| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sherrye |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 07:45:02 AM
well i just bought 15 six week old rabbits. these are a mix of meat breeds. i am going to butcher all but 3 does. i bought an unrelated buck for them. it was a slapped together home for them last night. today we will get it better. it is an older barn here. it has a small room with a concrete floor. i have a metal shelf to put their cages on. i learned that how i want to try growing them is called colony breeding. i think?lol so i am excited. they have all been held and are fairly calm. the girl said they tolerate cold better than heat. the coop is insulated but colder in winter because of where it is located on our place. i still need a few feeders for them and one water bottle. she feeds nutrina rabbit food. do you girls have any suggestions for books food their home???? i would love to have one to come in the house to hold. i am allergic to cats. we had one when the boys were young. it pottied in a cat box. anyway my brain is a sponge. anyone know about rabbits??? i am all ears. happy tails sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| plantcarazy |
Posted - Oct 25 2011 : 7:53:18 PM
It is starting to get downright cold here - even had our first snow today! It starting to make me think about the rabbits.....I usually have the larger variety types, but a few days ago obtained two very small mini lops. I am wondering how cold tolerant they are compared to their larger 'cousins'? Anyone have a suggestion? I have a insulated hutch that can be completely closed off from the elements if needs be (pic above in an older posting on this thread).
......Born again Farmgirl |
| plantcarazy |
Posted - Oct 03 2011 : 06:25:28 AM
Hi Diane (Fiddlehead Farm) I was wondering if you know what type of rabbits those are you have in your photo? They are very cute!
Thanks Jenn (plant carazy)
......Born again Farmgirl |
| sherrye |
Posted - Sep 30 2011 : 12:34:58 PM
welcome to you new farmgirls. i am excited to see so much interest. i will get the storey book. they sure drink a lot of water. wow my computer was down i dropped it. bummer. i broke the corner on it. it still works. just had my computer friend here. i love the pics. well gotta go clean poop from cows today. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Sep 30 2011 : 05:56:25 AM
Diane, i havent learned to tan hides either, since i peal the skin off i get the hide dirty.Of course regular rabbit hide wouldnt be good for lining i would use rex fur for that!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| Fiddlehead Farm |
Posted - Sep 30 2011 : 05:42:37 AM
Jenn, nice rabbit housing! Gives me ideas.
Glenda, my DH learned butchering from you-tube. We use a 22 bullet in the back of the head...more humane than the neck-breaker we saw on you-tube. I don't do it, my DH does. Haven't learned to tan the hides yet. Want to line mittens and hats with it. Next project!
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Don't go with the flow...you are the flow.
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Sep 30 2011 : 04:26:55 AM
Yep Sheila i mentioned it..lol I feed a show feed that is 18-20% but during the summer it doesnt need to be that high, they need more fiber during the summer. I would recommend going on Youtube and search for vids of processing rabbits. I would not recommend small kids watching with you until you watch them and make sure that they are humane. Really processing a rabbit is easy. I taught myself!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| SheilaC |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 7:47:08 PM
I'll say Storey's book as well. My 9 yr old son started doing meat rabbits as a 4h project this spring and we've been learning a LOT! He has two females and one male and has had three litters so far. :) One thing not mentioned here yet is that you'll want a higher protein content feed than just pet rabbit feed. We feed 18%.
http://troutwife.blogspot.com/
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| plantcarazy |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 7:28:53 PM
Hi! We just got two bunnies as well, we have no idea what breed they are. I do not know much about them, but my Husband had them as pets for years. We named our two, so I am thinking butchering for these two is off limits, but would like to think about raising for meat in the future (I'll have to check out Stories guide to Rabbits since Diane suggested it- Thanks Diane!). We just completed our bunny hutch as well. Hope we can all talk rabbits some more soon! Welcome Glenda to the sisterhood, I am sure there are a lot of people who can give you info in this chatroom, keep up your enthusiasm!
 .JPG)
......Born again Farmgirl |
| doll58maker |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 1:59:37 PM
Hi, I am a new member from Central Texas. I just joined and have spent most of the day reading all the posts--I see a new addiction coming-------just found out about MJF and this website yesterday and can't seem to get off the couch and stop reading--this is so cool. Question: How does one learn the butchering? I killed and skinned chickens when I was a kid growing up on the farm and I still remember how to do that, but I have not found any info on how to butcher other animals. May be too daunting a task for one woman but I don't think there is anybody around here who does this as a vocation. would appreciate any info. I am interested in rabbits, chickens, and goats, possibly sheep. I've found Lots of info on raising them but nothing on harvesting them. Thanks!! |
| Fiddlehead Farm |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 06:33:57 AM
Sherrye,
Stories Guide to Rabbits is a good book. We currently have 5 rabbits. We are raising them for meat and for their poo, it is great fertilizer for the garden and does not need composting to use it. We rescued 5 rabbits from a 4-H project gone bad. 3 of them survived and we bred one. She had only one kit the first time and two kits the second time. She is a good mother but does not have very big litters. We are going to breed a different doe soon. They do handle cold better than heat. We also freeze water bottles in the summer to put in their cages. We also have an exhaust fan running for air circulation. We keep them in our garage for now but are planning an outdoor rabbitry soon. We feed them rabbit pellets, timothy hay and fresh greens and fruit from the garden. My DH does the butchering, I have a problem with it. Nothing cuter than baby rabbits!
.JPG)
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Don't go with the flow...you are the flow.
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 05:44:55 AM
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Sep 29 2011 : 05:28:25 AM
If you can do pork, beef, chickens you can do a rabbit. of course we dont save our pelts so i just skin mine. its pretty easy once you get it down to the way you are comfortable doing it. We use 2 liter pop bottles with the water bottle tops on them they last longer and you pretty much now they arent going to run out of water in a day. We dont use hay feeders, we just put hay in the cages. Do you have nest boxes? you will need nest boxes for when they are ready to kindle. Rabbits are easy, with them in cages you control the breeding and due dates. We only breed in the fall and winter months as it is too hot here in texas to breed all year around. How do we post pics here??
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| sherrye |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 9:06:19 PM
this is going to be so fun. thanks girls. my friend has the book raising rabbits for dummies. so she is going to loan it to me. i have a stainless steal rack. we bought welded wire and clips. we are turning the shelves into cages. we bought bigger water bottles. the feed is nutrina rabbit. it has the salt etc. in it. i spent hours today with the tractor and my hands getting one wood hutch inside the barn. i had to cut the legs off with our cordless saw. it worked. i am spent but feel good about what we accomplished. the floor is concrete. the room is solid. i do need to get a window in soon. lisa came today and helped me. she is such a fine friend. we helped a gal in tumalo that i do chores for the other day. we are putting in electric fence for her. so i also was able to get the horse panels moved. now the cows (milkers) have my huge lawn to be on. i had to bring them home. toooo hard to milk across the road 3 cows without help. so we are figuring out what needs to be done to make this easier. the bigger water bottles will help. we bought bigger pellet feeders too. the girl at the feed store said to make hay racks. to make so they hang on outside and they pull it through the wire. i would love photos of your set ups girls. any ideas you have. i am needing to learn proper butchering also. i skin my fryers and do my own pork and beef now and them. so now i learn rabbit. my babies are 6 weeks. are they still called kits? is that right? LOL so fun this learning as we go stuff. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| RedHoopWoman |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 3:12:18 PM
Hi Sherrye,
I breed New Zealand,Californians and Champagne D'Argente rabbits,mostly for meat,I don't keep them in colonies but in open floor wire cages as I like to have control and be selective in breeding them though I do have two large pens that I use to grow out the younger rabbits (sorted by sex) until they are of butchering or breeding age,whatever I might need at the time.
I can help you with whatever husbandry help you might need though,I have had rabbits do just fine in 20 below weather and some fairly harsh storms,babies have a harder time surviving the cold if thier litter box isn't insulated enough with thier mama's fur or straw so if you have real tiny babies in winter I would suggest bringing the whole nest box inside during really harsh weather,the dam only nurses them twice a day so it usually doesn't interfere with thier growth.
Heat is what will kill them,rabbits need plenty of shade and don't tolerate heat well,especially pregnant does,a heat exhausted rabbit will pant,froth at the mouth and die,during times of extreme heat I will set up a box fan and drape thier cages with wet towels or mist them with a spray bottle.
Gestation to kindling is about 30-32 days,I keep track of breeding dates on the calendar and provide a nesting box at about day 28 or whenever they start to get restless,dig in thier cages,pull fur or pick up and carry straw,the mamas like to fuss and dig around the nest box,sometimes more than a week before kindling but give it to some moms too soon and they use it as a bathroom.
Well,let me know if I can be of any help to you.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 09:35:43 AM
if you are allergic to cats, you will be allergic to rabbits, same exact type of hair and dander...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 08:17:22 AM
If you do colony breeding you will have tons of kits and you may not be able to find them all. Also how deap will you bury the wire to keep stuff from digging in and the rabbits from digging out?? I feed a show pellet only. Yes they will potty in a box. What you do is you let them go on the floor once, you then clean it up and put it in the box and set the box right where they went. they will continue to come back to that spot to go. All of mine are in seperate pens as i feel i can keep better eye on them than in a colony setting. Rabbits do get sick and it spreads like wildfire between them if they share feed and water.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| sherrye |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 08:09:06 AM
yours are so pretty. thanks for replying. i will be asking you questions for sure. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| Lieberkim |
Posted - Sep 28 2011 : 07:58:56 AM
I just started out with Satin rabbits so I wouldn't consider myself an expert but I do have them and know a little bit! I feed mine their pellets and then some hay or fresh greens. Be careful introducing the fresh greens because if they are not used to it it can cause diarhea and I'm told that's a death sentence to a rabbit. Mine love carrot greens and clover etc. I'm not doing the colony breeding at least at this point because mine are pedigreed and it's more difficult to keep track of things that way. Maybe some day if I can figure out a good system. You'll have to let me know how colony breeding turns out! If it's hot out I put a bottle of water that I froze in the freezer in with them. They will actually lay across it to cool off. They get very animated and happy when they see the frozen bottles coming. Now that it has cooled off I don't give them the bottles anymore. Once it gets cold I plan on putting straw in with them so they can snuggle in and stay cuddly warm. I don't have any suggestions for books because at this point I have other rabbit breeders with the experience to ask questions of. But there are some good sites on the internet you can learn from too. Just type in raising meat rabbits and all kinds of sites will come up. In your case maybe add in colony and see what kind of information you can get. My children LOVE the rabbits and always want to help take care of them. I think they'll be an excellent first 4H project for my kids once they're old enough.
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
