Rabbits?

[bee_pipes]

Anyone here raising rabbits? Could you talk about how you started out? How many rabbits did you start with? What breed? How many rabbits do you get a month from them? How many do you have now? Do you sell the meat to friends, neighbors, etc.? What size are the hutches you house them in? Feed them pellets or food from around the home? Do you do anything with the skins?

I'd appreciate hearing from anybody with experience.

Regards,
Pat

[AlchemyAcres]

Anyone here raising rabbits?
Yes

Could you talk about how you started out?
I've had rabbits since I was a teenager.

How many rabbits did you start with?
Two! LOL :)

What breed?
New Zealand White
How many rabbits do you get a month from them?
72 - 96 per year (6-8 finished rabbits per doe, sometimes more, 3 times per year)....depends....I don't push them.

How many do you have no?
One Adult Buck, four does, 20 some younger rabbits.

Do you sell the meat to friends, neighbors, etc.?
Breeding stock sometimes.

What size are the hutches you house them in?
The breeders are in standard sized wire cages....30X30X18...I have it set up so that it's pretty much self cleaning...the droppings and urine fall through to a tarp...the tarp is pitched so it all flows one way...the droppings and the urine are separated...at the end of the tarp..there's a piece of hardware cloth....the urine flows through to a bucket and the droppings roll into a separate bin. The droppings go to the worms, the urine goes in the aerobic compost.

Feed them pellets or food from around the home?
Home grown food.


Do you do anything with the skins?
I used to tan some skins, now I compost most of them.

~Martin
;)