Flemish Giant male bunny
The Fat Ewe Farm has baby bunnies. At only three months old, they are already larger and heavier than many other full grown rabbits. They are Flemish Giants. The buck is an import from Holland and the doe is a local doe with a great pedigree. Although the rabbits do have pedigrees, there is no real registration for them, I am thinking because they multiply so rapidly. These babies were born in an underground burrow. Both does were cohabiting at the time and shared in the digging and creation of the burrow. Cindy had her babies there about a week prior to Sandy having hers, but Sandy pulled Cindy's babies out of the burrow and left them to die so she could have heres, then defended the burrow so Cindy had no access. This was a learning lesson for me. Does cannot cohabit or something bad is going to happen to one of the litters. There were two nest boxes available, which they chose to ignore and both wanted to use the burrow.
The buck did spend some time with the does prior to the snow fall and they could have been bred, but there is not place for them to have winter babies. Either they will abort them or try to birth them in the straw bale burrows they stay in when it is cold. I have no idea how that will work.
In the meantime, the babies, purebred Flemish Giants of the Holland buck and sandy doe, are ready for new homes. There are five males and only one female. She will remain here on the farm and be bred back to the buck. I have purchased the first of what will be several baby cribs to convert to rabbit hutches. The cribs are 25 dollars or so each and only require attaching wires and a plywood roof to make an excellent moveable rabbit hutch. In summer they can use the ground floor and the entire thing can be moved daily to provide fresh grass for the bunnies, and in winter they can move to the top floor. The rabbits are doing very well in the cold, but they are surrounded on three sides with full straw bales and the front is covered with old windows for the night to protect them from the wind.
The rabbits are sold for $150 each pedigreed as breeding rabbits, or $100 dollars without. Although my idea was to breed them for meat, I am not sure I can bring myself to eat a bunny. They are just so darn cute and adorable and soft and cuddly. A dressed meat rabbit sells for around 40 dollars at the fryer size they are now, but to sell them frozen, I would have to drive 3 hours each way to the only abbatoir that will do rabbits in all of Alberta, so it is hardly worth it. Connundrum….to breed or not to breed. They are so cute!
The buck did spend some time with the does prior to the snow fall and they could have been bred, but there is not place for them to have winter babies. Either they will abort them or try to birth them in the straw bale burrows they stay in when it is cold. I have no idea how that will work.
In the meantime, the babies, purebred Flemish Giants of the Holland buck and sandy doe, are ready for new homes. There are five males and only one female. She will remain here on the farm and be bred back to the buck. I have purchased the first of what will be several baby cribs to convert to rabbit hutches. The cribs are 25 dollars or so each and only require attaching wires and a plywood roof to make an excellent moveable rabbit hutch. In summer they can use the ground floor and the entire thing can be moved daily to provide fresh grass for the bunnies, and in winter they can move to the top floor. The rabbits are doing very well in the cold, but they are surrounded on three sides with full straw bales and the front is covered with old windows for the night to protect them from the wind.
The rabbits are sold for $150 each pedigreed as breeding rabbits, or $100 dollars without. Although my idea was to breed them for meat, I am not sure I can bring myself to eat a bunny. They are just so darn cute and adorable and soft and cuddly. A dressed meat rabbit sells for around 40 dollars at the fryer size they are now, but to sell them frozen, I would have to drive 3 hours each way to the only abbatoir that will do rabbits in all of Alberta, so it is hardly worth it. Connundrum….to breed or not to breed. They are so cute!
Flemish Giant male bunnies. See their enormous long ears?
This is Petey Rabbit, the Holland buck imported. Sleepy Petey
This is the mom, a red sandy Flemish Giant. She is a very large rabbit too.
RSS Feed