Breeding Rabbits: Build a Rabbit Cage For Breeding Rabbits

Many people are starting to breed rabbits to provide food for their table. The reasons range from the cost of food at the grocery store to the desire to get away from commercial meat that has been raised on antibiotics and poor food. Rabbit meat is tasty and low in fat. Domestic rabbit is all white meat. It is tender and versatile.

One doe can produce 1000% of her own weight in meat in a year. Pretty impressive, isn't it? Rabbits don't require a lot of space to raise them. Along with meat, your rabbits also produce a good amount of manure. Rabbit manure can go straight from the rabbit to the garden. It doesn't need to compost first.

Now that you may be considering raising your own rabbits, you need to provide them with cages. The cages should be in a shed or lean-to that will protect the animals from the weather. The cages can be mounted on the wall or hung from the ceiling. The cages should be large enough for the adult rabbit to have plenty of room to move about in as well as give room for a growing litter.

Wire mesh is the best cage material for raising rabbits. You can see through it easily, letting you take notice of any problems that may be starting. Wire is easy to keep clean. Use heavy duty 14 gauge wire mesh that has been welded together. It should be galvanized to give it longevity. Floors should be made from ½ inch by 1 inch wire while walls and ceilings can be made of 1 inch by 2 inch wire. If you have extra cash, spring for the babysaver wire. This wire has a smaller mesh at the bottom, which can prevent baby bunnies from falling out of the cage.

Put the cage pieces together with J clips or hog rings. Make the door large enough for you to clean the cage easily. It should be big enough that a nestbox can easily fit through it. If you stack your cages, make sure you have some corrugated tin or other material under the top cage at an angle so any droppings and urine will fall behind the cage below. You don't want the rabbits below to be the recipients of the manure from above.

Once your cages are done, fasten them to the wall or hang them from beams in the ceiling using heavy wire or chain. Plan on a regular routine for removing waste materials. Breeding can take place when the rabbits are about six or seven months of age for most breeds. Always take the doe to the buck's cage. If you bring the buck to the doe, she may attack him. Does are very territorial about their cages. When you breed a doe, mark her cage with the date and make note of the date you need to supply her with a nestbox. There are metal card holders you can purchase from rabbit supply companies that hang on the cage. They are just the right size to hold an index card. Always check and double check. You don't want to lose a litter because you forgot to supply the box and bedding.