Start with

A trio: one buck, two does. New Zealand White or Californian for meat. Get stock from a breeder, not a pet store.

Housing

Solid resting board plus wire floor over manure, or a deep-litter colony in a predator-proof shed. 30 × 36 in cage per adult, 16 in tall. Does with litters need more. Shade is mandatory — rabbits die in 90°F hutches in the sun. In January, block wind; they tolerate cold if dry.

Feed

Commercial pellets if you have them (16% protein). Grid-down: mixed grass hay is the base, plus willow/maple/apple branches, garden waste, dried pea or bean vines, a little grain. Never feed wilted red-maple, oak in quantity, tomato leaves, or rhubarb. Fresh greens are introduced slowly or they scour.

Water

Crocks they can’t tip. Check twice a day in July and January.

Breeding

Take the doe to the buck, never the reverse. Gestation 31 days. Palpate at 14 days. Kindling box with straw on day 28. First litter at ~6–7 months. Rebreed at 35–42 days if she is in good flesh. A working doe can wean 4–6 litters a year. Keep records on the cage card.

Health

Snuffles (wet nose, sneeze) — isolate, improve ventilation. Sore hocks — add a board. Fly strike on dirty rears in summer is an emergency — clip, clean, keep dry. Coccidiosis in dirty cages: dry, sun, vinegar wash.

Predators

Dogs are the number-one killer. Raccoons open cheap latches. Use two latches and hardware cloth.

Harvest

Fryers at 8–12 weeks, 4–5 lb live. See Process → Rabbit. Pelts slip easily in warm months; best fur in December.

Meat · Pelts · Manure (cold, garden-ready)

Does can get pregnant the day they kindle. Manage the buck or you will be buried in rabbits — or you’ll burn the doe out.