Search Results for: raising rabbits

Retreat Owner Profiles

…decision of caliber and reloading supplies. (I’ve got all the 12 and 20 gauge equipment.) Fuel Storage: Regular utilities now but will be solar and underground storage tank with asphalt coating. (We had a 1,000 gallon diesel tank that we left for the new owners) Improvements: TBD Annual Property Tax: TBD but significantly more than in the northwest (definitely a con here) Livestock: Will get back into raising rabbits, chickens and goat(s). (All our breeding stock and equip has been housed with friends in exchange for the contingency that if the SHTF and our retreat isn’t ready we can stay with them.) Communications Gear: Off-brand AM/FM hand crank receiver SW, AM /FM and other public bands, six FRS walkie-talkies with solar re-chargers, CB and base station with modified ham frequencies. We have numerous old laptops, wireless routers and devices and web cams for private solar based network/perimeter security. I already…


How to Process Chickens and Rabbits – Part 1, by Elli O.

…far as rabbits, I have been raising New Zealand rabbits for about five years. The original thought was that when TEOTWAWKI happens, the rabbits would be the primary food source for our two dogs. The rabbits would prevent our family food supply from going to our beloved pets. Since then, I have enjoyed the ease of raising rabbits along with the quick turn-around of raising the next generation of food. Yes, rabbits can and do multiply quickly. Chickens Let’s start with processing chickens. Although you can “learn” to dispatch, eviscerate, and cook chickens from watching Youtube videos, it is a lot easier to have someone guide you through the process when you attempt this feat. And what are you going to do if/when the internet is unavailable? Or you can’t find an experienced person willing to help you? I have many articles on how-to that are printed off and in…


Lessons Learned in Livestock – Part 1, by C.K.

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…to butcher age. There have been no problems running the mixed ages together; with around 25 per rabbits cage. You can run more, but both ends of the cage will have to be feeders. If you plan on feeding a lot of people, then the warren system is easier. If you’re only planning on feeding a few people stay with individual pens. I will keep both systems as we are planning on feeding ten people. Best source for information on raising rabbits is a web site called Rise and Shine Rabbitry. The owner, Boyd Craven, Jr., also co-authored a couple of books on raising rabbits. One of those books is titled Off the Pellet. I’m giving credit where credit is due. Remember: Any rabbit that is trouble makes very fine jerky no matter how old. Remember this enterprise is life sustaining for you and your family. These are not pets….


Cows and Chickens and Goats, Oh My!, by Elli O.

…new cage can cost $50 and a new hutch for 1-2 rabbits costs approximately $125. I suggest checking the internet for used equipment. Rabbits can have multiple litters in a year with an average of 3 kits per litter, so selling the kits can be profitable. If you decide to process your rabbits, very little equipment is needed. PROS OF RABBITS (MEAT) 1. Quiet animals 2. Only small space needed 3. Free garden fertilizer 4. Easy to process 5. Rabbit meat is very easy to digest CONS OF RABBITS (MEAT) 1. They poop a lot SHEEP We started raising sheep about 6 years ago when gas prices were soaring and we didn’t want to mow the back fields. So we purchased 5 Suffolk ewes and were very pleased with their ability to keep the weeds at bay. Then we rented a ram and were blessed enough to have a very…


Profitable Homesteading: How to Thrive in a TEOTWAWKI World, by Dusty

…of your fertile soil and livestock. Play the Penny Stock Market I’m not talking about you becoming the Gordon Gekko of the pink sheets but rather raising rabbits, goats, chickens, turkeys, eggs, bees, and the like on a limited scale.  These species are much more common on the homestead than water buffalo and herds of grass fed cattle, and for good reason.  They’re smaller, easier to handle in small areas, diversified and in many cases you can even process (slaughter) them right on your farm or homestead and sell to consumers, which you cannot legally do with red meat (lamb, pork, beef). No doubt that many if not most of these small livestock belong on every homestead, but keep in mind there’s a difference between you raising rabbits for your own table and you raising meat rabbits to generate income. Unlike the example with the cows, you’ll likely need to continually…


Prepping When Physically Disabled and Low Income, by Just A Dad

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…agree, but, the compost we have is quite rich and very healthy! Be willing to learn and adjust your approaches as needed. Chickens, Goats or Rabbits I cannot stress enough the importance of raising your own protein. For we who are limited in funds, chickens, goats and rabbits are pound-for-pound the best return on your money. They are also relatively easy to raise and keep even with limited space. We raise Amaracauna and Rhode Island Red breeds. However Leghorns are amazing as well. With one Rooster and 6 or 7 layers we stay quite healthy. We also raise Belgian rabbits. With two breeders and a stud, our freezer stays quite full. If you are buying chicks or kits understand you will lose maybe 1 for every 5 you buy before they are large enough to eat. While a bit sad, it actually strengthens the warren or flock to lose the…


Letter Re: Raising Meat Rabbits

HJL, This is just a note to let you know that three years ago, based on information obtained on SurvivalBlog, my daughter stopped using commercial pellets to feed her pedigreed silver fox rabbits. I gave her an article about all the things you can eat from your yard. Two hours later, she had found most of them in our yard and decided to feed her rabbits that way. Since then, she harvests clover, wild strawberry, dandelion, mulberry, sorel, wild violet, and much more from about six yards in the neighborhood that use no chemicals. She supplements in winter with bales of alfalfa and BOSS, so the rabbits are fed 100% natural food, about 80% locally grown. Her rabbitry is small, with one litter at a time, and no more than two dozen total mouths to feed. – M.E….


Acquiring Small Game Quietly- Part 1, by S.D.

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…of rabbits, and I can see them hopping around during the day in many areas. They seem to be as plentiful as ever, and yet our property didn’t contain any that I was aware of. However, after placing a trail camera, I found that we still had rabbits; they just came out after dark. I consistently got pictures of rabbits at around midnight to four in the morning. The moral of this story is that even a fairly large small game population will be affected by hunting pressure, whether or not the hunters are successful. To be an effective hunter in a highly competitive post-TEOTWAWKI environment, knowledge, skill, and the right equipment will be essential. Essential Knowledge Knowledge can be gained right now. In order to harvest an animal, it must first be located and an approach must be made to within reasonable range for the weapon being used. Finding…


The Struggle for Meat After TEOTWAWKI, by N.N.R.

…on at least 2 kinds of wormer. I have fewer problems with worms at my place since adding the cows and geese to my rotational grazing. This must have changed the parasite-host dynamic. I still worm occasionally, but not as much. I advise that when you do have to worm, don’t skimp on the amount of wormer used. You need to kill the parasite not promote resistance. Use the full amount and then a little extra. I also like to worm three successive times at seven day intervals. Since I haven’t eaten any of my rabbits or ducks I have no info on their ability to supply meat on your homestead. I do know that you can be overrun with rabbits pretty quickly. A rabbits gestation period is very short (31 Days!) and the litter size is from 4 to 9. You can scrounge up grass and greenery year round…


Letter Re: Raising Rabbits as a Protein Source for Tough Times

Jim, Glad to see your Blog page starting up. I wish you well with it. To add to your son’s warnings on a rabbit meat-only diet: Eating strictly rabbit meat, the lack of fat causes the human body to start to crave. Early mountain men & wilderness travelers found this out the hard way. It is sort of like a salt craving: One’s body goes through some hard times when this happens, up to including malnourishment symptoms. By the way, it is noteworthy that “New” vegetarians experience these symptoms until their body becomes accustomed to vegetable fats. This can be a long process. I hope this bit of info will help. Take care. – The Bee Man [JWR’s note: Some of the readers of my novel will remember The Bee Man from the Barter Faire chapter. Yes, he is a real life individual. And a real “character” to boot!]…


Letter Re: Rabbits for a Stable (and Staple) Protein Source

Hello Mr. Rawles, Regarding the recent blog article Rabbits for a Stable (and Staple) Protein Source, by S.F.D. in West Virginia: I too have chosen meat rabbits to be my SHTF meat source. Raising, butchering, and of course eating domestic rabbit has become a great learning experience for myself and my family. The one problem I foresee is providing food for my rabbits. But one possibility, of which I have a friend who has much success with, is growing a substantial plot of dandelion. My friend from northern Maine has a 90 foot-long plot of dandelion which he harvests and then dries for the winter. I’m thinking if space isn’t an issue, for either planting or storing the dried product, this is going to be one of the easier routes to take.   Thanks for all you do, – J.K….


Food Production at a Remote Home, by Mrs. Alaska

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…rabbits which was a cost effective endeavor because they fed us for many meals over two years. This year, however, one doe let two litters in a row die. This was distressing to me. My research indicates that rabbits can get depressed when moved, as she was, from the prior owner to us. Despite the more commodious and congenial housing, she may not have been a happy camper so she went into the pressure cooker. The other does that we bought (from the same breeder) were too young all summer to breed (we had been counting on the older doe) but one kindled her first litter four days ago. It does not appear that the others got pregnant. So this has been an expensive year of feeding rabbits that did not “repay their food” with more rabbits. CHICKENS: Because chickens have been domesticated for so many centuries all over the…


Why Trying To Start A Garden Now May Be A Little Too Late For TEOTWAWKI, by BPW

…it; make it your strength. As I mentioned above I hunt. I’m good at hunting, so I decided that I would attempt something new. Trapping. Well, I’m not talking about trapping where I go out buy a license and traps and set them up out in the wood. I mean something that I have not read about on this site, but I figured that I would give it a shot. I have rabbits running around my house eating my stuff, so guess what I got? Yep. I got some box traps and set them up near my garden. I baited them and waited, and wait I did. A month went by before anything went inside the trap, but bam, I caught some rabbits. I have four to be exact. Guess what I built myself? A pen, and now I am raising rabbits. I don’t know, but you know what they…


A Prepping Reality Check – Part 2, by Mama Bear

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…about putting up shelters which can be used for shade until TEOTWAWKI and then converted to livestock shelters for the animals acquired through purchase or barter after the SHTF? How will you feed the livestock? How will you provide water? If you are able to grow feed for livestock, how will you harvest or store the feed through the winter? How will you protect the livestock from predators, both four legged and two legged? Have you ever hunted? Have you ever butchered an animal? What will you do with the offal, hide, horns, etc.? Do you have plenty of beans or other alternative protein sources? Most areas will be hunted out within 3-4 months or less. If you do not have livestock, consider rabbits, chickens, and hogs as your first purchases. Rabbits, chickens and hogs can be fed with scraps from the garden and kitchen with some hand harvested grass…


Letter Re: Breeding Guinea Pigs as a Protein Source?

…Rex rabbits for butcher. In a survival situation, I’d prefer cavies, since they don’t tunnel (which would be an escape risk), and they can be successfully bred in colony ground pens. (This is difficult, at best, with rabbits, because of their prodigious tunneling, vicious fighting, and the tendency of mothers to eat their young, when under stress!) In summary, I have bred both rabbits and cavies. If your goal is to have very small livestock as a protein source, in a warm climate, then I’d recommend cavies, for self-sufficiency. Warning: While rabbits are prone to biting and kicking and scratching (I have the scars on my forearms to prove it), cavies are so adorable that there is the risk that in pre-TEOTWAWKI times, family members may prove too tender-hearted to ever be able to slaughter, butcher, and eat their cavy friends. The grateful “wheet, wheet” call of of a cavy…