Not new, but returning!

[Secuono]

I quit in 2014, but sheep tastes terrible. When it is good, it's still difficult to eat a lot of it or often. I'll be trying grain fed sheep, but grass fed is too gamey.

So, I want a different meat source.

Might have found three cages that can stack. Next is some rabbits!

I'll have to build something safe in the barn, as I don't want them near the house in the shed. The smell is too much & it's too enclosed. Barn has a nice breeze, which will be nice for them & our noses.
I'm thinking either hot wire net around or wrap the cages in hardware cloth & use extra clips to close doors.

As for breed. SF or Rex would be nice, but I need to find a breeder with fast growers. Either way, any breed will work, as long as breeder culls for good weights.

I won't be pasturing them nor pulling any grass. They'll be more commercial style raised this time around.

So, how has everyone been?
Any meat breeders in Va/Md?
Anything crazy happen while I was away?

 

[MaggieJ]

I quit in 2014, but sheep tastes terrible. When it is good, it's still difficult to eat a lot of it or often. I'll be trying grain fed sheep, but grass fed is too gamey.

So, I want a different meat source.

Might have found three cages that can stack. Next is some rabbits!

I'll have to build something safe in the barn, as I don't want them near the house in the shed. The smell is too much & it's too enclosed. Barn has a nice breeze, which will be nice for them & our noses.
I'm thinking either hot wire net around or wrap the cages in hardware cloth & use extra clips to close doors.

As for breed. SF or Rex would be nice, but I need to find a breeder with fast growers. Either way, any breed will work, as long as breeder culls for good weights.

I won't be pasturing them nor pulling any grass. They'll be more commercial style raised this time around.

So, how has everyone been?
Any meat breeders in Va/Md?
Anything crazy happen while I was away?

Hi Secuono! Welcome back!

People come and people go, but RT just keeps going.

Hope you enjoy your return to raising rabbits.

~ Maggie

 

[Secuono]

Woke up & checked FB marketplace. Found someone 20min away with this stacker & jumped on it!
Hardly choked down breakfast before picking it up.

Will be for bucks & grow outs. Will remove dividers if needed. It needs a few more clips & it'll be ready.

Picking up the 3 separate doe cages tonight!

Got a few bottles laying around & a few crocks that I'll dig up.

Need to buy the nipple water system for the doe cages & figure out how I'll have them. Stacked or hanging, then figure manure containment.

 

[MaggieJ]

Woke up & checked FB marketplace. Found someone 20min away with this stacker & jumped on it!
Hardly choked down breakfast before picking it up.

Will be for bucks & grow outs. Will remove dividers if needed. It needs a few more clips & it'll be ready.

Picking up the 3 separate doe cages tonight!

Got a few bottles laying around & a few crocks that I'll dig up.

Need to buy the nipple water system for the doe cages & figure out how I'll have them. Stacked or hanging, then figure manure containment.

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Nice score, Secuono! You'll be up and running in no time.

 

[ladysown]

see if you can find some rabbit shows nearby, go, find the meat breeders, chat them up and get yourself some bunnies.

 

[Secuono]

3 cages person forgot to check phone, basically stood me up. Will try again later. They're far cheaper than buying all new, so worth the hassle if I can get them the 2nd try.

 

[Secuono]

Dug up 5 heavy duty crocks, a carrier cage & two bottles.

Going to wrap the stacker with hardware cloth. Have most of a roll left from the new chicken coop wrapping. Looks like that will be the best & most consistent method to keep the coons, possums and foxes out.

The stacker is heavy duty, real nice, so adding the cloth should hold up great.

I'll have a camera on them to watch for predators coming around & set traps as needed. Already have two on the coops and others for the sheep & horses.

 

[Secuono]

Got the wire on! A little left to do, but otherwise ready for buns!

Had some inspectors help out, too.




Nap break!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Got the wire on! A little left to do, but otherwise ready for buns!

Had some inspectors help out, too.
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Nap break!
View attachment 30418

Those look like good stackers

But... Why are the feeders on the doors?

 

[Secuono]

Those look like good stackers

But... Why are the feeders on the doors?

Because that's just how they came.
They won't fit on the side of the door, would have to be on the outer sides of the stacker. Guess one of the, multiple, previous owners didn't have the space for that. Idk.

 

[Secuono]

Made a prototype, lol, to see if I like how it'll work.
They'll walk in from one side to not squish babies. Used some cardboard to show rough top to it.

Still don't have the doe cages, so used this one to demo.


Picking up a few rabbits this week. Some are straight to the freezer, others are does to grow up and be ready in autumn.

 

[Secuono]

Night-time buys... Found a guy selling out that was on my way to town, and an unbeatable price, so I had to stop by. Ran out of cash, or there'd be more going into the freezer!
Store has 2.5# rabbit for $33. Yeah, these were a steal!
Was supposed to be 3 does, 3 bucks, but I think the sex-change fairy visited on the way home. As long as the rex stay as does....lol. Best buck will be kept, rest in freezer.
Removed dividers & have 3 in each for the night. Once I figure out who is what tomorrow, I'll split them up. Will pose, photograph & weigh tomorrow, too.

 

[Secuono]

Got weights & pics.
Was hoping the blue mutt buck would be biggest, but he's not only not top weight, he's also mandolin shaped.
NZ used to be mandolin shaped, did that change to the half-moon of Cali & SF?
Also, is there more meat on a half-moon VS mandolin?

Thinking of keeping buck #1 & the two Rex does.
Would you keep buck 1 or one of the others; 2, 3, 4?


Tag. Breed. Weight. Sex. Confo.
1. NZ/Rex. 5.10. Buck. Good
2. NZ/Rex. 4.4. Buck. OK
3. NZ/Rex. 4. Buck. OK
4. NZ/Rex. 4.3. Buck. Mandolin
5. Rex. 2.2. Doe. Shoulder OK
6. Rex. 6.2. Doe. Good


Definitely a buck!

He didn't want to hold the pose.


Cute beggar

Grumbling doe, potentially already bred.


The white boys argued over night. Split them all this morning, but left the 2 Rex does together.


The 3 black cages won't work, seller way too unreliable.
Found more small stackers. Thinking of opening them & attaching them together to make big doe holes.
Will try to get them today.

 

[Secuono]

Second round picked up.
Might need to redo the posing.

They are Standard Rex × NZ. One has rex fur, a buck, broken black. He's smaller, but i want to keep him because of fur.

Biggest buck is broken black, normal fur.

Thinking 11 & 12 for freezer, keep 7 & 8 for breeding, plus 9 & 10 does.

Then, freezer for the white buck #1. Or is he work keeping?

Leaves me with 4 does & 2 bucks.

But the first set is actually a Mini Rex × NZ. So, probably sell the tiny chocolate rex doe, but keep the black one.


7. Broken Rex. 4.5. Buck.
8. Broken. 5.3. Buck
9. Blk. 5.2. Doe
10. Blk. 4.5. Doe
11. Blk. 4.6. Buck
12. Blk. 4.6. Buck


Whoops. This one is a doe-

 

[Secuono]

Turns out that the first round is 6mo old!
So, buck #1 is definitely headed to freezer & the choc runt I'll try to find a pet home for.

 

[Secuono]

2nd round of buns-
"Born in March" is what I was told.

That makes them 14-19wks or 3.5-4.75 months old.

Looks like the 2nd batch is definitely the keeper group for any bucks!

I have to get a few things set up, so butcher day will be tomorrow evening.

Seller offered a cage for 10, so I took it. Helpful, since I still don't have more. I hung it up in the middle of the carport, so coons can't climb to reach it, though, idk how well their vertical jump is. A LGD is just behind the fence, so hopefully no coon will be brave enough. I'll move the stacker over to be away from it, too.

Other is my cage I saved from when I quit before. It's too heavy duty and fancy to let go. It's 100% 1/2×1/2"! It's lower on a wall.

I was wondering what was missing...Hay! Half don't care for it, other half is chowing down.

 

[Secuono]

This should be in a journal instead...I just realized that...
Should I ask an admin/mod to move it or remake it in the Meat section?

 

[Secuono]

Was able to make time this morning to process some bucks!
I forgot how to remove the bumhole,but got it right on the 3rd.
Got 4 done before my water cut off, I'm on well water. The last two will have to wait until tonight, as it's too hot now.

Also moved all of the keepers into the stacker. It's 30×24" when dividers are removed.

I have leads on proper silver fox does. Debating the rex, as they're more expensive. And I'm picking up six 4-hole stackers soon!
They're 24×24", buck sized cages.
Thinking of joining two stackers together to make 4×2ft holes.

I'll probably try it with two first & potentially do that to the rest if I like the result. It'll leave me with twenty-four 24×18" panels to make individual cages, just need floors.
That would make three 4×2ft cages, with no leftovers.
I don't need more buck cages, the 8-hole will be used for that, so I'm hoping joining the others will work out.

That could be-
Twelve 4×2ft holes, as 3 stacker units.
Three 4×2ft holes, as individual cages.
One 30×24" stacker, as either 4 opened holes or divided 8 holes.
One 36×24" cage.
One 30×18" cage.

21-25 holes, that should be more than enough!

 

[Secuono]

The buns I'm trying to get. Then I'll be done gathering. Lol. Got appointments scheduled for 2 of the 3 breeders.
I'll probably reevaluate the 2nd batch rabbits after getting weights on the new ones & some may end up in freezer.

 

[Secuono]

One of the dogs won't eat rabbit, so postponing the last two for tomorrow. Can't give it all to one dog nor freeze it.
Used some for the fox trap, though.