Rabbit breeder's thread!

[dewey]

Rabbitgeek,

Great info on your site -- thanks much!

 

[rabbitgeek]

Quote:
I've heard that if you keep the rabbits in cages then the chickens can scratch around under their cages. It would be good to keep the chickens off the top of the cages to keep chicken poop off the rabbits.

Joel Salatin of Polyface farms has a system of forage based feeding for meat rabbits. Search the internet for "polyface salatin rabbits" and you'll find links to examples of his method.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

 

[rabbitgeek]

Quote:
Hi Dierdre!

We don't have bunny's right now. My lovely wife Tracy is working on her doctorate (Education) and when she's done we'll decide if we can get back into rabbits and chickens.

But I do have 10 years worth of rabbit info so I left my rabbitgeek website active and I like to cruise around the different forums.

We do miss our friends from the rabbit shows.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

 

[rabbitgeek]

Quote:
Thank you.
I'm glad you found the info useful.
Have a good day!

 

[dmiravalle]

Quote:
Hi Dierdre!

We don't have bunny's right now. My lovely wife Tracy is working on her doctorate (Education) and when she's done we'll decide if we can get back into rabbits and chickens.

But I do have 10 years worth of rabbit info so I left my rabbitgeek website active and I like to cruise around the different forums.

We do miss our friends from the rabbit shows.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

Good for Tracy!! Are you going to raise chickens now???

 

[rabbitgeek]

We've had chickens in the backyard for 4H Poultry project. We even took chickens to the Sacramento County Fair one year and won a trophy for best utility layer. Then Newcastle Disease ended Poultry shows the next couple of years and we had to stop showing them. Then we gave them away because we couldn't show them.

We like having them in the backyard.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

 

[AlabamaChickenLady]

Quote:
Can you keep rabbits with chickens safely? If so, I am definitely going to get one !

Ummm well, I've heard people say that it's not a good idea, but the bunny we rescued was pretty large and he came with 3 hens that he was already used to. So we set up his pen, on the floor, in the corner of the coop, as we didn't have anyplace else at the time. We put a large piece of OSB on top of the cage to keep the chickens from pooping down onto him or into his cage. Being in the corner and with the OSB on top, that only left 2 sides exposed. Then we just left one of the cage doors open so he could come and go as he pleased. We made sure he had rabbit food and fresh water, just as we did for the chickens. Most of the time he was out of his cage and running around the coop. Even sleeping in one of the nest boxes. He seemed to hold his own with the hens and they left him alone. Everyone got along fine most of the time. They seemed to include him in the pecking order.

The 3 hens he came with would go into his cage to lay their eggs, and he would lay on top of the eggs to keep them warm. But he wouldn't let any of the other chickens in his cage. Now that spring is here (in the south anyway) and we have most of the run completed, we let him out there with the hens. However, he has been digging his way out of the run, so we finally had to cage him securely. My DH is going to build him a new rabbit pen of his own soon. He may end up back in the coop next winter, but then again maybe not.

I don't know if that answered your question or not. But bunnies are really cool!!

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
Cute buns.Put me down for the first one.I love tri-colors.

BTW I am really enjoying all the pics.Will try to post some of mine too.
This time around I have Lionheads.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
Rabbit Breeds for Beginners
(from rabbit geek notes 12/27/09)


Are you planning to raise meat rabbits? Are you looking for strictly for show? I'm glad you are asking now because the first rabbit you buy will likely be with you for its whole life.

For meat pen rabbits, see my rabbitgeek website with meat pen info

For "fancy" rabbits strictly for show this is my suggestion for new members or beginner:

Netherland Dwarf - Lots of competition, but because the dwarfs can compete for first place in dozens of colors and groups, there is a lot of chances to win a blue ribbon. Small rabbit, small cages, small feed bill.

Polish - Many of the same advantages, not as much competition.

The prices for ND and Polish rabbits are not terribly high. We've even found good rabbits in these breeds in the raffles. Our first showbunny was a Ruby Eyed White Netherland Dwarf we bought in a feed store. He often won first place as a REW Sr Buck.

Stick with solid color ND & Polish, not the broken pattern markings which can be a problem at times.

We had good luck with Dutch, but the marking requirements can be very frustrating for a beginner so avoid them the first year or two.

I would avoid Holland Lops. They are very popular, very cute but in show there is a limited number of colors to show in. At shows there are literally hundreds of rabbits competing for a small number of first place ribbons. Because of the popularity and the intense competition, the prices for Holland Lops is much higher than for other breeds.

It can be very frustrating for children to be told their rabbit won 10th place out of 27 rabbits.

I would also avoid Lionheads. While they are definitely a popular breed, as a showbunny they are not officially accepted in the ARBA Standard. So this means that from year to year, your rabbit may or may not be showable because of color or they may change the working standard and now your rabbit has too much wool on the flanks or not enough wool on the head. So beginners should avoid Lionheads. It also means that Best Of Breed Lionhead cannot compete for Best In Show in an ARBA show. That will not go over well when you have to tell the kid all the other kid's Best of Breed can go to the Best In Show table, but not theirs.

Himalayan - Another kid friendly breed is the Himalayan. Small and generally docile they are easy to handle. 4 different recognized colors give some flexibility for competition.


If you shop for rabbits at a rabbit show, before you buy, ask if you can take the rabbit around to get opinions on it. Sometimes you can catch a rabbit judge taking a break and ask if the rabbit has any disqualifications on it. Judges usually try to be helpful to beginners and will give you a good assessment.

Also, I don't expect people to sell me a rabbit guaranteed to win rabbit shows. I want one that will not be disqualified in show.

Rabbit should have a tattoo in the left ear and the tattoo should match the pedigree.

Get the pedigree at time of sale. Be sure the pedigree is SIGNED and has all the weights written in. There are hundreds of people who were told the pedigree would be mailed and it never was. No pedigree, no sale, walk away. If the seller really wanted to sell the rabbit, they should have brought the pedigree.

Having a pedigree is not required to show, but is required to register the rabbit with ARBA and to apply for Grand Champion for a winning rabbit. ARBA membership is also required to register a rabbit or apply for Grand Champion certificate.

Having a pedigree solves a lot of issues if you decide to breed the rabbit. Pedigree also makes it easier to sell or trade the rabbit if you decide to.

Above is my standard spiel on rabbits for beginners.

It's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios
Rancho Cordova 4H Club
Sacramento County, Calif

Great Info!

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
I've heard that if you keep the rabbits in cages then the chickens can scratch around under their cages. It would be good to keep the chickens off the top of the cages to keep chicken poop off the rabbits.

Joel Salatin of Polyface farms has a system of forage based feeding for meat rabbits. Search the internet for "polyface salatin rabbits" and you'll find links to examples of his method.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

My chicken coop/house and bunny shed are the same.They have been tog. almost two yrs.The rabbits are in cages and any rabbit food that falls down or is dug out by the rabbits becomes chicken food.IMO the small amt. of rabbit feed the chickens get is nutritious for them. I have a fenced area that the chickens use weather permitting.