Growing Food

[Manda_Rae]

Does anyone grow Alfalfa for your Rabbits? What else aside from the normal garden produce do you grow for your rabbits to help ofset feed costs?
Any tips on cutting costs?
We are getting our first Rabbits next weekend and trying to prepare for the future.

 

[Hinotori]

I've not raised rabbits so I'm no help. Sorry

 

[tortoise]

Alfalfa is too high protein for most rabbits. It can be okay for very productive rabbits, if I recall correctly? Grass hay is better.

When I raised rabbits I fed mostly hay, and just 1 Tablespoon pellets per pound body weight per day. They ate a tremendous amount of hay. Rabbit tractor would be a good cost saver.

Best way to break even on rabbits IMO is to get show quality stock, and sell the show quality rabbits. If you have a desirable breed/color and quality stock you can get prices in the $200 range. If you have meat mix breeds, you might get $5 at a swap meet if you get lucky

 

[Manda_Rae]

Alfalfa is too high protein for most rabbits. It can be okay for very productive rabbits, if I recall correctly? Grass hay is better.

When I raised rabbits I fed mostly hay, and just 1 Tablespoon pellets per pound body weight per day. They ate a tremendous amount of hay. Rabbit tractor would be a good cost saver.

Best way to break even on rabbits IMO is to get show quality stock, and sell the show quality rabbits. If you have a desirable breed/color and quality stock you can get prices in the $200 range. If you have meat mix breeds, you might get $5 at a swap meet if you get lucky

My Son wants to get into showing so thats the goal. Meat rabbits are a possibility down the road.

I like the ideal of a Rabbit tractor. I do that for my Chickens

 

[baymule]

Get the show rabbits, a meat breed, not the cutsie little breeds. Californian, New Zealand are both meat and show, go to rabbit shows and buy from good breeders. Show the best, eat the rest. Sell show stock. You may pick up some customers for the fryers too.

 

[tortoise]

Get the show rabbits, a meat breed, not the cutsie little breeds. Californian, New Zealand are both meat and show, go to rabbit shows and buy from good breeders. Show the best, eat the rest. Sell show stock. You may pick up some customers for the fryers too.

Satin is a good meat/pet breed IMO.

 

[baymule]

How could I forget Satins? I raised them years ago.

 

[Reneefolsom]

I always grow extra vegetables for my chickens and my rabbits. Plus hay and pellets.

 

[HillsideFarmHawaii.com]

The rabbits here get a lot of different things from the yard. We've planted mulberry, the leaves are very nutritious. They also get ti leaf, assorted weeds (check to make sure they're bunny safe before offering them to the bunnies), grasses, and a lot of tree trimmings from things like citrus, fruit trees, roses, etc. Pigeon pea, bean vines, sweet potato vines (NOT Irish potato vines nor tomato vines), there's all sorts of bunny food in the yard. We have a yard that never freezes, though, so things may be different in your yard. But, make a list of the things in your yard and see how many of them are edible for bunnies. You'd be surprised at how many yard things that can help offset the cost of pelleted feeds.

The other things about yards, gardens and bunnies is that bunny manure is an excellent fertilizer. Bunny 'berrries' go into the garden and garden trimmings feed the bunnies.