Pasturing rabbits and growout time?

[Pepperoni]

DH is building a rabbit tractor for me to use as a growout pen. I like the idea of raising our meat rabbtis on pasture but I wonder what your opinions are on how that effects their total growout time and quality. I'm planning to still give them pellets, I just wonder how much I can save in feed costs with them on grass all the time and if any savings would be negated by an increased amount of time I have to keep them around until they are a decent weight.

I've done a little google searching but I'd also like to hear first hand opinions. Do you pasture your meat rabbits? At what age do you typically butcher them? Do you notice a change in feed costs, meat quality, overall carcass weight, or health between pasture raised rabbits and those kept in a pen and fed your normal ration of pellets (and hay or greens or whatever else you feed)

Thanks.

 

[JessiL]

I have just started up again with rabbits, and don't have much to share yet. We have only one litter weaned to pasture (they spent the first 5 weeks in standard cages), and I've sold most of them as breeding stock. The remaining two are close to 11 weeks, and the Champagne buck is about 4 3/4 lbs. and the American blue buck (fostered the blue into the Champagne litter) is just over 4 lbs. I definitely feed them a lot less than the rabbits in cages - maybe a 1/4 cup mixed pellets and whole grains a day? The American blue's siblings, who have eaten tons more pellets and hay than the pastured sibling, are all closing in on 5 lbs. and their trip to freezer camp.

The pastured rabbits seem much more lively. We have another litter on pasture, 2 weeks younger, who are all Champagnes. They are all in the 3 lb. range still, but get very little commercial feed.

We will definitely keep experimenting with tractors, will be building a few more in the next couple of weeks to accommodate the next litters. We have a number of "mixed" litters to go in the future tractors; I've been cross-fostering Americans in with Champagnes as my American does keep having larger litters than the Champagnes. In the other breed's defense, they raise their extra fosters very well - perhaps it's a buck fertility problem more so than a doe fertility problem.

-Jessi

 

[big bucks ny]

I growout with a tractor and no pellets and do really well but have tons of high quality clover. I give them an extra two weeks and think the meat is better than pellet raised. Right now I have two breeders I pulled from a litter and after a month I can't see a diff in weight. Granted I don't weigh, when I'm hungry and they look big enough I eat. It amazes me how little water the mowers drink.

 

[CanadianRabbit]

I was just thinking about this today. I love the concept of pastured rabbits - BUT because they only need to grow till 10-12 weeks does it not make more sense to grow your own grass for hay (or buy a bale of hay). Small square bales last me a fair amount of time and are dirt cheap compared to pellets.

Obviously with fresh grass you get benefits of a live plant as well as all the water in the grass. But because the rabbits are ready for butcher so quick the amount of work to build rabbit tractors, transfer the rabbits into them, and then move them every day seems to be a fair bit. (for the short time they are in the tractor)

Don't get me wrong - I do still love the concept of the rabbits getting to hop around in a more natural environment and eat fresh grass in the fresh air. That being said my kits in their 36" x 24" x 18" cage seem to be very happy. I give them lots of hay in the morning and evening and I have an open air concept.

I'd love to hear others weigh in on the discussion!