Up until this point we haven’t harvested any rabbits yet. I’ve been trying to build up breeding stock to be able to keep a steady supply of rabbit meat and these things take time. Both does just had kits. I bred one of my does to my friends New Zealand White named Plower and bred my original pair again. The kits that were just born are two new completely unrelated bloodlines.

I intend on pairing up the offspring to create a whole new bloodline of rabbits. The offspring will be the ones that we harvest to eat. It will take them 6 months to reach breeding age. After she weans her current kit and has a one month rest period I will then breed my original pair again and can begin using their offspring as a meat source. In 3 more months one of my bucks from the last kit will be ready to pair up with my other pregnant doe.

It took a bit to get through the learning curve but from here on out it should be smooth sailing. We anticipate getting 7 breeding pairs out of the recent births. A quarter of the total offspring will end up at the Meadow’s Ranch in tribute for the kind use of their buck Plower’s “services”. I anticipate having 7 breeding pairs (14 rabbits) here at the farm. The average kit is 7 rabbits and I will have them on a 3 month rotation (Pregnant, raise and wean babies, rest). This will allow each breeding pair to produce 4 kits of 7 rabbits every 3 months for a total of 196 rabbits per year.

That’s the plan, but in farming stuff seems to go wrong all the time so we shall see what obstacles the future will bring.

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