Getting rabbits this spring

[CrealCritter]

I'm following this thread and learning alot - thanks My wife wanted rabbits. I'm not opposed to the idea at all. But I talked her out of rabbits for now. It's just we have almost too many wild ones hopping around the property. Now that my wife has made my hunting dog an inside dog, there are a lot of rabbits around at night. I hardly see them during the day but they are plentiful at night.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

Put some cage traps near your garden. Catch rabbits.

The dog part is

 

[CrealCritter]

Put some cage traps near your garden. Catch rabbits.

The dog part is

Might have to trap them rabbits to be honest. And my hunting dog part is absolute truth. He used to be 24x365 free-range dog, who didn't want to come indoors. But my wife got a hold of him. Now he's got a comfy bed indoors and we let him out to do his business. Then he barks at the door to be let back inside when he's done. She has her ways... I did take him out to set fence posts with my daughter. He had fun walking around in the creek. But he's slowed down considerably and only kept up with the truck at 15 MPH.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

considering a colony-type setting for the does and then adding bucks when wanting to bred/have babies. Not sure about having babies in the death of winter-or really in the hottest part of the summer. I will have to think on that. I don't want to get into a full blown operation, just enough for meat in our freezer, some to trade and then sell a few to help with feed costs. Starting plans for the hutches/cages.

 

[Mini Horses]

Personally, if I raised rabbits for food, I'd use cages. I'm one who likes natural environment but, cage control would be my thought as it would offer the safety I'd "think/feel" would be provided. . I have the cute factor problem, so butcher issues and don't raise them. I'd get over it if hungry!!!

 

[flowerbug]

Personally, if I raised rabbits for food, I'd use cages. I'm one who likes natural environment but, cage control would be my thought as it would offer the safety I'd "think/feel" would be provided. . I have the cute factor problem, so butcher issues.

yep for me too. pets cannot be food. i'm lucky that Mom doesn't like furry animals of any kind so we have no dogs, kitties or other creatures about like that. all outside, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, deer, etc. i think they're all cute and lovely and wish they'd just stay outside and away from the fenced gardens but otherwise i'd want to leave them alone. sadly that isn't how it always works out and i have to do some trapping and hunting to make sure i get some harvest from the gardens. there is no issue at all of "fair share" because they all generally get their due one way or another.

 

[Mini Horses]

Rabbit is excellent meat, healthy. Plus they produce a lot, fast. . I used to help grandad with cleaning, skinning those wild caught. Ate it. I'll butcher a chicken even not liking the job. But only bunnies I've ever raised were cute pets. I'm hopeless so long as alternatives are here. No issue with those who raise them for food. It's good.

If ever I need to raise more meat than now, I'd learn real fast to harvest them! Wipe that mental issue.....I'd sure cry though!!. But good, fast production.

Deer aplenty here. I have gun to hunt. I don't...but could do! I take pigs to a facility. Then, I cut and package. Easier for ME. Same with goat. Although a neighbor who hunts, is set to skin, gut, etc, did my last goat. 30 min max and I iced, parted, and packaged.

 

[flowerbug]

Rabbit is excellent meat, healthy. Plus they produce a lot, fast. . I used to help grandad with cleaning, skinning those wild caught. Ate it. I'll butcher a chicken even not liking the job. But only bunnies I've ever raised were cute pets. I'm hopeless so long as alternatives are here. No issue with those who raise them for food. It's good.

If ever I need to raise more meat than now, I'd learn real fast to harvest them! Wipe that mental issue.....I'd sure cry though!!. But good, fast production.

Deer aplenty here. I have gun to hunt. I don't...but could do! I take pigs to a facility. Then, I cut and package. Easier for ME. Same with goat. Although a neighbor who hunts, is set to skin, gut, etc, did my last goat. 30 min max and I iced, parted, and packaged.

yep, if i'm hungry enough i can get past my regrets, i still won't like it, but i won't starve.

the deer have been eating the heck out of the cedar trees and nosing around all the unfenced gardens plus bedding down some nights out in the back yard about 60ft from here. sometimes they used to bed down in the garden to the north about 30ft from here, but since i took out all of the weeds and turned it into a vegetable garden again they're not using it. which is good. i don't want them waking me up at night with their antics.

they've also been walking close enough to the house the past few weeks that they're tripping the motion detecting lights which we didn't even know we had turned on (because i don't want them lighting up). now i have to figure out which particular light switch is on that used to be off to get them to stop coming on. for Mom that means they're walking only a few feet from her patio door. over by my room here they don't normally come around because there's no cover at all and it's just rocks and gravel. no trees or bushes to protect them.

 

[CrealCritter]

yep, if i'm hungry enough i can get past my regrets, i still won't like it, but i won't starve.

the deer have been eating the heck out of the cedar trees and nosing around all the unfenced gardens plus bedding down some nights out in the back yard about 60ft from here. sometimes they used to bed down in the garden to the north about 30ft from here, but since i took out all of the weeds and turned it into a vegetable garden again they're not using it. which is good. i don't want them waking me up at night with their antics.

they've also been walking close enough to the house the past few weeks that they're tripping the motion detecting lights which we didn't even know we had turned on (because i don't want them lighting up). now i have to figure out which particular light switch is on that used to be off to get them to stop coming on. for Mom that means they're walking only a few feet from her patio door. over by my room here they don't normally come around because there's no cover at all and it's just rocks and gravel. no trees or bushes to protect them.

I figured out, when deer are hanging around houses, there is/are a predator(s) around.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

I figured out, when deer are hanging around houses, there is/are a predator(s) around.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

I never knew this! We don't have many deer at the house but tons out in the woods. Lots of wild rabbits here, though I like to keep them around because if I walk outside at dusk/night and I can see 5 or 6, then I am fairly confident there aren't any foxes, opossums, etc around (or I hope anyway)