching both our video on housing and equipment, as they give more specifics on size and what you really need to keep on hand. Also the videos where we talk about feeding, as having the correct nutrition is vital to the entire process.
I know quite a few ladies who handle all aspects of the rabbit raising from birth to freezer, breeding, feeding and general care. You can do it!
Nice break down. Appreciate you
Fascinating info! Thanks. Now I need to find some rabbit meat to see if we like it. I really want them for the fantastic manure for my garden😁
If you can't find any in your local grocery store, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's often have them. Butcher shops usually will as well. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Great advice
Very infomative
I have been rewatching and binging your rabbit videos now that we're finally at a place in life that we can give rabbits a shot. Thank you so much for all the information and advice you give!
Question on breeding and shows... I've read on ARBA that for show purposes, only breed 1-2 per year but it will negatively affect fertility. We'll probably end up doing something like you to allow for breaks/peak summer. Goal 1 is to provide meat, goal 2 is dabbling in shows for hobby. What are your thoughts/advice given that ARBA recommendation and how I could make that happen with my goals? Can you even show a pregnant doe? I imagine the stress for the doe and risk to the developing embryos is too high.
P.S. I may be a little too excited for my copy of ARBA Standards of Perfection to arrive... Got the bunny fever alright!!
The litter recommendations vary pretty wildly by breed. For example, with the Harlequins, type is worth only 10 points so most of us breed our show does whenever we want to, just making sure they aren't too pregnant or nursing when we want to show them. In a laid back experienced show doe you can easily how them up to the 2 week pregnant mark. In fact, most does will actually prime out nicely at that stage (think pregnancy glow, LOL).
In some breeds, like the NZ, by the second litter most does have lost the firmness of flesh to even bother showing. In furred breeds like Silver Fox, Rex and Satin you find that by a year and a half old, most aren't competitive if they've had any litters (pregnancy DOES alter fur texture).
That's the abbreviated version, LOL. Feel free to email me at SRHomestead@yahoo.com if you want to chat on this more in depth.
Thanks :) That was a great video
Rabbits can multiply but can’t add or subtract. That why you can cross foster them. A mother can raise kits birthed by another mother.
This is a fabulous video. Thank you much!
You are welcome!
Add some chickens for eggs and a bit of fishing and I’d be fine. And if you add two more does you can still maintain this schedule if necessary and give two does at a time some time off.
You sure could. Adding more does is a good idea. The main point was just to should what could be done. Thank for watching!
You’re welcome. I have the chickens now. I’m adding the rabbits this summer. I raised them years ago with one of my children for their VoAg project. I’m ready to be more self reliant again. Love your channel. Keep up the educating. Thank you.
Excellent video. Very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Very informative. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the great information.
How hard that is on your does depends on your temperatures. We get too hot to breed during the summer. Kits tend to die and does stress too much and it's too hard to keep them alive. I will breed 3 times a year average but may be able to slide in a 4th if it's a cool year.
Temperature is just one of many variables on how many litters you can produce in a year. The age of the doe and her diet at two others.