Raising Meat Rabbits

[Monstro]

Some does just aren't good mommas, could be why someone else got rid of her, since you said she's had a litter for someone else.

Or, her milk may not have come in. Calf Manna sprinkled on the food helps with milk production. May or may not come in fast enough.

 

[cassie]

I never had much patience with does that refused to care for their young. If a young doe had her babies on the wire I bred her back. If she did it again she found herself on my dinner table. Since this doe has kindled before she can't have inexperience as an excuse. Is there something that is stressing her out? If not, she may just be a bad mother. Some are.

 

[chiques chicks]

Another possibility is the heat. Is your nest box solid or does it have a screen bottom for ventilation.

 

[RustedOak]

With a little observation, I got my issue figured out, I think. I had her cage butted up against my buck's cage so everytime he neared, she was absolutely distressed. I seperated them and she immediately calmed. As far as the hay, I do think it was a heat issue. My nest boxes are made of wire, but after her pulling some of the hay out of the box and leaving the kits uncovered, she left them alone. I checked on them later and they were warm to the touch. Later in the evening when it cooled, she had them covered. Time will tell. I'll breed her again and if she continues to be a problem, I'll send her to freezer camp. Her original owner didn't get rid of her only. I bought out his entire rabbitry because he was moving out of town and couldn't take them with him. I got a breeding trio, two 4 week old buns, 5 cages with water bottles, J feeders, and a bag of feed for just $150. I've bred both does once each now. I'm a newbie and still learning as I go though. Thanks all!

 

[RedRidge]

All of my buck cages line a totally different wall than where my does are. This prevents bucks from spraying the does to mark them and several other issues. Sometimes the bucks get jealous and stomp when one is breeding, but otherwise they are fine next to each other. Does like consistency, so if I ever decide I want them in a different cage, I don't relocate them while pregnant for nursing.

 

[RustedOak]

Doing a little bartering this afternoon... Trading a dressed out meat rabbit for some homebrew hard apple cider... It'll go mighty fine with a dinner of rabbit, swiss chard and summer squash!!

 

[pepperpellets]

We have Silver Fox rabbits, some crossbred meat rabbits and now Angoras for fiber. Seems my Angoras don't like papaya. Worried about the potential for wool block so I keep pushing greens to that won't eat papaya.

We have chickens, ducks, quail and turkeys, too. I'd like to say we're homesteading, but we have not yet figured out the economy/affordability part of this yet. We've put in a lot of time and effort and money into this mini suburban farm experiment. We've have had some tasty meals that I'm super proud of, but I hate to figure the actual cost of those meals.

Hoping to gain some insight on how to improve what we're doing. New here.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

We have Silver Fox rabbits, some crossbred meat rabbits and now Angoras for fiber. Seems my Angoras don't like papaya. Worried about the potential for wool block so I keep pushing greens to that won't eat papaya.

We have chickens, ducks, quail and turkeys, too. I'd like to say we're homesteading, but we have not yet figured out the economy/affordability part of this yet. We've put in a lot of time and effort and money into this mini suburban farm experiment. We've have had some tasty meals that I'm super proud of, but I hate to figure the actual cost of those meals.

Hoping to gain some insight on how to improve what we're doing. New here.

You raise angoras? Could you tell me a bit about it? I've always wondered how much fiber you actually get from each rabbit.

As far as economics go, that depends on a few things. What are you feeding your animals? What breeds are you raising?

 

[pepperpellets]

You raise angoras? Could you tell me a bit about it? I've always wondered how much fiber you actually get from each rabbit.

As far as economics go, that depends on a few things. What are you feeding your animals? What breeds are you raising?

Angoras have the sweetest temperaments, imo. I really enjoy coming home from a days work to relax with a bunny. We have a saying in our house, "Bunny me," means hand over the rabbit so someone else has a chance to hold it.

My best rabbits give me 14 oz of fiber at each shearing/plucking and that's every 3-4 months. I am not satisfied, yet, with my own spinning abilities so I have a mill spin it for me, blended with sheep wool.

We just this week changed what we are feeding. We were buying Purina, Nutrena and Manna Pro feeds from Tractor Supply for the quail, chickens and rabbits. Last week we found smaller supply store that sells a regional feed mill line of products. The weekly savings will be about $25.

Our 17 chickens give us 13 eggs daily. We sell about 4 dozen a week. With the change to a more economical feed the chickens will almost pay for their pellets each week and give us 3 dozen eggs for our own use.

The quail are so messy and lots of feed goes to waste. We're trying to reconfigure our quail cages so that the chickens can get underneath to peck the wasted crumbles they kick around.

Our Muscovy ducks are a new addition this summer. We have three hens sitting on eggs, but they are constantly stealing eggs from each other and relocating their nests. Then some eggs seem to go completely unattended and discarded with all the thieving back andforth. We could be getting ducklings any day now, but I'm curious and concerned that this haphazard nest care will produce poor hatches. Comparatively, the ducks eat very little per bird. The guy we bought them from fed them bread, they seem like they don't love pellets.

Our turkeys are just cute little dorks. I think and hope have a Tom and two hens.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Angoras have the sweetest temperaments, imo. I really enjoy coming home from a days work to relax with a bunny. We have a saying in our house, "Bunny me," means hand over the rabbit so someone else has a chance to hold it.

My best rabbits give me 14 oz of fiber at each shearing/plucking and that's every 3-4 months. I am not satisfied, yet, with my own spinning abilities so I have a mill spin it for me, blended with sheep wool.

We just this week changed what we are feeding. We were buying Purina, Nutrena and Manna Pro feeds from Tractor Supply for the quail, chickens and rabbits. Last week we found smaller supply store that sells a regional feed mill line of products. The weekly savings will be about $25.

Our 17 chickens give us 13 eggs daily. We sell about 4 dozen a week. With the change to a more economical feed the chickens will almost pay for their pellets each week and give us 3 dozen eggs for our own use.

The quail are so messy and lots of feed goes to waste. We're trying to reconfigure our quail cages so that the chickens can get underneath to peck the wasted crumbles they kick around.

Our Muscovy ducks are a new addition this summer. We have three hens sitting on eggs, but they are constantly stealing eggs from each other and relocating their nests. Then some eggs seem to go completely unattended and discarded with all the thieving back andforth. We could be getting ducklings any day now, but I'm curious and concerned that this haphazard nest care will produce poor hatches. Comparatively, the ducks eat very little per bird. The guy we bought them from fed them bread, they seem like they don't love pellets.

Our turkeys are just cute little dorks. I think and hope have a Tom and two hens.

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!