If you are trying to be self sustaining on protein, you might want to take a serious look at meat rabbits. They are super quiet, have a meat to ratio of about 3:1 and are ready to process quick, in 12 weeks from birth. 2 does and 1 buck will give you as much as 6 litters a year x 10 to 13 kits per litter x2does= 120 to 150+ rabbits@ 31/2 pounds or 200+ pounds of meat protein ! Just a thought and my 2 cents worth.
If you are trying to be self sustaining on protein, you might want to take a serious look at meat rabbits. They are super quiet, have a meat to ratio of about 3:1 and are ready to process quick, in 12 weeks from birth. 2 does and 1 buck will give you as much as 6 litters a year x 10 to 13 kits per litter x2does= 120 to 150+ rabbits@ 31/2 pounds or 200+ pounds of meat protein ! Just a thought and my 2 cents worth.
You can never go wrong with advice from Celie and the other veteran BYCers. They literally saved the lives of my chicks early on and helped me with many continuous questions, big and small, along the way. This is the best, friendiest and most generous group of people I have encountered. I just can't say enough good about these folks. Welcome to your new home!
If you are trying to be self sustaining on protein, you might want to take a serious look at meat rabbits. They are super quiet, have a meat to ratio of about 3:1 and are ready to process quick, in 12 weeks from birth. 2 does and 1 buck will give you as much as 6 litters a year x 10 to 13 kits per litter x2does= 120 to 150+ rabbits@ 31/2 pounds or 200+ pounds of meat protein ! Just a thought and my 2 cents worth.
What is a good breed of rabbit to go into it with? and do you just let the rabbits all hang out together and whenever al green is playing, essentially, they'll get to making the babies?
If you are trying to be self sustaining on protein, you might want to take a serious look at meat rabbits. They are super quiet, have a meat to ratio of about 3:1 and are ready to process quick, in 12 weeks from birth. 2 does and 1 buck will give you as much as 6 litters a year x 10 to 13 kits per litter x2does= 120 to 150+ rabbits@ 31/2 pounds or 200+ pounds of meat protein ! Just a thought and my 2 cents worth. BTW, Welcome abourd !!
What is a good breed of rabbit to go into it with? and do you just let the rabbits all hang out together and whenever al green is playing, essentially, they'll get to making the babies?
WOW! Someone on La-yers posted the site to Back to Eden a while back. I put it in my favorites to watch when I had quiet time because it's 1 hour 45 minutes long. I LOVED it. Whoever posted the link: THANKS! I am inspired and will definately make my gardens this year Back to Eden ones. Once again, you guys are the best!
Gardens, chickens, rabbits,peas, goats, sheep, recipes...it just goes on and on. Maybe you're accustomed to having such wonderful sources of support and advice, but, for me, it is a God-send, really.
When they start laying....I will have
White Marans
Golden Cuckoo Marans
Wheaten, Lav, Blk Ameraucana
Penciled Rocks
Columbian Rocks
Cream Legbar
Bantam Columbian & Mottled Cochin
all of the rest are perfectly healthy & doing fine - the boys are starting to fan now. The only other bird who has ever been in their pen were young chickens that I hatched - it's my "intermediate" grow-out pen between the brooder stage and going into the main flock stage.
I'll be hatching more this year if you want to try again.
What is a good breed of rabbit to go into it with? and do you just let the rabbits all hang out together and whenever al green is playing, essentially, they'll get to making the babies?
No, Male and female rabbits need separate cages. Rabbits are territorial. All wire cages are beat, but you can make wooden ones with metal wiring in front, just remember with using wood, that rabbits chew. I make mine 30"x30" and house them in a barn, but most people have them outside in raised cages, with just a roof over the cages. You need 1 for the male, buck and 2 for each female doe, 1 for her and her litter that is under 6 weeks old that she is nursing and 1 for the litter, after you ween them from her at 6 weeks until they are to be processed at 12 weeks old. So if you start with just a pair, you need 3 cages, 2 does and a buck, you need 5 cages. Most people start with 2 does and 1 buck. Meat rabbits take 6 to 7 months to become sexually mature enough to breed. Always put the buck into the doe's cage for mating, which takes about one minute to accomplish. then return her to her cage. repeat this 2 or 3 times within a 24 hour period, because rabbits do not ovulate until she is mated. This insures a big litter. About 28 days later, give her a nest box, unless you have built in ones, and a large hand full of hay. within a couple of days, she will start collecting the hay and lining her nest with it. She will start pulling hair from her neck area and lining the hay nest with it and then give birth to usually 10 to 13 bunnies. After that she will nurse the young for the first 6 weeks. one month after giving birth, you can re-mate her for the next litter, and 2 weeks from the young she has in her cage are large enough to go into their own cage. 5 weeks from weening, the 12 week old rabbits are ready for processing. That's about all there is to it! I raise New Zealand white rabbits, because I personally think they taste the best, but a lot of people raise Californian rabbits, too. Both are well known for their meat Quality. I have 10 does and 2 bucks that are not closely related, so the gene pool is very good. If you want to see how we have ours set up, we are in Tickfaw, about 25 minutes from Baton Rouge and you are welcome to come by. You need to have the cages built before you get rabbits, anyway, so it would be a good place to start. Maybe someone closer to you with rabbits, can chime in here, but the offer is open. There are larger rabbits, like Flemish Giants, that are larger, but the California and New Zealand rabbits have been bread for small bones and more meat to bone ratio. They make very tender rabbits for frying at 12 weeks. Older rabbits are also good for eating, but past 16 weeks, they are better in a stew. This should get you started and only needing 6 months to maturity, make rabbits a very good source of protein in a relatively short time and much easier to care for than chickens. The manure they produce can go right into your garden, without composting and is a good media for growing earthworms, to improve your soil. Chicken manure must be composted or it will burn your plants! We raise Chickens, ducks, geese, Turkeys and rabbits. PM me if you want driving directions.
Can you clarify this for me? Put the buck in the doe's cage or vice versa? If I remember right from childhood, it's as you say buck in with the doe then return him. Is this correct?
I'm beginning my research on this as a possible future protein source.
BTW, Welcome abourd !!
soon'ish.
