Raising Meat Rabbits

[pepperpellets]

14 oz every 3-4 months, eh? That's pretty good.

You say the chickens are almost paying for their pellets. Why don't you check out some of the threads on fermented feeds? People who ferment their chicken feed say their chickens produce more on less food since they digest it better. Maybe if you did that your birds really would pay for their pellets. It can be given to ducks and quail too- probably turkeys as well.

You're raising several species, that must keep you really busy!

You are the second person who has mentioned fermented feed...... I will definitely look at those threads.

 

[tarajane]

While I'm sure there are some Amish with rabbits, a lot of them have switched to producing dogs since three is little market for rabbit. There is far more profit in raising dogs I don't live in the Amish area of the county, although there are a lot around me.
(A lot of people around here don't work on Sundays!)

Yeah, They're called puppy mills....................................stay away, don't encourage them. Look up puppy mills............enough said

 

[pepperpellets]

You're raising several species, that must keep you really busy!

I have help from the family. The chores seem too awfully burdensome when everything runs smoothly.


We have just started to hit a nice stride with the quail producing a regular supply of meat and eggs but suddenly a predator found some weaknesses in our cages. Twice now we've had whole groups massacred. Reading other threads made me think raccoons but the recent massacre had to be something much smaller to get in a less inch gap under the roof. Weasel? I have never ever seen one around. Thought our outdoor cats would chase such critters away.

So then entire evenings after work spent trying to secure, double secure the weaknesses of other pens, has been exhausting and expensive. I am worried about the animals in pens that I haven't gotten to yet.

We tried trapping it, but it steals the bait.

So yes, now we seem suddenly overwhelmed with all the animals. Last week I had a defferent perspective before all this nonsense.

 

[BellsCluckers]

Hello meat rabbit homesteaders! I have a question about one of my baby bunnies... I noticed while cleaning the nest box out that one of the babies has a fresh cut on it's chest. I think mama must have clawed it. (Even though her nails are cut) What should I do to make sure it doesn't get infected??

 

[pepperpellets]

A little triple antibiotic ointment will take care of it.

 

[noble]

Ok I hAve new Zealand white rabbits 1 buck 3 doe's (and an unusual known my nagheber won in a fair female white he gave to me) I keep them on wire cages inside my quail and pheasants pen. Keeps the poop spread out and no smell. All so I let them loos in it often to run around and play. No one messes with them. The cages are off the ground. I got my new Zealand white rabbits at cross road rabbittry they came with lineage so none of them are related. I breed them very 2 months. I get 10 to 12 kits a litter. I breed one in one cycle then the other 2 on the same week (not the same day) so I always have meat and it's easy and they get a break. A week before the babies are born I move mom to a nursery pen ( I have 2 5x5x4 hight ) in my 30 x 50 shed because I like to get in and play with them. I made a automatic watering system that waters all my animals. And 2 bucket one's for the nursery pens. No leaks clean fresh water all the time and as the kits grow I find they drink a lot so less work for me. I love the meat and really enjoy the rabbits. I too give garden scraps as treats and only harvest the kits as I eat them.

 

[noble]

 

[noble]

This is the system coming from the tank to the rabbits.

 

[pepperpellets]

Nice#

 

[noble]

This is the end of the rabbits shelf on the inside. You can see the shelf bracket for the next set of cages to sit on above where they are now.

The doe's have the larger cages. I made out of scrap steel. And coxman the buck has the 30 x 36 inch cage ( from tractor suply ) .

This is the tank on the out side of the 10x20 pen. You can see the pvc running to the chickens and duck's pen on the left and the hose I have attached to fill it. All I do is turn on the hose spicket to fill, it has been raining here in buras Louisiana over a week so it needs to be cleaned again.