If you've read some of my earlier blogs, you've no doubt seen that I have been planning to start a rabbitry for some time. Earlier this year we brought home a hutch with a small Lop and a young New Zealand doe, just to start getting a handle on what caring for them would mean.
A few months ago we also added a Holland Lop doe, a re-home from a friend.
With the diversity of those three rabbits, you might be wondering just what our plan for raising rabbits is.
Well, when I first started thinking about rabbits, meat was the first thought. Now, with the addition of these lops, we have decided to try our hand and both meat, and pet bunnies.
There have been some challenges to getting started. First has been where to put them. I had originally planned to build a 9x9 building with two levels of cages down each wall, allowing for 12 36x30 cages. Then, the moving conversation began. Rather than put off starting with rabbits, we decided that we would just need to utilize buildings that were already here and purchase cages that could be taken apart and folded down for re-assembly at the new homestead.
What we've ended up with is 5 36x30 cages for our does and 2 30x30 cages for our bucks, inside the 8'x16' building that was to be our turkey shed. The downside is that it has a wooden floor, but we've managed this with a deep pile of shavings underneath the cages. I realize this is not a perfect solution, but we feel that it will get us through until the farm can sell.
Although I looked at making my own cages, true cage wire isn't available in our area, and I wasn't comfortable with the thin gauge of the hardware cloth sold locally that others are using. Most places online sell cages at a reasonable price ($30-$40), but the shipping is astronomical. I got the best deal from Bass Equipment, and also got a good price on feeders, resting pads, and water bottles. I plan to purchase nest boxes from them in the next few months, as well as more cages once we make our move.
About a week and a half ago I finished putting the cages into the turkey house, and moved our three does, Miss Cadbury, Swiss Miss and Snuggles, into their new homes. I then immediately started looking for the remaining members of our start-up rabbitry.
I got very lucky and a gal not 20 minutes from the house had a large selection of rabbits for sale for very reasonable prices. After 20 minutes of looking over her rabbits, I settled on three - a Flemish Giant/New Zealand Mix buck, a New Zealand doe, and a Checkered Giant/New Zealand Mix doe. I could have stuck with all New Zealands, but I was honestly afraid I wouldn't be able to tell them apart!
So the Flemish is our buck, who has been named Cacao. The New Zealand we named Symphony and the Checkered has been named Godiva. (Has anyone noticed the chocolate connection yet?)
I've been pretty pleased with my rabbit choices so far. All are big, healthy rabbits and are ready to breed. The only downside has been that they are wild and difficult to handle as will happen when you have hundreds of rabbits, so until they've calmed a bit I am putting off breeding. The first rabbit I'll be breeding will most likely be Miss Cadbury anyhow, as she is easy to handle and is just now ready. Even then, with other complications (like Thanksgiving), it may not be until the first of December.
Of course, we are still looking for a Holland Lop buck, which has proven to be very difficult to find. Cacao is simply too large to use, and with Snuggles being a purebred Holland, I'd like to stick with that. We are on a couple of waiting lists, though I'd much rather buy an adult if I can find one. Until then, Snuggles and Swiss Miss can just hang out and be our pets.
Thinking of starting a rabbitry of your own?
Be sure to check out the Raising Rabbits Essentials e-books. A must have!
No comments:
Post a Comment