To Bunny, or Not to Bunny?

[heart&sparrow]

Hello from Massachusetts!

I'm seriously considering starting a Rex rabbitry because it appeals to me on so many levels--healthy and sustainable food for my family, fine tuning a good breeding line, beautiful animals to nurture, and (admittedly my favorite part) an endless supply of cute baby bunnies to cuddle!

I know it isn't all snuggles and rabbit stew though. Rabbits need daily care, and a growing rabbit family would need more cages, more food, and more time from me, especially when a litter of kits comes along. Given that I already have four children to take care of, my life is busy and I don't want to dive into rabbit breeding only to discover that I don't have time or energy to properly care for my rabbits and their kits. Do you seasoned veterans have any advice about how/whether I should give this a try?

Thanks!

Kimberly

 

[Jenny45]

A perfect thing for your kids to help with! I have three and we have been raising rabbits a few years now. We build all our cages from scratch and they love to take them to shows! Yes, try it and have fun! Maybe just start small.

 

[eco2pia]

Hello from Massachusetts!

I'm seriously considering starting a Rex rabbitry because it appeals to me on so many levels--healthy and sustainable food for my family, fine tuning a good breeding line, beautiful animals to nurture, and (admittedly my favorite part) an endless supply of cute baby bunnies to cuddle!

I know it isn't all snuggles and rabbit stew though. Rabbits need daily care, and a growing rabbit family would need more cages, more food, and more time from me, especially when a litter of kits comes along. Given that I already have four children to take care of, my life is busy and I don't want to dive into rabbit breeding only to discover that I don't have time or energy to properly care for my rabbits and their kits. Do you seasoned veterans have any advice about how/whether I should give this a try?

Thanks!

Kimberly

I work about 50 hours a week plus commute, no kids anymore, but am renovating a house by myself and raising a belgian malinois puppy. Rabbits chickens and ducks also live in my yard (sturdily enclosed, because puppy). With proper housing, rabbits are not much more work than having a fish aquarium on the daily. I throw in food in the morning before work, check that the water lines are working, and collect eggs. Bigger days like raking out under the cages and harvesting rabbits for the freezer can be timed for the weekends. So ask yourself if you have 1 to 2 weekend days free in a month and you have your answer. It is the lowest input type of livestock possible, short of possibly a small flock of laying hens.

The key is to just start with a pair and breed infrequently until you find your rhythm and gain confidence. People get overwhelmed when they make 30 rabbits that all need to be harvested the same week and they have never killed anything before. They put it off and then they panic. One litter. Put them in the freezer, then make one more. Go slow! you will be fine!

 

[ladysown]

What Eco2pia said.

I have to say that my herd of 15 requires about 15 minutes in the morning and 1/2 hour in the evening. (unless I do greens from the garden) The mornings I give pellets, refill the odd water bottle. The evenings they get anything other than pellets, clean trays, and filled water bottles. (the trays and water bottles are the reason for the extra time). i find emptying trays every single day takes significantly less time overall than letting the waste build up.

Moving rabbit waste to the garden, and digging stuff in, and whatnot takes long. Once a month takes me about an hour to do health checks and nail trims. Playing with bunnies happens on Wednesdays and the weekends as that's my time off.

Butchering 3-7 at a time, takes me about 1/2 hour every six weeks or so. when my son was younger he was my bunny wrangler. as he got older he helped with other aspects. if I have ALOT of bunnies to process (more than 7) he lends a hands.

 

[eco2pia]

One thing I will point out, you need a plan for the manure.

Ladysown and I have have exactly opposite setups, my manure drops into the chicken run and I aspire to rake it out weekly but it can go 6 months without getting gross because the chickens turn it over constantly for me, and it stays dry under the roof. IF I let it go, it is a really big job when I do clean it out, and I get more flies.

But I know myself, and I know my life, and having that safety net for when the world overloads me is critical to my sanity and bunny health. I am the sort who is always running at close to my maximum capacity. I get a lot done, but I know I will sometimes misjudge and over-commit. Knowing exactly where I can drop things when crunch time happens, instead of pretending that it will never happen again, has been a really important adulting experience that I may have taken a while to learn.

If you scoop cat litter daily, go with trays. If you sometimes have to leave it until the cats protest, definitely do not go with trays or any kind of stacked system. Rabbits poop a lot and their pee stinks. If it accumulates it is a mess, so if you are busy have that plan thought out according to your personality. With a little thought this is very doable!!

 

[CedarRidge]

Redarding poop, ours runs down corrugated tin into a double screened wheeled containment dolly. First screen catches straw, second screen catches pellets, and pee runs through to the container, which is all wheeled out daily (if my wife does it) or every three days (if I do it). In a pinch we can let it go a week before it becomes a problem. Watering is through a tube and drinker system, and feeding is standard hanging feeders. My entire system is on wheels and is sectioned so I can take the pens off, move the stands, and reassemble in just a few minutes. Easy to move entire unit away from walls, etc, or transport to an air conditioned area if the summer heat becomes too unbearable.

 

[jani]

Redarding poop, ours runs down corrugated tin into a double screened wheeled containment dolly. First screen catches straw, second screen catches pellets, and pee runs through to the container, which is all wheeled out daily (if my wife does it) or every three days (if I do it). In a pinch we can let it go a week before it becomes a problem. Watering is through a tube and drinker system, and feeding is standard hanging feeders. My entire system is on wheels and is sectioned so I can take the pens off, move the stands, and reassemble in just a few minutes. Easy to move entire unit away from walls, etc, or transport to an air conditioned area if the summer heat becomes too unbearable.

Sounds like a perfect system! May I ask for pictures? I am trying to make mine a bit easier and faster, as I have limited time. It is a very good point that you need a plan for the poop. They really do poop a LOT! However, it is easy to use up! I can tell you my garden has never been more beautiful then before I got rabbits and I save a small fortune on fertilizer. I don't need it anymore. I sprinkle the magic pellets everywhere, over the lawn, in every planting hole, top dressing, work it into the beds in spring... and the urine I dilite 10:1 and use as a foliar fertilizer/pollinator friendly pesticide. Works great! Even on my small property I usually don't have extra but gardening friends love it. I have heard of people selling it too! For that, I would need more then 8 rabbits!

 

[eco2pia]

Sounds like a perfect system! May I ask for pictures? I am trying to make mine a bit easier and faster, as I have limited time. It is a very good point that you need a plan for the poop. They really do poop a LOT! However, it is easy to use up! I can tell you my garden has never been more beautiful then before I got rabbits and I save a small fortune on fertilizer. I don't need it anymore. I sprinkle the magic pellets everywhere, over the lawn, in every planting hole, top dressing, work it into the beds in spring... and the urine I dilite 10:1 and use as a foliar fertilizer/pollinator friendly pesticide. Works great! Even on my small property I usually don't have extra but gardening friends love it. I have heard of people selling it too! For that, I would need more then 8 rabbits!

@CedarRidge made a great post here: How we handle poop.

 

[jani]

ty! looks awesome and dead easy! Now I need to go out and get my some screens! When you say hardware cloth, you mean 1/4"? Like top is 1/2" to catch hay and let dropping and urine go through, and second layer is 1/4" and droppings sit on top of it so you can bag it? ty!

@CedarRidge made a great post here: How we handle poop

 

[CedarRidge]

Sounds like a perfect system! May I ask for pictures? I am trying to make mine a bit easier and faster, as I have limited time. It is a very good point that you need a plan for the poop. They really do poop a LOT! However, it is easy to use up! I can tell you my garden has never been more beautiful then before I got rabbits and I save a small fortune on fertilizer. I don't need it anymore. I sprinkle the magic pellets everywhere, over the lawn, in every planting hole, top dressing, work it into the beds in spring... and the urine I dilite 10:1 and use as a foliar fertilizer/pollinator friendly pesticide. Works great! Even on my small property I usually don't have extra but gardening friends love it. I have heard of people selling it too! For that, I would need more then 8 rabbits!

Ombre posted picks

ty! looks awesome and dead easy! Now I need to go out and get my some screens! When you say hardware cloth, you mean 1/4"? Like top is 1/2" to catch hay and let dropping and urine go through, and second layer is 1/4" and droppings sit on top of it so you can bag it? ty!

Yes, that's the concept. Have to do some sifting but it is super easy.

 

[heart&sparrow]

The key is to just start with a pair and breed infrequently until you find your rhythm and gain confidence. . . . One litter. Put them in the freezer, then make one more. Go slow! you will be fine!

Thanks, eco2pia. That makes it sound very doable. I'm going to give it a go!

 

[CedarRidge]

Eco2pia’s advice is solid. Thats how we did it, almost to a t. Harvested 4 of our first litter (8 total, lost 2, kept 2) two days ago and have already cooked up 2 of them. Will harvest 7 of 8 of our second litter in 5 weeks. One more litter after that and we’ll hang it up until spring. By that time we’ll have 3 ready does and 2 bucks and will be butchering multiple litters by April/May.

 

[dlynn]

Hello from Massachusetts!

I'm seriously considering starting a Rex rabbitry because it appeals to me on so many levels--healthy and sustainable food for my family, fine tuning a good breeding line, beautiful animals to nurture, and (admittedly my favorite part) an endless supply of cute baby bunnies to cuddle!

I know it isn't all snuggles and rabbit stew though. Rabbits need daily care, and a growing rabbit family would need more cages, more food, and more time from me, especially when a litter of kits comes along. Given that I already have four children to take care of, my life is busy and I don't want to dive into rabbit breeding only to discover that I don't have time or energy to properly care for my rabbits and their kits. Do you seasoned veterans have any advice about how/whether I should give this a try?

Thanks!

Kimberly

You might want to look in to colony raising. I have found it less work and more enjoyable. Instead of lots of individual cages I give them an insulated shelter and a yard they have daily free access to. Pellets, hay, and water free fed in shelter need to be filled less often. Garden goodies and tree trimmings fed in yard in one pile shared by group. Brush piles on yard give them something to play in and chew on. Letting them live in a family group of one buck and several does allows a normal social structure. I have watched dad lounging in the yard with several kits cuddled with him. Watched him plow paths thru the snow (nose down pushing with his back legs) for young kits. They have permanent den boxes they build nests in and raise their kits. Kits live with the group until about 8 weeks ol when they are moved to the grow out pen. In our cold climate a group keep each other warm... I started with one trio and now have 2 family groups of 4 does and 1 buck each. The best garden fertilizer ever, delicious healthy meat, and lots of cuddles and entertainment. We have enjoyed our rabbits more than we thought we would. Hope you and your family do too!