Rabbits

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Healthy low-fat, low cholesterol

Replace any recipe that requires chicken with rabbit.

Minimal space or equipment.  Not a huge cash outlay to set up

Quiet

Cooking

Any chicken recipe

Do not cook quickly as it toughens the meat.  THe older it is the longer/slower you cook it.  Cook from room temp and wrap in foil or baste to aoid it drying out

Garlic, sage, rosemary, basil, lemongrass, coriander, bay, parsley, thyme.

New Zealand White

White Californian

Standard Chinchilla or Silver Fox
  • Adult weight: 5.5kg
  • Litter size 8-12 kits
  • Fast growing
  • Excellent meat
  • Pelt not that flash
  • Does tend to be very aggressive
  • Bucks well behaved
  • Adult weight – 4.7 kg
  • Litter size – 6 to 10 kits
  • Not a lot of value in the pelt
  • Fairly laid back
  • Adult weight – 3kg
  • Litter size 5-9 kit
  • Great pelts
  • Silver Fox – Black, chocolate, lilac, blue
  • Does are docile.

Flemish Giant

Satin

Standard Rex
  • Adult weight 5-7kg
  • Litter size 6-12 kits
  • Slow growing – not great economical meat to feed ratio.
  • Adult weight 3-3.5kg
  • Litter size 5 to 9 kits
  • Shiny coat due to the outer sheth of hair being clear.  Huge range of colours
  • Laid back does and bucks

What to ask when choosing a rabbit

What have they been fed?  Quality pellets with 16-18% protein so they will grow to their full potential and produce the best young.

How have they been housed?  Off the ground has less chance of parasites and diseases

Litter size – 4 kits or less and the trait could be passed on via the buck or the doe.

Pure or Crossbreed?  Crossbreeds have no guarantee of what you will get.

Any deaths in the last 3 months.?

RCD

Photos of Rabbitry – May not be able to access due to RCD but photos to see if the hutches are clean.

Health Checklist

  • Ears clean – no build up
  • Feet clean – no sores or wounds
  • Coat – no dandruff or mites
  • Back – decent cover of meat
  • Eye – clear
  • Nose – clean and dry
  • Inside front legs by feet – no wet or Crusty Build up
  • Ass – clean – no sign of diarrhea
  • Teeth – Meet up
  • Pedigree/lineage

Once home

Quarantine new rabbits fro a month

Feed high quality rabbit pallets at least 16% protein

Treat for worms and parasites (then every 3 months)

RCD vaccinations in breeding pairs

Never use fresh hay – 3 month old hay as RCD can live on hay.  RCD will kill within 24 hours

Watering

Water bottles – refill regularly and check that ball bearing is not stuck

If cages are in a shed – consider running tubing lines from a large bucket.  Clean water regularly

Food bowls

D cups are handy as they can be used in transport cages

Feed hoppers if cages are inside.

Place food in nesting box to keep it dry and kits will be able to start eating earlier.

if second hand cages disinfect well before use.  Virkon S – is a multipurpose virucidal disinfectant

Bunny Diseases

Encephalitozen cuniculi – protozoal parasite that infects rabbits.  Can be passed to humand.  Symptoms – eye disease – cataracts or lens rupture.  Head tilt and neurological symptoms such as weak legs.  Urinary incontinence.  Kidney disease

NZ white, california, English for meat

Fresh water at all times

Start with 2 females and 1 male

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