A message to arents raising and marketing rabbits is an ideal project for young people. There were too many rules and it was not sociable at all for the rabbits. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat. It has some very nice color pictures, but i was expecting a bit more detail on the subject of raising rabbits in a colony type of setting. Im not telling anyone to go to colony raising because its better or that cage raising is wrong in any way for others. Granted, raising in a fencedin colony is not completely natural. Since i raise 6 different breeds of rabbits its been interesting to note which ones do well cohoused in rabbit herds. Thompson as she discusses the benefits of raising rabbits in a colony rather than in individual cages. Raising rabbits 101 pdf if you decide that raising rabbits is for you, keep this manual as a handy reference, and. We have selected our affiliate products carefully with the purpose of improving your experience, both on the raising rabbits website, and in the ease of the care you provide your rabbits. It was just not the best option for us and thats okay. Then raising backyard rabbits may be right for you. Discouraged about colony raising of rabbits welcome to the.
Colony raising rabbits is a rewarding method of raising rabbits. Rabbit in colony setup backyard chickens learn how to. Are there any disadvantages to raising your rabbits in a colony setting. So we thought we would take you through a little run down of what we have found works and doesnt work for us. We do share images and engage in graphic and detailed discussion of the. Design a perfect rabbit colony welcome to the homesteading. Thanks to our experiment raising meat rabbits in a community environment, we are learning a great deal about rabbit social issues. British colonial expansion was responsible for a new wave of diffusion of. Of course, like everything else in life there are absolutely pros and cons of colonies.
Colony raising rabbits isnt hard, but there are a few considerations that can make setting up a rabbit colony go more smoothly. An appreciation for rabbits and knowledge of how to handle them in a humane way. The standard way for a rabbitry to be set up is to have row after row of 36. You can obtain names of buyers from a rabbit magazine. Colony raising rabbits is easy and affordable, it is the best way to get amazing results from your meat rabbits. What i found most useful was examples of how other people set up their rabbit colonies. Right now we have three breeders, buck rogers iii our buck. Rabbits produce, meat, fiber, fur, and manure with a little space, feed, and effort. Colony raising rabbits this family raises their rabbits with the bucks and does together. Does can be bred for 4 to 5 litters per year, once they are kept in good condition. Mar 15, 2019 please dont hotlink directly to these files, share the url from this pages address bar. Todays domesticated rabbits are generally housed in single occupancy wire cages.
I know that the pastures that she raises them on are heavy on the legumes and have lots of nongrass plants for the rabbits to eat. Discouraged about colony raising of rabbits welcome to. How to start a profitable rabbit farming business pdf. When raising rabbits for meat there are many options for food. I raise angora rabbits now after much research about wool and meat rabbits a german with giant genetics, 3 satins and a non angora blue dwarf. Evaluation of cage microenvironment of mice housed. After i retired, i regained my interest in gardening and raising rabbits. Domestic rabbits are very cheap to raise as a domestic animal and. These pellets are filled with protein and will help add the necessary weight to. Rabbits are extremely hot natured so it is important to place their shelter in a shaded area. This is why this manual, first published in 1984, is now being reissued.
Raising rabbits and cavies for meat survival monkey forums. Certain traditional rabbit production systems particularly. Good resource on the old world way of raising rabbits and building of colonies. Raising rabbits for meat is a lucrative business, providing income for millions of people, but there are some essential things you need to do before you venture into the rabbit farming business. Chemical composition of different raw materials suitable for feeding rabbits 23. You can make changes to the interactive pdf budget files for this publication by inputting your own prices and quantities in the green outlined cells for any item. Jun 05, 2017 my colony pens are spacious with hiding places and the free rangers have all the space they decide they want. Pdf possibilities to reduce feed conversion in rabbits pdf role of. A chicken requires at least 34 square feet of space. When it comes to keeping homestead rabbits, you have some choices regarding housing. Conceptions will be highest during the cool months of the year and lowest during the hot and humid months. Today i welcome maat from frugal chicken shes going to share her personal experience in raising meat rabbits in colonies versus cages.
I am new to this group, and happy to find so much valuable information. Open your file, type in the details for each rabbit and save your document as a new file name so that you can reuse this blank template in the future. This is just my story of our rabbit adventures these last few years. Some people colony raise their rabbits with great success. A colony is one large pen or caged in area where all your rabbits or most live together as a group.
Any species rabbit, chicken, hog, etc will become aggressive and fight with each other if they are crammed into tight, confined spaces with no outlet for natural activities. Methods for raising meat rabbits the green acre homestead. Please dont hotlink directly to these files, share the url from this pages address bar. In the wild, rabbits have far more space than a fenced pen allows, and tunnel systems can be quite intricate. Raising rabbits in a group setting can work, but they require mental stimulation and infrastructure to hide under. The focus is on raising rabbits to add needed protein to family diets and as an. Aug 09, 2011 perfect set up for me would be a sandy loam well drained open area, i would have it no smaller than 20x20 feet, partly shaded with a large tree, i would have a low shed for a feeding station up on cinder blocks big enough to trap the young rabbits as they are ready to harvest, and a mound of earth beside it, both the mound and the feeding hutch would be in the center of the enclosure, the. We have put this work together as a large pdf document. At this time, according to the us department of agriculture, young rabbits are marketed live as fryers between 8 and 12 weeks of age and around 4 to 5. Weve raised our rabbits for seven years in colonies.
In a colony its best to keep feed available at all times, the rabbits tend to have fewer disagreements when they know food is available. Business planning design your own fence due date calculator ethnic calendar. You have multiple cages for your rabbits, each pretty much getting their own cage. Farmer megs digest raising rabbits in the colonystyle. Raising rabbits in colonies does not need to be complicated. We are having a go at rabbits, never thought that we would love their personalities so much. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method, neither is right or wrong. Raising homestead rabbits in cages is exactly what it sounds like. Our bunnies are easy to handle, inquisitive, produce well, excellent mothers and the breed is known to have a good bone to meat ratio. I sprout for my rabbits so i have to control that potion of their feed, and in the summer collect forage for them if they are not on pature. Dec 06, 20 this book is mainly a story of a girl from sweden who raises rabbits in a somewhat of a colony setting. I get questions about colony raising all the time, frequently from people who are also interested in beveren.
We have in fact raised minirex for several years kids in 4h and a little open showing, so we are not new to rabbits, but definitely new to colony raising, and to meat rabbits. Pdf backyard rabbit farming can be a great idea for having healthy meat and an additional source of income for the family without much involvement. Raising and marketing rabbits is an ideal project for young people. Raising rabbits in a colony is the best way to ensure happy, healthy, natural rabbits. Keeping giant rabbits, chickens and other livestock for most. Ive been into urban farming lately, this is a really cool alternative to chickens. Rabbits fastidiously groom themselves and rarely if ever need to be bathed. Rabbits in colonies are easy and fast to feed and water, and i find cleaning a colony of rabbits to be light work. Rabbit hutch plans several pdf s several rabbit hutch building pdf s. This article will outline how to start a commercial rabbit farming business, and the rabbit farming business plan pdf, word and excel. They will chew on the hutch if made out of wood so be sure to by nontreated wood when building. Rabbit project can provide an impor tant life skill learning. Ill try to find the pdf files she gave out at the workshop.
Once you decide you want to raise some rabbits on your homestead congrats. The few that i have managed to catch were all suffering from a bunny inflicted wound which quickly became infected. Photo by maskarade purchasing a guinea pig cage in a pet shop is unfortunately a good way to ensure that it is in fact too small for your pets needs. Apr 25, 2017 are there any disadvantages to raising your rabbits in a colony setting.
The ultimate resource collection for raising meat rabbits. Rabbits in colonies are not handled as much by human caregivers so they tend to be more like wild rabbits. Colonies make for efficient use of space, and provide good opportunities for the comparison of many features of rabbits whether free moving or in still life if the lighting is good. Despite considerable progress in food production in the last 30 years, 800 million people in the world. I relearned the modern ways of raising rabbits, but the lessons from a long time ago remained etched in my mind.
You need to start a profitable rabbit farming business to boost your income. Interesting idea to file away as a someday giant rabbits are a versatile resource three young flemish giant rabbits just hanging out. The cells outlined in red automatically calculate your revised totals based on the changes you made to the cells outlined in green. Monks began keeping rabbits in warrens as far back as the early medieval times, and the idea of caging didnt take hold until the 1800s. Some good resources for rabbit care in colonies are the facebook groups rabbits in colonies, and colony raising rabbits. I am getting some meat rabbits soon, and had wanted to try colony raising 3 does and a buck. Kens idea sounds wonderful except for a couple of catches. I know i am new here newly registered anyway, but a long time addicted reader but since so many people keep asking about rabbit colonies, i thought i would post my experience. So, if youre planning to raise 4 chickens, you need to buildbuy a 12square foot chicken. I can image over crowding would not work as well with colonies but it doesnt work well with caged rabbits either. All jrs colonies are regularly monitored for and are free of 15 viruses mouse hepatitis virus, two mouse parvoviruses, reovirus, theilers mouse encephalomyelitis virus, ectromelia virus, mouse rotavirus, thymic virus. Apr 12, 2015 raising new zealand red rabbits in a colony day one putting them together and breeding for the first time. I found good information on the colony raising rabbits yahoo group, and the facebook groups colony raising rabbits, and rabbits in colonies.
In ordinary times many of the small rabbit raisers dont bother to save the skins, but they do have some value. If you decide that raising rabbits is for you, keep this manual as pub to pdf file a handy reference, and. We have put together a comprehensive list of resources about raising meat rabbits in a colony, so you can raise your rabbits naturally too. However, as im about to show you, there are many things you can do to overcome these disadvantages. This manual is a reference guide for young people and adults. When i brought home our american chinchilla breeding trio, i had researched raising meat rabbits extensively. We have had lots of questions coming in about raising rabbits for meat and how we handle rabbit care here on our little backyard farm. Sample colony rabbit setups raising rabbits in colonies does not need to be complicated. People who want to keep rabbits in natural social groupings, but have questions or concerns about how best to manage them. Raising rabbits in colonies is not a new concept, although it may seem new to the modern rabbit breeder. I do not believe it to be very informative on the subject, just more of a story book. Ours burrow in the ground, solving all issues of not having babies in a nest. We got out of minirex last year, i sold all of our equipment, then lo and behold decided i wanted organic rabbit meat. All our argentes are pedigreed and we are hoping to start showing in the.
I would assume from reading your post, that you have a closed colony, meaning they are not allowed to burrow in the ground. Agriculture series rabbits, your constructive work in the series. Im writing to respond to an article in the janfeb 03 issue about raising rabbits in colonies. I am slowly coming to realize this is probably not feasible or wise. Storeys guide to raising rabbits, 4th edition bennett, bob on. The setup cost is usually cheaper because you dont have to buy so many cages, feeding bowls, watering bottles, etc. The simplest form of a rabbit colony is to maintain a buck and a few does in a large group, for instance in a large pen, a converted stall, a fenced yard, etc. Solving the disadvantages of colonies the binky bunny. Unlike most other animals, rabbits do not have a regular heat cycle oestrus. Rabbits in colonies or cages the imperfectly happy home. The role of small livestock like rabbits as a tool in poverty alleviation programmes has been acknowledged for.
Who we are this group shares knowledge of methods for raising rabbits in communal structures referred to as rabbit colonies. Each cage is often no bigger than 2 x 3 in size, and is often suspended off the ground so that the animals manure and urine can drain freely through the cage mesh to a collection point below. In the summer, it is wise to place frozen water bottles in the hutches with the rabbits to help keep them cool. Anonymous i have 3 does in with one buck, and now have 6 kits that will be a month old on friday, they live in a 6x12 pen with lots of boxes to hide in, they all get along and are great with the kits. Your rabbits should have some form of chewing option to file their teeth down. Brushing your rabbit is important, particularly during molting or shedding. The rabbits usually dont have any room to hop and they never touch the earth.
To make a very long story shorter, the kids and mom were horrified at the thought eating a cute little bunny and they became pets. High ambient temperatures, in fact, can cause infertility in breeding rabbits and. Raising and marketing rabbits is an ideal project for 4h members, espe. Mar 12, 2015 cait, ive only ventured into rabbit raising one time. Colony rabbits live in group housing and are free range.
Before we talk about specifics of raising your rabbits in a colony, such as extreme temperatures and protection from predators, lets discuss a few basic types of structures that can be used for colony raising. The main disadvantage of colonies for you is that you. There is also a glossary of rabbit terms to help you with words you may not know. To learn and grow from challenges and accomplishments. Rabbits in colonies 101 the domestication of cattle cait. Sep 28, 2017 a better way to raise rabbits join luilla p.
We use affiliate links including links to help keep the use of this website completely free of charge to you. Reading through the threads has me somewhat discouraged of this method though, as it seems like the threat of disease might make this prohibitive according to some. Housing your chicken needs a house to live, we call it a coop. Feed conversion for fryers is about 1 pound of meat from 4 pounds of feed compared to 7 pounds of feed for 1 pound of beef. Please feel free to copy and paste blank cards at the end if. The practice of raising domestic rabbits for agricultural purposes is called cuniculture. Some people find it difficult to slaughter rabbits for consumption because they. Lets assume 2 does and one buck on an intensive breading plan.
A colony is a better opportunity for rabbits to socialize and play. Rabbits need a balanced diet of unlimited grass hay timothy, orchard, oat. This will help prevent them from ingesting too much hair, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems. The reason that i went with wool rabbits was ultimately because rabbits scream like a small child when you kill them and i figured i just couldnt handle that.
With ideas of building a colony that would supply the freezer with meat, i bought two rabbits and build special cages for them to live in. People see them as either cuddly pets or farm animals, more often the former. For those with experience with colony raising rabbits in a paddock system and provide artificial underground warrens, do the rabbits keep them clean, like they would for the ones they dig, or do they end up leaving them for you to clean up. I have read though alot of the post here about rabbits. If you decide that raising rabbits is for you, keep this manual as a handy reference, and plan to use it from year to year.
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