Homestead Rabbit Basics
So you want to start your homestead rabbit journey, but you’re unsure where to begin. What do rabbits eat? How much do they eat? What happens if they get sick? How do they live? While these things can all be elaborated on extensively, we’ll try to sum it up for you in a condensed version. Whether you just purchased your rabbit herd, or you’re about to, there are some key homestead rabbit basics you’ll need to know.

Homestead Rabbit Basics
Rabbits are a great sustainable meat source for homesteaders for several reasons:
- Rabbits do not require a lot of space.
- They reproduce rapidly and in large numbers. One doe can produce 6-10 kits per litter with an average for 4 litters per year.
- They have an efficient feed-to-meat conversion rate.
- They are quiet which is ideal in suburban areas.
- Their droppings can be used directly on the garden without needing to be composted first.
- They can provide meat, beautiful pelts, fertilizer, and additional income from shows or selling kits. You can even sell their droppings to gardeners.
Now let’s get into the rabbit basics that you need to know to be successful with them on your homestead.
Rabbit Housing Options
Before buying your first rabbit pair, decide if you want to raise them on pasture, in cages, in colonies, or in individual cages.
Some people choose to raise rabbits on pasture, while others choose to raise them in hutches. Some, like us, even choose to do both.
No matter the housing, you’ll need to ensure they are secure and safe from predators. Rabbits should also be out of direct sunlight, if at all possible, in the warmer months. In the cooler months, direct sunlight is fine. But make sure they have a shaded area where they can go inside of their hutch.

If you choose to do wire hutches that aren’t on pasture, we highly suggest investing in a floor mat that they can sit on should their feet ever get stressed from the wire. You can purchase them here, or you can simply put a small piece of plywood in their hutch.
Make sure all hutches are draft-free in the winter months, as cold air can be detrimental to rabbits. You’ll also want to pack their hutches full of straw in the winter time.
Rabbit Housing Essentials:
- Hutch, Cage, or Portable Tractor: Whichever you choose, make sure there is enough space for the breed you raise. A general rule of thumb is 6-9 square feet of space per rabbit.
- Resting Mat for wire floors: Wire mesh can be hard on rabbits’ feet so add a ceramic tile or another type of cage mat to help prevent sore hocks.
- Shade Cloth and/or Wind Stop: In the summer months, rabbits need to be protected from direct sunlight. In the winter, they need to be protected from cold drafts.
- Waterer: Water bowls & bottles are common options, but you can also use an automatic watering system.
- Feeder: Use a free standing bowl, a feeding cup attached to the cage, or a trough style feeder.
- Nest Boxes: Add a nesting box when your doe is close to kindling.
Choosing a Meat Rabbit Breed
Choose quality breeding stock to make the most of your rabbitry. First, you need to decide which breed matches your needs the best.
Do you need rabbits for meat production or do you need show quality rabbits?
Do you want to raise purebred rabbits or do you prefer to cross two different breeds?
Do you prefer hybrid or heritage breeds?
Some common rabbit breeds include:
- Rex
- New Zealand
- Californian
- Flemish Giants
- Silver Fox
- American Chinchilla
- Champagne D’argent
After choosing your ideal breed(s), you can begin searching for the animals that will form the base of your rabbit breeding program. Be sure that each doe and buck exhibits the highest qualities of their respective breeds. This helps to ensure that the kits they produce will be high quality as well.
Basics of Breeding Rabbits
Be sure that you calculate the timing of breeding correctly. You don’t want does to be kindling while you are out of town or simply not ready for them. Rabbits give birth just one month after breeding so have everything researched, prepped, and ready before ever putting the doe and buck together so you don’t end up rushing around at kindling time.

Rabbit Breeding Tips:
- Rabbits reach sexual maturity between 3-6 months of age. This varies from breed to breed.
- Put the doe into the buck’s cage. If you put the buck into the doe’s cage, she may fight him as female rabbits tend to be territorial.
- Don’t put the breeding pair together and walk away. Stay and observe to make sure the male “falls off”.
- A rabbit’s gestation period is 28-31 days.
- Place the nest box in the doe’s cage a week before her due date. She should start building her nest naturally.
- Kits are typically weaned between 6-8 weeks of age.
What Should I Feed Rabbits?
Rabbit feed, to me, is the most interesting part of raising rabbits. There are several different combinations of feed options so it is important to put in some work up front to decide what you prefer.
Feeding Hay
The bulk of a rabbit’s diet should consist of some form of hay—ours love orchard grass. You can also give your rabbits alfalfa hay, but be careful not to over do it. Too much alfalfa means too much calcium. If you’re feeding them alfalfa hay, then they do not need a high calcium/protein pellet.
Raw Food for Rabbits
The next source of feed is raw food. If you choose to do a completely raw food diet, in addition to hay, each rabbit needs about one quart of raw food each day. This can be in the form of carrots (in moderation), greens (such as kale or romaine lettuce), etc. Fruit can also be given as a treat, but not overly done as they have a lot of sugar in them.
Rabbit Pellets
A rabbit pellet is the final option for rabbit feed. Choose a pellet that is high in protein if you are raising meat rabbits. Organic is best.
Rabbits on Pasture
You can raise your rabbits on pasture, but be warned, they will grow much slower on pasture without a pellet or hay supplement.
Rabbit Treats
What about treats? Your rabbits don’t “need” treats, but we do supplement and add treats to feed, such as Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, and other various types of seeds. Because seeds are high in fat/oil, we give them in rations, as not to make the rabbits fat. You can even make your own rabbit treats.
Herbal Feed Additions
We also enjoy adding herbs to our rabbit’s regular diet. Thyme, oregano, rosemary, echinacea, cilantro, parsley, and just about any other herb you can find at the store. Please do your research to see which herbs rabbits can have. However, these I mentioned above are some of our favorites. While they are a tasty treat, they are also an incredible immunity booster.
Clean Water is Essential!
Also, don’t forget WATER. Rabbits need a constant supply of water. In the wintertime, this can be hard. We switch over to crocks rather than bottles, so that they can at least lick the ice.

Rabbit Basics: First Aid Kit
Inevitably, your rabbit will find itself in a predicament at some point in its life.
Whether it’s a hurt paw, or something more dire like a respiratory issue, there are things to keep on hand so that you aren’t running around frantically trying to find something to help your ailing livestock.
We choose to treat holistically here on our homestead, so I’ll be listing what holistic treatments I keep on hand.
- Vibactra Plus Immunity/Digestive Boost — We give this every few months for 3-5 days at a time. This helps boost immunity, aides in digestive issues, and helps cleanse the body of parasites.
- Otalgia Drops for Ear Infection — Rabbits are prone to ear infections, and can sometimes get ear mites. Otalgia drops are a great option. If you don’t want to buy Otalgia drops; water, honey and essential oils also help.
- Vibactra All Natural Antibiotic — If you’re raising meat rabbits, the last thing you want to do is treat it with antibiotics. That’s kind of why we got into raising meat rabbits, after all. To stay away from commercial treatments. This is a great, all natural option for antibiotics.
- Essential Oils — Keep peppermint, oregano, and tea tree in my medicine kit at all times. Great for cuts and scraps (with a carrier oil).
- Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) — Add this to their feed every few days to help rid their digestive tract of any parasites.
- Echinacea Leaves or Powder — Great immunity booster, but also another natural antibiotic treatment.
- Other things like gauze pads, stitches, scissors, and wraps are also essential.
Rabbit Play Time and Bonding
Each and every homestead is different. We all have different ways of raising animals, and as long as they are healthy and happy, that’s what matters.
Here on our homestead, we don’t have a lot of time to spend with the adult rabbits on a regular basis. However, whenever we have a brand new litter, we spend a lot of time with them the first 6-8 weeks of life. This is essential to a well-behaved rabbit.
Giving your rabbits something to play with in the meantime is optional, but I believe you’ll find it more fun for them, and your own conscious. A small ball is a favorite here. Something as simple as a dollar store ball. Nothing bigger than them.
Ultimately, rabbits are fairly easy to take care of. I encourage you to check out these more in-depth blog posts and videos, for more information on purchasing rabbits, breeds, housing, feed, and holistic treatment.
Other Homestead Rabbit Basics Resources:
- Preparing Your Rabbits for Winter
- The Basics: Raising, Breeding and Processing Rabbits (highly suggest reading!)
- Myth Debunked: “Breeding Like Rabbits”
- How I Keep My Rabbits Cool (video)
- Raising Meat Rabbits Part 1 — Basics (video)
- Raising Meat Rabbits Part 2 — Breeding, Nesting, Selling (video)
- Raising Meat Rabbits Part 3 — What to Feed (video)
- Raising Meat Rabbits Part 4 — Processing (video)
- Why We Are No Longer Raising Meat Rabbits (video)
- Winter on the Homestead —Preparing Your Animals Naturally (video)
- Rabbit Care Basics by Timber Creek Farm
- Rabbits & Coccidiosis
- 3 Things to Know Before Getting Rabbits
- How to Build an Automatic Gravity-Fed Water System for Rabbits
- Baked Homemade Rabbit Treats
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