| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CherryPie |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 09:12:21 AM
I've mentioned before that I'm toying with getting fiber rabbits. My hubby is dead set against any animals but I thought if I could demonstrate that the rabbits will pay for themselves by selling their fiber for spinning, he might give the green light. I was only going to get a couple of does - didn't want to deal with breeding - and then sell the fiber online to spinners (maybe spinner farmgirls!) but not having cared for rabbits before, I'm not sure that plan is viable. Any advice from rabbit owners?
Kimberly Ann
Farmgirl Sister #225
Crochet Geek, Newbie Fiddler, Would-be Farmer, Backyard Chicken Rancher, Eager Podcaster
http://beesinourbonnetsintheburbs.blogspot.com/
Podcasts at http://thefannyfarm.blogspot.com/ |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| KristenMyers |
Posted - Jun 09 2010 : 12:47:35 PM
I recently rescued 4 angora rabbits. Their hair was in the worst of ways. It was matted and completely awful, hence the rescue. I have spent the last week working on removing all the matts. Since they were so severly matted the shears didn't even work and even cut on bunny. I found a woman who used a dematted brush on youtube and it seems to be the only tool that will remove the matts without cutting them but you lose all the fiber/hair. Rabbits skin is so thin that if you try to cut the matts off with scissors you will more than likely cut the rabbit in the process no matter how skilled you are at it or how long you've groomed I never suggest scissors on a rabbit.
They are precious animals but they do require constant grooming and attention. I built them a indoor rabbit room. Keeping them outside is not suggested for Angoras I read somewhere. Other places say it is fine. I prefer to keep my innocent bunnies safe in the house. Their poo pellets have no odor but their urine does. Especially males who can spray. Vet suggested neutering them. I will as soon as I have a litter. :) I wanna some babies atleast once.
My husband is kinda like yours. He loves all animals but he thinks that they should serve a purpose more than stress relief or companionship. I have not tried to sell the fiber yet but plan on it. I already have a friend who sells her angora goat fiber. She said she could help me find someone to buy it. So I am hopiing that works out.
I did learn that most of the metal cages people keep them in hurt their feet since they have no pads on their feet. Plus the cages are small and expensive. So keep that in mind when you go to buy or make your hutch, house, or cage. I bought a dog playpen/exercise pen and put down rubber chair mats on the floor to protect the floor with a sheet over them. I change the sheet daily and pour all the poo pellets into a bucket for my plants later. Then wash the sheet. I am trying to litter train them which will be sweeeeeet if they ever get it :) But so far no luck. I got the chair mat idea off a website. I put the sheet on top to absorb the urine so that they don't step or sit in it and make themselves stinky! :) Works wonder and is cheap.
I hope you have lots of luck. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have from my experiences so far and would love to hear yours. Here is some links to websites I found helpful.
http://www.angorarabbit.com/angora/
http://www.angorarabbit.com/angora/angora-guide/index.htm
http://www.binkybunny.com/HOME/tabid/36/Default.aspx
http://nationalangorarabbitbreeders.com/
P.S. Mine are pets. I'm vegetarian, I could never kill a living animal no matter what kind, but with that said I did grow up on a farm and understand people who can and do. No hater here. :) |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Apr 13 2010 : 7:43:08 PM
I dont do fiber rabbits but do show, pet and meat rabbits. We got into rabbits for the kids 4-h for show. then decided to add the meat rabbits. Well i can only butcher so many a year they you need to have another source for them. Meat rabbits are harder to find an outlet for and you can get lots of hate mail, calls, things like that from people that dont belive in that sort of thing. I can say after being in rabbits for over 2 years and we have close to 100 rabbits. I have made enough to pay for the feed this year, BUT that is only cuz i had run on show rabbits.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Apr 13 2010 : 6:41:09 PM
Oh I should mention I haven't had rabbits for 20 years but still occasionally get the nightmares. Amanda, thanks for the affirmation, it did take a little bit of courage to post the "down" side. In this economy rabbits are something you do for the love of the animals, not necessarily because you can make money at it...
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| CherryPie |
Posted - Apr 12 2010 : 07:27:50 AM
Thank you everyone for the great replies. You've given me so much to think about, which is exactly what I needed.
Kimberly Ann
Farmgirl Sister #225
Crochet Geek, Newbie Fiddler, Would-be Farmer, Backyard Chicken Rancher, Eager Podcaster
http://beesinourbonnetsintheburbs.blogspot.com/
Podcasts at http://thefannyfarm.blogspot.com/ |
| msdoolittle |
Posted - Apr 12 2010 : 06:53:09 AM
Brenda,
What a great reply! Thank you for being so honest. I, too, have had nightmares about forgetting to feed/water something around here. I currently have 6 bunnies (2 Dwarves, a mutt, a NZ, and 2 Californians). The Dwarves are my 'Green Team'. I feed them all the weeds from the garden and they provide me with 'brown bunny gold' (read: bunny poo). I am planning to use the Cal's and NZ to produce meat, and, well, the mutt is just so friendly, lol.
BUT, I had also thought about getting one or 2 Angoras to 'harvest' the wool. However, I am not going to make any hasty decisions, because I realize Angoras need a lot more one on one attention, and I have vowed not to stretch myself too thin! While it may not be something I can do now, I will keep it on the back burner for the time being. I love to knit, so I thought about just doing it for myself :0)
I will say that bunnies are easy to raise and fun, but be SURE you start out with healthy, great quality stock! Sick bunnies can be a nightmare (read all about Pasturella infections, to start). You will want to find bunnies with great quality wool and I'd also look for a mentor who has 'been there, done that'. I have several 'goat ladies' who helped me SOOOO much in finding great quality stock, and coached me through my early days of goat care.
And, like anything else on your farm, try to have a 1 and 5 year(or even 10 year) plan. Where do you want to 'be' with these bunnies in a year and in 5 years? Always good to have a goal in mind. My personal goal is to put these guys on pasture and eat the offspring. (ok, not the dwarves, lol)
And, I will also say that with livestock, you'll probably never make a profit. Maybe on paper if you're really lucky, but definitely not when you figure in your time. As my county extension agent once said, "If you get into agriculture to make a profit, you're going to be sorely disappointed." I do it for the love I have for the animals, and for the benefits they give me (weed eaters/food)...and, well, just because I enjoy it. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!!!
Adventures in Homesteading!
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Apr 11 2010 : 9:02:11 PM
I've also thought about getting back into the Angora bunnies, they are so adorable. I raised French Angoras but I think next time around it might be German. But I'm not going to try to be profitable, rather to use the fiber myself and limit it to a few rabbits.
Twenty years ago I started in the Angora rabbit business. I started with 3 does and 2 bucks. The lady I bought them from told me that "prime" wool sold for $13 an ounce and that I could harvest at least an ounce from each rabbit every 4-5 months. I could expect to have a litter of 6-8 bunnies every couple of months. I thought I might make some money!
Reality set in when I was up to 45 rabbits. Every time one of the does had a litter, I had to choose the best ones and "cull" the rest, which I couldn't bear to do. When they got to be 6 weeks old, each rabbit needed its own cage (at $45 each), which needed to be inside a barn to protect them from the weather. They needed watering and feeding twice a day and every rabbit needed to be groomed at least once a week, which could take up to an hour. If you don't keep up with the grooming schedule, you have fiber floating around the barn everywhere and getting contaminated with dust and spiderwebs, etc, and their wool gets matted and then it is a PAIN to groom them (literally) and you lose the wool. I kept them registered with the ARBA so I could show them, and this meant tatooing their little ears and they would SCREAM when I did it. Of course they SCREAMED when I bred them too, so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought.
I found out a lot about myself in this process. I worked a stressful job and I told myself the rabbits would be a stress-reliever, but instead they turned into a source of stress for me. Every now and then I still have nightmares of rabits breeding outside of cages and filling up barns and getting sick because I got home from work late and didn't water them. I eventually sold some and butchered all but two of the rest, which lived to a ripe old age and were a joy to take care of.
I am not trying to discourage you, but I think you should go into it with your eyes wide open. They do take quite of bit of time, which is great if you have it, but can be overwhelming if you don't.
They are beautiful creatures and if you do it for the love of the animals it is great, but don't expect to make minimum wage for your time! I learned to spin in the process and still enjoy it today. Also, the manure is great for your garden, which is another side benefit, and some people raise fishing worms in the manure which can be another source of income.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| grace gerber |
Posted - Apr 01 2010 : 5:21:29 PM
Oh I purchase Bunny Fur all the time - I raised my own French Angora's for many years. I had a lady who I purchased all of her French and English Angora fur - she had 250 rabbits. If you have quality stock and you care for the fiber correctly you will have a wonderful market. I have always thought of getting back into raising my own. The top fiber goes for about $10.00 an ounce or more depending on your colors, length, handle of fiber and also where you are located. If you have specific questions I might help you with I would be more then willing. Bunny yarn if you spin goes for about $1.25 a yard compare that too wool which is about 10 per yard. Might be something to think about learning to spin...
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
|
| CherryPie |
Posted - Apr 01 2010 : 4:08:18 PM
I'm wondering what the market is like for the fiber, if you don't spin it or use it for yourself. Anyone on the forum who sells the fiber that can give us some insight?
Kimberly Ann
Farmgirl Sister #225
Crochet Geek, Newbie Fiddler, Would-be Farmer, Backyard Chicken Rancher, Eager Podcaster
http://beesinourbonnetsintheburbs.blogspot.com/
Podcasts at http://thefannyfarm.blogspot.com/ |
| Lorie Marler |
Posted - Apr 01 2010 : 2:45:26 PM
I totally agree rabbits are awesome!! I have Jersey Woolies and I love them.
http://bikerbunniesrabbitry.webs.com |
| kristina |
Posted - Apr 01 2010 : 10:06:49 AM
We just picked up two female German angoras ourselves. I agree that they're are probably the easiest farm animal to care for. They are relatively inexpensive to house and feed and they provide a lot of fiber. I already have two grocery bags filled and they've only been with us for one month. I have no idea how much the fiber fetches. My hope is to find a spinner that will spin the fiber for me and take a percentage of the yarn as payment. If anyone out there is interested, please let me know! |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 2:19:08 PM
rabbits are about the cheapest of all farm animals to raise, houseing can be store bought, or homemade, their manure is great for the garden, and if your hubby fishes, will maintain a great worm system (red wigglers) with little work. They don't take up much space, they are easy to handle, and almost smell free, as long as you keep their cages clean. They need not much in the way of shelter, a garden shed or old playhouse will work fine.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
|
|
