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www.thehappypermaculturalist.wordpress.com
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Buy Our Book! Food Web: Concept - Raising Food the Right Way. Learn make more food with less inputs
Off Grid Homesteading - latest updates and projects from our off grid homestead
www.thehappypermaculturalist.wordpress.com
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"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
www.thehappypermaculturalist.wordpress.com
T. Pierce wrote:
how can it get any easier than cage raising a rabbit?
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Dave Bennett wrote:
I live on a lot that is 40ft. wide and 90ft. long with a 14x56 mobile right in the middle. I forage all of their food by hand. It is a lot of hard work. Just because they live in hutches doesn't mean it is easy. Try harvesting a ton of hay by hand. I do not buy any feed. I find it growing wild and cut it down with a scythe. Yes it is hard work.
T. Pierce wrote:
but how is putting them in a colony easier than raising them in a cage?
the very first post said "raising in colonies.....opposed to raising in cages......is arguably less work"
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Dave Bennett wrote:
where i dont agree with the OP is that i believe cages are in many ways safer and healthier for the rabbits especially during breeding season
I was wondering about the disease issue also. Has anyone had any problems with disease running a colony. It seems to me that colony style makes it more difficult to check for anything that might be in the early stages especially with the kits. In the winter I keep mine in the house. Cleaning the cage pans thoroughly every day makes for extra work. I just swap out a clean pan for a dirty one clean it thoroughly and swap that one for the third one. Having only three rabbits makes that aspect pretty easy.
why do you keep them in the house?
T. Pierce wrote:
why do you keep them in the house?
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Dave Bennett wrote:
Rabbits are actually easy to litter train. I had a huge Doe 20 years ago or so that lived in the house. She never peed anywhere except in the litter box and once in a while I would find a poop pellet here and there but rarely. I would need build bigger hutches to add litter boxes but it is a good idea. If my plans work out and a friend allows me to help him make his gardening efforts a little less labor intensive with some permaculture ideas I will be moving and my rabbit will have a new home back outdoors except in the winter. It gets really cold in upstate NY.
T. Pierce wrote:
well the easy answer to fix that really cold in upstate NY problem................is migrate to VA like alot of your brethran are doing now adays.
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
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SaybianTv wrote:
Dave I'm racking up a list from all these post on things to slash and chuck at the rabbit's. I'm not making anything a "sole" diet but is there anything rabbit's love that they'll overeat and make themselves sick? These new Chin's are chomping into the bindweed at the moment, but that bastard plant is such a pain in my ass I feel like it's gunna make em sick just to spite me. I don't know how much green vegetation they can munch through if given free choice. There pellet rabbits but the breeder does have her on wild foraged hay mix so it's not all bad, they took to the bindweed in less than 5 mins. But I too take to cheesecake the same way with full consciousness of it's gut rotting effects.
I just don't wanna get too crazy with the fresh vegetation now that a whole new bracket of weeds have a purpose.
Yes I've only had rabbit's for about 3 hour's now, but I'm loving these things I've never seen my dog's tremble so much with jealousy and outrage.
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Paleo Gardener wrote:
I just had a vision of myself in a huge house with rabbits roaming everywhere... a guest sees a litterbox and says "Do you have cats?" And I say, "No, rabbits."
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Pat Maas wrote:
[color=Blue]You have given you rabbits free access to whatever they feel like eating. My rabbits have access to all of the hay they will eat and fresh water. I have never fed them pellet feed. If they were raised on pellets it is best to break them in to new food slowly so they do not get sick.[/color
Sometimes, breaking them in slowly doesn't work and one is lost. Most won't have the problem, some are just way more sensitive than others. The offspring of that buck were culled, although it looks like I'm getting one back tomorrow.
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
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"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Pat Maas wrote:
Most often animals especially rabbits should be slowly changed to a brand new diet. That seems to be the consensus of opinion from the myriad advice from the available reference books. I have seen many rabbits with diarrhea and not because of a disease but from abrupt diet change. It is better to be safe than sorry. Do you have any idea how difficult is was to obtain those giant chinchillas. I wonder how you would feel if someone said oh just feed them whatever and even one of your difficult to procure giant chinchillas rabbits got sick and died. I tend to err of the side of caution.
Hi Dave,
Have a pretty good idea how hard your giant chins are to get. That one buck that died, did so on his 1st little bit of choka weed. That was a tiny amount. Now all the rabbits just go for it and leave their pellets until the choka weed is gone.
The dry does stay with young goats and clean up the alfalfa hay the goatlets waste and eat all the choka I can give them. Not breeding right now as it's been too hot, will wait until mid August or later to breed again. Like floor breeding as it has proven in my situation to be easier on rabbits and me.
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Some of my "thing" about goats is that I love them but also it is because they can be raised on a tiny piece of earth more easily than a cow. My all time favorite bovine is Highland. Excellent dual purpose but even though they are on the small side and excellent foragers I am beginning to "feel" my years and need a smaller animal to milk. I only need milk for my coffee and to make small quantities of cheese so a couple of Kinder Does and a weathers for company is plenty. That way I can breed them 6 months a part so I will not have one dry and those times of over lap will be able to make a bigger chunk of cheese.Pat Maas wrote:
I have breeders for my rabbits here in the east but still it is a very very long drive to pick them up. I have always used hutches for my "girls" and they seem very happy and are exceptionally friendly. Even my Buck likes having a belly rub. Both Does are used to me handling the kits too. They are my primary animal protein source so I can't afford to have them become ill. Some places in the country don't have as much need for concern about coccidiosis but if the environment is moist it is much higher so I limit their contact with the ground especially in the Spring. If I had an actual living arrangement so they didn't live in my house then they would have their exercise run back but even then I controlled how often they were out in the "yard" and they were still confined to their own separate "run." If everything works out they will have much more room. They do live in exceptionally large hutches though
(42wide x 24high x 30deep). My "girls" are really huge. A bit bigger than average. One is 17lbs. and the other is 18lbs. My love for huge rabbits but smaller breeds of goats (Kinder & San Clemente) and really tiny breeds of pigs (Kunekune) seems weird. hahahahahahaha
Most my protein comes from plant sources. The rabbits are for use as manure makers for the worms. Have also found kid goat manure works well up to a certain age around 6 months before it gets consigned to other uses. That's why some rabbits share space with them this time of year.
I'll likely get into the Giant Chins after things happen in the next little while. Just needed to remember some of the things had learned as a kid when raising and showing them enmasse. Won't cross them with the smaller breeds as trade these ones off for various needs.
Like you I'm mixed on size of livestock. Like my big goats, but also appreciate my smaller nigerian dwarf crosses that are polled. Had such a hard time finding a decent polled sable buck(from strong milking lines), am making my own with what is at hand. On these smaller does just use 1st year billies as it is easier on them. Am slowly breeding them up.
The few milk cows will have soon are just mixes for now. It's been a long time since I've milked moosers so am starting with experienced milkers, even though I've broken many, many young bovine ladies to milking. After getting that accomplished will look at a certain heritage breed saw back in the NE and is associated with a sustainable ag college. Triple use breed.
Like guinea hogs and the giant blacks. Both can be found in NM.
All my animals can be handled and loved on. And I really like diversity in my livestock and poultry.
I love Guinea Hogs too but want something even smaller. "When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
That works for me.Pat Maas wrote:
[color=Blue]
Why don't we take this conversation over to your Heritage Breeds Topic?
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
If you want to breed bigger you need a giant breed Doe NOT the other way around. A "standard" size Doe is less likely to survive birth when bred to a giant breed buck. I cannot answer about colony rabbits I have not done that ever.Casey Halone wrote:
I just found this thread. Very encouraging. I just got into rabbits finally a few weeks ago, I have two does who are sisters NZ and CA cross in cages ATM. thinking some type of giant cross for a buck?
I also want to take the colony approach for health reasons. I have a spot on the E side of my house that stays shady most of the day.
currently I have a poop ramp and gutter under the cages, I could see cleanup being harder with a colony? part of my reason for raising rabbit was the free manure aspect after all. do you just sweep it all up? does it get stuck in their fur and feet?
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
Casey Halone wrote:
that is very good information, so thank you! Im not out to kill the does!
"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
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"When there is no life in the soil it is just dirt."
"MagicDave"
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