scaling back again

[skysthelimit]

I've decided again to cull the majority of my rabbitry down again. It's just too hard to get food, too expensive. I have some funds, but still don't have a car, and don't know anyone who can commit to take me to get food twice a month.

I'm hoping I can cull down to 20 or so key rabbits. Back when I was that small, I remember a bag of feed lasting at least a week. Maybe at that rate I can take a take a bus out to TSC every two weeks,drag a cart to Walmart or, as a last resort, pay $21 a bag at the pet shop down the street.

At least the dogs will have some meat.

I'll wait out the winter and try again next year.

 

[Rabbitdog]

Sometimes the reset button can be our best friend.

Too bad you're so far away, I'd love to take a few of your rex rabbits off your hands. The pics on your website are spectacular!
Best wishes.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

If you don't have much success getting winter litters, culling down is a good idea anyway.

But if not, is there any way that you could stockpile some food? Borrow your dad's truck, maybe?

I know you are limited on space in the barn, but if you have room for a standard sized wood pallet, you can fit 3 bags lengthwise on one row, and 2 across the front or back and stack them. Or you can just stack them elsewhere against a wall or something.

My feed is only $11 a bag, but I have to drive 160 miles each way to get it- so I get a pallet of 50 bags for me and a pallet of 50 bags for my friend, and use her flatbed trailer to haul it. It is a big outlay of funds, but we split the gas and it sure is a big savings over buying a bag for $18 at TSC.

TSC does give a pallet discount, which would save you a bit if you have the cash to make a bulk purchase... but better yet would be to find a mill somewhere that sells it at a discount. If you are willing to drive a goodly distance to get it, it might be cheaper in the long run even if you have to rent a truck for a day.

I haven't had any trouble with vermin chewing through the bags (and I saw little rodent footprints in the psyllium for our horses, so know there is something in my shed!) and my feed comes in triple layer paper sacks.

I currently have 47 bags stored in a relatively small area- 9 of them are in the corner and can't be seen in this photo:

 

[skysthelimit]

I have plenty of barn space. But I also have mice, and I haven't found a way to really get rid of them. Besides laying poison, putting my dogs and buns at risk, nothing has worked, not the cat, not the tin cat, not the glue traps. So I'm still stuck at 6 bags at a time, and right now I'm using a bag every three days
Renting a truck is interesting, but that's feed money, about $40+, and I would need to have a credit card for them to put a hold on while I'm renting.

I've only even seen a mill one in my life, about 2hrs away when I was picking up a bun two years ago. I'm in the inner city, then layers of suburbs. Even TSC is some ways out, it's a half hour drive. That adds more money to the thing, I'm working on unemployment funds, so there is only so much per week...
The good thing is, I get next to no litters in the winter, which is the reverse of most people. I do all my heavy breeding right through the summer.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I also have mice

The mice go after the pellets, eh? That's a bummer. Like I said, the rodents here don't seem interested in the bags of pellets. They will go for birdseed though.

Renting a truck is interesting, but that's feed money, about $40+

The lack of a credit card is a problem... but if you could find a deal like I have and could buy enough at a time it might be worth it. For instance, buying 50 bags at a time I am saving $350 plus about $25 in tax (the feed mill sells it as livestock feed), so even factoring in about $50 in gas (my half) I am way ahead.

My mill will sell any number of bags at the $11 price, we just usually get 2-1/2 tons at a time so we have enough to last about two or three months. That way our overall fuel cost is less per bag, plus it is an all day adventure since it needs to get unloaded and stacked in two different locations.

I've only even seen a mill one in my life, about 2hrs away

I've seen a few driving through central California, but the Templeton mill is a three hour drive each way for me. It is a relaxing and pretty drive, though- unlike fighting your way through the city traffic.

I'm working on unemployment funds, so there is only so much per week...

I know. Good luck on the job hunt. :clover:

 

[Zass]

I just stumbled upon something interesting, Sky.

She looks like a FA and is about the right build and weight. She's a self black, and probably carrying chinchilla since she has bluish mottling on her brown eyes.

The interesting part is that she's silvered like a SF. I mean, even white ticking and more heavily silvered than some SF I had. Definitely not silver tipped steel. (I've had both)

Her coat's a mess because she was recently plucked and possibly even partially shaven, but I'll see if I can get a decent pic.

I'm not sure if she's a wooly sport from a SF line, or a silvered angora from someone else's cross breeding program.

Oh, she has a tattoo in her left ear, but the tattoo just looks like a series of long and short lines, not really letters and numbers.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

Sky, this may not be ideal but I'm throwing it out as another option. You mentioned Walmart: you could order Small World or the brand you currently purchase from them on line at walmart.com & have it delivered to your house. Free shipping on an order over $50. You can also pay with Paypal, so you wouldn't have to use a credit card. That would help you with transport.

As far as the hated mice--try storing the bags in large, clean metal garbage cans--if you can get your hands on them or purchase for cheap. (They are expensive here to purchase, and I don't see many of he metal ones in use.).

 

[skysthelimit]

Sometimes the reset button can be our best friend.

Too bad you're so far away, I'd love to take a few of your rex rabbits off your hands. The pics on your website are spectacular!
Best wishes.

Actually the Rex aren't going, except the two Otter does. they are my main herd. It's the Jersey Woolies and Silver Fox that are on the chopping block, so to speak. This year I culled Rex out of the nests and all bucks to keep a handle on their numbers.

__________ Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:57 pm __________


There is really nothing else for them to eat. I assume they go after the pellets cause I've seen droppings in the feeders, which is why no poisons. I swap out feeders frequently to keep thins as clean as possible. I have had a few diggers this summer, nearly culled one of my best rabbits over it, and almost culled my only SF buck the other day when he emptied put his food into the tray for who knows what reason.

I have this elaborate feeding schedule to ensure there is no left over feed after nightfall. I stopped feeding any grain, including BOSS, because it just seemed to draw them. It doesn't help that the house is surrounded by gardens, bushes, fruit trees and foliage.

since it needs to get unloaded and stacked in two different locations.

i just got a chill.


You know I live alone right? I would have to unload and carry all those bags up to the two story loft by myself...

__________ Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:59 pm __________

I just stumbled upon something interesting, Sky.

She looks like a FA and is about the right build and weight. She's a self black, and probably carrying chinchilla since she has bluish mottling on her brown eyes.

The interesting part is that she's silvered like a SF. I mean, even white ticking and more heavily silvered than some SF I had. Definitely not silver tipped steel. (I've had both)


I'm not sure if she's a wooly sport from a SF line, or a silvered angora from someone else's cross breeding program.

There is a well known breeder on FB that had been getting wooly Foxes in her line. They were sold not culled, so it's possible that's what you saw.

__________ Sat Aug 16, 2014 10:17 pm __________

you could order Small World or the brand you currently purchase from them on line at walmart.com & have it delivered to your house.

As far as the hated mice--try storing the bags in large, clean metal garbage cans--if you can get your hands on them or purchase for cheap. (They are expensive here to purchase, and I don't see many of he metal ones in use.).

Did that once. I tried it again, and it wouldn't let me order, said it wasn't available online. So I went to the store, and even customer service wouldn't let them order more than one 25lb bag at a time.

Maybe there was just some kind of shortage, so I'll check it out again. It's the inconsistency, meaning if they do that again, I have to switch foods again. All this switching is reeking havoc on the Angora coats, it's all guard hairs this time around

Every time I find something it changes.

I keep winding back at TSC with Manna Pro

I do need to invest in some more metal cans. They don't sell them at Walmart or Home depot. The two I have now I got while sheep herding out in the county. They cost about $20 If I even get a chance to go back out there I'll get more.

About 150lbs goes in the largest, another 100lbs in the smallest. 5 bags. I would need two more cans to get a months worth of food. I wish I could get someone to deliver some of those 55 gallon food grade drums.

 

[Zass]

__________ Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:59 pm __________

I just stumbled upon something interesting, Sky.

She looks like a FA and is about the right build and weight. She's a self black, and probably carrying chinchilla since she has bluish mottling on her brown eyes.

The interesting part is that she's silvered like a SF. I mean, even white ticking and more heavily silvered than some SF I had. Definitely not silver tipped steel. (I've had both)


I'm not sure if she's a wooly sport from a SF line, or a silvered angora from someone else's cross breeding program.

There is a well known breeder on FB that had been getting wooly Foxes in her line. They were sold not culled, so it's possible that's what you saw.

Well, whatever she is, she's mine now. :lol: She had apparently been someone's wool-pet, and was no longer wanted or couldn't be kept.
Long story short, she changed hands a couple times and ended up being dropped off for a meat raiser to "make use of."

That person let me take her off her hands for...well, next to nothing, since this doe is really too docile and friendly to eat, and she knew I didn't mind taking care of the coat.

I don't really have any plans for her yet and I have no idea what her age could be. She doesn't really give me the impression of an older rabbit. A look at hear teats tells me that she has been bred before, and probably not too awful long ago.

You can't really see the silvering here, and her coats a mess:

What do you think? FA or SF wool sport? I was told she was about 9 lbs. I'll weigh her tomorrow.

This is what she looks like now (I'm in the process of removing all that loose wool.) I know it's terrible but I was trying to catch that silvering on camera. None on her face but some on her ears a quite a bit on her body.

 

[sungura]

A note about getting rid of mice. I heard this works amazingly well.
Week 1: place traps NOT set into environment. Mice become accustomed to them being there.
Week 2: place peanut butter on traps NOT set. Traps become a source of food. Make sure to keep up refilling the traps every day.
Week 3: set bated traps :gnight: mice

We use this method at work and it works like a charm!

 

[Dood]

I use old chest freezers for feed storage- they are free and our big one (56L x 38H x 24W) holds 600 pounds of feed (12 bags of 50lb)

 

[skysthelimit]

__________ Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:00 am __________

Never mind. Seems I have bigger fish to fry.
Once again I was greeted this morning by puddles of water on the floor. The bathroom pluming is leaking again, and the ceiling has fallen. Too many problems to fix, the church wants to get rid of these houses. This is the last straw. In which case I'd have to get rid of the rabbits and dogs and move back with my parents.

This is too upsetting for me to talk about anymore.

 

[Marinea]

Oh no, Sky. *hugs*

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

.. maybe tomorrow will be a better day..

 

[NormaK]