Housing will probably be your most expensive outlay. There is always the possibility of buying second hand cages, or making your own. There are some rabbit breeders who hang the cages in unused sheds, and others who place the cages outside, under some old tree. However, if you are serious about raising rabbits for meat and profit, then you should think about raising them in a controlled environment, as this will give you a better feed-to-meat conversion.
Rabbits need plenty of light and fresh air. Their hutches can be simple structures of wood and wire. One problem with wood however, is that many rabbits who have a close encounter with wood are susceptible to ear mites.
Rabbits should have a roof that protects them from the sun as a rabbit’s fur should not be exposed to the sun if you are raising rabbits for fur. Also, there should be a canvas curtain that can be dropped over the cases to prevent chilling winds and rain from entering.
In the hot summer months a sprinkler system can be placed on the roof to cool the hutches down.
The rabbit hutches should be 10 feet square in space for each rabbit.
Individual hutches can be made using the following dimensions: 4ft x 2.5ft x 2ft.
If you live in an area where you have cold winters then the top, sides and backs should be built of wooden board to give added protection. If, however, you live in a warm climate you will need to give your rabbits better circulation and to take advantage of any breeze.
The cages here can be made out of wire netting on all sides.
Using a 1 inch wire netting is sufficient.
The floor of the cages should be 1/2 inch metal hardware cloth that allows the rabbit stability when walking and allows for the droppings and urine to fall through to the ground.
The smaller diameter holes is also important for rabbit safety, as bigger holes can result in baby rabbits breaking their legs if they end up slipping through the bigger gaps in the netting. Having a floor like this on the cages allows for the rabbits to be free from most diseases as they are in clean, sanitary conditions.
Anything made to house your rabbits should be strong enough to protect them against predators and the elements. This is especially important when a doe has kittens. Any nervous doe faced with danger may end up standing all over kittens and killing them.
Raising rabbits has an excellent by-product for your garden and veggie patch!
Rabbit manure is very good for the compost heap and for growing vegetables and so it is advisable to buy or make deep metal trays and place these directly under the cages. This then makes for easy cleaning and easy transportation of the manure to the compost heap when they are full.
Cleanliness is vital for good rabbit raising.
When the young rabbits have reached the age of 8-10 weeks of age they will need to be separated and placed in individual cages. This is to prevent the rabbits from fighting, as they will if you don’t separate them.
Contact Jaguza Support