George, tell me again about the rabbits

[Ninjasquirrel]

Currently I have 8 chickens. On our route to self sustainability I have considered goats. After reading a book on farming I'm thinking now this might not be a sustainable enterprise for us for several reasons. I still plan to do more research on goats but now I'm thinking rabbits. For these reasons:
1. Rabbits are food. Not just for us but for others. Rabbits do not require any special processing USDA certified kitchen
2. Rabbit pelts can be sold and used
3. Rabbit fur can be used and sold
So tell me more about rabbit care. What kind of enclosure do they require? Do they need a form of electricity to provide heat? Any information would be helpful. We are considering a self sustainable lifestyle so most of the food/products will be made/consumed primarily by us. Cost of feed and other expenses is hoped to one day be supported by these enterprises as well with some side income.

 

[cassie]

Get a book. A good one to start with is Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits. It will answer your questions. It pays to buy some decent breeding stock to start out with, too. Don't just get somebody's culls off of craigslist.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Get a book. A good one to start with is Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits. It will answer your questions. It pays to buy some decent breeding stock to start out with, too. Don't just get somebody's culls off of craigslist.

Yea I wasnt planning on that. Ill pick up that book. Ive been watching Living Traditions Homestead on youtube. She has a wealth of information. Some of her methods ive seen so far I question which is why I'm trying to seek as much info as possible

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I don't keep rabbits for meat or fur, only as pets, so I can only give you so much information on very general care.

I know you can find this stuff in books like cassie said above, but I'll answer some of your questions!

For cages if they're kept outdoors (I'm assuming you will...?) you can keep them in a wire hutch with a sheltered top, or have a section called a barn that is sheltered on all sides but the bottom. Some people build cages on the ground, mine isn't. It's easy to rake out any loose hay or droppings underneath.

Where I live it rarely gets very cold to be dangerous for my rabbits, so I just throw a few rugs or mats in there and they're usually good to go. I live in Florida though. I've seen other people who live in actual cold climates either stuff their cages with straw, or under serious weather, use a heating lamp.

I won't go into any food since again I don't know a thing about keeping meat rabbits, though one last thing I'd like to add is make sure they have something to chew to keep their teeth down. I don't know how long you keep the rabbits before slaughter, but either wood or just cardboard tubes (like from a paper towel roll) are good to put in their cage to make sure their teeth don't get too long. (Their front incisors are constantly growing)

Maybe this isn't a problem but it was the one other thing I thought of to add.

Hope I was a help!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I don't keep rabbits for meat or fur, only as pets, so I can only give you so much information on very general care.

I know you can find this stuff in books like cassie said above, but I'll answer some of your questions!

For cages if they're kept outdoors (I'm assuming you will...?) you can keep them in a wire hutch with a sheltered top, or have a section called a barn that is sheltered on all sides but the bottom. Some people build cages on the ground, mine isn't. It's easy to rake out any loose hay or droppings underneath.

Where I live it rarely gets very cold to be dangerous for my rabbits, so I just throw a few rugs or mats in there and they're usually good to go. I live in Florida though. I've seen other people who live in actual cold climates either stuff their cages with straw, or under serious weather, use a heating lamp.

I won't go into any food since again I don't know a thing about keeping meat rabbits, though one last thing I'd like to add is make sure they have something to chew to keep their teeth down. I don't know how long you keep the rabbits before slaughter, but either wood or just cardboard tubes (like from a paper towel roll) are good to put in their cage to make sure their teeth don't get too long. (Their front incisors are constantly growing)

Maybe this isn't a problem but it was the one other thing I thought of to add.

Hope I was a help!

It does! Thank you! We were thinking of keeping the breeders seperate from the babies in wire cages off the ground and rabbit tractors for the young (not babies of course!) Since you keep them as pets if you could give me some perspective as to temperament thatd be helpful. Id like to keep them long enough to be able to use their pelts so i assure you it wont be just breed raise for a few months then cull.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

4. Rabbit manure is great for the garden... you can likely even sell it to local gardeners.

Also you should name all the rabbits Lenny

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

4. Rabbit manure is great for the garden... you can likely even sell it to local gardeners.

Also you should name all the rabbits Lenny

Only if I can name one Steinbeck

 

[Skye'sDucks]

It does! Thank you! We were thinking of keeping the breeders seperate from the babies in wire cages off the ground and rabbit tractors for the young (not babies of course!) Since you keep them as pets if you could give me some perspective as to temperament thatd be helpful. Id like to keep them long enough to be able to use their pelts so i assure you it wont be just breed raise for a few months then cull.

Alright, I just didn't know what you were going to do, since I also have no experience in either of those topics.

It seems to me most rabbits (but not all) have sweet and gentle temperaments; I have a female right now that is very sweet but a little shy. I used to have another rabbit that was very sweet as well; I could do anything with him and he was completely calm. Then I have an older rabbit who I've had around 9 years who can nip and be kind of grouchy, but never attacks or anything. He's certainly mellowed out, to me at least, in these last few years. I think for a lot of people's pets I've seen they are easy to care for and gentle in temperament.

Overall, from what I've witnessed with my few rabbits and others, they have generally easy temperaments to work with.
They're also quite hardy little creatures! I had one rabbit who was a bit accident prone (we eventually had to put him down because of an infected abscess) but my older rabbit has gotten sick maybe twice in his life, and he's around 10/11 yo. My 'newer' girl has only gotten sick once I think so far in the 4 years I've had her. I never take them to a vet unless an emergency we can't treat at home.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Alright, I just didn't know what you were going to do, since I also have no experience in either of those topics.

It seems to me most rabbits (but not all) have sweet and gentle temperaments; I have a female right now that is very sweet but a little shy. I used to have another rabbit that was very sweet as well; I could do anything with him and he was completely calm. Then I have an older rabbit who I've had around 9 years who can nip and be kind of grouchy, but never attacks or anything. He's certainly mellowed out, to me at least, in these last few years. I think for a lot of people's pets I've seen they are easy to care for and gentle in temperament.

Overall, from what I've witnessed with my few rabbits and others, they have generally easy temperaments to work with.
They're also quite hardy little creatures! I had one rabbit who was a bit accident prone (we eventually had to put him down because of an infected abscess) but my older rabbit has gotten sick maybe twice in his life, and he's around 10/11 yo. My 'newer' girl has only gotten sick once I think so far in the 4 years I've had her. I never take them to a vet unless an emergency we can't treat at home.

Good to know. I was telling some family members of my interest in rabbits and they seemed to think rabbits are "a pain" and "mean". They however arent really supportive in my journey to self sufficiently. I think they just dont "get it".

 

[Sara L]

I just started with rabbits this year for meat, and one of the random things I learned (thankfully not first-hand) is that rabbits can breed through the wire if you have your buck and doe cages right next to each other. So make sure you separate them with a few inches between the cages or a solid barrier, otherwise you might end up with babies on their schedule not yours.

If the doe has her babies on the wire instead of the nest box and they are cold and not moving, there's still a chance you can revive them if you can warm them up, don't give up on them until you try to warm them up.

I think I learned a lot from the Living Traditions videos on YouTube, and Slightly Rednecked has really helpful ones too. The book mentioned earlier is also a great resource. I got my first rabbit from a local FB meat rabbit group, so you may have something similar in your area if you have FB.