Homesteading.
Just the word makes me happy.
It conjures up nostalgic images of old, worn women milking their dairy cow. Or children picking radishes out of the garden. It makes me think of raw honey, preserved fruits, flannel, old books, fresh flowers, fragrant homemade bread, and hot chocolate.
Though, just to be fair, almost everything makes me think of hot chocolate. It's so creamy…so sweet…so comforting…
But let's get back to the homesteading topic at hand.
When we decided a few weeks ago that we'd like to get started in meat rabbit production, frankly, we knew nothing about rabbits. And we still don't. But after doing some research, we were able to settle on a feeding plan that was cost effective for our newest homesteading adventure.
Initially, I was hoping to avoid feeding the rabbits pelleted food, simply because pelleted food is typically more expensive. After meeting with a local feed supplier and rabbit raiser, I was pretty surprised to find out that pellets were actually less expensive than feeder wheat, oats, barley, or corn.
Whelp. That made it a pretty easy decision.
I'm not too worried, at least for the time being, about the processing of the pellets. I've thoroughly looked over the ingredients and am pretty satisfied with the grains and minerals included. It's a 16% protein, 2% fat, 17.5% fiber formula.
In addition to the pellets, the rabbits will also be eating tons of produce ‘scraps' from our local farmer. He is willing to sell the past-prime produce from his garden to me at a very cheap rate. This will currently give the rabbits access to broccoli, mustard greens, turnips & turnip greens, lettuce, kale, etc. Obviously, their produce scraps will change with the season. I will also be foraging for leaves, twigs, and weeds for the rabbits. I figure it'd be fun to do with Georgia – walking around the neighborhood and vacant lots with our buckets of weeds.
Considering we practically live in a jungle, it shouldn't be too hard. I've just got to learn to identify what they can and cannot eat. Below is a picture of the bamboo-sheltered area where the cages will go:
The rabbits will also be given free access to rye grass hay. I am picking up a round bale this week for $25. A great deal!
Eventually, I'd love to work into a system like this for our ‘hay' needs:
But I'll have to wait until I get some ground under me before I start a new undertaking. As much as I love to jump into projects head first, I also want it to be sustainable, doable, and enjoyable long-term. I figure I'll work into the system that works best for us as I gain more experience.
Because we're so tight financially, our adventure into raising meat rabbits has got to make sense fiscally. While I would love to just do it for fun regardless of the cost, we simply don't have that luxury right now. If we're puttin' money into these rabbits, we've got to get meat out of them in the most efficient, responsible, and natural way possible.
Thus far, we're $128 dollars in. $90 for the rabbits and cages, $13 for the 50 pound bag of feed, and $25 for the hay. Obviously, the cages and rabbits were one time expenses, so hopefully the bottom line will look better as time goes in.
The entire system should be set up by Saturday. I'm ready to get them here and get them bred!
We'll start by breeding two of the does. Then, we'll wait another four weeks before breeding the other two. By this time, the first does should already have given birth. This will help us keep a continual cycle of meat.
I'm thinking about setting up a Backyard Meats page which will provide easy access to all the posts on the rabbits, as well as a spreadsheet of the budgeting breakdown. Would this be helpful to anyone else who is contemplating getting rabbits?
I'll make mistakes with the rabbits and blog about them so you don't have to repeat my errors!
Ah yes. Nothin' like trial by fire.
Danielle Levins
I’m a trial by fire person myself, so I understand completely! You’ll get there, don’t you worry. I like the idea of a Backyard Meats page, IF you have time for it; I know you have a little one growing in your tummy right now, and there’s no sense in taking on another project if it’s too much. If you don’t have time for it, just a blip about how it’s going now and again should be fine. I’m really impressed that you’re taking on this homesteader approach to rabbits, everything in the food industry in this country has done all they can to distance people from their food, especially meat, and so many people have become more squeamish as a result. I respect you for that!. I know I might get there one day, but today is not that day, but that doesn’t mean I can’t “desensitize” myself about it, and learn as much as I possibly can today. Thank you!
Ramona
This isn’t related to the rabbits, but the bamboo strikes up an idea in my mind. I’ve actually been wanting to cut some for this idea, but haven’t found a free resource. Do you have room in your yard to build a natural ‘tent’ with the bamboo for Georgia? I would love to put togheter a TP or hoop style bamboo structure with Morning Glories planted to run over it in my yard for my girls to retreat to. That was an aspiration last year that didn’t happen….maybe this year.
Good luck with the rabbits! We are tackling meat chickens for the first time this year for our new adventure.
Noël McNeil
I’m looking forward to seeing the meat rabbit process. My hubby wants to raise some too, but I’ve got WAY too much on my plate as it is. 🙂
Christina Taylor
I think it will be great we are doing meat rabbits also and would love to compare notes.
Jenn W.
We just started in rabbits ourselves and have unfortunately put far more money into it than you were able to. I tried to keep it as low as possible but meat rabbits are just not that common here and we had to buy a lot of the initial supplies new. We are also looking at wheat grass as a source of food for them, plus our garden and kitchen scraps and rabbit tractor time. Hopeful that we can keep the cost low from here on out as we also have a very tight budget right now.
Homestead Dad
I have been reading keeping a bunch of books on keeping rabbits, the most recent is Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett. It is a wealth of information. I will be following your rabbit project closely, I hope to get some time summer. Good Luck.
Bunny Baster
That is the STOREY’s GUIDE…they got Mr. Bennett to republish his original book under the STOREY publishing masthead and added all sorts of goodies to it. Get the newest one you can find….or go on AMAZON and get a not so outdated used one.
Melanie Rice
I would love to follow your rabbit section. My husband and I plan to raise meat rabbit in the future and I’m sure we could learn a lot from you, like I already do 🙂
Heidi
I would like a rabbit section! I’m keeping this in mind for the next place we live…which hopefully, if it’s not our own house, will be a rental with a little bit of a yard.
Bunny Baster
As a meat rabbit raiser I must recommend the STOREY’S GUIDE to Raising Rabbits. It is a GREAT BOOK that has seen many updates over the many years it has been in publication and treats meat breeders with the same respect accorded pet breeders.
But truthfully you DO NOT need to feed meat rabbits ANYTHING BUT 16% protein pellets (up to 18% for pregnant and nursing does). EVAH EVAH!!!! It may be fun to watch them go crazy over greens, but I promise that UNLESS THEY ARE FULLY MATURE (5 months old at minimum) you will suceed only in fouling their tummies from which some will never recover. The rule of thumb we use is they only get as many fresh greens (weeds!) as are growing in my yard. Dandelion greens and Johnson grass are a fave—and FREE—but by the time you are packing them off to “Freezer Camp” (at 8 – 12 weeks) they are WAAAY too young to eat greens anyway. We reserve greens only for lactating does whose babies are NOT YET OUT OF THE NEST BOX. Mama gets a treat of course, if only to draw her away from the box so we can count kits, but once they babies are bouncing out of the nest box and might get a nibble, they are weaned and even Mama doesn’t need greens by then.
AND>>> DON’T go broke buying the farmer’s cast offs!!! If you can get them for free, they still aren’t a bargain if you “love your rabbits to death” feeding them crap. If you are on a budget, you will find feed prices only going UP..but you can’t skimp by feeding them garden scraps because they won’t convert to flesh fast enough, so no bargain there. MEASURE your food in ounces….use an old soup can or tuna can with marks on it…..and DONT FILL HOPPERS TO THE TOP. Feed ONLY WHAT the STOREY’s GUIDE suggests (feed bags always suggest over feeding, big surprise there!) and you will find that while you won’t actually “save money” raising meat rabbits until you factor in the health and food security benefits to growing your own groceries. And those benefits are PRICELESS!
GREAT LUCK TO YOU!!!! You’ll never go back to chicken. PROMISE.
Shaye Elliott
Bunny Baster, thank you so much for all your advice! I will have to pick up that book ASAP.
Right now, we have four does and one buck. One of the does should be having kits within the next two weeks. Do you think it’s okay if we’re giving them each a small amount of hay (for bedding and munching), pellets, and a small bit of weeds or greens each day?
Thank you for the advice on feeding the kits no greens. We will keep them on pellets. Do you give them a pre-measured amount per kit? I’d like to give them the recommended amount of pellets for feed/meat conversion but also give them some greens just as a bonus. Do you think that could harm them?
Shanna
I read a book called beyond the pellet – meat breeder wrote it and he has the opposite opinion about kits and greens- he feeds almost 100% weeds/greens to his herd….it lists what can be fed etc- how to store/dry greens for the winter- how to introduce weeds to your herd etc etc….I got the book on amazon- I downloaded it on my kindle- it was cheaper
Shaye Elliott
Also – do you ever keep the kits until the roaster stage? Or do you always harvest at fryer? I wonder what the feed/meat difference would be – if it would pay off to get them larger or not.
Misty
So all the rabbits in the wild that are weaned must have fouled stomaches. Oh wait, I forgot about that patch of pellets growing wild out behind my house. No wonder there are so many rabbits here, they know how to hunt pellets.
Mama
Yes! Please do share everything you learn about meat rabbits. We have pet rabbits but we do have room for more and are interested in rasing some for meat.
kris
We also want to get into rabbits, but I wanted to tell you that in my research I discovered that the
rabbit food contains GMO’s, which would be in the corn, any soy and alfalfa. ANY GMO’s the rabbits
eat WILL be transfered to your body. If you have read about GMO’s and how dangerous they are you would want to avoid them at all cost. Look for a feed that does not have GMO ingredience. Love your Info!!
Kris
7LibertyForAll
I’d have to agree with you, kris. They’re putting GMO garbage into everything. It’s very wise to avoid them. I doubt that the pellets are from non-GMO sources. Just sayin’.
Liking rabbits
I stumbled onto your site today while looking for info on raising meat rabbits. I really love your informative and direct but down to earth writing style. I’ll be eagerly waiting to hear how the new rabbit undertaking goes since my husband and I are looking into trying it soon too.
I really appreciate your reader’s comments and information too since it appears some of them are already knowledgeable in the overall “rabbit raising picture”.
Thanks for taking the time to write this blog. It is already giving me information I need.
paul
Bunny baster is right on when he said that about the greens would only foul the little ones stomachs. I lost several last fall before I realized what was causing it.
Erin
Paul & Bunny Bastet (or anyone who cares to respond):
We recently decided to delve into raising rabbits. By “we” I mean myself and my two little one’s whose dad keeps sending them home to me. We were doing well with our first litter or so we thought. I feed mostly pellets and hay but also picked fresh greens from the garden with the occasional spinach from the grocery store if nothing was available. We were almost at the 8 week mark and all of the babies inexplicably died. They had moved outdoors a few weeks before and seemed to be doing fine in their new outdoor cages. Then one day we left for school and when I returned all but 1 was dead. The last one died shortly thereafter but had a seizure and other seemingly neurological issues. Momma, that was in the same cage with them appears to be fine so far. She’s eating well, drinking, hopping around being a pain in my butt (I brought her inside to keep a closer eye on her so I could maybe catch it in time to take her to the vet if she fell sick like the others). I just can’t figure out what went wrong. They were healthy and fat and then suddenly they weren’t. I have been feeding them greens and letting them hop around on the grass. I have an abundance of greens in my yard and figured that is what they would eat in the wild. Also they got hay and pellets. I told the girls no more breeding attempts until we have an idea of what happened so we do it differently next time. The rabbits were Rex bunnies and it was the momma’s first litter but by all accounts she did really well for a first time mom. She built them a fur nest, she nursed them, and then ignored them. 5/6 made it to 8 weeks (one was stillborn I think). Any suggestions/ideas?
Overnight Reputation
I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the
layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself?
Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great
blog like this one today.
Ali
My husband and I have actually started talking about raising meat rabbits. We think it would be a simple adventure to take on as we head in to this homesteading venture. Your articles that I have read so far have been very informative. I am thankful that you are sharing your world with us.
Jessica
Not sure if you figured it out by now, but the fodder replaces the pellets, not the hay. So you feed the fodder and hay for roughage. Fodder is a heck of a lot cheaper than the pellets too! And you can do it organically, with wheat or barley.
Quincy Burke
Love Love Love my fodder system! Currently only using it for our chickens, ducks, and horses, they all ADORE it!!! Cant wait to get set up for rabbits and feed it to them also.
michelle preston
you do things just like i do in france.
A good tip i use is when i mow the grass with my sit on mower i drop all the cuttings in my polytunnel, turn them to dry it and bag it for winter hay- its free !
Quincy Burke
Oh my gosh that is such a great way to repurpose that grass and supplement their diet!!! Good thinking!
JB
Awesome idea! Thank you!
diane
I decided to raise rabbits for meat, got a pair of rabbits given me. then bought 2 Flemish giants. The cage had 4 spaces, outside boxes on both ends leaving a cage for the male and one for the babies. The female given to me we called mama, she would climb over the divider and get in with the male spend the day and then return, I could just mark the date and a few weeks later I had babies. Easy. The problem with the Flemish giants was I couldn’t butcher them myself as I couldn’t pull the hides. So butchered them when I got some help and kept the small pair. That little mama kept her own schedule and kept us in meat until I got a job and no one would take care of them so I butchered them as well. My hope is to get 1 pair, in the spring. If you can make the cages like the chicken tractors where they can spend time on the ground and you can move them it really saves on the feed. I had one on the ground in a portable coop for more than 9mos, only gave him water and he did fine.
Quincy Burke
SHaye! You are my homestead guru, though this post is from last year, (ive been reading back and back and back on your blog trying to absorb every once of it that it can, what can i say Im addicted to homesteading!!!) I couldnt help but tell you how much your posts have helped me and my budding family become more driven and confident than ever that we CAN and WILL live self sufficiently on our homestead. Our newest endeavor, after the pigs arrive this weekend of course (this will be our 3rd set of pigs), is to add meat rabbits to the stead! I am so excited that I do not know where to begin, how many we should purchase, breeding, etc… I have read so much that I feel very prepared but there’s always something to learn thanks to this lifestyle. Did you ever make a succesful prive breakdown of your rabbit project, I would love to see your results!!!
Q @ The High Desert Homestead
Shaye Elliott
I haven’t! I’ll track it better this time. We’re going to get started again this spring!
Cornerstone Acres Farm
Nice web page and fine writing skills. I’ll be sure to come back often!!
I have had a different experience with greens and baby rabbits than others above have mentioned. As we are able to give greens to the does while kits are in the nest box we continue to give the greens as the kits begin their journey from the nest box. However, we are careful WHAT weeds/plants we offer at this stage…..Plantain, Dandelion and Comfrey work well for “first greens”. It is about starting them out right and allow their gut flora going right. A kit that has the oppurtunity to nibble and test greens right out of the nest box should be able to build proper gut flora to avoid any gastrointestinal issues. Fodder is also offered to does and their litters during the winter months. We have yet to loose any kits using this method (and have a few years experience so far!) Good luck in your endeavors!!
Sandra
my family has been raising meet rabits for a year now, and we love it. we are trying to get away from the highly prosesed good in the groshery stores and this was and easy way to proide meet. we also raise meet chickens. my kids, 2 girls ages 3 and 5, have no problem with the knowing that the bunnies are for eating. the parent bunnies are for pets ( and breading ) and the bunnies are for food. almost everyone we know thinks we are trible for eating our rabbits but i think its alot better then suporting large farms and the not knowing whats going into your food. we buy our rabbit pellits from a local small amish farm. althow its not non gmo which i wish it was, unforchenetly thats not available to us untill we get our fotter sitem going . we are moveing in a month to our permanint homestening location. right now we are liveing in a city and hae limated space. we are very exsited to get our farm going in a way we want it to be. i am big on non gmo everything. right now i order all my vegetable seeds for my garden non gmo . it takes a huge efert but its worth it for my little ones health. i enjoyed reading about everyones own exsperiences with simeler endevers.
Amy
I have a question about the wheat grass picture you posted above. Have you tried making your own hay with sprouted wheat grass? Does it work?
Wm Bryan Latyon
Shaye, I just got rabbits a couple of months ago and still have a few months before it will be time to harvest them. I watched your video on this and saw that your husband used a pellet gun to do the deed. How was that? I watched another video where a guy used a thing called a Hopper Popper that looked fairly humane. I suppose my query comes down to, “Do you think the pellet gun is the most humane (fool proof) method?” I just want to make this as painless for the bunnies as possible and prevent having one of those “Can you still hear the lamb, Clarice” moments.