Free range/pastured rabbits

[NewHopePoultry]

I have been worming mine 3 times a year

 

[reliant601]

Quote:
I wouldn't suggest that. Rabbits at that young of age shouldn't be eatting greens at all. Hay is fine, but not grass at all.


I've been thinking about getting a couple of hutches for my one rabbit to be in so he is a little bit more happier and then some of the other cages can be for the rabbits once I get the meat ones...if I ever. lol

 

[MammaBear]

Hello Everyone. I am new to the forum and am really enjoying it. When I read about the "Pasture Rabbits" I knew this was the place for me and my little farm. We don't call them pastured, we just say that we set them loose. This is the second year of having the rabbits run loose and I really couldn't tell you who enjoys it more, the rabbits or my family. We set 5 rabbits loose last spring, they did wonderful all during the warm weather and although we were worried about leaving them out over the winter they did remarkably well. No losses and a big gain in numbers.

Having the rabbits run loose does have it draw backs. Predators. The rabbit is not very high on the food chain. We live in SW PA and we have a range of bunny troublemakers here. Hawks, coyotes, Bob Cats, the cat lady's little precious inbred feral cats, the car in your driveway, and dogs just to get your list started. Of the original 4 we turned out there is only 1 left. It is not a matter of if you will loose a rabbit but when. That being said, I still wouldn't have it any other way.

The rabbits live under the pig shed, under the chicken coop, under our front porch, in several of the wood piles we have scattered around. They are all over the place and do very well with the chickens. We supplement their diets with a little dog food. Every evening when I feed the dogs I throw out some dog food for them and they are all waiting for me. they know what the black bucket is, and the rattle of the cup with food in it will bring them running. After the feeding is done, we sit in lawn chairs by the chicken coop and watch the bunnies till it is too dark to see them.

It is wonderful to see the dynamics of rabbit life: Who was kicked out of the den so new babies can be born, who the new mothers are, who is the herd alpha. This evening we had 13 rabbit come for dinner and just yesterday morning we saw new little ones peeking out from under the pig shed.

If anyone is thinking of setting your rabbits loose, now would be the best time to do it. It is nice and warm and they won't have any trouble finding food.

 

[fazlur]

I got 2 rabbits from a friend and held them in a cage for 3 months,
I let them loose in my yard, for 2 months now.
they were still young when i let them out.
Now i see baby bunnies all over my yard, my neighbours, and the bush next door.,
and then they are all gone, and a new litter keeps arriving.
problem is i dont know were they have the babies.

 

[ll]

Question - what about winter? We get 2ft of snow and months of ice. Are your pastured bunnies living under the ground all winter and make their appearances during melts/thaws?

 

[Janis R]

I have 2' x 8' tractors with hardware cloth on all sides and 2" x 4" wire on bottom, they are the same size as my raised garden beds. I move them every couple days. I use plastic totes as huts, easy to clean. I am thinking of making a large pen for my does to go in during the day. I raise CA , NZ and Brown Satins, want to get Silver Fox. I use a KB-tatt to tattoo my does and bucks. My hubby wants to put the cages/tractors in a shed, I am trying to talk him into keeping the rabbits on pasture during warm months and just putting in the shed in the winter. The only problem we encounter is how to keep the feed dry when it rains, we have those dishes that mount on the outside and go thru hole cut in the wire.

 

[Free Feather]

What is up with everyone saying it hurts rabbits to be on the ground? That does not even make any sense.

 

[cassie]

What is up with everyone saying it hurts rabbits to be on the ground? That does not even make any sense.

My guess it is because of the parasites they can pick up.

 

[TNHipneck]

I can't believe I didn't find this thread years ago when I was first experimenting with letting my buns free-range. I learned a lot from trial and error since I could not find much on the internet about totally free bunnies. There is a lot about letting them run free in the house or in a larger outdoor confined area, but not totally free. One thing I have learned is my bunnies do great on the ground in the winter months, but as spring "springs" they eventually get sick and die. I have also had them get wolf worms that are not fatal, but are very disturbing. I live in middle Tennessee, USA. I love to see the bunnies get to escape the heat of our summers by stretching out in some cool shady soil. But I am not sure what parasite is killing them or what type of wormer to use. My vet has not been helpful, as his only advice was he could experiment with small doses of cow wormer. For now I just put them back in cages during warm months and put them back on the ground after temps drop. Advice for worming--what med/frequency? Anyone else had this problem and solved it?

 

[DutchBunny03]

Try regularly moving your rabbit tractor. The manure buildup is a great breeding ground for parasites.