Raising Rabbits-complete guide

[FarmerChick]

http://www.raising-rabbits.com/


this is a good little site. toward the bottom of the first page, there are tons of links that give info on bedding, traits of rabbits, feeding, breeding etc.....alot of good info for the bunny set of people!

 

[BarredBuff]

Thanks, I book marked it to use later

 

[ki4got]

Thanks. I've considered raising meat rabbits but wonder if they're actually economical to produce.

so far I've got free range chickens, assorted bantams for eggs and heritage Dorkings (all their eggs get incubated right now). and quail in the plans after Thanksgiving... I need to hatch out what's in the incubator now to make room for the quail. (jumbo coturnix, laying eggs by 6 weeks, freezer by 10)

 

[BarredBuff]

Rabbits are one of the MOST economical animals to be raised on the homestead........

 

[DianeS]

Thanks. I've considered raising meat rabbits but wonder if they're actually economical to produce.

so far I've got free range chickens, assorted bantams for eggs and heritage Dorkings (all their eggs get incubated right now). and quail in the plans after Thanksgiving... I need to hatch out what's in the incubator now to make room for the quail. (jumbo coturnix, laying eggs by 6 weeks, freezer by 10)

Rabbits are VERY economical (in my opinion, of course). A meat rabbit will give up to 4-5 lbs of meat at 12 weeks of age. A doe gives 6-10 kits per litter, and can have up to 12 litters a year (most people don't wear their does out that quickly, choosing closer to 4-6 litters per year). So on the shorter side: 4 lbs per kit, 8 kits per litter, 4 litters per year = 128 lbs of meat per year. An adult rabbit eats about 4-6 oz of pellets per day, and can live in a 2' x 3' enclosure.

Of course there are a variety of ways to raise rabbits, eachwith its own impact on the cost. (Hay or greens instead of pellets, number of bucks you keep, number of weeks before butchering, whether you can do anything with the pelts, whether you can sell any kits as pets, etc.) But I find rabbits to be an extrememly economical animal to keep for meat production. That Raising Rabbits site is a good place to start learning about keeping rabbits.

 

[MsPony]

Raising rabbits is super cheap, with anything you have to dunk a smidge of mont to start, but then they take off. They eat mainly hay, a flake lasts my 4 rabbits 2 weeks and a flake is cheap cheap cheap (I pay $4 to my horse trainer out of courtesy, but she asks a $1), breed like crazy and their bedding is...straw!! Pellets are good to ads, but optional. Hay is #1 as they are mini horses digestively. not much work goes into them, you can totally deep litter them.

The only reason my PET rabbits cost *me* so much is they are pets- which means top of the line pellets, litter boxes, etc.