Getting Started with Meat Rabbits: What You Need Before Bringing Them Home

Things you should know about before making the plunge.

Housing & Cage Setup

Minimum Space Requirements: The absolute minimum cage for adult bucks is a 24”x24” cage, but they are MUCH happier in a 30”x30”. The absolute minimum cage size for a doe with kits is 24”x36”. I use 30”x36” personally.

Cage Type: Wire cages vs. solid-bottom hutches: This is personal preference. Some people use a solid bottom hutch. They use them heavily in the UK and areas over there. Most people in USA use something with a wire bottom. Solid floor hutches need more cleaning attention than wire bottoms. 1/2” x 1” is the appropriate spacing for wire bottom floors.

Size Requirements: Minimum space per rabbit and breeders vs. grow-outs: You will need cages for your growouts also when you wean them. I personally use the 30”x36” cages for those also. They will fit a standard size litter until butchering age (10 weeks old). If you have a huge litter 8-9+ you might need to split them up.

Location: Indoors vs. outdoors, ventilation, and predator protection: I would never raise “meat rabbits” indoors. They make too much poop/pee/ammonia. It would be a disaster. You can raise them in a barn or similar structure without issue. It can be a lean to or anything. Keep in mind where they are and if the sun hits the building directly. Its best to pick a location with shade, or VERY good ventilation. You cannot set up cages outside in direct sunlight either. That will be a recipe for disaster. They will likely get too hot in the summer and have a heat stroke.

Manure Management: Dropping trays vs. composting: Depending on how you set up your cages will determine how you handle the poop/pee excrement. If they are outside or in a barn and all the cages are one level you can let the droppings fall to the ground and scoop them up on a schedule. This is by far the easiest if its feasible. If not, then you will have to use trays. You will need to empty the trays every other day anyway, so keep that in mind.

Basic Equipment You’ll Need

Feeders & Waterers: J-feeders, crocks, water bottles vs. automatic systems: Feeders are a very important thing to research. A feeder is not “just a feeder”. Depending on the type, some allow rabbits to dig their feed more than others. I use one called Bass Equipment ProB Feedsaver. They are about $8 from Bass equipment’s website. They are the best feeders I’ve found that keep rabbits from digging. Wither you use crocks, bottles, or a water system is up to you. If you live in an area where it freezes in the winter, bottles will be a challenge. Keep that in mind as they will freeze easily. Well, all of it will, but there is no way to hurry up and unthaw a bottle that is frozen, same with an automatic water system. I use bowls currently. They are just $5 rubber bowls from the feed store. If they freeze in the winter, I just step on them and the ice comes out.

Nesting Boxes: For breeding does: You will also need nesting boxes for when your does get ready to have babies. For meat rabbits they can be purchased several places online or you can make your own if you are handy with wood. They are simple to make and plans available online with measurements for free.

Feed & Nutrition

Choosing a balanced feed: Find a feed that is readily available in your area from a mill that goes through a lot of it, that way you ensure your feed is always fresh. That is the best recommendation I can give. Alfalfa should be the first or second ingredient in the feed on the label. Better food it will be first, lower quality it will be later down the list. To each their own there. There is no right or wrong feed. Some is better than others and changes price drastically. Fiber percentage needs to be higher than the protein content on the label. That is important.

Supplementing with hay: Hay is invaluable with rabbits. I tend to feed alfalfa to growouts and mommas with babies with her. The protein content is high and keeps them growing well. I find that grass hay is like eating empty calories. It fills them up and they don’t eat as many pellets and kind of grow slower. This is my experience…ymmv.

Avoiding toxic foods: Stick to pellets and hay if you want as few as problems as you can have. You can give them some snacks if you must, but I stick with hay usually. In the spring, they love dandelions. Stay away from fresh greens. Changes in diet will cause GI upset and can kill them depending on what change it was. You can introduce it to them in small amounts, but its not worth the risk imo. If you are set on feeding “naturally” get online and buy a book called “Beyond the Pellet”. It has everything you need to know about foraging for your rabbits and living off the land.

Choosing Your Starter Stock

Finding reputable breeders: Get online and find some breeders. Beware of scams. Look at photos they send you and look for inconsistencies. Like different backgrounds, different cages, floor types etc. These are generally red flags for fake photos found online by a scammer. Once you find a someone that has stock, ask how big the parents are. Adult meat rabbits should be 9-12 lbs depending on breed. If they are not this size, stay away. Small rabbits make more small rabbits…slowly. Ask what is the average weight at 10 weeks of your kits. On average for good meat rabbits they should be a soldi 5lbs by 10 weeks.

What to look for in a healthy rabbit: When you arrive to buy rabbits you need to make sure they are healthy. Rabbits should not have any white snot on their nose, they should not have crusty scabs in their ears, their butts should be clean and dry, and they should not be sneezing. Ask the breeder to show you their gender in person for each rabbit. Also, ask to be shown their teeth. They should be straight and meet almost perfectly.

With these tips, you should be well on your way to feeling confident about getting ready for your rabbits. Please share this with your friends and subscribe to my substack for more information on how to raise meat rabbits successfully.

Sample pic below of cages with open bottoms. These are just set on a metal rack i built out of angle iron.