When you’re planning to move or relocate a rabbitry, one thing to keep in mind is numbers. Rabbit populations can grow quickly. Though this is usually a good thing, when you’re planning a big move, this might be less than ideal.
Relocation starts well before the move, with timing and planning of breeding (or not, if the move will be too near in the future and time is short, in which case, you might be better off not breeding until after you move).
With your breeding plans in hand, the next step is to start thinking about your numbers. You’ll want to consider what a reasonable number of rabbits is to move. Then you’ll need to think about what you can do with those you won’t be taking with you.
There are several questions and considerations you’ll want to take into account. Following here are the questions I asked myself, and the considerations I undertook when preparing for our big move and rabbitry relocation.
Jump to:
- What is Your Moving [Space] Capacity?
- How Many Rabbits Can You Handle Maintaining Before the Move?
- What Will Your Space and Housing Capacity Be in the New Location?
- How Many Breeders Will You Need to Restart in the New Location?
- VIDEO: Reducing Numbers and Getting Down to Bare Bones in the Rabbitry
- What Access to Breeding Stock Do You Expect in the New Location?
- How Much Time Will You Have [or Not Have] to Process Grow Outs?
- What Are Some Good Options for Selling or Dispersing Extra Rabbits and Grow Outs?
- Focus on Breeding Stock When Relocating a Rabbitry
What is Your Moving [Space] Capacity?
This is one of the first things to consider. It doesn’t matter how many of your rabbits you want to take if you don’t have the space to move them without harm, fighting, or injury.
When we talk about capacity, we are talking about the actual amount of space you have to fit rabbits in with all the other things you will be moving.
You will need transportation that has enough air and is at a moderate temperature, not too hot, and where the rabbits won’t overheat while moving (cold temperatures are not likely to be a consideration unless you are moving in extreme cold). The rabbits should be kept out of significant drafts and wind, especially if you are moving in severe weather. Shade and protection from prolonged direct sun will be important.
You might also think about how long the ride will be and whether or not you will have to make stops to feed or water your rabbits. If that will be necessary, then you need to consider how many rabbits you can feed and water on the road, and the time that will take.
When you’ve put some thought into all of this, and you have an idea of how much physical space you have available to devote to your rabbits, you then need to think about what you have that you can transport the rabbits in.
What is Your Transporting [Cage] Capacity?
Transport carriers, such as those that are commonly used for transporting to shows, are space savers and will likely be the best equipment for the job. Other options are small pet carriers. Boxes can be an option, but are better for short moves, so the rabbits don’t get bored or nervous, and they don’t start to chew their way out. Boxes would not be a good choice for a long move.
Cages are not the best things to move rabbits in for a couple of reasons:
- They are large and will take up a lot of your available packing space (even if you are taking empty cages, at least you can pack supplies and barn items inside them to minimize the space they take up)
- A smaller space with less room to move or jump around is more confining and safer for rabbits on the road
Once you have an idea of where you’ll be housing the rabbits while you transport them, you'll know what you need for physical space in your moving vehicles. Then, you can count how many rabbits you can fit into that space.
How Many Rabbits Can You Handle Maintaining Before the Move?
In addition to deciding how many rabbits you can care for during the move, consider how many rabbits you have time to care for before the move.
Moving is tough. It’s time-consuming. It can be overwhelming. There is packing, cleaning, organizing, and so much more to do.
This may not be the time to run your rabbitry at full bore.
More likely, this is a time to reduce your workload, give yourself some space and some grace, and cut back on the day-to-day work of feeding, watering, managing, and cleaning your meat rabbitry.
See what you can do to reduce your numbers to make life as manageable as possible while you go through this very big task and transition.
What Will Your Space and Housing Capacity Be in the New Location?
It is unlikely that your setup in a new location will be exactly like your setup in the place you are leaving. And so, you also need to think about space considerations on the other end.
Is the space smaller? Larger? Can you house all of your cages and rabbits, if not now, in the future?
Do you need to take all of your rabbits? Or, can you pare down to just the amount of breeding stock that you need for the future program?
There’s no sense keeping animals that you won’t have space or a need for.
How Many Breeders Will You Need to Restart in the New Location?
Think about how quickly you can start breeding at full capacity again. This is related to the question above. Think about the time you have for breeding, growing, and processing in the near future at your new location.
Consider that if rabbits remain unbred for too long, it might be wiser to sell them off now, rather than risk their reproductive abilities.
But also, don’t sell yourself short. If you need to get numbers back up quickly after the move, then it is worth keeping more established breeders -- rabbits that can be bred within a matter of weeks when you get things up and running again.
VIDEO: Reducing Numbers and Getting Down to Bare Bones in the Rabbitry
What Access to Breeding Stock Do You Expect in the New Location?
Try to do some research into what might be available for breeding stock where you are moving to. If it seems that it might be difficult to locate replacement breeding stock, at least in the short term, factor that into how many breeders you decide to keep and move.
With a good, solid set of breeders -- a pair, a trio, or a few pairs -- you can easily rebuild your rabbitry within the year.
This may be a more reliable choice, even if it is more work to move the stock you have. In time, you will get to know the lay of the land even more in terms of accessing new rabbits, but in the meantime, it is comforting to know you have your stock set to work from.
How Much Time Will You Have [or Not Have] to Process Grow Outs?
If you breed, you have to have some plan for the grow outs’ disposition. You can, of course, process meat. Or, you can sell the grow outs off when they reach an appropriate age.
You might also think about this in terms of when the next time you will have time, setup, and opportunity to process will be after the move.
If you move grow outs, will there be enough time to process them at a time that is acceptable to you? Will you be too busy rebuilding housing and setups, or too busy with just the work of a personal relocation?
Answering these questions now will help you decide how many rabbits you can handle moving and homing on the other end.
Processing is work. The slaughtering itself is the easiest part of things. You also have to consider cooling, storage, and the time it takes to cut, package, and prepare meat for how you use it.
If this all seems like a bit too much to manage in the weeks before and after a move, it might be worth letting more rabbits go for the time being, even if they go for a low return on your investment.
What Are Some Good Options for Selling or Dispersing Extra Rabbits and Grow Outs?
If you decide you need to disperse either breeding stock or grow outs, you have some options.
A private sale, which will generally bring the best price and return on your investment, may be ideal. It’s wise to start there, but if things aren’t moving in a timely manner, there are some other avenues you can consider for sales or dispersal.
These include:
- Private sales
- Selling at rabbit shows, if you have time to attend, participate, and sell
- Selling rabbits at auction
- Offering buyers package deals for more than one rabbit
- Locating a cull buyer
- Finding a pet food buyer
- Selling at discounted or wholesale prices to a processor
- Selling at discounted or wholesale prices to a livestock dealer (they are unlikely to pay full price because they will be looking to make money on the sale, but this may be a way to safely disperse animals that you can’t move)
Of these, the fastest and easiest option, if it is available to you, will most likely be to sell through a livestock barn or at auction. Auctions are often given a bad reputation, but that is often not earned. Many auctions have solid policies and health protocols in place.
Focus on Breeding Stock When Relocating a Rabbitry
When you are relocating a rabbitry, it makes the most sense to focus on moving and rehousing the breeding stock first. Make that your priority. With good breeding stock, you can start breeding again quickly. It won’t be long before your numbers are rebounding.
By focusing your time, space, energy, and resources on your breeders, you’ll be maintaining the investment in your most productive, lucrative stock, and you will not have to spend time and money growing out new breeders for a number of months, which can mean setting you back for nearly a year.
Focus on the breeding stock. The rest will follow.
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