# Raising Rabbits



## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

So I talked the DH into raising rabbits! Kind of excited about that. Apparently, we already have cages in the barn  and he said he could easily hang them from the rafters. Pretty much all we'd need would be the feeders and water bottles. I think the reason we had trouble with the rabbits we tried to raise years ago was A: we put their food in bowls on the floor of the cage and they could have gotten sick from that, and/or B: we didn't buy the rabbit food pellets and tried to feed them only alfalfa hay and garden scraps. I guess, from reading articles about it, they need the pellets. I think we'll get the California White breed because they're a little bigger. 

So who can tell me about tanning the hides? I've read that the salt/alum method makes the softest final product but where do you get alum in bulk?


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

My daughter salt/alum tans them and they are great. I have dozens stacked in my sewing room waiting to be made into stuff. Fur stays on really well, and they soften really easily.


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## mamamouse (Feb 15, 2014)

I raise rabbits, and they do pretty well, but I can't imagine they NEED those feed store pellets. Does anyone know how to transiton them to grasses/wild grains? Getting them off commercial pellets would help a lot, not just as a shtf situation, but to help our monthly budget


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Update ...

lazydaisy67, have you found your rabbits yet?


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I did find a guy who is selling them. Talked with him for a while and arranged for 2 California white does, 2 New Zealand does and one buck. We haven't yet made the trip up to his farm to pick them up, but he said pretty much any time. DH wants to have everything set up in the barn first, and I'm thinking we can just have them in the basement for a little while until it gets warm enough for us to get things the way he wants outside. Hope to be getting them within the next 2 weeks or so.


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Having owned rabbits, I would highly advise against having them inside. They smell bad, especially bucks. If you raise them from kits as indoor animals and litterbox train them, then it can work, but they don't pee straight down. It is more of a spray in bucks and does. I would advise just spending a day out in some warm clothing and getting the pens hung. Good luck though! This is on my list, too.

Sent from my HTC One SV using Survival Forum mobile app


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

Ok, so we never did end up being able to get together with the guy who had the California rabbits and between that and hubby not getting the exactly perfect rabbitry set up, we benched the idea. I got a call yesterday from a guy who raises Satins and Lops for show and had 30 culls, did I want some for free... I freaked out and said we'd only take 10 because I wasn't sure how many we could handle. We went to pick them up tonight. They're rather large, from about 6-9 pounds. We'll keep a buck and a doe of each breed and eat the rest. 
Next year for Christmas mama gonna have a new coat! Lol


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

I keep mine outside year round (new zealand whites)… a side shed of my old hay barn. This limits breeding to the warm months. They do well in the cold, the hay is a very stable mass, temperature wise. On really cold nights I can easily bury them in hay! You can see them to the right of the Phytolacca americana (poke sallet). 3 homemade double cages.

This far south I have a problem with fireants. The last litter was born during the night, by the time I found them in the morning it was too late. The ants had climbed the poles, crossed the rafters then down the wires to the cages. The doe had freaked! I declared war on fireants! 

To the right of the shed is pasture, lots of clover, perilla and dock in the shady areas. Besides pellets they get lots of wild greens and some hay in winter. Perilla is a mint with slight antiviral, antibacterial properties. They really don’t eat it but like to roll around in the leaves.

I wish you luck on that winter coat!


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## Alfred_E_Neuman (Dec 5, 2014)

During the warmer months, I keep my rabbits in small A-frames with wire welded runs attached, bout 3 feet long, 3 feet wide at the base. I move them about twice a day. They can feed easily on the grass that passes through the welded wire. I keep the males out in the fields. Never been bothered by coyotes. 
The females I keep by the house moving them twice a day. I have a separate kindling A-frame. There are entire sections of lawn I dont have to mow! 
In the winter, I keep them in the barn. I put a length of sheet metal under the cages, propped up with 2x4s. Their poop passes through the welded wire to the sheet metal. I apply some wood ash to keep down on the smell. Dump their poop bout every two or three days. Makes great compost!


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

Yeah, I'm super excited for the poop! My garden dirt needs it. I wish those Lops weren't so dang cute! I'm going to have to go in the house when we butcher them.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I've kept rabbits for many years now and raise Mini Rex and Lion Head for sales, trade/barter, fertilizer, meat and fur. I've been considering going with a slightly larger breed though. I raise mine organic and all natural. Their food is what I wild harvest, our natural hay (grass mix) and goods from the gardens. 

They stay outside year round (southern Missouri Ozarks) in homemade hutches with lots is extra hay in the cold months for nesting and burrowing. I also free range them (let them run wild on the property for weeks at a time) one or two at a time, then recapture. And some live in two colonies. I also have a rabbit tractor but a limb fell on it so it's got to be repaired before using again.

I also feed them in bowls on their floors. And I do feed them all natural oats to worm them. I either add molasses or something or spritz with water so my worming powder sticks.

I've found that parasites are the most common danger to rabbits, wild and domestic. they need to be wormed regularly and well.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I also keep worm bins under some of the hutches. I keep Ozark Nightcrawlers now, they're easier and hardier for me. I used to have fancy Red Wigglers but they weren't as hardy. In winter I use old hay bales against the sides of the worm bins to keep them from freezing.


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## Alfred_E_Neuman (Dec 5, 2014)

lazydaisy67 said:


> Yeah, I'm super excited for the poop! My garden dirt needs it. I wish those Lops weren't so dang cute! I'm going to have to go in the house when we butcher them.


Yeah, I think my pigs are cute too, even when I go to put them down I feel a bit bad.
But that is the way of life I guess.
Feel the same way about the rabbits or the chickens. They were good enough to give us their lives, so I feel I have to say a little something in their honor.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Alfred_E_Neuman said:


> Yeah, I think my pigs are cute too, even when I go to put them down I feel a bit bad.
> But that is the way of life I guess.
> Feel the same way about the rabbits or the chickens. They were good enough to give us their lives, so I feel I have to say a little something in their honor.


Indeed they deserve the highest respect and honor

Ours get the best life possible and never know pain, fear, discomfort etc.. as much as can be. it's a small thing in exchange for what they give us.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I agree. We treat things we're going to eat very well also. 
I was wondering if any of you have Angora rabbits? There's a whole 'world of fiber' out there that I haven't really explored much. I did locate a lady not too far from me that has American Angoras that I could get my hands on for fairly cheap. Not sure how I would market that around here or if there are any spinners nearby to sell to. I don't think I could afford to get a spinning wheel, but I could probably learn how to spin it with a drop spindle. Anyway, after Christmas, lol.
For right now I'm just going to freeze the pelts until we have a little more time to tan all of them. What do you all make from the pelts?


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

We're planning on at least a blanket, some shoes and some mittens. We have some crazy color variation in our first litter right now.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I've been considering angora rabbits and goats for spinning but haven't yet. I would be very interested in hearing from folks who raise them for spinning. Easy care, hardy, good for meat, good mothers etc etc.

so far I've used rabbits furs for shoes or shoe linings, a blanket still in progress made like a quilt, rugs - they make wonderful rugs, and going to try gloves or lining gloves. Thinner fur like min rex are good for lining rubber muck boots but you have to get a half or full size larger. 

Mittens are a great idea and shouls be pretty easy!


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## gardenshepherd (Dec 11, 2013)

These are our moms, the large white is just about to give birth.


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

Hi there...Mrs. Cider here. I'm a fiber artisan and thought I'd pop in for a thought or two re: fiber animals. Yes, angora rabbits will give you spinnable fiber (angora) as will angora goats (mohair). Food for thought though, a rabbit won't provide a lot and for that matter neither will a goat. If you want to raise angora goats for fiber, you should keep them out of the woods and brambles and on a relatively clean pasture free of things that would probably tangle hopelessly in their locks. More importantly, if you want to produce wearables, these hair fibers do best blended in with fiber that has some spring and memory, like wool. They *can* stand alone, but won't end up being the cozy sweater you might have had in mind. Also, a drop spindle is best learned with a less slippery and longer staple length fiber than you may find with angora. Both of these fibers, if in good condition, will be of interest to hand spinners. They could provide a small source of income at a local farmer's market even if you don't know how to spin it yourself. If you want to learn to spin for your family without committing to a flock of sheep, try asking a 4H kid for their sheep's fleece.  Learn how to wash/pick/card/spin and see if it's for you. Wool will take you a lot further down the road than one or two angora rabbits. We have a wool washing tutorial on our web site for processing lots of medium wool (Romney, Corridale, etc). If you're interested, pm for the link. Have fun!


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## Alfred_E_Neuman (Dec 5, 2014)

HardCider said:


> Hi there...Mrs. Cider here. I'm a fiber artisan and thought I'd pop in for a thought or two re: fiber animals. Yes, angora rabbits will give you spinnable fiber (angora) as will angora goats (mohair). Food for thought though, a rabbit won't provide a lot and for that matter neither will a goat. If you want to raise angora goats for fiber, you should keep them out of the woods and brambles and on a relatively clean pasture free of things that would probably tangle hopelessly in their locks. More importantly, if you want to produce wearables, these hair fibers do best blended in with fiber that has some spring and memory, like wool. They *can* stand alone, but won't end up being the cozy sweater you might have had in mind. Also, a drop spindle is best learned with a less slippery and longer staple length fiber than you may find with angora. Both of these fibers, if in good condition, will be of interest to hand spinners. They could provide a small source of income at a local farmer's market even if you don't know how to spin it yourself. If you want to learn to spin for your family without committing to a flock of sheep, try asking a 4H kid for their sheep's fleece. Learn how to wash/pick/card/spin and see if it's for you. Wool will take you a lot further down the road than one or two angora rabbits. We have a wool washing tutorial on our web site for processing lots of medium wool (Romney, Corridale, etc). If you're interested, pm for the link. Have fun!


Hello Mrs. Cider!
Thank you for the information! 
Wool producing sheep is in the plan.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

lazydaisy67 said:


> Yeah, I'm super excited for the poop! My garden dirt needs it. I wish those Lops weren't so dang cute! I'm going to have to go in the house when we butcher them.


Oh no you didnt??
NO choppy choppy no fur coat!!


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Butchered our first rabbit today. It was insanely easy and I can't wait for dinner.


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