You will be getting small cull petstock at a pet store. Avoid it and auctions.
Get commercial type breeds. I don't accept anything less than a 4 pound fryer at 56 days of age. And working does that produce less than 8 per litter. I only breed for 5 litters per doe per year, but some people push them harder and get 7.
For breeds get something along the lines of:
Californians
New Zealands (comes in 3 colours [called varieties])
Satins
American Chinchillas (I suspect their feed/meat conversion is not as good as my other breed)
Champagne d'Argent
Creme d'Argent (when I raised them I thought they dressed a bit light)
Standard Rex (I dont like them as they dress out lighter than other breeds and get Sore Hocks more than other breeds)
Florida Whites (although you will do better with the New Zealand White or Californians)
Harlequins (they dress out pretty good and are fun to breed for patterns)
Satin (like the AmChins I think they don't convert feed as well, I got some really fatty necks, around the kidneys, compared to meat off other breeds side by side)
Silver Fox (my friends Blacks are dressing out quite nicely and are pretty to look at)
I would advise staying away from the giant types like the American, Flemish Giant, Checkered Giant, Giant Chinchilla as it will take longer to fill out their frames.
4x8 foot cage is one large rabbit (like the ones you dont want for meat ideally) or a doe and her litter. Rabbits don't house too well together and can fight unless they have been raised up together. Ideally you will have a 30x36x24" cage for a doe and litter at a minimum. I keep my bucks in cages this size as well, but you can give them a 30x30x24". One of these days I might play with a colony cage when I am trialing another system I would like, but it wont be anytime soon.
4 does and a buck are keeping me, my daughter and friends in meat. I only eat rabbit meat these days as I like to only eat what I grow and meat is also getting more expensive for me. My rabbitry is in shed row currently and I have 6 cages, so my setup is about 20 feet long and 4 feet wide. If you did it slightly differently you could get the same amount of cages in a 8x10 ft space.
Winter shows are happening right now and I suggest you go to a show and find something which catches your eye. I like animals with colour on them, so I tend to go with 'broken colour' varieties, but I do breed conservation with livestock, vegetables and fruit trees, so I currently raise white Americans and American Chinchillas as my friend talked me into it, as I was going to get back into Californians when I was setting up a new rabbitry. Go to
https://www.arba.net/showsSearch.php and then click SEARCH SHOW LISTINGS and it will pop up all the upcoming shows. It doesn't cost anything to go to a rabbit show and they are fun. As long as people are not in the middle of showing their rabbits (their breed is up), feel free to ask questions. 99% of the people are more than happy to talk to you. You get that occasional person who needs some serious coffee IV though, so just try another person.
Just dont -- Walk BEHIND the judging table. There will be a guy/gal behind the table handing rabbits and giving comments. You can generally stand at the side or keep the table between you and the judge. Listen and you will learn alot. Dont talk to the judge until after s/he is done for the day.
DONT pick up, feed or pet anyone elses rabbits. Especially angora breeds.
DONT walk over carriers.
DO have FUN FUN FUN! (Be warned, rabbit shows are addicting).
You can also get ahold of local clubs in your area, attend a meeting or find local breeders of the breeds of rabbits that you are interested in. If you dont feel a sale is quite right, my theory is 'there will be another rabbit another day'.
https://www.arba.net/clubs.php#search click LOCAL ALL BREED.
Cedar