# Breeding meat rabbits in a colony



## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

Good day,
Does anyone here use a colony setup to breed meat rabbits? I currently have mine in separate hutches, but would love have them in a large enclosure (maybe 50 x 50 feet), so they can run and binky around (plus reduce the amount of feed required as they can forage). 
I know I most likely cannot put my current breeders together as they will probably fight, but would love to get a few young'uns next year to try out in the above mentioned setup.
I know good fencing to keep out ground and air predators and keep the rabbits in would be paramount , but I'm wondering what other things there are to consider in a setup such as this? I would only have two does and a buck, plus the offspring until they are butcher size. 
Would like to start planning for the spring, so any advice or past experience is helpful .


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I would still keep a separate area or hutch for the buck so you can control the breeding tim a doe will get pregnant the same day she kindles ,bringing the next litter when the first is only weeks old ( I like to ween at 6 weeks) ;this also never gives the doe a break ( rebreeding a doe when the kits are 4-5 weeks old keeps her working but allows recovery time between litters) .
next domestic rabbits dig, so a wire floor will be needed to prevent tunneling out . and lastly it should be moveable so it can be moved to new ground every so often to prevent worms and other deasease like cocidice . I have thought of a moveable rabbit tractor 4 x 8 feet with a wire floor to prevent digging out . 1/2 covered to provide shade ,a couple little nest box houses that can be removed easily for cleaning ,and light enough that I could drag it to a fresh spot easily ( Wheels ?) kind of like rotational grazeing allowing the forage to regrow in the last area , also a built in area where the feed n water are kepy to make it easy to catch them . I personaly use the tried and proven all wire hanging cages . with auto watering there is not much working feeding and if you planted an area 50x50 in alphafa you could harvest forage and reduce your feed bill as well


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

My meat rabbits dug their warren under the coop on the side of a hill under some trees. Ended up with around 8-10 breeding does and a buck at the peak. The kits came up ar about 4weeks old and I harvested as needed at aound 10 weeks or so.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

KSALguy said:


> My meat rabbits dug their warren under the coop on the side of a hill under some trees. Ended up with around 8-10 breeding does and a buck at the peak. The kits came up ar about 4weeks old and I harvested as needed at aound 10 weeks or so.


For meat production, a colony is the most productive method of raising that I ever found. It's more work when it comes to sorting and catching the butchering bunnies. And you want to severely limit the amount of bucks that grow up in the colony to keep down disagreements. If you are breeding show rabbits then cage them, but if you just want production.... I would recommend the colony. They all taste the same no matter who the mommy or daddy is. Every once in a while you have to bring in "new blood" with anew unrelated buck though to keep down any genetic disease from weakening the colony over time.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

I used a new buck each year give or take. You can easily tell if you have waited too long to harvest when the dominant buck starts pushing the young bucks out of the warren space. Nothing dangerous if you notice soon enough and pull them out before their hormones kick in


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## JohnnyMule (Nov 8, 2015)

Thanks for all the help. How do you keep them from digging out of the enclosure? I had been planning to bury wire a few feet into the ground along the fence line- which will be a hard task as the soil is very rocky.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

I was lucky in the location I had my colony. None of the does dug a straight out tunnel too close to the surface to collapse and escape due to all the tree roots on the hill. If I were to do it again I would rent a trencher from the local hardware store to dig my perimiter fence 3' deep at least. Sink sheets of mettle or brick to prevent digging out. OR build an above ground "dirt box" lined with brick, walls of cinderblock and plywood about 8x8 (have also seen an old tuck topper upside down filled with dirt) filled with two or three feet of dirt as my breeding enclosure.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

Mine are in a 5'x18' enclosure, walled on three sides and wire mesh on the fourth. I change out the straw every two weeks for a fresh bale and every alternate week I dig out some of the buildup spots. It is sitting on a floor of 24"x30" patio slabs to prevent digging out. They breed at their own schedule and can have back to back litters or take a break for a couple of months. I had them in cages in the garage for a few years but I needed the garage to restore my pickup truck so I moved them out to the colony two years ago. In the winter I board up the wire side of the enclosure to prevent snow from drifting in although there are a lot of open spaces in the walls for ventilation where the snow gets in anyway and they love it.

I"m very happy with the setup, it's a lot less work than the cages and they can do a lot of rabbity things like hop around in the straw and they seem to enjoy themselves a lot more with the freedom to move around. I can't move it but it gets a thorough cleanout out every two weeks and I've had no problems with cocci or any other diseases so far.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

Things to consider;
Rabbits can easily dig warrens 3' down and 8' across. They can chew through chicken wire, and wire degrades underground.
Rabbits like to build warrens near "something", like a structure. A tree in the middle of the pen would be good for example. Otherwise the "structure" they dig by will be your fence line.
Rabbits have been raised individually in cages for 1000 years. some 2000+ generations of rabbits have been raised in cage-based environments. Some lines of rabbits have really lost their social instincts to 'play well with others'. Most I'd wager. It may take a few years of selective breeding for temperament to get rabbits that really do well in a colony setting. Choose the rabbits you put into a colony with care. You may want to seek out people raising in colonies for your brood stock.
Your rabbits WILL need hiding spots to get away from each other, without being backed into a corner. Tubes, boxes with multiple exits, etc. You will need multiple feeding and watering spots so they don't fight over food and water. They need to be able to get away from eachother.
You will have to watch for and break up fights.
You will never know which kit comes from which parents unless you construct your genetics carefully so the liters always look different based on the parents. (For example, a Charlie buck will always have broken kits. A REW buck will only have REW kits with a REW carrier or a REW doe.)
You may have trouble controlling when litters happen. A rabbit CAN have 8-9 litters a year, but this wears out your does very fast.
Contact with ground can spread parasites. 
Keeping an eye on herd health will be paramount. One sick rabbit could mean they're ALL sick rabbits, and rabbits feeling stress (environmental or social) get sicker easier.

My experience;
Rabbits fight. Every caged rabbit has been bred and raised to think it is the "queen" rabbit, the rabbit that leads the colony, is in charge of the territory, and therefore the rabbit that gets to breed a lot. I've tried a colony before. 30X60 garage, with lots of places to run and hide, infinite food from huge hay bales, etc. It was a disaster. My rabbits come from show and meat lines, raised in cages. The setup was with 2 moms (one was colony raised as a kit) and their kits. By the time they were 12 weeks old (ready to butcher as they grew slower than their caged counterparts), they were fighting so viciously that I couldn't keep some of the pelts from terribly patchy scabbing. Mom1 wouldn't let any kits near the feeders of pellets while she was eating the water dishes, etc. She'd even camp out by them and attack even her own kits that got close. Yikes! She doesn't behave this way with her kits in cages... And in a cage situation I pull kits to their own cage at 6-8 weeks. She's an angel in a cage, a terror in a colony. And the other mom (colony raised until she was 4 months old) was only slightly better. The aggressive mom actually got into such a fight with the other mom's buck kit that she now has a hole in her ear and a scarred up nose. After that I decided never again, or at least never again until I can take the time to raise and breed rabbits of the right temperament. Even then I'd be very careful.

My solution; 
3'x4' or 4'x4' cages 2' high with solid or very tight wire mesh floors and hay bedding. They hop, run, binky, they have toys and they can dig in the hay. They're very low stress animals, and NO fighting. I breed when I want, and give breaks when I want. I can wean away from mom at 6 weeks and re breed at 8 weeks giving them a nice big recovery time. They're happy, active, and healthy. I never have a litter lost "on the wire" because they can always nest even without a nest box and they have hay bedding. Hay is cheap compared to pellets and they love it. It works for me!


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

Sounds like you had a bad couple of does to start with. My colony ran 3+ years with between 3 and 10 breeding does and as long as I did not add any adult does to the mix or a new adult buck untill the does were ready (previous buck had been gone for almost a month) there was no real fighting. The original warren queen held her possition for two and a half years before being replaced by a younger doe I had bought an added a few months before. She had been about 10 weeks old give or take and unrelated to all my previous inbred stock and came from a cage environment. She took the old queens spot after having her seccond litter below ground. I then kept one of her bigger sons as new herd buck for the remander of my colony


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

You say that, but these are really great rabbits in a non colony setting. They are easily handled, birth well, big fast growing litters, take good care of the kits, never aggressive, good pedigrees, healthy, robust animals. They're ideal rabbits... 
In a colony setting they weren't on top of their world any more, they has serious social stress and their behavior changed. They even grew fearful of me and my partner, running away. I've had them back in individual cages for over a month now and they're getting much better. They're already accepting their caretakers again, and staring to settle back into a routine. All the kits from those litters have been processed save for one which is going in the freezer this week. (He was a pain to catch.) They were all on the pretty small side for their age.

I'm not saying don't do a colony. All I'm suggesting is take extreme care picking the rabbits you choose to put in a colony, start with young'ns or colony bred whenever possible, do what you can to offer an environment to minimize infighting, and be aware of the downsides of it.

I may try a colony again when I have more space and can do it outdoors. One person I saw had pre-dug burrows made of big PVC pipe and the nest boxes had hatches on the surface he could lift to check on the kits and litters. They did a thin concrete trench to keep the bunnies from digging out and wrapped the bottom 3' in fine wire and the rest of it in 2"x4" wire, with a coyote roller type top for the fence. They also had a chicken-coop like hutch in the middle near the burrows to give them that "structure" to have built around and some extra shelter. I really liked that whole idea. But no way I could do that here.

Incidentally I discovered last year that baby bunnies can learn to climb fine wire like a ladder. Make sure your fencing is secure.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

The only thing I can see with what you had happen is that you started out with mature animals already accustomed to individual cage life. That rarely if ever works because of the very reasons you listed. Its a wonder they didn't kill each other right off. Now if you had set up with one of these does and allowed two or three of her daughters to grow up and stay with her in the "colony" setting they would have had the ability to develop their own social order safely from the bottom up. IF the original doe was not so nurotic as to not want a larger enclosure at all


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## DisasterCupcake (Jan 3, 2015)

I did the colony thing for a bit- mostly by accident. The does dug warrens all over the place, and they did a great job of raising their kits. I fed a lot less, they got along great, and the bunnies seemed to be a lot bigger than my current buns- which are from caged does then go in a rabbit tractor. I'm thinking about returning to the colony situation. 

I only stopped because we started with 4 rabbits, and had 20 in 2 months. Just didn't want that many bunnies, but I can imagine how productive this model could be. 

My only concern, besides genetics, would be catching the bunnies. They would have far too many hiding places to just go in and catch. We used a live trap to catch all ours when we moved them- but there's no telling which buns you're going to trap if you only want a specific one. Does, bucks, bunnies. It might be awhile before you catch the one you need.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

oh catching is a pain in the butt took a week to collect mine when they got out. Then you are on babies due dates guessing. Gezz they do dig, I have 8-10 foot runs dug with 2-3 pop holes.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

If your harvesting them and you know your animals an air pistol works great. But honestly if you simply build an enclosed feeding station they can go in to eat and you can close a gate behind them you can sort them pretty easy. I used my chicken coop.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

Ksal, it was somewhat accidental, but she was aggressive to all the kits as well. And the kits were aggressive to eachother. Very much so. I'd just strongly advise caution as to which rabbits go into a colony setting.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

I agree conceptually. Adult rabbits are highly territorial. And just like anything some personalities are difficult. I have no idea why your doe responded aggressively towards the kits. Kits normally get a free pass socially. Even from bucks. Her mental state must have been someplace outside left field even for a previously cage raised doe.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

*shrugs* She's been a great doe, dam to some show winning litters for her previous owner, raised every kit great, never had a problem. She's out in a HUGE space, plenty of food and hiding spots, with one other (pretty chill) rabbit and a couple litters and she went nuts. The other one wasn't much better, totally different breed and upbringing. I won't be doing a colony again unless I spend some time very carefully picking the rabbits for temperament first.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

a pair of young rabbits would adjust alot easier, and MOST adult does even SHOULD accept a larger living space and her kits growing up around her to become their own herd, but yes after an experiance like that i would be concerned as well, luckily thats the exception to things not the norm. keeping rabbits in a colony is NOT for everyone, there is nothing wrong with either method, round wheels come in all sizes and types, but they all roll down hill


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

I think the personality of the rabbits is a big factor. My rabbits originally introduced to the colony were cage rabbits from the garage. It took a couple of days for them to get used to getting around in the straw but they were fine after that. The buck that I kept for the colony was an extremely easy going fella, one day I found him lying in front of the feeder with two kits standing on his head eating out of the feeder. He didn't even seem to care.
I eventually put that doe down because she was looking kind of ratty and hadn't had a litter for about four months and kept three of her daughters who were born in the colony for my breeding does. They got along pretty well but a couple of times I found kits scattered around the colony so I built partitions to separate them and that solved the problem. I currently have two of them left and will likely have to put them individually with the buck for breeding and keep them separated. It will be just like having big cages with straw floors which I"m happier with then the wire bottomed cages.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

Truckingguy, that's my solution. Big cages, bedded floors, a few toys, they are VERY happy buns.  And no accidents ever.


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## jdhuller (Jun 15, 2014)

A lot of good responses here... I will add what I have been doing for the past almost 2 years that I've been raising meat rabbits. This is the first time I've ever raised rabbits and am always learning... I started with a buck and doe from the same breeder but different parents. I very soon added 2 more does then another buck. All were hutch raised. I have them all (currently 18) in the same run. I have 2 runs, both approximately 25x30 feet with a gate separating them that I can close if desired. I usually leave it open. There is 3 small houses in one as well as several hiding areas that provide overhead cover. I put welded wire fencing down on the ground after they continued digging. I lost a couple litters to drowning during heavy rains. Catching for processing can be a pain... I use a fishing net to help out. Still not easy. I believe grow out time takes longer in a colony than if I used hutches but I'm fine with that. I butcher at about 5 lbs or so which takes me about 4-5 months. For the most part the grass in their run grows quickly enough to keep up with them. About a coffee can of manna pro feed and hay daily and they appear happy and healthy. L have some occasional fighting but nothing serious enough to worry about. I am far from an expert but am happy to share my experience thus far... If you have any questions or would like pics if my run let me know.


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## JudyM (Jan 9, 2015)

jdhuller said:


> If you have any questions or would like pics of my run let me know.


I would love to see pictures! and anyone else who may have a colony set up.
I used to raise show pigeons and have a loft that I want to convert for meat bunnies. The loft has a wood floor. I plan to start with just a pair (in March) and have been trying to figure out how I can use my existing equipment. I have a few large dog crates that I figure I can use and set up on the floor. They have wire floors which will need to be resized to avoid lost bunnies but are off the floor about an inch. The area is roughly 7 ft x 8 ft. I was hoping to be able to just leave the dog crate doors open so they can come and go and the babies can play around as they grow.

I do not want a big set up and will probably keep the buck separated in one of the cages until it's duty time. I will be using "cull" angoras from a breeder near me. (not sure what type of angora yet) 

Does this sound ok? Anything I should do differently or additionally?


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

Here's mine. It shows the construction of the original half of it measuring 5'x10'. I added another 8' addition the next year and have added two dividers to separate it into three compartments. Every two weeks the straw gets changed out for a fresh bale and every other week any buildup in the corners gets dug out and a bit of general cleanup. In the winter the front gets boarded up to give them a bit of shelter from the cold winds and to protect from drifting (learned that the hard way, that was a big cleanout day!). It also now has a metal roof on top of the chipboard so it's quite weatherproof.

I"m much happier with this than cages. It's great to see them hopping around in the straw and playing with each other. I free feed them and when I process them there is no excess fat inside them. So far it's worked quite well.


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## JudyM (Jan 9, 2015)

Truckinguy, what do you use to free feed? I would love to be able to do that too. I've been scarfing down all the info on weeds, but that needs to be picked and doesn't help in winter.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

JudyM said:


> Truckinguy, what do you use to free feed? I would love to be able to do that too. I've been scarfing down all the info on weeds, but that needs to be picked and doesn't help in winter.


I feed a complete pellet all year round and kitchen cuttings, weeds and other greens when available. During winter it's pretty much just pellets and whatever comes out of the kitchen, carrot tops, banana peels, etc.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

This is mine...

























That's my partner, a 6'2" guy in the first picture as he staples in the wire for me. It really emphasizes just HOW big the cage is. The rabbits are adult New Zealnd White does, at 10-11lbs, and the boxes are produce boxes from "Costco".
If I was going to do things different, I must admit, I would not have used chip board/OSB. I would have used plywood, as the chip board ended up getting gnawed through by some really determined rabbits and degraded much faster than I would have liked. I am going to have to go through and attempt to replace that OSB this year. If I had just used plywood I think it would still be holding up right now.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

Oh, I would REALLY hesitate to use angoras in this (or most) meat rabbit setups. Angora wool is a magnet for matting with whatever is around it and requires regular extensive management. It will become an awful mess if it comes in regular contact with hay or straw bedding (or fecal matter, even the dry "pelleted" feces) and can cause some real distress for your rabbits. I'd be VERY careful with bedding and wooled rabbits. You will have a LOT of maintenance on your hands!


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## JudyM (Jan 9, 2015)

ChocolateMouse said:


> Oh, I would REALLY hesitate to use angoras in this (or most) meat rabbit setups. Angora wool is a magnet for matting with whatever is around it and requires regular extensive management. It will become an awful mess if it comes in regular contact with hay or straw bedding (or fecal matter, even the dry "pelleted" feces) and can cause some real distress for your rabbits. I'd be VERY careful with bedding and wooled rabbits. You will have a LOT of maintenance on your hands!


Good Point!! Right now they are the only rabbits I can get and she is going to teach me to butcher. Something else I will have to learn how to work around...what about kitty litter for the floor, or sand? I know that will probably stain their fur...


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## jdhuller (Jun 15, 2014)

Sorry for the delay in getting pics up.... I have some posted in an older thread on here that is linked here: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showpost.php?p=7436152

Here are current pics from this morning


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

That's a great looking setup, jdhuller! Have you had any escapees? I would love to have something like that but I would worry about them getting out by jumping the fence. Also, how do you catch them when you need to?


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

Judy, I'm really not sure. For most people, angoras are so intensive they either have wire floors or specialized "pet" bedding like Carefresh ultrasoft, and they pay daily attention to their rabbit's fur. 
Jd, that's a nice looking setup... But I have had several litters of kits learn to climb up the "tight" kit-safe wire like a ladder to climb out the gaps at the top up 2' in just normal cages. Maybe I just have smart, active, enthusiastic rabbits.  I'd be worried about them slipping out.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

ChocolateMouse said:


> Judy, I'm really not sure. For most people, angoras are so intensive they either have wire floors or specialized "pet" bedding like Carefresh ultrasoft, and they pay daily attention to their rabbit's fur.
> Jd, that's a nice looking setup... But I have had several litters of kits learn to climb up the "tight" kit-safe wire like a ladder to climb out the gaps at the top up 2' in just normal cages. Maybe I just have smart, active, enthusiastic rabbits.  I'd be worried about them slipping out.


When I had my cages in the garage there were a couple of times when I found a kit in the top corner of the cage. Never knew rabbits could climb but there they were.


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## jdhuller (Jun 15, 2014)

Catching s a pain truckiinguy!! I lose the middle Gaye and use a fishing net... Need to work out a little better system though. 
Haven't had that problem chocolate mouse. Yet!


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

jdhuller said:


> Catching s a pain truckiinguy!! I lose the middle Gaye and use a fishing net... Need to work out a little better system though.
> Haven't had that problem chocolate mouse. Yet!


Maybe you could set up an enclosed feeding area that you could close off when the buns go in there to eat?

Also, are there areas in your colony that the rabbits prefer to poop in to the point that you have to clean it out, a certain corner for instance? You have a large area therre but me experience is that rabbits can have a favorite spot to do their business and I find that most of my straw is pretty clean but one corner piles up and needs to be cleaned out.


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## jdhuller (Jun 15, 2014)

Enclosing the feed area is good idea, I think I'll try something like that. 
For the most part their poop is pretty well distributed throughout the enclosure.


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