Rabbits are newer to the farm than the other critters, having only arrived last year. I could have bred the does last year, but was not ready in my mind to eat baby bunnies. Rabbit meat is delicious and lean, and the rabbits are excellent feed converters, but feeding them when they are in cages is not easy. I pick some weeds and grass for them daily, sometimes twice if it is hot, and they pick at it, but do not eat much. They do like some leaves from saplings and will eat grain, but they love rabbit pellets. I did not want to feed pellets to them because the ingredients are made from genetially modified corn and soy and round up ready sprayed grains. Petey got sick though and was did not thrive on the hay ration and grain. He became thin and depressed too. Now he is closer to the girls and can see and smell them. The female rabbits are very good friends, Sandy, the red sandy Flemish Giant and Cindy, the French Lop. They have little houses they can go to, but often share one together and they have a barrel for when the weather is wet and driving, which they do use together as well.
The does have dug two burrows to have their kits in. Most folks give the rabbits nesting boxes, but when they are outdoor rabbits, what do you do? There isn't room in their barrel for nesting boxes, nor in their little shelters. In the wild, does dig burrows which they then cover loosely. The burrows are quite deep and go down then back up to keep the little ones dry. They pull the soft down from their chests to line the burrow and when they have their kits, they only return once a day to nurse them, uncovering the burrow and then carefully recovering it when they leave. They then stay near by, but rabbits cannot defend themselves very well. They will bite and jump forward using their front legs as claws, plus kick with their strong hind legs, but they really do not have great defences. Staying out of site is best.
The burrows are ready and the ladies are waiting. They have another week or so before delivery. I have not been able to move their cage because of their burrows. Usually the cage is moved daily to fresh grass and now I have to pick the grass for them. Petey's cage is moved too, but I have never seen him eat the grass even if it is fresh which pokes up through the wire bottom of his cage.
I would like to look into naturally raising rabbits in colonies using an electric net fence and putting them in pasture. They would need some protection for the arial predators, so I was thinking of using a trampoline and some how fencing it in. The bunnies can dig well, but if they have what hey want and are not too crowded on the inside of the fence, they do not dig much to get out, at least not these two breeds. I will breed them two more times this summer and then let them rest until next spring. Three breedings should provide about 50-60 rabbits for the freezer. The rabbits have to be taken quite a distance to be processed since no abbatoire around here will do rabbits, but then rabbit can be sold from the farm or used at the bed and breakfast. Besides, I do not have the heart to kill a bunny or anything else. Even the chickens go the the processor.
This will be the first breeding and I will see how that goes and where I can improve and change things to make it better. I want to allow Petey in with the girls for at least the weeks after he has bred them so he is not so lonely, so I will work on a large cage type area for them. In the meantime, stay tuned for bunnies in a week or so. If they are in the burrows though, I actually won't see them for a month. Who does not love baby bunnies?
The does have dug two burrows to have their kits in. Most folks give the rabbits nesting boxes, but when they are outdoor rabbits, what do you do? There isn't room in their barrel for nesting boxes, nor in their little shelters. In the wild, does dig burrows which they then cover loosely. The burrows are quite deep and go down then back up to keep the little ones dry. They pull the soft down from their chests to line the burrow and when they have their kits, they only return once a day to nurse them, uncovering the burrow and then carefully recovering it when they leave. They then stay near by, but rabbits cannot defend themselves very well. They will bite and jump forward using their front legs as claws, plus kick with their strong hind legs, but they really do not have great defences. Staying out of site is best.
The burrows are ready and the ladies are waiting. They have another week or so before delivery. I have not been able to move their cage because of their burrows. Usually the cage is moved daily to fresh grass and now I have to pick the grass for them. Petey's cage is moved too, but I have never seen him eat the grass even if it is fresh which pokes up through the wire bottom of his cage.
I would like to look into naturally raising rabbits in colonies using an electric net fence and putting them in pasture. They would need some protection for the arial predators, so I was thinking of using a trampoline and some how fencing it in. The bunnies can dig well, but if they have what hey want and are not too crowded on the inside of the fence, they do not dig much to get out, at least not these two breeds. I will breed them two more times this summer and then let them rest until next spring. Three breedings should provide about 50-60 rabbits for the freezer. The rabbits have to be taken quite a distance to be processed since no abbatoire around here will do rabbits, but then rabbit can be sold from the farm or used at the bed and breakfast. Besides, I do not have the heart to kill a bunny or anything else. Even the chickens go the the processor.
This will be the first breeding and I will see how that goes and where I can improve and change things to make it better. I want to allow Petey in with the girls for at least the weeks after he has bred them so he is not so lonely, so I will work on a large cage type area for them. In the meantime, stay tuned for bunnies in a week or so. If they are in the burrows though, I actually won't see them for a month. Who does not love baby bunnies?
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