Rabbit tractoring

[mattdv]

Hello,
I am just getting into raising meat rabbits and have a couple Ideas along with question. I would like to tractor my(future) rabbits as I am Dutch and would like to keep the cost of food down so tractoring seems like a good idea to me. My plan is to have one tractor for a buck and two does with a 40sq' foot print divided into three sections. Will this provide enough grass for them to eat for a day? If so, when the does have kits will this be enough when they are weaned?

Now a region specific question. For those here in Southern Ontario, should I expect o be able to breed during the summer? or is it to hot here?

Love the site as I am learning more and more.

Kastles

 

[Marinea]

Welcome Kastles!

I haven't tractored rabbits, but others have and I am sure you will get some advice. I will say that if you plan on keeping the kits with the does as they grow, you might want to give the does more space than the buck. Also, what are your winter feeding plans?

 

[mattdv]

Winter plans, as of right now, is to increase their pellet intake during the fall and feed them vegetable cutofffs as a supplement.

 

[AnnClaire]

Kastles, I don't tractor, rather I put mine in a runout pen during the day in the summer. But, I do feed a lot of forage in the summer. What I have found is that the more fresh forage the buns get, the fewer pellets they naturally eat. So, in my runout pen, I do provide pellets, and in the cages that the rabbits go back to at night, but they slow way down on the pellets on their own. In the fall, as the forage dries and gets less, they will pick up on wanting pellets on their own. Also, in the summer, I still provide a hay rack with dry hay in it ... they don't eat much, but they do like a nibble now and then

 

[mattdv]

Thanks for the confirmation Ann. The rabbit eating less of the pellets if there is grass etc was what I expected. I plan to have a small room at one end of their areas for cover and a nesting box. The rabbits will stay in the tractor overnight. This is to make it easy for someone else to take care of the if I am away.