FEEDING & MANAGING MARKET RABBITS
WHAT DO I NEED TO PURCHASE TO GET STARTED?
Cages
Water Bowls
Feeders
Feed
1 Spray Bottle
Scales
***IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU PURCHASE A GOOD SET OF SCALES THAT WEIGH IN OUNCES, UP TO AT LEAST 10 LBS. THE WEIGHT LIMIT FOR MEAT PENS IS 3 LBS MINIMUM; 5 LBS MAXIMUM PER BUNNY. (Check your official show rules for weight limits)
BREEDS
The best breeds for market rabbits are Californians or New Zealands. If you look at most shows, the winning pens are usually Californians.
Buy your stock from a reputable breeder. Do not buy rabbits from feed stores; they are often some rabbit breeder’s culls.
Breeders:
- Fort Worth's Finest Rabbitry: 1-817-401-6755
- Heaton Rabbits: 1-361-564-8764
CAGES
*NO HAY IN THE CAGES
*ONLY IN NEST BOXES WHEN KINDLING
*NO SALT OR MINERAL WHEELS
*ALL THIS DOES IS RUST YOUR CAGES THE COMMERCIAL FEED HAS ALL THE MINERALS AND VITAMINS THE RABBIT NEEDS.
***IT IS BEST TO HAVE EXTRA CAGES TO SEPARATE BUNNIES CLOSER TO SHOW DATE. ***
Cages are best kept in a barn, hanging from the rafters or tied to steel posts to get them up off of the ground. If you use steel posts and have Does kindle in your cages, you need to put grease around the steel posts. Ants like small bunnies, afterbirth & blood. The stack cages work great for exhibitors who are purchasing bunnies only.
Order cages and travel cages from Mr. Farrow. He can build the five slot cage so each bunny has it's own cage.
Frank Farrow: 936-829-5040
Modular Wire Rabbit Cage $100-150 (hanging) Jack Farrow gets $130 (102" long) for his 5 compartment (24"x20.25"each compartment) using 16 gauge wire. Jack can have 3-5 built in a few days depending on how busy he is.
Cover from sun and rain, Good ventilation, Fan for air flow. Must have a cage for each rabbit
Placing cages on barrels creates a urine and fecal mess. Placing cages on saw horses leave cages too low to the ground.
Ventilation is IMPORTANT in the summer so make sure you have a fan on them. Keep the bunnies warm in the winter, but be careful not to place heat lamps too close to the cages.
It is also imperative that the cages not be accessible by dogs. Dogs will get under the cages, get the rabbits excited and possibly cause one to break its neck. Also, dogs will pull the legs off of bunnies if they go through the cage bottom when they are small. Cattle panels placed around the barn will solve this problem.
WATERERS
It is recommended that you use water bowls instead of bottles or an automatic system. Automatic systems and bottles are a pain to keep clean and harder to check for water levels. Water bottles will leak, creating a mess, and could leave rabbits without water. Nipples on automatic systems often clog with algae, leaving rabbits without water.
Water and Feed Bowls
FEEDERS
Metal feeders that hang on the outside of the cage work very well, but sometimes limits all bunnies' access to feed. There will always be a rabbit that will push others off of feed. Use metal feeders, and also place a crock in the cage with extra feed. You will have problems with bunnies urinating in the bowl, making the feed bad. It happens.
Metal feeders
FEED
Use good quality, fresh feed, 15-18%. There are many brands of rabbit feed available. Here is a partial list: Manna Pro Gro., Purina, ACCO, Petrus, Bluebonnet and Moormans. Make sure that your feed is fresh and of the correct protein. If breeder suggests a certain brand of feed, and can purchase from them, then do that.
BUNNIES FOR SHOW SHOULD HAVE FRESH FEED IN FRONT OF THEM AT ALL TIMES.
NO LETTUCE OR CARROTS. GREEN PELLETED FEED ONLY!
Youtube videos to help:
Rabbit Feed
Rabbit Housing
