Rabbit Essentials

1. Rabbit Essentials Texas 4-H and Youth Development

2. Topics to Discuss The following topics will be discussed: • General Information • Selection • Validation • Facilities and Equipment • Feeding • Health Texas 4-H and Youth Development

3. General Information • Rabbits typically shown as meat pens and fryers • Consult rules to see if meat pens can be purchased from breeder or must be raised by individual. • If ordering rabbits purchase four in case one gets sick or dies. • Contact breeder at least four to five months before the show. Texas 4-H and Youth Development

4. Selection • Commercial breeds work better for meat pens. • Medium in length with depth equaling width, showing roundness of body and firmness of flesh. • Most common used: • Champagne d’ Argent • Satin • Palomino • New Zealand (most popular) • Californian (most popular) Texas 4-H and Youth Development

5. Selection cont. • Pens must be same breed, but do not need to be same sex • Must be mirror images of each other in appearance and weight • Weight is one of the most important things to consider • Must be balanced. • Most shows have 5lb. per rabbit weight limit • Most shows have age limits for meat pen (60 – 90 days) Texas 4-H and Youth Development

6. Validation • No state validation for rabbit projects • See county rules for validation dates • If showing meat pens at Houston there is a validation date and exhibitors must own parents of pen. Texas 4-H and Youth Development

7. Facilities and Equipment • Hutches must be protected from the elements. • Each rabbit requires its own hutch • Meat pens require two to four cages • Allows you to more closely monitor feeding • Meat pen sized rabbits needs a 24 in. X 24 in. wire mesh cage. • Commercial breeders need 24 in. X 30 in. wire mesh cage. • Does and bucks need 24 in. X 24 in. wire mesh cages Texas 4-H and Youth Development

8. Facilities and Equipment • Sides should be made out of 2 in. X 1 in. wire mesh and the bottoms should be made of ½ X 1 in. wire mesh. • All hutches should be under roof • Side walls will be needed in most rabbitries • Not as important to keep rabbits warm as it is to keep them dry and out of wind • Must keep them well ventilated and clean Texas 4-H and Youth Development

9. Facilities and Equipment • Use j-feeders to feed rabbits • For watering can use heavy crock bowls, water bottles, or an automatic watering system. Texas 4-H and Youth Development

10. Feeding • Many feeds to choose from • Recommended to use a 16% protein feed. • Works well for all stages of development. • When feeding meat pens start out by feeding as much as they can eat and adjust their feed as they get close to the show. • Chart weight gain • Can use steamed rolled oats or steamed rolled barley as filler when adjusting feed • Also do a good job of hardening muscle on rabbits. • Most important thing to remember when feeding rabbits is have fresh water Texas 4-H and Youth Development

11. Health • Most important thing to keep rabbits healthy is provide clean environment with plenty of food and water. • No vaccinations needed • Consult local veterinarian if health problem does come up. Texas 4-H and Youth Development

12. Conclusions • All aspects of the selection process should be understood. • Proper facilities should be available. • Proper diets and nutritional information about feeding rabbits should be identified. • Vaccinations are not necessary when raising rabbits. • Identify what breeds are used in raising rabbits. Texas 4-H and Youth Development