# How many rabbits do you have?



## Buckeye_brian (Jan 14, 2014)

How many holes does everyone have? If you could...would you like to have more...less...or do you like it just the way it is?

Why?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I currently have 14. Have room for more, just don't want more right now.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

I'm down to just under twenty at the moment since we are getting ready to move to the new house. Don't know how many we will have at the new house. Hopefully more!


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## 354508 (Feb 5, 2013)

We've got six breeders and 14 babies of various ages that'll go to freezer camp when they reach butcher weight


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## countrytime (Sep 23, 2012)

70 holes--
Mini Lops--22 adults--17 kits
Cals--36? adult plus 11 kits
NZ--5
1 giant Chin
4 adult ND and 5 kits
I like it just the way it is--it is kind of crazy when the grow outs are full also--they are empty right now, at least for a few more weeks.
We have 6 cals bred and 2 mini lops bred


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

4 does, 1 buck, & 20 babies right now.


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## ad in wnc (Jan 12, 2014)

14 holes-
NZ - 3
CALI - 3
Chocolate Silver Fox - 3
Champagne dArgent - 5
I am putting in an auto watering system which will give me more time for more rabbits.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

11 adults..consist of 4 bucks and 7 does...4 are Cali and 7 are NZ

3 does have a litter of 5 each(2 1/2 weeks old) and 4 does are due in about two weeks.

I am happy with what I have. I breed my does twice a year(spring and fall) I like my litters around 5 to 8 per litter. Why because I enjoy the rabbits and it doesnt get overwhelming. If I had to many to take care it would become a burden. My crew produces enough for DH and I and I sell 1/2 of my litters to good friends. Win Win situation.


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## Jack Burton (Aug 11, 2013)

three cages for three does
one cage for a buck
one grow out cage for the 5 to 10 week kits

No more room.


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## Buckeye_brian (Jan 14, 2014)

We have...

9 - Cali does (5) breeding age and the rest will be of weight and age soon.
2 - Cali bucks
7 - New Zealand Black does (4 - 5 months old now)
2 - New Zealand Black bucks
2 - litters with their momma now (9-total)
2 - grow out pens

I am having a ball with them. I come from a "big animal" farm family and I get a lot of grief from them and friends. I tell them I am tired of fixing fence, chasing cows / goats all the time. I also am tired of spending $500+ a month on feed!

I spent the last 2-nights reworking cages and organizing for 7-rabbits in my barn. I spent $300 on materials and 8 hours of my time. If I was building shelters or barns for 7 big animals it would have been thousands of dollars and weeks to do for them.

We are 8-months into our rabbit experiment and for now I see "zero" draw backs. Then again I have been "blessed"...so far.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

8 and I'm building 3 cages before winter. I'm thinking a total of 6-9 more cages over the next year for my new standard chins. Plus I got an awesome ND litter of 5 that I'm not sure I want to part with any. lol


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## Homesteader15 (Dec 23, 2013)

50 rabbits-5 bucks and 45 does


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## Fat Man (Mar 9, 2011)

Breeding stock is 4 does and 2 bucks, no desire to increase at the moment.


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## nascarwc88 (Feb 3, 2013)

2 does, 1 buck, and 1 grow out cage.


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## countrytime (Sep 23, 2012)

We went from 10 holes and not eating rabbit to what we have now and eating rabbit--I have hungry kids LOL! Kids decided no more meat chickens, they would rather eat rabbit. That's great for me as rabbits are a whole lot cleaner and easier to take care of. Even with this many, chores are a breeze compared to the other livestock. When the kids are gone I want only rabbits and my chickens.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

one breeding pair of meat rabbits (lost a pregnant doe last week).... but with 7 new kits on the ground so thats good.

Also a pair of lionheads we arent really doing anything with....


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## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

7 holes. 4 for the 3 does and 1 for the buck. The other 3 are much larger grow out pens. Too hot here to breed through the summer (even with our underground cooler set up, I don't risk it) so we only have the 4 adult rabbits currently. But I do have all of my does bred so soon we should have lots of babies


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

nascarwc88 said:


> 2 does, 1 buck, and 1 grow out cage.


 Same here.

big rockpile


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## jdhuller (Jun 15, 2014)

2 boys, 2 girls, and 5 babies born yesterday in our colony ...


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

i'm down to four working does and two pure bucks calis and NZW's .one dozen hanging cages and one big grow out or holding hutch . but i'm raiseing 9 replacement does so things will be in full swing again soon .


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Way more than anyone who has posted so far. Sometimes it drives me crazy, sometimes I am hurting for space. Its what I do.


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## Lookin4GoodLife (Oct 14, 2013)

0 so far. That's why I'm here doing my research and learning from all of you!


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## 5cRabbits (Apr 24, 2014)

19 bucks & 100 does, all NZ's right now. Litters will be popping before long.


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

0 now.

Have had as high as 6 does and 2 bucks.

Looking at getting back into it, perhaps at the (upper limit) 15 does and 3-4 bucks.


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## crittermomma (Sep 26, 2013)

We have about 40 does and 5 good bucks - right now, close to 100 kits. We are working to shrink the group before winter sets in. Last winter was hard trying to keep water thawed for them and we lost almost all our kits before giving up and waiting for spring. We have them in a barn and some outside - so, when the weather gets bad, we bring the ones outside into cages in the barn. We are hoping to enclose them better so we can keep it warm enough so their water bowls don't freeze. We shall see. Good luck with your rabbits!


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## lavendergray (Oct 15, 2014)

Started over this spring. Only one angora doe, but room for more. Interested in meat raising at some point, but right now focusing on fiber stock.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Standard Rex
4 does
2 bucks
2 does were bred so hopefully kits in 2 and 3 weeks.

A breeding pair of Giant Chinchilla will be here sometime in Jan. I'll have a trio of them in a couple weeks if I can find transport from NC to OK. 

I'm thinking about setting up a colony for the Rex.


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## cnsranch (Sep 29, 2010)

I had 3 does and a buck and 7 kits but as of 2 days ago I have acquired 2 more older does.im hoping to get a few litters out of them.my original 4 were 2 champagne D'argent does and a buck and 1 Silver fox doe...and the new girls are 1 California and 1 New Zealand white.


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## AprilW (Nov 25, 2007)

4 Harlequin does. I failed to close the hutch on the buck and he is presumed deceased.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

AprilW said:


> 4 Harlequin does. I failed to close the hutch on the buck and he is presumed deceased.


Bummer. That has happened to me too. Stopped the breeding program cold. I always try to keep two bucks after that. When you get a buck and get breeding again look for a nice husky buck kit in the litters as a keeper and reserve buck. 

Have a better day.


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## AprilW (Nov 25, 2007)

I normally keep a couple of bucks in my herd but earlier this year I went through and cut the bottom animals and this buck was my top breeder.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I've been toying with the idea of raising a "colony" of "meat" rabbits to supplement my dogs' food. (I actually enjoy fried/stewed rabbit myself.)

I have no interest in doing this to earn money; so can anyone advise as to how many bucks and how many does I would need just for myself and 2 large dogs?

(I've already got the colony structure designed "in my head".  )


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## froebeli (Feb 14, 2012)

4 Breeding Does, 2 Bucks, 1 Jr Doe and 21 kits. Hope to have 16 or more little popples in 2 1/2 weeks. New Zealand white, red, broken and Am Chinchilla


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

motdaugrnds said:


> I've been toying with the idea of raising a "colony" of "meat" rabbits to supplement my dogs' food. (I actually enjoy fried/stewed rabbit myself.)
> 
> I have no interest in doing this to earn money; so can anyone advise as to how many bucks and how many does I would need just for myself and 2 large dogs?
> 
> (I've already got the colony structure designed "in my head".  )


If you put in more than 1 buck, they will fight for territory. You can keep a buck cage in the colony for the back up buck. 

Here's a calculator that is really good for figuring how many does you need to feed a family. 

http://hillriserabbitry.blogspot.com/p/calculators.html?m=1


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## StonePark (Nov 16, 2014)

Just picked up my first English Angora doe!


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

In the perfect world, I'd have super heavy duty wire cages that are all extra wide and stacked 4 high. Custom, heavy duty plastic pans that are cut in half from side to side and over lap enough to keep away spills. 30x30 inch pans are too big and get heavy fast with kits! Maybe a few pens for colonies for just meat/pet rabbits. Big, open, tons of light, heated and cooled, auto water. Then some kind of fodder system so I could never feed hay again.
But rabbits still dig and waste food/hay like mad, so it will never be anywhere near perfect. 
Have 10 holes, 5 random mix cages that can't fit in the shed, have 15 rabbits currently with all but 3 of them breeders. Possibly 3 does due in December. =/ 
Need a bigger rabbit shed like last month!


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## StonePark (Nov 16, 2014)

Secuono, whats do you mean by "holes"?


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

2 does, 1 buck. Litters, 8 or more, several this year of 11. 4 litters a year. We eat a rabbit a week average, cook 1/2 at a time. Big NZ Cali X. Wean at 4-5 weeks, start butchering at 8 weeks done at 12 weeks. Excess are frozen....James


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## AprilW (Nov 25, 2007)

"Holes" is another term for cage.


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## StonePark (Nov 16, 2014)

Thanks! Sure didn't remember that from 4H as a kid...


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## lazzara8478 (Nov 3, 2014)

Currently we have 5. 2 new Zealand / California mix bucks and 1 California doe and 2 new Zealand white does


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