I'M 14 AND IN NEED OF HELP I WANT TO START FARMING RABBITS AND I WANT TO KNOW IF ANY ONE COULD TELL ME WHAT TYPE OR BREEDS I SHOULD GET. I WANT SOME FOR MEAT AND SHOW AND OTHERS TO SELL TO PET SHOPS

DREW

-- drew (ata1hunt@aol.com), August 23, 2001

Answers

Response to JUST STARTING OUT NEED HELP

Surf the net and find some webpages and forums that relate just to rabbits. There are a few and you will be able to talk to experts on the different breeds. You can't beat a specialty forum, lots of people to talk to, chat with in real time and trade e mails with. Also you'll learn where the Rabbit Shows are in your area and meet more experts there as well as getting to see lots of different breeds. Good luck. :) And don't forget to buy a GOOD BOOK!

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 23, 2001.

Response to JUST STARTING OUT NEED HELP

thanks for the in fo little quacker

-- drew (ata1hunt@aol.com), August 23, 2001.

Response to JUST STARTING OUT NEED HELP

Contact your local Extension Office. I bet they have a lot of information that is free. They can probably put you in contact with 4-H people that can help.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), August 23, 2001.

Response to JUST STARTING OUT NEED HELP

Drew, Try your local extension office. 4-H has a couple of good basic books. Also, they can probably give you the names of some people in the 4-H rabbit program who would be willing to answer your questions.

-- Barbara Fischer (bfischer42@hotmail.com), August 23, 2001.

Response to JUST STARTING OUT NEED HELP

Hi Drew, try to find some New Zealand Whites for your meat rabbits, they are the best for feed to meat ratio. I have been raising them for 7 years myself, and my parents raised them and Californians when I was a kid. For the best breeds to sell to pet shops or as pets to people directly thru classifieds, get the dwarf or lop breeds. They seem to be the most popular as pets. You might also try taking some of any breed as bunnies to your local feed store. Or adds you do directly. Right around Easter/Spring time they go fast around here. Good Luck in your venture! Trina

-- Trina in NE WA (dolittle@starband.net), August 23, 2001.

Response to JUST STARTING OUT NEED HELP

Drew, for pet shop rabbits, I would go with holland lops or dwarf rex rabbits. These are both mellow, miniature breeds. The netherland dwarfs are popular due to their small size, but in my experience they can be a bit snappish. The dwarf rex are easy to market because of the popularity of the children's book, The Velveteen Rabbit.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), August 23, 2001.

Drew:

Go through the archives (under the regular current threads look for Older Messages (by category). You can find some answers there.

If you exclusively feed purchased pellets you are not going to make much, if any, profit. Thus, explore alternative feed sources. My cousins in Croatia feed no purchased pellets and raise all of the rabbits they want simply and at a very low cost.

For those to be sold to a pet store, if you use fresh cut grasses or good grass hay, you might have to transition them to pellets before sale.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 24, 2001.

Hello Drew,

The following web address is for the amarican rabbit breeders association. It is a info packed site and has many links that are helpfull.

http://www.arba.net/

I have raised and shown rabbits for a long time. I chose Satins for my meat and show rabbits for their unique fur quality, their varied colors, their productivity, quick gain and their temporments.

I have also raised Californias,Standard Rex, Mini-Rex, Dutch, and some Neatherland Dwarfs. For a small good tempered show, sale, child size rabbit I would suggest the Dutch. If you have some to cull they are still big enough to eat unlike the Netherlands. Mini-Rex can have an attitude and get somewhat agressive. Not that I did not like the breed ,actually I did quite a bit. It was just my experience, Even with alot of handeling they tend to be agressive and some what hard for my kids to handle.

The very most important thing I have learned over the years is buy your rabbits from a reputable breeder that raises meat and show rabbits. If the breeder raises only show rabbits your not going to get the litter sizes or fast gain that your going to want in a meat rabbit. Also get your rabbits from a breeder that handles their rabbits and is not afraid to let you handle the rabbits you would like to buy.

I would also suggest doing some research on the various breeds and get the "Book of Standards" from the ARBA so that you know what each breed is required by the registry. It is a great book and I would not be with out it. As for alot of the other info....there are great web sites on raising rabbits and even some informative chat rooms.

Hope this helps. suzanne

-- Suzanne wilson (mtsuz@hotmail.com), August 24, 2001.

Hi Drew, Go to www.rabbitweb.net and click on Discussion, and read the discussion board there. There are lots of helpful rabbit folks. I raise mini-rex, holland lops, florida whites, and californians. Let me know if I can help you further or answer anymore questions.

-- Tracey (trjlanier@cs.com), August 24, 2001.

Hi Drew, check with pet chops in your area to see what kinds of rabbits they have the most demand for!

Also, whatever kinds of rabbits you get, handle them a lot from the time they are small and they will make great pets!

I raise English Angoras and also have some lops (just for fun!)

best of luck!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), August 24, 2001.