want to start breeding

[Katie Kay]

Thank you for the helpful info. i have had one litter before that was an accident. my doe got into the other side of the pen with the buck. she was a good mamma and she is the doe i am thinking about breeding. I really want to try to improve the breed and try to get good quality animals cerqulating in our area.

I am looking for like financial information and just the basics of owning a rabitry. anything you could tell me would be helpful.

 

[wooly_queen]

Well in that case...

Rabbit raising can be an expensive hobby. If you want the best you have to be willing to pay for it. I don't know how much mini rex are costing by you though.

Cages and all the other equipment can get pretty expensive too. Maybe try looking for some used equipment in good condition. I got 6 cages that way. Have a nice set up that is easy to clean.

Make sure you really study up on the breed! I can't stress that enough. You have to know what your looking for. Some people don't care to help new breeders very much, so you are going to have to know what you are doing and maybe find a person to make friends with who knows the breed well so they can help you find good quality rabbits. Try to find who has been winning on the tables so you know which lines to look for.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I wouldn't breed with the doe you have now. The best way to get quality animals is to start with quality animals. Otherwise, it'll take longer to get rabbits that are really close to their standard.

Do some research into what colour your most interested in breeding, and then find a top breeder with those rabbits. Go to some ARBA shows and talk to breeders and have them show you how to pose and type an animal and look for faults or disqualifications. That way you'll be able to pick out nice looking animals.

Emily

 

[Erins Rabbits]

Time to put in my own 2 cents.

If you are going to breed, you do need to establish a market. Whatever it may be. The first two years I raised rabbits I didn't sell a single one, I had to give them all away. And I'm sure some of these went for meat, and I know some of them are living happily in pet homes. I made the worst mistake- I made assumptions that I would be able to sell them and I ended up with several different breeds. All but two of these had to be given away. It taught me a lesson, though. All I'm trying to say is it's going to be a learning experience, whatever you decide to do. Mini rex are difficult to breed because, if I remember correctly, they are a dwarf breed. Mini Rex are difficult to show because, if I remember correctly, they are the most popular breed in the country at the moment. You won't be winning with a breed like this during your first few years. It's definitely a breed that takes a lot of time, devotion, and an in depth understanding of the breed standard.

You keep saying that you want to breed, but it's almost as if you expect it to be fun and games. It's not. Rabbits are hard work, and they are absolutely devastating at times. Your reward for putting up with diseases, sudden deaths, DOA kits... trophies, awards, if you stick it out long enough.Rabbits are not prolific, in general. Most are not mega producers, and sometimes, there you are with a baby you are really excited about... only to come out in the morning to find it dead in it's cage. Rabbits are not easy to sell. You shouldn't start with the idea to make a profit. Profit comes RARELY and even then, late in your breeding program. I recommend you know how to put a rabbit down on your own. It is not a terribly hard thing to do, and I know this is going to be uproarious, but it'll save you a good $70 when push comes to shove. I watched a rabbit waste away in her cage for weeks before I got the guts. It isn't fair to them to make them suffer, and it's most cost effective than getting them euthanised.

That's all I can think of for now. Basically, be serious, and know what you are doing.

 

[MeAndB44]

Well, considering that you're.... 15 years old (if I did the math correctly from the birthday on your profile), you should probably consider waiting until you're older. Breeding is a big responsibility, and, unless you've got an interested adult to help you, I'd say that waiting is the best thing for you and the bunnies.

 

[undergunfire]

Erins Rabbits wrote:

I recommend you know how to put a rabbit down on your own. It is not a terribly hard thing to do, and I know this is going to be uproarious, but it'll save you a good $70 when push comes to shove. I watched a rabbit waste away in her cage for weeks before I got the guts. It isn't fair to them to make them suffer, and it's most cost effective than getting them euthanised.

That's all I can think of for now. Basically, be serious, and know what you are doing.

That is horrid and not something you should be advertising as a breeder (or on a public forum with rabbit lovers), IMO. Ethical breeders care about their rabbits enough to know that rabbits cost money....money that may have to be spent to be humanely euthanized whether its $0 to $100. If I was looking for a breeder for a rat/mouse/rabbit/etc and I read what you had just posted as a potential candidate to be getting my new pet from, then I'd surely skip over you because it sends up a major red flag.

 

[introoder]

undergunfire wrote:

Erins Rabbits wrote:

I recommend you know how to put a rabbit down on your own. It is not a terribly hard thing to do, and I know this is going to be uproarious, but it'll save you a good $70 when push comes to shove. I watched a rabbit waste away in her cage for weeks before I got the guts. It isn't fair to them to make them suffer, and it's most cost effective than getting them euthanised.

That's all I can think of for now. Basically, be serious, and know what you are doing.

That is horrid and not something you should be advertising as a breeder (or on a public forum with rabbit lovers), IMO. Ethical breeders care about their rabbits enough to know that rabbits cost money....money that may have to be spent to be humanely euthanized whether its $0 to $100. If I was looking for a breeder for a rat/mouse/rabbit/etc and I read what you had just posted as a potential candidate to be getting my new pet from, then I'd surely skip over you because it sends up a major red flag.

However, I agree with Erin. If I see a rabbit in a litter that I know won't survive, I'm going to kill it. Simple as that.
If one of my does is showing signs of the descent to death, I (well, not myself, but my father) will snap it's neck. It's not that we don't love the animals, I do. I really, sincerely have a bond with all of my rabbits except one (because she's leaving my rabbitry soon. i didn't/shouldn't have bought her, but she came with another rabbit I intended to buy, and made the deal cheaper)... I wouldn't hurt them if I didn't need to. And personally, I don't believe in those drugs that kill them. How do you know it doesn't hurt? Not to mention, I'm sure it makes the whole body unusable for anything but cremation. Can't have the chemicals in your food, on your body, or in the ground after all.

I'd also like to point out that the 4H curriculum teaches how to humanely kill a rabbit. If something written for 4-18 year olds teaches this, I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it out to be.

 

[TinysMom]

undergunfire wrote:

Erins Rabbits wrote:

I recommend you know how to put a rabbit down on your own. It is not a terribly hard thing to do, and I know this is going to be uproarious, but it'll save you a good $70 when push comes to shove. I watched a rabbit waste away in her cage for weeks before I got the guts. It isn't fair to them to make them suffer, and it's most cost effective than getting them euthanised.

That's all I can think of for now. Basically, be serious, and know what you are doing.

That is horrid and not something you should be advertising as a breeder (or on a public forum with rabbit lovers), IMO. Ethical breeders care about their rabbits enough to know that rabbits cost money....money that may have to be spent to be humanely euthanized whether its $0 to $100. If I was looking for a breeder for a rat/mouse/rabbit/etc and I read what you had just posted as a potential candidate to be getting my new pet from, then I'd surely skip over you because it sends up a major red flag.

Amy, I know how much you love animals and I understand where you are coming from - but this is the rabbitry area and the fact is- the majority of ethical breeders will learn to put a rabbit down humanely vs. letting it suffer. Some will choose to take it to a vet - but others will find other humane ways of helping the rabbit pass at home. I have to state that probably 99% of the breeders I know personally - will put their rabbits down at home vs. going to a vet.

In addition - I think it is a valid point to bring up to someone who is considering breeding...that this is a decision they will come across at some point in time.

Not trying to criticize you - but I just wanted you to understand that most breeders who have done this for a while - will not go to a vet for this.

 

[Erins Rabbits]

undergunfire wrote:

Erins Rabbits wrote:

I recommend you know how to put a rabbit down on your own. It is not a terribly hard thing to do, and I know this is going to be uproarious, but it'll save you a good $70 when push comes to shove. I watched a rabbit waste away in her cage for weeks before I got the guts. It isn't fair to them to make them suffer, and it's most cost effective than getting them euthanised.

That's all I can think of for now. Basically, be serious, and know what you are doing.

That is horrid and not something you should be advertising as a breeder (or on a public forum with rabbit lovers), IMO. Ethical breeders care about their rabbits enough to know that rabbits cost money....money that may have to be spent to be humanely euthanized whether its $0 to $100. If I was looking for a breeder for a rat/mouse/rabbit/etc and I read what you had just posted as a potential candidate to be getting my new pet from, then I'd surely skip over you because it sends up a major red flag.

I'm really sorry if I offended you. It's part of raising ANY animal. Rabbitsare expensive on their own, without the added medical bills. It's just better to know how to take care of things on your own, whether it be treating something going around or, yes, putting down your own rabbit. I have never had to take a rabbit to the vet because I know the treatment for most/many problems a rabbit can encounter. That's not to say I wouldn't if it just so happened that I had a problem I couldn't fix on my own.

Ethical breeders know that it is best to take care of those matters on thier own. Many cannot, but it is better for the animal and the breeder. I assure you, in the case of any rabbit put down with ANY rabbitry, it is instant, it is painless, and is less stressful than the ride to the vet you put your rabbit through in order to put it down the 'right' way.


ETA: Also sorry if this post was a little rough. I just wanna add that; 1- I don't sell pets, and 2- I'm sorry that it offends you or 'sends up a red flag', again, but if it does, there's a simple solution- don't buy from me. It is all part of raising a small stock animal. At least they aren't crowdingthe shelters and clogging the system.

 

[iluvdutchrabbbits90]

MeAndB44 wrote:

Well, considering that you're.... 15 years old (if I did the math correctly from the birthday on your profile), you should probably consider waiting until you're older. Breeding is a big responsibility, and, unless you've got an interested adult to help you, I'd say that waiting is the best thing for you and the bunnies.

I breed dutch and im only 16(just 16 today)

And my parents dont like rabbits.

I i read up alot on dutch before i got mine.

I also had 2 rescue pets so i knew the breed already.

And i also waited MONTHS to fined the perfect dutch

 

[wooly_queen]

I started up on my own when I was 11. But...I am a reader and I love searching online for info. So I waited a year to start breeding etc. and learned everything possible while in 4-H and all that. You really, really have to know your stuff. I have hit many a road block myself and don't like to hear others go through the same crap I had to deal with when I first started.

I don't put my rabbits down myself. I'm not brave enough and neither is my dad. lol But one day, I might just have to face the facts. You have to know this stuff, so I agree with Erin and the others on that subject.

 

[irishbunny]

Seems to me quite a lot of rabbitrys are run by teenagers or were started when the breeder was a teenager

 

[Erins Rabbits]

Yup! I dunno if any of you have heard this phrase but you may have as an ARBA member. "The youth are the future of the fancy." I have been doing this since I was twelve- I'm now sixteen, run and manage my own rabbitry, and am extremely serious about it. I'm applying for my registrar's liscense in October.

Youth can be AMAZING breeders, and can produce some of the nicest rabbits. You just have to be serious about what you are doing.

 

[wooly_queen]

irishbunny wrote:

Seems to me quite a lot of rabbitrys are run by teenagers or were started when the breeder was a teenager

Yeppers,

Learn and improve all you can while a youth rabbit showmen, because once you hit open showing, the competition is tougher.

 

[wooly_queen]

Yup! I dunno if any of you have heard this phrase but you may have as an ARBA member. "The youth are the future of the fancy." I have been doing this since I was twelve- I'm now sixteen, run and manage my own rabbitry, and am extremely serious about it. I'm applying for my registrar's liscense in October.

Youth can be AMAZING breeders, and can produce some of the nicest rabbits. You just have to be serious about what you are doing.

I started at 11 and I am now 17 (18 in 7 1/2 months WOOOOT). I have seen some youth with some killer animals too. Wooooohhheee.

I started my rabbitry when I was 13 I believe and joinedARBA in 2006.I didn't have it as easy as some and it's still kicking me in the butt. lol So I have to work hard before I get to open.

I would like to get myregistrar liscensetoo, but I just don't have the time right now. Oh poo...

 

[irishbunny]

If I lived where you all do, I'd be breeding too Here though, you have to travel to a different country to get quality rabbits and to show (UK) so...sucks.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

undergunfire wrote:

Ethical breeders care about their rabbits enough to know that rabbits cost money....money that may have to be spent to be humanely euthanized whether its $0 to $100.

Thank you for posting this and you're right. Ethical breeders do know that rabbits cost money, trust us! This isn't a money making hobby. So because of that, breeders cannot spend $100/euthanasia to put down their rabbits.

But please don't worry, the methods that respectable breeders use are as humane as what vet's do. Breeders care for each and every bunny they own and would not do anything to harm them.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

MOD NOTE

Posts regarding precise means of humane euthanization have been pulled.

As you all well know, detailed euthanization protocol is generally an inflammatory topic on this board. We don't go there often.

Feel free to Google it, or ask one of the breeders in PM. It doesn't belong in this thread.

Let's keep it focused on tips and concepts for youth breeders, shall we?


NorthernAutumn

 

[TinysMom]

I am very fascinated to find out how many of you started at younger ages. It is very interesting.

If you don't mind - I have some questions.

Did you get started because of 4H or FFA or something like that? Or was it something you always wanted to do?

How did you get help/education?

Thanks!

 

[wooly_queen]

TinysMom wrote:

I am very fascinated to find out how many of you started at younger ages. It is very interesting.

If you don't mind - I have some questions.

Did you get started because of 4H or FFA or something like that? Or was it something you always wanted to do?

How did you get help/education?

Thanks!

I moved to Michigan from Florida in the summer of 2004 when I was almost 11. My mom found a 4-H group...I'm not even sure how...lol So we bought two mini rex. At my first fair I won RIS and best sr. doe and I was hooked. When one of the mini rex died, I bought a jersey wooly from a lady I met at the fair...and here I am. Raising woolies and thriantas. I found ARBA quickly when I started to really research rabbits. I joined in Jan. 2006 and registered my rabbitry in February.

This has been really rough for me. I didn't have a lot of help from other people. All of the good breeders are far away so it was hard to get the good stuff. I had to learnon my own.Now my parents are more willing to travel becuase my dad has a better job and my mom is no longer employed. So we actually have the time to go places and I have met so many nice people.

I buckled down and have learned so much in the last year. So I am now on my way thanks to a few wooly breeders who have really helped me out. I also did a lot of my own research in books and online. My parents knew NOTHING about rabbits. They only know what I have told them. lol They learn something new everyday.

:biggrin2: