How many rabbits to start with
Small farms often start with about five does and two bucks. That is enough to learn mating, kindling and selling for real, while keeping mistakes cheap. You can start with fewer — the goal of the first year is experience, not money.
One buck can easily cover 5–8 does. Even so, it is better to buy two bucks that are not related to each other:
- if one falls ill or stops breeding, your work does not stop;
- when you keep one of your own young does for breeding, you can mate her to the other buck and avoid close inbreeding.
It also helps if the does do not all come from the same litter.
What age to buy
Does are best bought at about 3–4 months, after weaning. At that age you can already see the animal’s health and growth, and there is still time before breeding. Very young kits of 4–6 weeks cope badly with a move. A cheap adult doe is sometimes another farm’s cull — always ask why she is being sold.
What to check when buying
Pick up every rabbit and look it over without rushing:
- Eyes clear, with no discharge.
- Nose dry and clean; the rabbit is not sneezing or wheezing.
- Ears clean inside, with no crusts or brown debris.
- Teeth meeting properly, with no overgrown front teeth.
- Belly soft but not bloated.
- Rear end clean, with no stuck droppings — dirt there can mean diarrhoea.
- Droppings dry and round.
- Coat even, with no bald patches; the animal alert and calm.
Ask the seller to show you the sex of each animal and check it yourself. Remember that a brother and sister from one litter can be sold as an "unrelated pair".
Ask what the rabbits are eating now and, if you can, take a few days’ worth of that feed home. Switch them to your feed gradually, over 5–7 days.
Buying rabbits and transporting them far in the hottest weeks of summer is risky: heat and stress quickly knock down new animals. If you have the choice, buy in spring or autumn.
Quarantine: 21–30 days
However healthy a new rabbit looks, keep it separate for at least 21–30 days. Many diseases show no signs at first.
- Keep the quarantine space apart from your main rabbits — in another room or well away, if possible.
- Use separate feeders, drinkers and tools.
- Feed and clean the quarantined rabbits last, then wash your hands.
- Every day, watch appetite, droppings, eyes, nose and ears, and write down what you see.
- At the end of quarantine, agree deworming and vaccination with a vet.
If a quarantined rabbit dies suddenly, bleeds from the nose, or several animals fall ill one after another, do not mix them with your herd and call a vet straight away.
Start your records on day one
Give each rabbit a number or name and write down: when and from whom it was bought, its age, the breed the seller claimed, and its weight. You will need this later to avoid inbreeding and to see which doe is a good mother.
Common beginner mistake: putting a rabbit bought at the bazaar in with your own rabbits the same day. One sick animal can wipe out the whole herd. Quarantine is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
