The Poultry Keeper

Andrew · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 5:19 pm Post subject: Raising rabbits

Hi,

Well it looks, like my pigs idea won't fly! So now I'm looking into Rabbits. My intention is a New Zealand Buck, with two Californian Does. These to be kept and named, all offspring for the pot!

I have looked high and low on the net and although I have found info on skinning, jointing etc, I am still missing info on living space, I am not looking to battery farm them with just three cages, but would like to give them a better quality of life.

Does anybody have suggestions for Rabbit housing, or links, or plans.....

In France at least they seem to use concrete housing, what is the opinion of the group on this?

http://www.lapiniere.com/produits_pro.asp?theme=cages%20beton&id=1

Would a wooden shed with internal metal cages and a small run outside be better? Separating male and females of course!

All help much appreciated.

Andy

PS The chickens are happy to be wandering out in the big bad world again!

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6919 Location: isle of lewis

auntie pauline who used to keep rabbits for meat used to keep them in runs like the arks moving them round the lawn ,wired at the bottom so they carn't dig out ,and that way they were cheaper to feed as well and more natural Very Happy

suz

debcat · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 5:36 pm Post subject:

well since the adults are being kept I'd got for the shed, with a decent sized run. House them more like pet rabbits really
HTH

Lisa · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 5:45 pm Post subject:

Personally, if I had the choice, I would make sure they had access to grass and weeds (herbs) etc - just seems more natural and IMHO must produce better rabbit meat at the end of the day. I thought wild game was supposed to have less saturated fat, and more unsaturated fat, partly because of all the greenery they ate?

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6919 Location: isle of lewis

they were tasty ,the main breeding stock were pets as you describe ,infact kola used to come indoors to watch telly ,and lay along the back of the sofa ,the babies where almost stip grazed on the lawn ,grassy areas ,i have thought i might do it but not convinsed i could cull them for the pot Rolling Eyes

suz

Lisa · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject:

'Tis funny (ie strange), isn't it, how we can cull one animal for the pot, but another animals stirs up all sorts of different emotions...

Well, it does for me any how Embarassed

but I'm working on getting over it

One of the things that turned me from being a 20+ year veggie back to eating meat was cooking bunny from the butchers for the dogs. It was the cheapest meat - and smelt (and tasted Rolling Eyes

) so yummy!!

Funny how things turn out. My brother and sisters are all quite a lot older than me. Before I arrived they used to keep bunnies for show and meat. There was an old book at home when I was growing up all about keeping bunnies for all purposes. Its one of the things I've kept and treasured for decades - even when I was veggie... Rolling Eyes

But I still find the idea of eating my own chickens (or pigs) easier than bunnies Confused

Silly, huh?

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6919 Location: isle of lewis

i'm really not sure why with me ,my nonna (grandmother in italy ) kept rabbits for the pot ,my aunt did as well ,nonie had a pet rabbit that she kept in her bedroom didn't know about it for a week ,think it maybe because i've never been involved in the culling of rabbits
in italy many years ago you couldn't buy dead and prepared chickens you brought a live one from the market ,and prepared it yourself not me my mother ,it wasn't the most humane thing i've seen though
so maybe if i know how to do it well i might be able to though ,
sorry just mulling it over Confused

suz

Andrew · Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 2:58 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the comments, any thoughts on the cages at:

http://www.lapiniere.com/fiche_pro.asp?id=441

Does anybody have any thoughts on the smell as well? I have heard that it whiff a bit....

Thanks,
Andy

traditionalbritishfowlco · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 243 Location: lancashire

I love rabbits and I want to have a go at raising them (as I've posted on here before) for meat...my plan is to just give each animal it's own run, you know, those wood and mesh ones, I've found a guy at a car boot sale who makes them cheap, 4ft by 3ft for £25. Then i just move them around to fresh grass.

I'm having trouble locating breeding age animals - I couldn't find any rex in my area so looked for english but cant find any. Most seem to be giant breeders round me in east lancs but I wasn't into feeding those monsters as its only me to feed! Doesnt seem worth it!

Andrew · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject:

Do the breeders have to be local? mine are being shipped from the other side of France. It's a service offered by the French Railways, they get dropped off mon/tue/wed/ PM and are with me by lunch the next day.

Well that's the theory and I will be testing it out in about 9 days Smile

I've gone for big cages 90cm x 80cm and the intention is to get an ark or two, or even build a simple run to give them a "play area".

I'll be getting two Californian females and a new zealand buck. Although if I hadn't found them my next choice was going to be the Rex.....

Good Luck
Andy

traditionalbritishfowlco · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 243 Location: lancashire

yeh I'd prefer them to be local - i dunno if that train thing would work because im at work 7am-8pm five days a week - i work close to picadilly in manchester but would they go there? Seems a shame to import from france when britains full of rabbits! haha

Belladonna · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 140 Location: Swansea

whatever you do, dont be as daft as me and house them in an ark without a wire floor and wonder why they burrowed out. Embarassed

to the best of my knowledge they were last seen carousing with the wild rabbits in the copse at the bottom of the garden. Rolling Eyes

traditionalbritishfowlco · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 243 Location: lancashire

LOL,

yeh done that..except i did have wire but they chewed out through the wood door!?

mojo · Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 9:14 am Post subject:

all the locals round here use the concrete cages whether for family bunnies or for food production ..they stack well and are easy to scrub clean ...............some folks have a mesh bottom run where they exaercise the rabbits