Information for potential Rabbit Farmers
 
Introduction
GROWTEC rabbits is a commercial rabbitry now located in Geelong Victoria with approximately 700 breeding does. We also specialise in producing high quality breeding stock and sell working age Does and Bucks for $55 (inc GST). A range of rabbit breeding equipment is also available including rabbit management computer software and nest boxes.
 
We have been breeding rabbits for approximately 13 years with extensive pedigree and performance recording throughout that time. More information about our breeding program can be found throughout this web site.  We are continuing to increase and updating this site so keep an eye on it over time. Feel free to email us () any ideas that you may have for more useful information. We also produce and support a software package called "Rabbit Central" which we believe is essential for commercially producing a consistent supply  top quality rabbits. Other products are available including nest boxes. 
 
As a result of the large number of enquiries from potential and existing rabbit farmers we have put together a much more comprehensive Information Booklet which you can purchase for more detailed study. 
 
Basic information about rabbit farming
We would recommend that you start with about 5 to 10 Does and 2 bucks initially to get used to handling and managing rabbits. You can easily build up from there when you feel more comfortable with them.
 
It is important to start with the best breeders you can find. To do this make sure that they have all information about the rabbits pedigree and that they have been recording their animals performance. If they have been doing this they should be able to demonstrate to you what their rate of genetic improvement is. Ideally rabbits should only be purchased in the supplier can provide Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for those animals however in reality at this point in time there are only 3 rabbit breeders in Australia that can provide this information. It is easy to buy rabbits of any of the local breeders but from our experience it is important that these rabbits a genetically the best, and as healthy as you can find otherwise you are putting yourself behind the competition from the start. Purchasing breeding rabbits cost about $25 to $55 dollars depending on quality and origin. GROWTEC, Crusadar and Steve Ball are the only rabbit breeders in Australia that we know of who use EBVs (Estimated breeding values ~ click here for more information). As a result of the work we have placed into our rabbits we believe at $55 they are fairly priced. The hardest thing we found when starting out was to buy rabbits for breeding purposes that would consistently perform adequately.
 
In our opinion once you have good quality breeding stock and feed the next most important factor is disease control. This is the next most important determinant of how well your rabbitry will perform and survive. This is primarily determined by the quality of your housing, equipment and the hygiene of your shed and equipment. Using Artifical Insemination (AI) aslso helps control disease, mainly through the ability to batch produce groups of rabbits.
 
In NSW licenses are no longer required. More information can be found at; http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/rabbits. For other states contact your local Department of Agriculture.
 
There is also a lot of written information about rabbit farming, however the best way start investigating commercial rabbit farming is to look in your local area. By far the best way to start out is to visit other rabbitries and get some hands on experience, advice and ideas. We can help with more information as you require.
We breed New Zealand White and Californian rabbits and have found that they both perform well. Recent research by the CSIRO at Armidale has shown that New Zealand white rabbits perform as well as purebred and crossbred Californian and Flemish Giant rabbits.
 
Marketing is a very important issue but will be determined by you location. It is vital that you can arrange a regular long-term buyer for your rabbits. We market rabbits at 2.8kgs or about 10 or 11 weeks.  You can expect to receive between $4 and $6 (in GST) per kilo of liveweight. Some processors will also charge you a kill fee. You will have to organise a processor in your area and obtain their specifications.
 
Cages can be bought from HJN International in Sydney or Agricultural Automation in Vic with a starting price of about $170.  The cages actually have 6 to 8 sections (individual cages).  You need about three individual cages for each breeding doe (one for the doe, one for weaners and one for growers).  Therefore you can house 2 does in each $170+ cage.  The HJN cage is 1.2 x 3m and meets all the appropriate housing standards.  You have to allow for some buck cages at about 1 buck to each 8 to 10 does.  You need about a metre of room each side of the cage for access.  In one of our earlier 6 x 18mm sheds we have 15 cages. In another shed we housed 84 Does and 11 Bucks and our growers were grown out in a specifically designed grower shed.  The cost of such a shed is variable depending on construction.  We often use some of own and second hand building materials and built them ourselves.  The shed were use these days are tunnel type sheds and you can see pictures of these in our photo pages. The shed needs to be insect proof.  You also need to make frames to sit you cages on - they cost about $10 to $15 if you make them yourself. You also need to consider insultaion and cooling system as well as waste disposal systems.
 
You need watering systems and feeders.  Water costs about $3 per individual cage.  Feeders can be made or purchased and the cost is variable will design and quality.  A safe estimate would be about $5 to $10 per cage depending on your skills. We make our own good quality feeders for about $5. Similar feeders retail for about $25 each. These are self feeders and have mesh on the bottom to let fines out of the feeder (this is important). Good quality cages come with water, feed and nesting systems prepackaged.  Nest boxes need to be made for each doe - costs about $5 to $35 depending on design and construction. We have designed our own GROWTEC Nest Box which is being made commercially ($33). We have found that this cost is worth every cent in terms of production and therefore profit.
 
You have to vaccinate all breeding animals against calicy virus- cost about $3 per rabbit if you do it yourself.
 
We only feed specifically designed rabbit pellets.  These can be purchased from most major livestock feed manufacturers.  We buy in bulk at about $400 to $500 per tonne landed (inc GST).  You also need a silo to store this feed or you can buy it in bags for a higher price ($15 to $40 per 40kg bag).  Does receive on average 300g per day and bucks 200 grams per day.  If you keep your Does producing well you can also feed them ad libitum Growers are fed ad libitum and eat on average about 8 to 10kg from weaning to 12 weeks. Therefore, things going well, after feed costs you can expect to make about $4 to $6 profit on each rabbit that is sold.
 
The does are joined for the first time when they are 16 weeks old. They palpated at 12 to 14 days of gestation to ensure conception has taken place. We strongly recommend you learn to palpate as this makes a huge difference to the level of production. A nest box (including nesting material - wood shavings) is placed in the cage on the 29th day of gestation. The kittens are weaned (and can be tattooed or ear tagged for individual identification) 28 days after birth. The doe is re-joined 3 to 14 days after kindling. The grower rabbits are weighted and selected or sold at about 10 to 12 weeks of age.
 
You will have to allow for transport costs, power costs, water costs, transport cages ($5 to $40).
 
Labour is another cost.  When we had about 100 does and would at the most spend an average of 2 hours per day working on the rabbits. Some extra time is spent cleaning etc. That does not include time spent taking rabbits to the abattoir.
To be a successful rabbit farmer you need to consistently produce larger numbers of weaners per Doe per year. This can range from 10 to 60 per Doe per year depending on your situation. To asses your performance you should keep good records and use these for selection, culling and evaluating changes in your management.  
 
It makes life a lot easier if you have a computer to manage your records on (we have written Rabbit Central, a software program to use for all the management and performance recording in a commercial rabbitry).
 
I have included some basic information about rabbit farming in this article and some links to good web sites can be found on the links page. If you require any more information please have a look at out Information Package or don't hesitate to contact GROWTEC.
 
We hope this information is helpful. If you have any other questions give us a call or an email and we will try to answer.