The first step is to make sure you know enough about rabbits. Facebook groups can be full of misinformation, so if you join them, just be aware of that beforehand. A lot of people who sound like they know what they're doing really don't! The best way to learn the basics is to join ARBA. You will be sent a book called Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies which is full of useful info. Also, go to shows, make friends with established breeders, and ask plenty of questions. If you can, find a mentor who can help guide you along the way. Also, make sure that you have plenty of experience handling rabbits so that you can handle them safely and humanely.
Next, find a breed that suits your purpose. Do you just want to show, or are you also wanting to produce wool, fur, etc.? Find a breed that is specifically designed for that purpose. For example, don't get English Angoras if you want an easy-care coat. Find a breed with a temperament that suits you. Don't get a high strung breed if you aren't capable of handling it. Don't get a marked breed unless you are okay with producing lots of mismarked kits. Lastly, get a breed that an appearance that you think is attractive. It doesn't matter what others think are cute or beautiful, it matters what YOU like. Remember, it's your herd, so you should get rabbits that you will take pleasure out of looking at on a daily basis.
The most important step is to start with quality rabbits. Ideally a trio of two does and a buck. I cannot stress how imperative it is that you start off with quality stock. The best way of going about this is by first buying a Standard of Perfection, which is readily available off the ARBA website. Read over your breed standard. For me, it helps to draw pictures and make notes. I still go through the Holland standard on a semi regular basis. Next, join your breed's national specialty club. This is a SUPER important step!! The links to each respective specialty club are on the ARBA website under 'Recognized Breeds'. Once you've joined, most breed clubs will have a guidebook they will send you, in addition to magazines every few months. For me, the Holland Lop guidebook has been an invaluable resource. I'm not sure how it's done in other breed clubs, but for Hollands, the club publishes a magazine called the Hollander every 4 months, with educational articles and also the current local and national rankings of breeders based on their wins. Find the highest ranked breeders closest to you, and search them up on FB. Contact those breeders expressing your interest, and be specific about what exactly you want. Ideally, see if you can get seniors that are proven (have had successful litters in the past). Invest in getting the best possible quality trio possible so that you start off producing nice rabbits right away. Usually (though not always) that means you will need to spend a bit of money. Trust me though, it's better to start of with nice stock then spend tons of time, energy, and money on years and years of working with lesser quality rabbits to accomplish what you could have in a generation or two with better quality stock.
Do not expect those breeders to sell you their best stock. Those are the rabbits that they keep for themselves, and rightly so. Instead, what you should be looking for is a trio that complement each other and will likely outproduce themselves if bred right. This is where the breeder's help comes in handy. An experienced/reputable breeder will be able to match up a pair or trio of rabbits that will complement each other to produce stock better than themselves. Listen to their advice, they likely know a lot more than you.
A very important step is to register yourself with ARBA. Among many other benefits, you will be able to register and grand your show rabbits, and you will get a subscription to Domestic Rabbits, which is ARBA's magazine. Also, join your national breed club, so you will be able to see your national and district standings among other breeders. They also publish magazines that are full of useful information. You can also join local clubs if there are any near you, but that is less essential. You will also need to register your rabbitry name with ARBA so that nobody else can take your rabbitry name. Choose a short, catchy name that people can remember.
You will also need to get some sort of pedigree software. I recommend Evans Software, it has worked really well for me. It was around $70, but it is a lifetime purchase. Some other software and websites require a yearly payment to use the site. Evans also has many other uses, such as recording your income, and predicting colors of offspring.
You will need to figure out what you will do for water. Your rabbits will need water 100% of the time, and it must not be dirty, too warm, or frozen. Water bowls work, but I have found that my rabbits will drink them quickly enough that I will have to keep refilling them constantly and I might miss one. Water bottles work better for me. I always use very large bottles so that I don't have to ever worry about them running out. I usually refill them when they have about 1/4 of a bottle left. Some people use automatic watering systems, which I would love to get at some point.
You will also need to find a brand of show feed that works for you. Ideally it would be local so that the feed is as fresh as possible. Talk to local breeders and see what they recommend. Keep in mind that some brands may work for another herd but won't for yours. Feel free to figure out what brand works best for your herd to keep them in top body, coat, and breeding condition. You will also need to think about supplements. Some people don't supplement, some do. It's your call. Again, talk to local breeders, learn about what they recommend, and go from there. You should also decide on hay. More people feed hay than don't, but it's not uncommon to hear of people who don't feed hay. Again, do what's best for your herd. All my rabbits under 6 months get hay, as well as rabbits that are sick or have been sick, and those that are or have been under stress, such as recently bought rabbits or rabbits that are at a show. Most people feed orchard grass hay, but many feed timothy. These two hays are nutritionally very similar, but orchard hay is often cheaper and there tends to be less variation in hay quality than in timothy.
You will also want to get a grooming table, grooming supplies, nail trimmers, a current Standard of Perfection, medicine supplies, cage tags, food bowls, food scoops, and dried papaya as a digestive supplement to reduce the risk of GI stasis.
The last, and very important thing, is to get cages! You will want wire cages, which can be purchased off vendors at most ARBA shows. Some people even custom-make them for you! You will want some cages allotted for grow-outs and bucks, and some larger cages for does with litters. They can often be expensive, but the quality is worth the price. You can also often get them used off other breeders, who frequently post cages on FB.
That's it for now! I'm sure I'll add more to this later as I think of stuff. :)
Next, find a breed that suits your purpose. Do you just want to show, or are you also wanting to produce wool, fur, etc.? Find a breed that is specifically designed for that purpose. For example, don't get English Angoras if you want an easy-care coat. Find a breed with a temperament that suits you. Don't get a high strung breed if you aren't capable of handling it. Don't get a marked breed unless you are okay with producing lots of mismarked kits. Lastly, get a breed that an appearance that you think is attractive. It doesn't matter what others think are cute or beautiful, it matters what YOU like. Remember, it's your herd, so you should get rabbits that you will take pleasure out of looking at on a daily basis.
The most important step is to start with quality rabbits. Ideally a trio of two does and a buck. I cannot stress how imperative it is that you start off with quality stock. The best way of going about this is by first buying a Standard of Perfection, which is readily available off the ARBA website. Read over your breed standard. For me, it helps to draw pictures and make notes. I still go through the Holland standard on a semi regular basis. Next, join your breed's national specialty club. This is a SUPER important step!! The links to each respective specialty club are on the ARBA website under 'Recognized Breeds'. Once you've joined, most breed clubs will have a guidebook they will send you, in addition to magazines every few months. For me, the Holland Lop guidebook has been an invaluable resource. I'm not sure how it's done in other breed clubs, but for Hollands, the club publishes a magazine called the Hollander every 4 months, with educational articles and also the current local and national rankings of breeders based on their wins. Find the highest ranked breeders closest to you, and search them up on FB. Contact those breeders expressing your interest, and be specific about what exactly you want. Ideally, see if you can get seniors that are proven (have had successful litters in the past). Invest in getting the best possible quality trio possible so that you start off producing nice rabbits right away. Usually (though not always) that means you will need to spend a bit of money. Trust me though, it's better to start of with nice stock then spend tons of time, energy, and money on years and years of working with lesser quality rabbits to accomplish what you could have in a generation or two with better quality stock.
Do not expect those breeders to sell you their best stock. Those are the rabbits that they keep for themselves, and rightly so. Instead, what you should be looking for is a trio that complement each other and will likely outproduce themselves if bred right. This is where the breeder's help comes in handy. An experienced/reputable breeder will be able to match up a pair or trio of rabbits that will complement each other to produce stock better than themselves. Listen to their advice, they likely know a lot more than you.
A very important step is to register yourself with ARBA. Among many other benefits, you will be able to register and grand your show rabbits, and you will get a subscription to Domestic Rabbits, which is ARBA's magazine. Also, join your national breed club, so you will be able to see your national and district standings among other breeders. They also publish magazines that are full of useful information. You can also join local clubs if there are any near you, but that is less essential. You will also need to register your rabbitry name with ARBA so that nobody else can take your rabbitry name. Choose a short, catchy name that people can remember.
You will also need to get some sort of pedigree software. I recommend Evans Software, it has worked really well for me. It was around $70, but it is a lifetime purchase. Some other software and websites require a yearly payment to use the site. Evans also has many other uses, such as recording your income, and predicting colors of offspring.
You will need to figure out what you will do for water. Your rabbits will need water 100% of the time, and it must not be dirty, too warm, or frozen. Water bowls work, but I have found that my rabbits will drink them quickly enough that I will have to keep refilling them constantly and I might miss one. Water bottles work better for me. I always use very large bottles so that I don't have to ever worry about them running out. I usually refill them when they have about 1/4 of a bottle left. Some people use automatic watering systems, which I would love to get at some point.
You will also need to find a brand of show feed that works for you. Ideally it would be local so that the feed is as fresh as possible. Talk to local breeders and see what they recommend. Keep in mind that some brands may work for another herd but won't for yours. Feel free to figure out what brand works best for your herd to keep them in top body, coat, and breeding condition. You will also need to think about supplements. Some people don't supplement, some do. It's your call. Again, talk to local breeders, learn about what they recommend, and go from there. You should also decide on hay. More people feed hay than don't, but it's not uncommon to hear of people who don't feed hay. Again, do what's best for your herd. All my rabbits under 6 months get hay, as well as rabbits that are sick or have been sick, and those that are or have been under stress, such as recently bought rabbits or rabbits that are at a show. Most people feed orchard grass hay, but many feed timothy. These two hays are nutritionally very similar, but orchard hay is often cheaper and there tends to be less variation in hay quality than in timothy.
You will also want to get a grooming table, grooming supplies, nail trimmers, a current Standard of Perfection, medicine supplies, cage tags, food bowls, food scoops, and dried papaya as a digestive supplement to reduce the risk of GI stasis.
The last, and very important thing, is to get cages! You will want wire cages, which can be purchased off vendors at most ARBA shows. Some people even custom-make them for you! You will want some cages allotted for grow-outs and bucks, and some larger cages for does with litters. They can often be expensive, but the quality is worth the price. You can also often get them used off other breeders, who frequently post cages on FB.
That's it for now! I'm sure I'll add more to this later as I think of stuff. :)