Intro and Questions (Long, sorry!)

[PistolPackingMomma]

Howdy y'all! First post here from a newbie here, and I hope to stick around and learn a lot. I've been lurking over the past few days, trying to glean as much information as possible, and prevent myself from asking too many repeat questions you've already covered, but despite my best, I still have some questions to ask that you've likely already answered.

Here's the scoop; I'm a SAHM with two kids under two, and my husband and I are working on selling our house and moving out west. The plan is to have chickens, goats, rabbits and a nice, big garden! However, this has been the plan for several years (put on hold due to kids, finances, what have you) and I'm getting impatient with sitting on my hands, waiting for things to happen. So far my only homesteading progress was a 36 square foot garden (now dead), getting a copy of Storey's guide to goats, casually researching meat rabbits, brewing kombucha, and making some of my own health and beauty products.

However, I'm tired of waiting for circumstances to be "just perfect" in order to live our dream. I can't have chickens or goats, since we live in an HOA controlled development, but I figure I could raise, butcher and process meat rabbits indoors, and my neighbors would be none the wiser.

I'm thinking of starting out very small, to make sure I can manage it, and expanding when we get more experience and a new place to live, so two does and one buck, hopefully Silver Foxes, if I can find a good breeder in the NC/SC/GA area. From my research, it looks like the minimum number of recommended cages for this would be five; is that right?
I was thinking of this (http://www.tractorsupply.com/ware-manufacturing-rabbit-starter-kit-2181349) for my breeding stock, and then these (http://www.tractorsupply.com/home-rig-house-trade-rabbit-cage-30-in-x36-in--2179677) for my grow out pens (please tell me if the wire size is safe for kits, or if it needs to be smaller!). Are those reasonable deals? I've had ZERO luck on Craigslist so far.

I am also trying to get an idea of costs;
Two does and a buck $35/ea = $105
Five cages $40/ea = $200
Wringer/Processor Hook $120
Knife/Shears $?
Amount of feed and general cost per month $?

What other rabbit supplies would you consider absolutely essential to have on hand, or other costs I may not be aware of? Minerals, nail trimming, medicines, tools, etc? I'd like to do natural feeding eventually, but for now, will have to patronize a feed/supply store.

Where would I dispose of skins and guts, living in the city? I don't have any dogs to share with, so the only option I can think of is to time butchering day with trash day, and double bag. Thoughts?

I suspect record keeping of who bred whom, number of kits, live weight v. dressed weight is highly recommended, but is it necessary for just starting out with such a small herd?

I was considering ordering Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, but found this (http://www.raisingrabbitsebook.com/) via a link here on the forum, and wondered if this might be more meat purpose specific, as well as having extra materials. What are your thoughts, oh experienced ones?

(I should add that my husband and I are still discussing this, so anything you can offer to help convince him would be great! I've listed my reasons as 1.Hormone/Antibiotic free meat 2.Hedge against food price inflation 3.Something to entertain our almost 2 year old with. He agrees, but still suggests waiting til we sell our house so potential buyers are not put off by "pets"; my response is he is likely right, but that we don't know how long it will sit on the market, and I'm tired of waiting.)

 

[Bad Habit]

Welcome! I'm not a meat breeder myself, but we have tons of them here, who will be more than happy to share their experiences and knowledge.

I just wanted to suggest that you could try selling the guts, or even giving them away, on CL for raw feeders. You might even be able to give away/sell the untanned fur to someone interested in tanning.

Also, if you keep your rabbits in a room that is not carpeted, or is not a commonly used room(a basement might work), then you are less likely to turn house buyers off by the rabbits. Especially if you manage to evade rabbitosis and keep your numbers down to just three and a grow out or two!

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

Thanks for the welcome! That's a good idea about selling as raw food; what would you suggest as far as pricing? I do have some family members with cats (six, between them all) would they be able to eat the butcher leftovers?

I will most likely have to keep the number of breeders under control for a while; we will need additional funds to expand, and my second child is only a month old, so my hands are plenty full!!! We also plan to move to the other side of the country (hopefully later this year!) so I want to keep the numbers manageable for when we have to re-home them, or butcher for our last meal here. I've seen several people advise to always buy local stock, that way it is acclimated to the climate where you live, and I wouldn't want to stress out the poor buns by moving them with us.

I also forgot to ask; would the occasional crying fest of a toddler stress out a newly kindled doe and cause her to eat her kits, or does that usually only happen with predators?

(Oh, and our house is entirely carpeted, aside from the kitchen, and we have no basement, so the rabbits would be kept in a spare bedroom. I was thinking to make it look as "pet"ish as possible, so no one would be the wiser.)

 

[MamaSheepdog]

:welcomewagon:

Hi PistolPackingMomma!

I'm a SAHM pistol packer, too!

The TSC cages, especially the second standard all wire one look okay- but they wont last as long as GAW (Galvanized After Weld) cages from Klubertanz or another major cage manufacturer. However, since they will be indoors out of the weather they will last longer than ones exposed to the elements.

You are going to need to do something to protect the walls and floor in the room you put them in. Rabbits will spray urine- urine guards will help, but are not 100% effective. It would be easier if you could set them up somewhere in your yard hidden by some lattice fencing or a tall hedge.

As for the butchering, I use a small fish filleting knife from Walmart and a pair of garden shears to remove the head. Since you are planning on using the Rabbit Ringer, the vertebrae will be separated so you can use the knife instead. As BadHabit mentioned you may be able to sell the heads, guts, and skins, but if not you can also freeze the offal and put it out on trash day.

Other costs/supplies you will need would include water bottles or crocks, nest boxes, scissor-type dog nail clippers for nail trims, and some type of general use topical medication such as Vetericyn which can be used in the eyes as well.

Storey's Guide has some great Rabbitry plans and general info, but I have learned so much more by being a part of this forum. You can't beat the combined years of personal experience from the raisers here.

I hope that you are able to convince your husband to get started on this. There is a learning curve with rabbits, so starting small now and getting production flowing is preferable to waiting until there is no other alternative for affordable meat.

One of the great things about rabbits is that they are small enough that in the case of an extended power failure you can provide meat for your family without the need for refrigeration.

However, they do seem to shed huge amounts of the RagingRabbitosis virus, especially as kits, which becomes problematic. One can never seem to have enough cages for all the rabbits you wish to keep. :roll:

Good luck with your venture, and keep us updated on your plans!

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

:welcomewagon:

Hi PistolPackingMomma!

I'm a SAHM pistol packer, too!

Woot! What do you pack? I've got a 1911 hugging my hip right now.

You are going to need to do something to protect the walls and floor in the room you put them in. Rabbits will spray urine- urine guards will help, but are not 100% effective. It would be easier if you could set them up somewhere in your yard hidden by some lattice fencing or a tall hedge.

Hmm, didn't know that about the urine. That's a tad problematic.

As for the butchering, I use a small fish filleting knife from Walmart and a pair of garden shears to remove the head. Since you are planning on using the Rabbit Ringer, the vertebrae will be separated so you can use the knife instead. As BadHabit mentioned you may be able to sell the heads, guts, and skins, but if not you can also freeze the offal and put it out on trash day.

Oh good! I was hoping to just get a filet knife from Walmart! Would the shears still be recommended for snipping off the feet?

Other costs/supplies you will need would include water bottles or crocks, nest boxes, scissor-type dog nail clippers for nail trims, and some type of general use topical medication such as Vetericyn which can be used in the eyes as well.

Very helpful, thank you!

Storey's Guide has some great Rabbitry plans and general info, but I have learned so much more by being a part of this forum. You can't beat the combined years of personal experience from the raisers here.

That, and I can pester y'all directly, lol!

I hope that you are able to convince your husband to get started on this. There is a learning curve with rabbits, so starting small now and getting production flowing is preferable to waiting until there is no other alternative for affordable meat.

One of the great things about rabbits is that they are small enough that in the case of an extended power failure you can provide meat for your family without the need for refrigeration.

However, they do seem to shed huge amounts of the RagingRabbitosis virus, especially as kits, which becomes problematic. One can never seem to have enough cages for all the rabbits you wish to keep. :roll:

Good luck with your venture, and keep us updated on your plans!

The great thing is DH is on board with this; he just thinks it's smarter to wait until we're somewhere else. I see his logic; I just know there will always be some reason to wait til tomorrow, and I just want to DO it already.

But even if I don't get my rabbits right now, I still intend to stick around and read a LOT. I like to learn, and be prepared!

 

[3mina]

I'd do them outside as well. If you put up a lattice and grow peas or beans over it you have the best of both and it'll look cute too

 

[MamaSheepdog]

:welcomewagon:

Hi PistolPackingMomma!

I'm a SAHM pistol packer, too!

Woot! What do you pack? I've got a 1911 hugging my hip right now.

1911's are purty!

I carry a Glock 23. Always. Your hip is the best place to "store" it, after all.

Would the shears still be recommended for snipping off the feet?

If you cut them off, the sharp ends will puncture the plastic storage bags. The front feet are easily removed. Flex the foot and cut through the skin all the way around the joint and then simply twist the foot off. The back feet are harder especially if you do not start your skinning cut close enough to the hock. I cut the tendon and then snap the joint by bending toward the inside of the rabbit, twist and cut the connective tissue.

 

[3mina]

Another option is to stuff them into the chest cavity, you just don't split the chest. It works great

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

I'd do them outside as well. If you put up a lattice and grow peas or beans over it you have the best of both and it'll look cute too

When we can move to the new place (2-3 months, if it works out), that's probably what I'll do. While we're here, there isn't much I can do, or want to invest the time in, building wise. Our HOA is also a kind of a pain in the butt; they require that we seek their permission to erect any structure, fence, shed or etc. Can't wait to leave!!!!

If I were to do indoors, would higher urine guards help? Otherwise my buns will have to wait <br /><br />__________ Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:42 pm __________<br /><br />

1911's are purty!

I carry a Glock 23. Always. Your hip is the best place to "store" it, after all.

A big +1 to that, sister!!! My second gun was a Glock 27, and I loved it, but wasn't crazy about the .40 cal. My 1911 is a Kimber Ultra Carry in stainless steel. Took some scrimping and saving, but it's worth it!

If you cut them off, the sharp ends will puncture the plastic storage bags. The front feet are easily removed. Flex the foot and cut through the skin all the way around the joint and then simply twist the foot off. The back feet are harder especially if you do not start your skinning cut close enough to the hock. I cut the tendon and then snap the joint by bending toward the inside of the rabbit, twist and cut the connective tissue.

Ooh, good to know! Does that apply only when the rabbit is frozen whole, or even when you divide it into various cuts? Does anyone here de-bone their rabbits? (Saw a youtube vid where a guy de-boned an entire carcass in five minutes flat. That must take a lot of practice!!!)

 

[MamaSheepdog]

If I were to do indoors, would higher urine guards help? Otherwise my buns will have to wait

You could zip tie plastic to the cages. I use empty feed bags to protect my overflow cages of rabbits from wind and precipitation. My main barn has 24 holes, but the rabbits are spreading all over the property. Oops. :roll:

If you cut them off, the sharp ends will puncture the plastic storage bags.

Ooh, good to know! Does that apply only when the rabbit is frozen whole, or even when you divide it into various cuts? Does anyone here de-bone their rabbits? (Saw a youtube vid where a guy de-boned an entire carcass in five minutes flat. That must take a lot of practice!!!)

Frozen whole is when I had the problem. We freeze some whole and some divided, so I just snap the legs off. Sometimes you will break a bone anyway. As 3mina mentioned, if you don't split the ribcage you can tuck the rear legs into the chest cavity.

The first rabbit I deboned using the method shown in the video it took me about 45 minutes. The second one was faster. I think as well as practice, a very sharp knife is necessary. You can see my attempt here:

canned-rabbit-meat-t10174.html

 

[ColdBrook]

I am an avid pistol packing mama myself (currently carry a S&W Airweight) and fairly new to rabbits, raising a small bunch for meat. For feeders/waterers, what I've found to be cheap and effective is to go to Goodwill and buy small tins (.29 to 99 cents each). Poke a hole near the top, wire it to the cage and voila! Cheap, works well, easy to clean out and fairly indestructible. I feed pellets and hay to my bunnies but they're kept in the barn, not the house.

We just used our deer butchering knives on the two rabbits we processed so far, and the hides are in the freezer as I plan to tan them once I get enough.

Welcome! This site has been SOOOO helpful to me already!

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

I am an avid pistol packing mama myself (currently carry a S&W Airweight)

Nice! I better unpack my bags and get comfy, because I think I just found my new home, ladies!!!

and fairly new to rabbits, raising a small bunch for meat. For feeders/waterers, what I've found to be cheap and effective is to go to Goodwill and buy small tins (.29 to 99 cents each). Poke a hole near the top, wire it to the cage and voila! Cheap, works well, easy to clean out and fairly indestructible. I feed pellets and hay to my bunnies but they're kept in the barn, not the house.

We just used our deer butchering knives on the two rabbits we processed so far, and the hides are in the freezer as I plan to tan them once I get enough.

Welcome! This site has been SOOOO helpful to me already!

Do you have a pic to share of that set up? I am all for repurposing/DIY/getting creative! Especially if it saves money!!!

You are brave; I wanted to tan skins so much, until I researched it and realized how much was involved. Now I'm thinking I'll wait til my kids are a wee bit older, haha.

 

[DarayTala]

Welcome to RT! This place has been a huge help to me, and I'm sure you'll find the same. There are so many wonderful friendly folks, and so much to learn.

Personally, I have some of my rabbits outdoors, and some indoors. I can definitely tell you that urine guards are just usually not enough. What I did was put tarp on the wall that my cages are against, and I have the cages sitting on top of the big plastic trays that are usually in the bottom of dog crates. It keeps my walls and carpet safe, and only takes couple minutes each day to wipe up any messes with a sponge, so no real issue with smell and its quick and easy.

I would also recommend getting creative. I also use tins from the thrift store for my food and water bowls, and they work great. I've found that the right cat little boxes can make great nest boxes, as can small drawers from scrap furniture when modified a little. I've made cages out of old shelves or other furniture I've found, and only have to buy the wire. As long as you are careful and don't use wood with dangerous paints of finishes, or give the bunnies more appealing things to chew, there's a lot you can do with cheap or free scraps and old furniture. Also, I've found its often easy to find nice cheap cages of craigslist that are in great shape.

I would also definitely recommend keeping records, though it doesn't have to be anything fancy. I usually put a reminder on my phone calendar of when to put in nest boxes, and I write the doe and buck names right there, so I know who was bred to who. I also mark down the day the doe delivers and the number of kits, just so its easy to look back on. I try and have records with a lot more detail on my computer or in a notebook, but this way even if I forget something small, I have the important things where I can always easily look at and recall. I've had issues before when a certain doe wouldn't take with a certain buck, though that buck had successfully bred others, and the doe had successfully been bred by other bucks. Having the info about who was bred to who let me know what not to do again.

Well, I hope you can arrange things so you can delve into rabbits as soon as you'd like! Best of luck, and watch out you don't get raging rabbitosis. I started out planning on having two does and a buck as well, and now I have hutches and cages and a colony in the garage, and they rabbits have definitely taken over :lol:

 

[ladysown]

a gal I know keeps her buns in the house. a fully carpeted area and you would not know walking into the house that she has rabbits at all. Seriously no smell.

What she was this

1. plastic is your friend. plastic sheet run down behind the cages.
2. every cage had urine guards.
3. bucks were kept in the middle rows with a solid back. (she had coroplast on it).
4. she had trays for her cages and she wrapped those trays in trash bags. that kept the urine smell out of the corners of the trays.
5. she cleaned up twice a day. Everything went into the trash.

that's all I can remember. I just remember how very clean it was. No rabbit smell. She lived in a area with a WHOLE LOT of animal rights folks living and she kept a very low profile. Her children did NOT talk about the pets at all to anyone outside the home, and neighbour children not allowed in the basement where the rabbits were kept. (door locked/bolted)

 

[Mickey328]

Howdy, and welcome! You've come to the right place...these folks are totally AWESOME! We're new to the meat rabbit game as well...just got our first trio about a month ago and hoping to breed mid April. After reading lots of posts and with the advice of many folk, we decided to go with the somewhat more expensive, but much better quality cages from Klubertanz. I figured we could spend a hundred dollars on cheaper stuff and replace it in a year or so, or we could spend $300 and have exactly what we want for years to come. We got 6 cages, each 18h x 36l x 24w. I went with the 24 wide because I'm a tad..um...vertically challenged and anticipate trouble reaching any further than that Our buns are Silver Fox which get to be pretty good sized, so we went with the 36w to give them plenty of room. I got 3 of them with the baby saver wire and 3 without. The 3 without will be used for grow out cages for the kits. We only have 2 does at the moment, so won't have more than two litters at once, but figured we'd have the extra with the baby saver "just in case"...cuz I just KNOW we'll be developing that aquireosis thing, LOL

We got J feeders and lids for each cage and a dozen quart sized water bottles...in the winter, they'll freeze and I'll need to bring one in to thaw while I take one out for them to drink. We have our 3 in the house right now while DH finishes the rabbitry area outside. Frankly, it's a pain. There's not enough odor to be really bothersome, but cleaning the trays is a bother...I can't wait to get them outside where all we have to do is scoop it up off the ground and onto the garden periodically. We haven't had any major issues with spraying yet...touch wood! They're still young though. We thought about just getting crocks and bowls and such but figured since we were ordering cages we might as well order the feeders and bottles. I'm actually glad we did...the feeders and bottles take no space on the floor of the cage which is a plus in my book. I do have a couple of heavy bowls we use to put alfalfa in for them...and when they're empty (and sometimes not) they whinge them around the cages making an awful racket! We did find a large, sort of flat decorative plate/dish at the thrift store...brought it home and DH cut it in half, drilled 3 holes in each half around the edges and we zip tied them to the outside of the cages...tada! Hay racks. We keep them full of grass hay so they can free feed on it. They also get about 2 good handfuls of alfalfa each every day...protein for growing buns.

That's really all the equipment we have just now. Oh wait...we did invest in a .22 air pistol. After looking at all the various ways to dispatch them, we decided it was the choice for us. I'm really afraid of hurting or scaring them, so a quick shot to the brain stem while they're enjoying a treat seemed best to us. I was looking on youtube at some videos about skinning and butchering, and the one fellow uses only a small knife and a pair of scissors. He snips the skin around the legs and then inserts one of the blades under the skin and cuts down each leg to make the Y then just pulls it off. It seemed like a good way for us; not nearly as much chance of cutting yourself with scissors as with a knife We have a pair of garden loppers we can use for the head.

Ours were raised on pellets but we've now transitioned them to grains and hay. We feed our chickens grains so we're already buying the 50# bags and mixing it ourselves. I use the same mix for the rabbits, but without the corn. We're able to get non-GMO grains at a reasonable cost, so we've found we quite like it. Both the buns and chickens get whatever greens are safe for them and are available seasonally. It's a tad sparse just now, but come spring...there won't be enough dandelions to go around LOL!

I'll be interested to see how your "story" unfolds...I'm so recently new at it that it's still exciting

 

[DonnerSurvivor]

Rabbits are fun and the meat is delicious and I highly recommend raising some. That being said I have been looking at houses lately with my fiance and she is allergic to cats so any house that a cat has been in she instantly gets sick and its just a huge turn off to the whole place. With the weak housing market and the fact you could turn off a potential buyer I dont think I would get a trio of rabbits. Having 2 does and a buck could quickly turn into close to 20 rabbits! If allowed I would keep the rabbits outside in cages because the slight chance that a home buyer does get turned off is just not worth the risk. Of course you know the situation better than anyone and the decision will ultimately be yours and if you do decide to keep and breed meat rabbits in your house I would highly recommend looking into Florida Whites as smaller rabbit = smaller mess.

 

[3mina]

FW would be a good choice and they look cute enough to be mistaken as pets :mrgreen:
If the rabbits *have* to be inside I'd look into sheets of tub surround material to put between the cages and the walls with a linoleum piece under them. Place the linoleum so it goes up the wall BEHIND the sheeting and nothing will be able to damage the floor or walls. Make sure there's at least 24" from the front of the cages to the edge of the linoleum

 

[Zab]

Indoor rabbits in sweden generally have solid bottoms and deep bedding. That absorbs smell and youvwont have to cleqn it out daily. Downside is waste, straw and shavings take place in the trashcan... but with a deep enough bed you only hsve to add fresh straw/shaving daily and empty it once a week or less.. take a trip to some dumpster place that day?
Protecting walls with tarp sounds like a good idea. Good luck

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

Welcome to RT! This place has been a huge help to me, and I'm sure you'll find the same. There are so many wonderful friendly folks, and so much to learn.

Thank you!

Personally, I have some of my rabbits outdoors, and some indoors. I can definitely tell you that urine guards are just usually not enough. What I did was put tarp on the wall that my cages are against, and I have the cages sitting on top of the big plastic trays that are usually in the bottom of dog crates. It keeps my walls and carpet safe, and only takes couple minutes each day to wipe up any messes with a sponge, so no real issue with smell and its quick and easy.

I am not at all opposed to using the tarps, but I don't think my husband would go for it, as it might be off putting to a potential house buyer who doesn't understand why my set up would be functional instead of "pretty".

I would also recommend getting creative. I also use tins from the thrift store for my food and water bowls, and they work great. I've found that the right cat little boxes can make great nest boxes, as can small drawers from scrap furniture when modified a little. I've made cages out of old shelves or other furniture I've found, and only have to buy the wire. As long as you are careful and don't use wood with dangerous paints of finishes, or give the bunnies more appealing things to chew, there's a lot you can do with cheap or free scraps and old furniture. Also, I've found its often easy to find nice cheap cages of craigslist that are in great shape.

Awesome! I can definitely experiment with some items around my house to see what works. I like problem solving! Sadly, though, the Craigslist pickings in my area are baaad. I found one hanging wire cage with a rusty bottom; going for $40!!! I could buy one new from Klubtertanz for that price. Another lady wanted $140 for a (small) Petsmart brand rabbit cage and the bunny; no breed listed. Perhaps I'm not accustomed to pricing in rabbitry yet? :shock:

I would also definitely recommend keeping records, though it doesn't have to be anything fancy. I usually put a reminder on my phone calendar of when to put in nest boxes, and I write the doe and buck names right there, so I know who was bred to who. I also mark down the day the doe delivers and the number of kits, just so its easy to look back on. I try and have records with a lot more detail on my computer or in a notebook, but this way even if I forget something small, I have the important things where I can always easily look at and recall. I've had issues before when a certain doe wouldn't take with a certain buck, though that buck had successfully bred others, and the doe had successfully been bred by other bucks. Having the info about who was bred to who let me know what not to do again.

Yeah, I think it will be less overwhelming if I keep it simple. I see some people making lists of all these details, and wasn't sure if that was necessary or just preference.

Well, I hope you can arrange things so you can delve into rabbits as soon as you'd like! Best of luck, and watch out you don't get raging rabbitosis. I started out planning on having two does and a buck as well, and now I have hutches and cages and a colony in the garage, and they rabbits have definitely taken over :lol:

I'm sure I'll get the rabbitosis; I just won't be able to expand the way I want to for some time yet. Too many factors will limit that for at least a year or so. But I do already have the livestock bug bad; I told my husband; "Don't buy me jewelry, clothes or stuff like that. I want goats, rabbits, ammo and seeds!!!" Any other man would have looked at me weird! :lol:

__________ Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:26 am __________

a gal I know keeps her buns in the house. a fully carpeted area and you would not know walking into the house that she has rabbits at all. Seriously no smell.

What she was this

1. plastic is your friend. plastic sheet run down behind the cages.
2. every cage had urine guards.
3. bucks were kept in the middle rows with a solid back. (she had coroplast on it).
4. she had trays for her cages and she wrapped those trays in trash bags. that kept the urine smell out of the corners of the trays.
5. she cleaned up twice a day. Everything went into the trash.

that's all I can remember. I just remember how very clean it was. No rabbit smell. She lived in a area with a WHOLE LOT of animal rights folks living and she kept a very low profile. Her children did NOT talk about the pets at all to anyone outside the home, and neighbour children not allowed in the basement where the rabbits were kept. (door locked/bolted)

That's very helpful; thanks for sharing! When we get to the new place, I may set a spare room up like that, if I can't use the (somewhat dilapidated) shed. Was cleaning twice a day absolutely necessary or more her way of just keeping it manageable?

__________ Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:35 am __________

Howdy, and welcome! You've come to the right place...these folks are totally AWESOME! We're new to the meat rabbit game as well...just got our first trio about a month ago and hoping to breed mid April. After reading lots of posts and with the advice of many folk, we decided to go with the somewhat more expensive, but much better quality cages from Klubertanz. I figured we could spend a hundred dollars on cheaper stuff and replace it in a year or so, or we could spend $300 and have exactly what we want for years to come. We got 6 cages, each 18h x 36l x 24w. I went with the 24 wide because I'm a tad..um...vertically challenged and anticipate trouble reaching any further than that Our buns are Silver Fox which get to be pretty good sized, so we went with the 36w to give them plenty of room. I got 3 of them with the baby saver wire and 3 without. The 3 without will be used for grow out cages for the kits. We only have 2 does at the moment, so won't have more than two litters at once, but figured we'd have the extra with the baby saver "just in case"...cuz I just KNOW we'll be developing that aquireosis thing, LOL

Thanks for the welcome! I'm certainly excited to join such a friendly and helpful community!!! What series of cages did you go for? I'm in the same mind frame as you; buy quality once, rather than cheap stuff to save money, and cry twice! Just trying to explain to my husband why cages are so pricey, and why he should let me order them all today, haha!!!

We got J feeders and lids for each cage and a dozen quart sized water bottles...in the winter, they'll freeze and I'll need to bring one in to thaw while I take one out for them to drink. We have our 3 in the house right now while DH finishes the rabbitry area outside. Frankly, it's a pain. There's not enough odor to be really bothersome, but cleaning the trays is a bother...I can't wait to get them outside where all we have to do is scoop it up off the ground and onto the garden periodically. We haven't had any major issues with spraying yet...touch wood! They're still young though. We thought about just getting crocks and bowls and such but figured since we were ordering cages we might as well order the feeders and bottles. I'm actually glad we did...the feeders and bottles take no space on the floor of the cage which is a plus in my book. I do have a couple of heavy bowls we use to put alfalfa in for them...and when they're empty (and sometimes not) they whinge them around the cages making an awful racket! We did find a large, sort of flat decorative plate/dish at the thrift store...brought it home and DH cut it in half, drilled 3 holes in each half around the edges and we zip tied them to the outside of the cages...tada! Hay racks. We keep them full of grass hay so they can free feed on it. They also get about 2 good handfuls of alfalfa each every day...protein for growing buns.

Is Klubertanz's pricing on feeders comparable to what I might buy locally? And thanks for the info on your feeding regimen; I have no idea how much they need per day/weight, what to feed, what's a good, nutritious brand, and what's junk.

That's really all the equipment we have just now. Oh wait...we did invest in a .22 air pistol. After looking at all the various ways to dispatch them, we decided it was the choice for us. I'm really afraid of hurting or scaring them, so a quick shot to the brain stem while they're enjoying a treat seemed best to us. I was looking on youtube at some videos about skinning and butchering, and the one fellow uses only a small knife and a pair of scissors. He snips the skin around the legs and then inserts one of the blades under the skin and cuts down each leg to make the Y then just pulls it off. It seemed like a good way for us; not nearly as much chance of cutting yourself with scissors as with a knife We have a pair of garden loppers we can use for the head.

I may or may not go the pistol route instead of the ringer; depending on which is more cost effective, and where we live when we're able to start butchering.

Ours were raised on pellets but we've now transitioned them to grains and hay. We feed our chickens grains so we're already buying the 50# bags and mixing it ourselves. I use the same mix for the rabbits, but without the corn. We're able to get non-GMO grains at a reasonable cost, so we've found we quite like it. Both the buns and chickens get whatever greens are safe for them and are available seasonally. It's a tad sparse just now, but come spring...there won't be enough dandelions to go around LOL!

I'll be interested to see how your "story" unfolds...I'm so recently new at it that it's still exciting

I'm excited too! Thanks for sharing your story!

__________ Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:37 am __________

Rabbits are fun and the meat is delicious and I highly recommend raising some. That being said I have been looking at houses lately with my fiance and she is allergic to cats so any house that a cat has been in she instantly gets sick and its just a huge turn off to the whole place. With the weak housing market and the fact you could turn off a potential buyer I dont think I would get a trio of rabbits. Having 2 does and a buck could quickly turn into close to 20 rabbits! If allowed I would keep the rabbits outside in cages because the slight chance that a home buyer does get turned off is just not worth the risk. Of course you know the situation better than anyone and the decision will ultimately be yours and if you do decide to keep and breed meat rabbits in your house I would highly recommend looking into Florida Whites as smaller rabbit = smaller mess.

This is what I was concerned about; thanks for chiming in! I've been talking to my husband about it, and we've decided that we can buy the supplies we need for our rabbits, but not actually buy the animals themselves til after we move into another place. That way I can at least feel like I'm getting this project started, but don't have to compromise selling the house for the animals.

__________ Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:40 am __________

FW would be a good choice and they look cute enough to be mistaken as pets :mrgreen:
If the rabbits *have* to be inside I'd look into sheets of tub surround material to put between the cages and the walls with a linoleum piece under them. Place the linoleum so it goes up the wall BEHIND the sheeting and nothing will be able to damage the floor or walls. Make sure there's at least 24" from the front of the cages to the edge of the linoleum

How is the FW's temperament and meat/bone ratio in comparison to the SF?<br /><br />__________ Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:42 am __________<br /><br />

Indoor rabbits in sweden generally have solid bottoms and deep bedding. That absorbs smell and youvwont have to cleqn it out daily. Downside is waste, straw and shavings take place in the trashcan... but with a deep enough bed you only hsve to add fresh straw/shaving daily and empty it once a week or less.. take a trip to some dumpster place that day?
Protecting walls with tarp sounds like a good idea. Good luck

Can you tell me more about the deep litter method, or is there a link you recommend?

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

How is the FW's temperament and meat/bone ratio in comparison to the SF?

FW meaning Florida White? As I understand it, they are like cute little bricks of meat.