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bigfoot_158":2c23yldu said:
I am going to say dido sixgun. I only want the best for my meat rabbits. But a grow out cage I notice can get a little messy in just a few hours. Thats why they get checked on every 2 hours so I can keep in the best conditions. The most they go with out being checked on is 5 to 6 hours when I am sleeping. :)

Wow bigfoot, that is a lot of commitment. And I agree, those grow out cages can get messy fast.

MaggieJ":2c23yldu said:
You make a lot of good points, SixGun. I'll bet there are a lot more neglected pet rabbits than neglected or mistreated meat rabbits. When you raise something for meat, you want it to be healthy and contented. So many pet rabbits have owners who lose interest and provide less-than-adequate care.

Neglect is always my concern with pet rabbits. Just like pet dogs, they are novel and fun at first and then people in general have the tendency to become less interested. Thats why I like things with a purpose.

I have a hunting dog. Sure, she's my pet, but she also has a purpose, and through that purpose, she also has to be maintained to fulfill that role, i.e. well cared for, exercised, acclimated, trained, etc. I have a house rabbit, but he's not much of a house rabbit in that he's actually with me more than he is at the house. He's my little therapy bunny and he goes everywhere. I'm not always thrilled that he has to be in his bag, but, he doesn't seem to mind and he's always there for me. And, the people that know he's in there are always looking forward to some cuddle time. And he is such a good ambassador for the species. Rabbits are a great alternative for apartment dwellers, and lets be honest, their shorter life spans are sometimes about all the commitment some people are capable of.
 
SixGun - I am an animals-for-a-purpose person as well. Dogs? First line of defense (not aggressive, but very good alarms!), plus critter control (moles mainly, but they went nuts around 3:30 the other morning... found a small possum dead in the yard the next morning. I am making the rather safe assumption the two are connected). Cats? More critter control. Chickens? EGGS! And pest control. Guineas? Alarm and pest control. Rabbits? Meat and stress relief.
 
heritage":1y6zrfm3 said:
SixGun - I am an animals-for-a-purpose person as well. Dogs? First line of defense (not aggressive, but very good alarms!), plus critter control (moles mainly, but they went nuts around 3:30 the other morning... found a small possum dead in the yard the next morning. I am making the rather safe assumption the two are connected). Cats? More critter control. Chickens? EGGS! And pest control. Guineas? Alarm and pest control. Rabbits? Meat and stress relief.


I was raised on a farm and then bought a farm of my own. But, I've now moved across country, so I'm doing a LOT of relearning. I had been pushing the family to move rural again, but, I read a book that really changed my way of thinking, "Extreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City". https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Simplici ... 1890132365 Now I'm trying to make our more urban home into something that can be farm like. Rabbits are a GREAT option to help self sustain in a small area. I'm really excited about getting back into them full swing.
 
I mostly prefer "animals for a purpose" but I would always want to have a cat, even if she never caught a mouse in her life. Marilla (RIP) was an avid mouser, whereas our current moggie, Jenny, does not take it quite so seriously. Still, she helps. :)

I have one remaining Pilgrim goose. Elsie is ten years old and she is a joy . . . but except for a couple dozen eggs in the spring, she contributes only companionship. But now and then a critter grabs your heart and that counts too! :love:
 
Companionship is a purpose. :)

Our cat causes nothing but grief when he escapes from the house and I'm sure he's coyote dinner. I've only ever seen him annoy a kangaroo rat that I'm pretty sure he brought in the house and I had to sweep back out of the house in the middle of the night. He's supposed to be an inside cat, but he's a stray turned into the shelter, so some days are a struggle.

We have 4 dogs, a bird dog (5 yr old purebred and titled), a pit bull (shelter special), an ancient bulldog (10 yrs old and still annoying as heck) and our newest addition, a 12 week old cattle dog. The new one is to help reshape our current dog dynamic, be a companion, and be a good overall 'stead dog.

The house rabbit is pure companion. And so are my daughter's goldfish.

The rabbits we bring in will help even out our ever growing dog feeding expense, provide fiber for spinning and sale, pets for sale, and pelts for use and sale.

I'd like to grow a better herb garden, and I'm hoping the rabbits can help there too with fertilizer and worms.

Too much FUN~
 
My rabbits were originally housed in my heated garage. (detached)
Changing the pans became a smell issue for a neighbour. This neighbour reported us to the town. My husband made the mistake of telling the officer that we were raising the rabbits to eat. That classified the rabbits as livestock, so I needed to find a place that was zoned AGRI to house my rabbits.

When I posted a photo of my rabbit cage set-up on a FB Gardening group to see if anyone had barn space to rent, I was attacked by one lady for housing my rabbits in cages! I ended up having to delete the post. My post didn't say anything about eating rabbits, just that I needed a space about the size of a horse stall for my 12 rabbits.

(I have two towers that are 4 cages high, one has 24x24 cages, one has 30x24 cages and a wooden rigged cage holder with two 30x30 cages for grow outs and a side by side 24x24 - about 8 feet of cages)

Now my poor rabbits have gone from a controlled environment (heated in the winter and air in the summer) to a shed with a leaky roof .... lol .... Looking for a farm in 2020 when the financial situation will be in line with the goals.

That was my worst experiences. My best was selling a breeding quad to a guy who wanted to raise meat rabbits and loved my rabbits and the set-up.

My step-daughter is 15 and will tell anyone she eats "bunny"...lol
 

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