Hi. I'm new.

[Edna's Acre Rabbitry]

Hi everyone, another member in my area suggested these forums for help when getting started. I've been lurking around and reading a ton, but I want to participate now.

I've been thinking about raising my own meat for at least a year. The thing that got me started now is that I'm on a very tight budget and really want to have humanely raised and harvested meat but the prices are just too high for me. Also, in July I found a dead hare on the side of the road next to my driveway. I took it and dressed it. The taste is just not something you can get at a store. The first few bites were intense. I know that my rabbits won't have quite as much flavor but I'll still like it. After I ate it my husband told me that he couldn't believe that I was able to dress it. When I told my friends that I ate road kill they were horrified. My nutritionist was overjoyed though.

So now I have a buck and two does. I've had them for just over a week now but they seem to be settling in very well. Most of the materials I used to set up their pens are no or low cost items I was able to get off craigslist and at goodwill. I really only had to buy the hardware cloth and some roofing materials. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can.

I do have a few questions

How long do I need to wait before I can start breeding? Is it safe to start now or should I let them settle in more?

Has anyone made their own wringer?


Thanks,
Rebecca

 

[Dood]

Welcome to the forum.

I would start breeding now as you are in Southern California and need to make the most of the cool weather in order to fill up your freezer.

My cousin is a welder and made my 'rabbit Wringer'. Its just two bits of metal with one weld, and he said it was super easy.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Welcome to the forum!!! My wringer is a "knockoff" that someone made, it works great.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Welcome to RT!

 

[JDWest]

Hi and welcome :bunnyhop:
Might as well go for broke If you've been observing them settling in nicely for a week! I would breed them without worry.

 

[Marinea]

Welcome to RT!

If the rabbits all came from the same place (so quarantine is not an issue), I would go ahead and breed, assuming they are old enough.

Make sure you have baby saver wire and nesting boxes ready to go. Good luck!

 

[Miss M]

Welcome, Rebecca! :welcomewagon:

If all the rabbits came from the same breeder, you could probably go ahead and start breeding... they're all thoroughly exposed to one another already. If they aren't from the same breeder, then they should be separated for at least 30 days, to be as sure as possible that they don't have any illnesses that could pass from rabbit to rabbit.

 

[Heritage Homestead]

Just wanted to say :welcome:!
What breed do you have?

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

Welcome! Ditto on the baby-saver wire for the does' pens. Also, if you don't have nest boxes, the day after you breed is a good time to start building them. Make sure you've got them ready and available at least 7 days before they're due. Until you get to know them, you might want to put the nest box in a little early. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

 

[GBov]

Welcome to the slippery slope of rabbits! Well done on the road kill, people really underestimate the value of that resorce. So far my best road kill this summer has been a 6 ft rattle snake. The car ahead of me clipped its head off with its tires so how on earth was I going to pass a gift like that up?

A two to three pound skinned rattlesnake on line sells for $115 on SALE :shock: Mine gave me just under three pounds of filleted meat. Fried and served with pan gravy it was fantastic.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

:welcomewagon:

Hi Edna's Acre! Welcome to the forum!

When I told my friends that I ate road kill they were horrified.

:lol: You aren't the first one. A friend of mine is a large animal vet, and on his way home from a call, a rabbit committed suicide by running into his tire. He took it home and dressed it.

Another friend borrowed our truck one time, and came upon a poor fellow who had just struck a deer with his vintage Mustang (he had just finished all of the body work, and the car was primed and ready to be painted!)... he was practically in tears over his car, and didn't know what to do about the deer. My friend kindly offered to "take care of it" for him, and promptly loaded the carcass into our truck and took it home.

How long do I need to wait before I can start breeding?

What breed and age are they? Some breeds mature earlier than others.

This thread will help you determine if the does are "ready":

judging-a-doe-s-readiness-and-breeding-tips-t9869.html

I usually recommend waiting to breed until the rabbit has passed a quarantine period of thirty days to 6 weeks. Pregnancy is stressful, and stressed rabbits are more prone to manifest any sub clinical illnesses they may have. That said, I have often sold does "bred", since many of my buyers buy trios rather than two does and two bucks. This way they are still starting with at least two "buck lines". I have never had reports of the rabbits becoming ill due to the additional stress.

A two to three pound skinned rattlesnake on line sells for $115 on SALE :shock:

Whu-u-u-t!?! Goodbye, bunnies, hello-o-o-o rattlesnakes!

Wait! What am I saying??? :slap: Kits and young rabbits can be fed to the snakes... :mrgreen:

 

[GBov]

A two to three pound skinned rattlesnake on line sells for $115 on SALE :shock:

Whu-u-u-t!?! Goodbye, bunnies, hello-o-o-o rattlesnakes!

Wait! What am I saying??? :slap: Kits and young rabbits can be fed to the snakes... :mrgreen:

Dont laugh but I am tempted :shock: If I built a nice large pit with water and shelter in it for the snakes and tossed in my cull G. Pigs and undersized quail all I would have to do is harvest snakes a few at a time. A cover and basking lights would help the parent stock establish good breeding and REALLY LONG TONGS would let me pluck out a snake or two for the market at need.

At that kind of price its tempting, veeeeery tempting. Have seen three HUGE ones dead on the road less than a mile from th ehouse but its a really bad curve in the road so not going to risk life and limb picking one up there.

hijacked the thread, didnt I?

 

[Edna's Acre Rabbitry]

Thanks everyone!

I think I'll have my husband look at the wringer and see if he can make one for me. He can make anything .

The trio I got all came from the same home so I don't need to worry about quarantine as I don't have any other rabbits. And they are all over a year old and proven. I know that the male is Californian. On female looks like chinchilla and the other some type of chinchilla mix.

The pens that I have set up are all 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth so I think I'm all set that way with the babies. I still do have to make nest boxes. What size should they be? I'm going to get busy and get the buns busy too.

Hmm, rattle snake sounds good and they are supposed to be around in my area but I haven't met one yet, and I just assume not . Think I'll stick with the rabbits for now and I'm sure my dog will be happy with any culls. He's only 30lbs but he's swallowed many baby rabbits whole - and survived to eat another.