Fenwaldfarmstead
Member
Hello everyone!
Since we somehow got it into our heads to add rabbits to our farm lineup (cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and counting), I've been stalking these forums and learning so much! So now rabbit pickup day is tomorrow and I just wanted to get your opinions on our plans and setup. I've never raised rabbits before so I'd love some advice!
We'd like to raise rabbits mostlyy for meat, but we'd probably have some pet sales as well. We enjoy tanning hides so interesting fur was a criteria as well. We kind of settled on CHampaignes but had an awfully hard time finding them in our area! One breeder is selling all different breeds to raise just NZW for large commercial markets. He has one Champaigne doe that will be bred soon, and he agreed to reserve us a couple kits. But since that's such a long way off, we decided to buy a breeding pair (unrelated lines) of Silver Fox X NZB. The rabbitry was large but clean and efficient, and the rabbits seemed to be in good health. Oh, and they were super meaty! Couldn't hardly pick them up for the muscle.
So.. long story short.. do we have a chance to pay expenses with these guys until we learn the ropes? Or should we have held out longer for the Champaignes? What are the pros-cons of the crosses vs the purebreds? Silver Foxes vs the Champaignes?
Right now we've got a couple cages suspended from shady trees in the garden, but would like to transition to a doe-only colony in the future. We reckon on removing the does prior to kindling to a cage until the kits start hopping around. Our biggest environmental challenge here is 104 degree days in the summertime. Any tips on building a rabbit warren that will resist the rising mercury?
I would also love any advice on where to find genetics information. I've found lots of good detailed genetics on coat colors; what about selecting for production characteristics, resilience, and thriftiness?
I guess this is getting pretty long so I'll just ask one more question. Is it possible to raise meaty rabbits on alfalfa pellets, minerals, and garden scraps? Or should I plan on having to buy pellets? We don't have much in the way of grain farming out here, or a custom mill, so mixing a special feed will get real expensive really quick.
Thanks again to all of you for your passion for the rabbits and the copious information you've contributed to us noobies here!<br /><br />__________ Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:45 am __________<br /><br />I should have mentioned that when I say garden scraps, I mean from our acre and a half market garden, with dozens of different vegetables.
Since we somehow got it into our heads to add rabbits to our farm lineup (cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and counting), I've been stalking these forums and learning so much! So now rabbit pickup day is tomorrow and I just wanted to get your opinions on our plans and setup. I've never raised rabbits before so I'd love some advice!
We'd like to raise rabbits mostlyy for meat, but we'd probably have some pet sales as well. We enjoy tanning hides so interesting fur was a criteria as well. We kind of settled on CHampaignes but had an awfully hard time finding them in our area! One breeder is selling all different breeds to raise just NZW for large commercial markets. He has one Champaigne doe that will be bred soon, and he agreed to reserve us a couple kits. But since that's such a long way off, we decided to buy a breeding pair (unrelated lines) of Silver Fox X NZB. The rabbitry was large but clean and efficient, and the rabbits seemed to be in good health. Oh, and they were super meaty! Couldn't hardly pick them up for the muscle.
So.. long story short.. do we have a chance to pay expenses with these guys until we learn the ropes? Or should we have held out longer for the Champaignes? What are the pros-cons of the crosses vs the purebreds? Silver Foxes vs the Champaignes?
Right now we've got a couple cages suspended from shady trees in the garden, but would like to transition to a doe-only colony in the future. We reckon on removing the does prior to kindling to a cage until the kits start hopping around. Our biggest environmental challenge here is 104 degree days in the summertime. Any tips on building a rabbit warren that will resist the rising mercury?
I would also love any advice on where to find genetics information. I've found lots of good detailed genetics on coat colors; what about selecting for production characteristics, resilience, and thriftiness?
I guess this is getting pretty long so I'll just ask one more question. Is it possible to raise meaty rabbits on alfalfa pellets, minerals, and garden scraps? Or should I plan on having to buy pellets? We don't have much in the way of grain farming out here, or a custom mill, so mixing a special feed will get real expensive really quick.
Thanks again to all of you for your passion for the rabbits and the copious information you've contributed to us noobies here!<br /><br />__________ Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:45 am __________<br /><br />I should have mentioned that when I say garden scraps, I mean from our acre and a half market garden, with dozens of different vegetables.