Christine W. wrote a very nice article about raising rabbits for meat. As a rabbit raiser myself, I’d like to add a few suggestions:
I have never had problems using straw in nest boxes, but prefer to use hay, or better yet, long dry grass. The does like to arrange their nests, and they get a good snack as well. You can add more bedding material if a doe gets piggy and eats all the bedding.
I used to raise fryers commercially, and rigged up a great way to stack cages but eliminate the expensive trays that are time consuming to clean. Each layer of cages had a “drop board” underneath, which was a sheet of painted plywood suspended about four inches below the back of the cages and 6 inches below the front. (You can hang these boards, or build frames for the cages and boards)
This was enough room to use a squeegee to pull the droppings forward, letting the fall to the floor. I used cedar tow on the floor in front of the cages to soak up urine. All I had to do was sweep the aisle (I had 280 cages in four layers on both sides of a 12×36 area in the barn) to keep the droppings contained. A quick sprinkle of lime on the row of swept tow and droppings kept the smell to a minimum. Once a week I swept the rows of tow/droppings/urine out and shoveled it into sacks for selling to customers, into my garden, or into someone’s truck. Then I would spray the drop boards with a wonderful product “Nature’s Miracle” which completely eliminates ammonia with enzymes. Many, many times I had customers exclaim “How do you keep so many rabbits with no smell!”
Another way to do this that works best on single layers of cages as it takes up more space: Hang a strip of tarp or heavy plastic under the cages, one end a little lower than the other. Cut a hole about 6 inches in diameter near one end. Put a bucket under this. You can them flush with a hose! Everything goes in the bucket, and is easy to put where you need it. If you look in the Bass Equipment catalog or web site, you will see where I got this idea. And I did it for very little cost!
Wheat germ oil added to the does feed during the last week of pregnancy really helps them build up fat and milk. This is especially important if you are breeding in winter.
The biggest reason new mothers kill their young, (or simply neglect them to the point of death) is [the stress of having] strangers in the area, whether human or critter. When raising fryer rabbits, I always bred does on Tuesdays so that they would kindle over the weekend. I would then be around to be sure no one wandered into the barn.
Aas CW mentioned, another trick for keeping rabbits cool is to put frozen 2 liter water bottles in the cages. Rabbits will lay up against them!
I raise my fryers from weaning to butcher in outside cages on the ground. We live in a high predator area, so the cage must be tight. I use 2×4 utility wire for a “floor” which keeps the rabbits from digging out, and allows me to move the cages to clean ground every day without removing the rabbits. One tip though: Don’t make the mistake I did! I have a 4×8 cage, which is wonderful until it’s full of 20+ rabbits at 5-6 pounds each. Then it’s tough to move by myself! (grin) This year I will be building two smaller cages.
Another idea in regards to outside cages: Build them in a size that fits in the rows of your garden! Then the rabbits can eat the weeds and grass and fertilize right where you need it. You can do this with chickens as well.
A couple of excellent sources for rabbit supplies: Bass Equipment and Morton Jones.
Regards, – WarMare in Southwestern Washington
Mr. Editor:
I second the motion on using 2-liter pop bottles full of water (frozen solid) for preventing rabbit heat distress crashes. Another plus, by the by, is that those frozen bottles help keep your freezer full, which makes it operate the most efficiently. (Each time you open your freezer, it lets in warm air, so a full freezer is an efficient freezer–especially for an upright design, where the cold air “spills out”.) Also, of course those bottles represent a small reserve of stored emergency water. So storing its a total “win-win.” Cheers, – Pat N.
Dear James,
For conventional Rabbit raising, if you will be able to provide the required ice, or other methods of cooling we have done this for several years.
Our basic Rabbitry has consisted of a Geodesic dome made from 2X4s and a set of “Star Plates” available from Stromberg’s Chicks, Gamebirds and Poultry Supplies these little metal plates allow you to build an amazing number of farm/retreat utility buildings, with very little in the way of carpentry skills. Using a enclosed Rabbitry will increase your OPSEC since the animals will be out of sight 99% of the time. The next thing for our basic rabbit unit is to build a bench high rack system for the cages. As I mentioned before the cages should be all wire and set, or suspended so that wastes can simply fall through to the ground.
To do this build a wood frame as though you were building a work bench against a wall. Rather than putting a solid work top on the frame I cover it with 2×4 welded wire anchored at the front and back of the frame. I then just set my cages on this “top”. This way the rabbit waste never contacts anything but the ground, or a catch basin. Once a year I take cages out and use a propane torch to flame off the build up of hair, and those few bits of waste that may have built up. I never have had an ammonia problem so long as I keep the Bunny Barn well ventilated. I can step in and scoop up a shovel full of dropping anytime I need to top dress, or amend a bed, or I can fill a garden cart for mixing with top soil when starting a new garden bed.
As for First Time Mothers, I don’t actively support a new mother or use litter, beyond setting up a good nesting box. For the most part I don’t use litter at all, except in the kindling box. We use all wire cages, with a standing pad, so that the Rabbits can rest their feet from standing on wire all the time, and so that they have a place to sleep. In the past we keep all our cages in a well ventilated, but draft free structure, so no bedding box was needed except for a kindling mother. With the cages set on wire topped frames all the rabbit waste fall through the cage floor to the ground or into a catch tray, which is sometimes used to collect up the droppings for use in the garden. (Rabbit droppings are Mother Natures time released fertilizer, no composting needed.)
Our Kindling boxes are lined first with cardboard, then with newspaper, then topped with fine pine shavings. We have had no problems with kit’s eyes, or with respiratory problems. Mom’s still line this with belly fur just before delivery.
I always give a Doe three litters to figure it out; if a mother can’t get at least half of her third litter weaned all by herself then I cull her. Some will consider this a harsh attitude on my part, but in all honesty, I just don’t have the time to teach a doe how to do her job. Once the bottom falls out, and you are actively depending on your gardens, goats, chickens, and rabbits to feed you; you will find that you have even less time for such things. Select now for naturally good does, then you don’t have to work so hard later. The same culling process applies to any buck problems; if they can’t do their jobs without special handling or housing, cull them now, and select for animals that will take the least amount of effort on your part.
C.W. is absolutely right about heat issues. While a rabbit will survive -30F temps with a minimum of protection; Heat will wipe out your herd in just a couple of days of 100+ degree weather. The biggest problem with Rabbits in a grid down scenario is that the production of ice will be very energy intensive, and therefore expensive. What is needed is a way to raise your rabbits in a temperate climate where temperatures can reach into the triple digits, without ice, or artificial cooling.
What is the answer? Well do you live in an area that has wild rabbits? How do you think they survive the summers? Answer: In underground dens.
Based on some research I found from FAO (part of the UN. Hey, I’ll take good ideas from the enemy.) I have started to experiment with artificial dens, made from 55 gallon drums set on their sides, and buried with an artificial tunnel to a standard wire cage. At this time I am not willing to venture an opinion on how well this will work out, as results are still pending. [JWR Adds: In my experience, rabbits kept in “colony” pens on the ground will soon begin to excavate their own tunnels. Just be advised that they can be prodigious tunnelers, so your pen fence should be constructed by first digging a trench that is two feet deep, and extending the fence wire mesh below the grade, to prevent escapes! It is best to create a “starter” hole” in the center of your colony pen, for them to expand. ]
What I can tell you is that it takes a lot of work to build good permanent housing, and especially the artificial dens, but once done they should provide you with years of service, with a minimum of effort later.
That is after all at the core of preparing now for the tough times ahead. Now the resources are available, now we have the time to build, and learn, now we have the luxury of getting by on specialized skills. We do things now so that we will have the systems, and resources in place later to make life possible, or maybe, easier. Just My Two Cents, – Fanderal