Juju Bisch Pollock

This spotted Border Collie was dumped on/gifted to me when an adoption fell through 10 years ago.

Turns out a full-time college student, in an upstairs apartment, that never had a dog before,
let alone a border collie puppy, is a poor fit. Poor puppy was given the boot after 1 night!
    Later this guy got married and had a baby- I told him he was on his own!

Turns out his loss is my best buddy boy-o, rodeo clown, chicken herder, vermin eradicator, and cuddler.
And he loves my homestead vegetarian cooking.
Talk about stacking functions!

RABBIT GRAIN Mix=
WHOLE or crimped wheat, oats and/or Barley plus Black oil sunflower seeds('BOSS')
We feed grains dry or sprouted.  Crimped, steamed or otherwise altered grains will not sprout.
Adults get about Tablespoon dry grain -More during cold weather: NONE of this mix when weather is hot!

Some rabbits hull the grains, some will eat them whole.
If you think rabbit isn't eating them, make sure bowl isn't full of hulls!
We feed grains separately in a tip proof dish, otherwise rabbits will dig through it for their favorites.
Very young bunnies get rolled "5 Grain Cereal" from grocery Bulk Bins.
If we feed sprouted grain, then we don't feed dry grain blend.
If you smell ammonia in your rabbit area, back off on the % amount of grain / protein you are feeding.

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure plants you seek to feed are rabbit safe!
There are too many regurgitated/non-researched/ cut and pasted lists on the internet!! Wood from all stone fruit trees is TOXIC (Like peach on list posted above). Do not feed.

While many trees are wonderful miners of nutrients and there are many you can use for fodder, some should not be fed. Most evergreens should not be fed. (Oleander, Holly, Conifers (pine cones ok)

Another point-  Elm causes miscarriages and should not be fed to pregnant does.  
Feedipedia has some very good information including nutrient profiles.

We raise varietal pomegranates which tend to grow a lot of suckers at the base of each tree.
Turns out Pomegranet contains tannins that prevent coccidia! We thin the smaller fruits to get larger fruit. Cut in half these are frozen and fed in the heat of summer. (one half per rabbit)

Plants containing PRE-biotics encourage beneficial gut bacteria=
(some examples- leaves and stalks from Sunflower and Artichoke)
In winter we feed Black Oil Sunflower Seeds ("BOSS") and diy grain mix for extra calories.

We are traditional feeders & raise less common Lilac breed rabbits that we show, so Flesh condition is still a concern. As a vegetarian- I NEED bunnies for my soil and plant health:  Our rabbits recycle/reduce plant material into instant plant food/ compost,( we call them silent environmental insta-chippers) We turn the compost beneath the hanging cages daily covering waste keeps flies down(sometimes employing Laying hens- win/win)

Sizzlingly scorching hot here. so the 10' square coop is wrapped with scraps of black shade cloth.
Sometimes the cloth gets sprayed down, mostly to clean the dust off of it and improve airflow.

Eight old hens have high carbon deep litter of rice hulls to scuffle through to fluff and keep the flies down.
For most of the day, our chickens free range here, however we have to let them out of the coop after noon
due to blue jays flying in and pecking the eggs otherwise for their hungry chicks.
Running from shade tree to tree. They dig 'chicken divets" though the deep chips, into the damp sand around the pomegranate trees,
which makes catchment basins for rare watering and prevents damp mulch on trunk rot issues.
The attraction of the shady trees enables the hens to keep the potential pests and parthenogens down as well!
Speaking of pests= The hens have a dedicated dust bath of sand and  diatomaceous earth in a cracked cement mixing tub in the shade.
We put food waste and fruit scraps in the freezer and feed it to them when its hot so they keep their fluids up...
as well as raising meal worms for them. The meal worms seem to grow/reproduce really fast in this heat!
Hens are still laying really well and I have a question of egg edibility/safety if they get to hot in the nest box??
    Unfortunately nest boxes are on hot west side of coop.
Water is in a 2 gallon bucket covered with a broken tile in the coop. It is dumped onto goji hedge on east side of coop every morning when it is refilled.
            Hens really enjoy eating the goji leaves they can reach, which surprised me since it is nightshade family!!
They also have water stations in a few other places scattered around the yard for insurance.
I notice they tend to forage later on hot days, when the blazing fireball sun finally begins to set.
We were putting Apple Cider Vinegar in it for electrolytes(?) but it seemed to affect the shells and we had to be conscience of where we dumped it.

Unsold live 'christmas trees' can be had at a very reduced price- after the holidays.
Some places get in sheered rosemary 'cones' that can be reverse engineered back to a more natural state over time.
I doubt it would be wise to use these for herbal/edible uses until the fertilizers (and what all) are flushed from the plants system.

   We were fortunate to pick up 3, 5 gallon Italian Stone pines a few years ago.
   Currently established well in a hugal pile and we're looking forward to homegrown authentic pine nuts, eventually...None to date.
       Continuing to substitute lack of pinenuts with sunflower seeds or walnuts while we wait.
   Pinecones can be used for a plethora of craft projects. The rabbit enjoy them as chewable toys.
        Neighborhood foraging of fallen pine cones is an option.
        Accumulate a stash of pinecones for adding to wreaths, bird feeders, sliced into segments and painted like flowers with recycled paint.
           Upcycling for gifts, barter, or even possible income

Pre-shop /preplan before the holiday to see what is available and what might work for your plot and projects.
Cell phone is a great tool to research varieties available on the fly as to practicality to actually grow where you need a conifer to grow.
Be mindful of water requirements, sun exposure, original/native range and adaptability.
What could you grow as an understory guild with pine trees?

I thought about feeding water hyacinth to my rabbits as it is an invasive here in California.
Historical side note; It was given away during one of our State fairs as a pond garden plant...where it escaped.
It was promoted as a cattle feed...then a proposal was considered to import hippo ranching to eat the Hyacynth.
Sounds like a Cat in the Hat book plot.
Now, enterprising folks are making bucks removing it. Many parts of this plant regenerate and it is a prolific seeder.
Job security.

Originally I was planning to snag some from the river,
cleaning starter stock with a salt water rinse and raising it in our rain/troughs.
However further research from Feedipedia changed my mind.
-Toxicity and palatability issues due to calcium oxalate crystals.
-Hyacinths absorb and concentrate all types of water pollutants,
-There are also possibilities of hitchhiking water snails contributing liver flukes.
Another note-Even though it is clogging our waterways and harbors-
Evidently, Water Hyacinth is illegal to posses and transport here.

We use Rice Hulls here for deep litter in the hen house. (San Francisco/East Bay Area)
The husks are a sterilized harvest byproduct of annual rice, and grown about 50 miles from us.
A compressed bag can be found at feed stores as it is also used as a large livestock stall bedding.

Rice Hulls last a long time and has less environmental impact than a mechanically chipped perennial tree.
Less worrisome than possibly importing plant pathogens or allopathic species( Like walnut)
It stays fluffy, even when mixed with leaves and other p lant particles the hens didn't eat...and the stuff(manure) they did eat!
Another plus for us: Rice hulls have a high silica content, resist fungal growth and moisture retention, decomposes slowly-
Which is a good thing when you compost the used litter for a soil amendment.
(Hot composting used chicken litter is safer for use on your veggie garden)
We also use rice hulls in our worm box mix and seedling starter instead of perlite.
I've also heard of it being mixed into cement as well.

Hi Glen-
Why reinvent the wheel when there has been plenty of work done by others before you?
Check out the American Rabbit Breeders website (https://www.arba.net/breeds.htm) for breed info.
Go check out a rabbit show near you and talk to different people that have the different breeds!
You can get good stock at shows for a nice price- A rabbit past its show prime, or with a disqualification could be quite a bargain!
Focusing on raising a specific breed for your needs adds value to your efforts by efficiency over time (genetic results more consistent),
resale value of stock(Pedigrees and performance), and you can even help save an endangered breed from extinction!
Fits in with the "Obtain a yield" permie principle.

We have always had rabbits for composting and began showing almost 10 years ago with Lilac breed rabbits and 2 yrs ago with Blanc de Hotots.
Feeding Homestead style/traditionally with minimal processed pellets for regenerative agriculture has made our land prosperous!
I don't eat rabbit, but my dog does occasionally, or we donate to the local wildlife rehab.
Hope this info helps- Juju