raising cottontail rabbit

[beagles 32]

l will be starting to raise cottontail for are club.

Any tips or ideas will help are club??????????

[rabbitearl]

I never could master that.They always die.That is in a cage, but I do know of some that are doing real good in and 3 ac pen.

[Chuck Terry]

Your pen needs to be at least 20ft. X 40ft. It needs to have some sort of net or other covering or hawks and owls will clean you out. You need no larger than 1" mesh along the bottom or your babies will escape. You need brush-piles (Christmas Trees work well), pallets, barrels and other hiding places. Grass (NOT fescue!) or grain is a plus. You must feed them well and provide water. Stock only ONE male per PEN and only one doe per 200 square feet of space. You need to remove the juveniles when they are weaned or the does will stop conceiving. It is best to put the juveniles in a separate pen until they are nearly grown. I think you should also harass them a bit to make the "wild" before releasing them or they will be caught the first night in the wild. Good luck!

[beagles 32]

are pen are (12x12) 24x24 if we use two pen( 45 f track trailer) with window . water and rabbit pellet feed everyday. the cottontail will be put in the puppy pen then the big pen. l will maybe make a pen inside the puppy pen to hold time with top.



how many doe and buck should l put together???????

when should l remove the baby from the mother?????

[Chuck Terry]

ONLY ONE BUCK per pen! Bucks will fight viciously (sometimes mortally wounding each other) if enclosed together in a small area. One buck will gladly service a half dozen or more does. The babies can be removed as soon as they are weaned - 2 or 3 weeks? I am not sure about the weaning age but it is my understanding that the females breed every 28 days or so and can have one litter after another for the entire breeding season (Spring to Fall).