How do breeders manage...

[irishbunny]

...with 100+ rabbits? I know some of you probably have that many or more rabbits, how the heck do you manage it? Especially if it's just you and your family running it? Like how do you manage to keep all the cages clean? Pay for feed? Pay for vets bills? Make sure their all handled? Make sure they get out time? Make surethey areall healthy? Why do you feel you need to keep that many rabbits?Basically I want to know how you manage all that stuff, I know if I get into breeding properly I'd never be able to keep all them unless I was a millionaire. The most I'd keep is like, 12. What's your secret?

 

[minirexmama]

Well, speaking from past experiences-I topped out at about 220+ rabbits when I was breeding/showing before-it is a lot of work. My parents helped pay for things, and I had a part time job, and sold meat rabbits at that time.

Now I have only 9 holes and I know that to have a successful breeding program, I will need more room soon. The reason that breeders who show have so many is usually that it takes a lot of rabbits to improve your line. You may only have one or two excellent rabbits from a litter (if you're lucky). They have to be grown out to see their real potential. You then have to find places for the others to go.

Large scale breeders do not give their rabbits out time, and don't have the time to handle them all. They are not pets in the sense that many people on here consider them. I would also say that people who breed animals on a large scale usually get really good at doing much of their own vet care-you can't afford not to.



It will be a very long process to really improve your line with only 12 breeding animals-you will have to keep re-homing seniors as juniors are kept.

 

[TinysMom]

irishbunny wrote:

What's your secret?

A lot of work....sometimes alternating (we clean this set of cages on this day and that set of cages on that day)....and usually help from others (like the family).

Art waters the bunnies and Robin helps me feed them.

You just learn to do it....

 

[clevername]

irishbunny wrote:

...with 100+ rabbits? I know some of you probably have that many or more rabbits, how the heck do you manage it?

I am a very small time breeder. I have about 30 rabbits right now and about 40 cages with the expectation of expansion very soon.

irishbunny wrote:

Especially if it's just you and your family running it? Like how do you manage to keep all the cages clean? Pay for feed? Pay for vets bills?

My husband helps a bit, but its mostly me that gets up to feed, water and hay them every morning and check on them again before I turn in every night.

Cage cleaning is easier because I designed a hanging cage system with "poop chutes" to empty out most of the waste using gravity. This reduces a great deal of the cage cleaning I need to do by hand. The waste collects in wooden boxes beneath each cage column which is filled with red worms--they eat the poop and convert it to castings for my garden.

I get supples, feed, hay in bulk. Feed stores and rabbit supply catalogs have been the best cost-wise for me so far. And I do a lot of my medical care on my own using my online sources and personal library. For extreme emergencies I call my local vet, but most care I give on my own.

irishbunny wrote:

Make sure their all handled? Make sure they get out time? Make sure they are all healthy?

I say hi and pet my rabbits as I make my rounds, this gives me the opportunity to feel their flesh condition and gauge their health. I also give my rabbits time to run around when I clean cages as this kills two birds with one stone. Again this only what I do, 30 rabbits is way different than 100.

irishbunny wrote:

Why do you feel you need to keep that many rabbits?

In order to have a sucessful show program you'll need a lot of rabbits.

I also use my rabbits for fiber so the more rabbits I keep, the more wool I'll have for spinning.

 

[irishbunny]

Thanks guys I was curious to know, well when/if I start breeding (looks like it's going to be a year before I can get my rabbitry) I won't need to keep alot of rabbits because we don't have shows here so I won't be breeding for show quality, I do want to breed good quality rabbits though and that's what I'll do. I do feel it's important that a rabbit gets out time in an outdoor run of some sort to express natural behaviour but I'm not going to get into a big argument over it, that is partially the reason why I wouldn't keep more then 12 rabbits

 

[clevername]

irishbunny wrote:

I do feel it's important that a rabbit gets out time in an outdoor run of some sort to express natural behaviour but I'm not going to get into a big argument over it, that is partially the reason why I wouldn't keep more then 12 rabbits

I don't think many people on here would argue with you about it. As I said I let my rabbit bound around while I clean/do chores and I even have a play pen set up outside. Thought I do not let them run in the yard, moreso because I don't regularly worm them.

 

[irishbunny]

It's good your rabbits get to get out, I know breeders who keep like 100+ rabbits aren't going to be able to let them have out time, I don't want to start an argument so I won't get into how I feel about that.

 

[minirexmama]

irishbunny wrote:

It's good your rabbits get to get out, I know breeders who keep like 100+ rabbits aren't going to be able to let them have out time, I don't want to start an argument so I won't get into how I feel about that.

I don't think it's an argument, it's just an impossibility. You would spend the whole day letting bunnies in and out if you had 100+ bunnies

 

[irishbunny]

Hmmm well I can't say it's impossible for a breeder to never let their rabbits out, if they really felt they wanted their rabbits to have outdoor time they could easily work something out. For instance, say a breeder has 100 rabbits in their rabbitry. If the breeder built 5, big runs that are secure and put a rabbit into each one for two hours and then switched it around to 5 other rabbits for two hours. If the runs were secure enough the breeder would only have to go out for a few minutes to switch the buns around, it's not alot to ask. So, a total of 10 rabbits would have 2 hours each of outdoor time. If the breeder did this everyday with 10 different rabbits a total of a hundred rabbits would have gotten outdoor time in ten days. So every rabbit would get 2 hours of outdoor playtime every ten days, I'm sure it would make a difference to that rabbit. That's just an example that could be tailored to fit a breeders situation.

 

[polly]

I have around 50 rabbits at the moment including my kits and i do the majority of teh work with them. feed water and do litter boxes every day clean them out though now my niece helps me with that so it makes it a bit easier. My husband helps if he isn't working.

babies and pets get first dibs on having playtimes the show rabbits well a lot of them don't know what to do inside the house and arent comfortable but through the summer they all get out in the garden. just now its to muddy and wet for them though which is a shame

 

[Flashy]

Just to throw something else into the mix, I believe in some breeds, if the rabbits is to be show quality, having a run around can damage the physique. As in, for example, a nethie needs wide shoulders on the show table, but running around can lengthen them, so I think some breeders choose not to let them out because it takes away their type. I'm hoping someone can either back that up or tell me I'm talking garbage,lol.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Hmm. That's all interesting but ......

I'm glad I have my house bunnies! and only 3. It takes a lot of time to care for all of our animals - I cannot imagine raising bunnies.

 

[irishbunny]

I don't think I'd particulary like to have that many bunnies, so much that I can't give them large cages and time out, if I couldn't give every bunny that then I wouldn't do it, but I'm going to shut up before anyone gets offended

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

I don't think this thread is becoming offensive. I enjoy reading everyone's opinions. I have 32 rabbits currently with *hopefully* 4 litters due soon. Each rabbit has a toy to play with and apple wood to chew on. They each get petted everyday and I give them a new toy whenever I find good cheap ones.

I don't let them out in a common play area as I am afraid of spreading disease. Most breeders don't let their bunnies out to play because they don't want to get their animals sick.

When a breeder brings show animals home from a show, there is a chance that one if not all of them picked up something at the show. The disease may lay dormant in this animal but if it spread to another, it may become active and that animal will show signs of sickness and could die. By letting animals out to play in a common area, show breeders are taking a major chance with any dormant diseases spreading.

It is virtually impossible to keep a disease from spreading in a herd of rabbits so breeders like to take precautions instead of having to put down their entire herd.

Sharon

 

[Bo B Bunny]

That's very interesting and informative! See, I wondered about that and it was a reason we didn't take Tony to the fair..... he's our pet and we got him for 4H but I had heard there were some sick rabbits around and I knew they were coming into the fair (gets around here - small enough communities! LOL) so when it was SO darned hot I decided NO WAY! Now, if we bred show rabbits and stuff I know we'd have to have that understanding.....

 

[polly]

Tracy you are right I was told not to let my nethies have a big hutch or to let them run as they are meant to be very stocky cobby rabbits and letting them out can run their shoulders off! they still get out sometimes though

 

[irishbunny]

Starlight Rabbitry wrote:

I don't think this thread is becoming offensive. I enjoy reading everyone's opinions. I have 32 rabbits currently with *hopefully* 4 litters due soon. Each rabbit has a toy to play with and apple wood to chew on. They each get petted everyday and I give them a new toy whenever I find good cheap ones.

I don't let them out in a common play area as I am afraid of spreading disease. Most breeders don't let their bunnies out to play because they don't want to get their animals sick.

When a breeder brings show animals home from a show, there is a chance that one if not all of them picked up something at the show. The disease may lay dormant in this animal but if it spread to another, it may become active and that animal will show signs of sickness and could die. By letting animals out to play in a common area, show breeders are taking a major chance with any dormant diseases spreading.

It is virtually impossible to keep a disease from spreading in a herd of rabbits so breeders like to take precautions instead of having to put down their entire herd.

Sharon

Oh ok that makes alot of sense, it's just if I had lot's of bunnies I would just feel really bad if I couldn't let them out, which means I will probably never become a large scale breeder. If I did I would have to build a v. large hutch for each rabbit, and if I ran out of space for more rabbits then I ran out of space, I wouldn't make the cages any smaller.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

I totally agree. There is nothing wrong with being a small breeder. Remember, when it comes to breeding rabbits, quality over quantity!

Sharon

 

[minirexmama]

Yeah-I don't think anyone was getting offended-it's nice to hear different perspectives. :biggrin2:

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Flashy wrote:

Just to throw something else into the mix, I believe in some breeds, if the rabbits is to be show quality, having a run around can damage the physique. As in, for example, a nethie needs wide shoulders on the show table, but running around can lengthen them, so I think some breeders choose not to let them out because it takes away their type. I'm hoping someone can either back that up or tell me I'm talking garbage,lol.

You're talking garbage, nahh Im just kidding lol.

That's really interesting actually. I've never heard that before! I only have one nethie, and I let her out when we exercise all the other bunnies. Sometimes they only get out a couple times a week, but in the summer it's about everyday.
I've never heard a judge comment on her shoulders if they were long though, but since I'm in the US and you're in the UK it may be different over here on that.

Emily