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We've scalded and plucked ducks before, as well as dry-plucked. I think the only real reason to dry-pluck is if you want to save the feathers and down. I dry-plucked a goose recently. It took over 2 hours, but I got almost a pillowcase full of the best down and small feathers ever! We must have...

Hi folks! We've been trying to figure out how to have the rabbitry run a little more smoothly with less attention from us at times. Although I usually like to hang out with the bunnies a couple of times a day, it would sure be nice to be able to wander off for more than 24 hours without...

Well, we spent our afternoon on Saturday having a huge harvest day. We had procrastinated due to the holiday, and ended up having 3 good-sized litters and a few culls to send to freezer camp. One of those was a big one - one of my first purchased does who just hasn't managed to birth or raise a...

Glad to hear it worked out well. Keeping warm enough down there? Our rabbits here in Reno seem happier than the chickens, ducks, and even dogs.

With all due respect, I'm not sure that I agree with that (the blanket statement that commercial have a higher meat to bone ratio). Flemish Giant and Giant Chinchilla are giant breeds, not meat breeds. I have both Champagne d'Argent and American rabbits, and once they are dressed, I can't really...

I kind of wish I had looked at RT before yesterday, when we processed 23 outside when it never got above freezing, but it actually wasn't too bad! The rabbits are so warm inside that as long as you keep cranking, they keep your hands warm for you. And we had the advantage of being able to chuck...

What about either chocolate chin or the sable chinchilla (has cchl with agouti rather than cchd)? I used to get those with my Netherland Dwarves, drove me nuts...

Your broken kit with the weird colors coming in can't be a broken agouti because of the dark insides of the ears - agoutis always have white there. I think it's a broken steel, but not sure if it's gold-tipped or silver-tipped. One thing that an agouti rabbit has that steel rabbits don't is...

Crossing my fingers, have someone who saw the Craigslist ad saying he'll come to pick him up tomorrow! If so, his job will be making meat pens with a couple of Californian ladies - not a bad life!

Looks just like my American Blues. Handsome little thing...

Keep them breeding on a regular schedule, don't wait until April to try again. Once does go out of rotation it is hard to get them back in. I would keep both your senior does and the one senior buck, and probably your large-ish black junior doe. The red junior doe seems much too small. I have a...

8 months might be too young (for him). I would cage him next to a seasoned buck, if you can, and let him watch (rowr...). Only give him a doe 5-10 minutes at a time. If it doesn't happen almost immediately, in my experience it just won't happen. Make sure he isn't too fat. I have a Champagne...

We have so far only done a few drakes, and we were surprised at how relatively easy it was. I think it was a function of how they did NOT have new feathers coming in. Scald like you would a chicken, with plenty of Dawn detergent added to the scalding water. Yes, save the skin if you can by...

I'm glad to hear you had success with a reel mower. We could also put up a nice grass/alfalfa/clover hay if we could just cut it correctly. I did a very small section with a hand scythe, but unfortunately its handles are loose and it's a real pain to use. My husband claims he'll fix it for me...

Badhabit, do you give your magic formula in addition to the regular ration of pellets and hay (or whatever you feed), or feed only that for a few days? I had no problems with does all year, even during the height of summer, but during the past month, all of my Champagnes have decided to go on...

We have tons of a shrubby willow (coyote willow, Salix exigua) growing along the irrigation ditches, creeks, river, wherever around here. Trimming off shoots only seems to make it angry and stimulate growth rather than slow it down. We have tried to dry some this year, but the leaves do seem to...

It is most likely the litter size difference (and hence milk supply per kit). I get very similar results with my two American does, one who tends to have 10 kits or so at a time, and the other more along the lines of 4-5. The difference fades post-weaning, and we butcher the bunnies in the large...

Hi folks. I have a nice little Champagne d'Argent buck that I was saving for a friend. Unfortunately, that fell through so now I have a 4 month old, 7+ pound little guy who's looking for a new home. "Cyrano" seems nice enough to be a keeper for me, but I still have his sire who is completely...

There is Bass Equipment down in CA? I bought their cage kits for shipping to NV, and was not disappointed. If you can get to a show where they are vending, you could save on shipping. Google their website. - Jessi

Ok, I've finally crunched the numbers on my first trial of pasture-finished versus all cage-raised. I took much of a litter of American Blues (12 originally, 5 were fostered to other litters, leaving 7 with the dam) and split them among pasture and a grow-out cage a few weeks after weaning...