Rabbits

[doak]

I had about 200 once.
Was wondering if their is anyone raising rabbits to a large extent.
I am looking /thinking about getting back in.
I am going to do my bees to from 4 to 6 colonies.
Any inputs?
doak :)

[HAB]

Had rabbits for years.  But have cut down my stock to just three does and a buck.  The high jump in the cost of feed just makes it no longer worth the effort.  Sure gonna miss them.

[suprstakr]

Me too , cost off food stopped me .

[doak]

Yes I have weighed that option. But I do have some ground I can devote to feed.
Corn, Alfalfa, etc. Plus the byproduct, worms and worm castings. :)doak

[Brian D. Bray]

There's not a big market for fur anymore, too many artificial types around, but raising for meat is an option.  You can sell a live fryer rabbit from between $3-5 bucks depending on location so it can pay for the feed.

I just took 3 adults and 6 fryers over to my brother's place this last weekend. 

I just butchered 4 fryers today for Sunday Dinner.  Still have 17 more fryers to dress out and freeze, they're running about 4 lbs dressed.

I like rabbit because you get just as much meat, if not more, as you do from a large chicken and they are soooo much easier to dress out.   

[BjornBee]

I once read a pamphlet I think that was put out by some state ag department concerning sustainable farming. In one model, it mentioned rabbits, using the waste from the rabbits to grow worms, and so on. It sounded reasonable if a market existed. Is this what you (doak) are mentioning? Something along those lines?

How specialized beyond grown ground cover would you be looking at for meat rabbit's diet?

Thank you.

[Brian D. Bray]

Besides a basic diet of greens, salt blocks, some root veggies and grains (sparingly), and a chunk of tree limb with bark still on it for chewing and keeping their teeth nibbled down to length.  Some dry grass/hay should be feed also, alfalfa wafers work well.

If you lay wire netting down on the grown you can allow them to run in a fenced yard.  The netting is necessary or they will burrow out.  Small indivivual shelters should be provided if they run, these will double as kindling dens.  If penned you should provide a cage about 30X36 inches per adult rabbit.

A tin can or a ball gives them something to play with, they will push it around with their noses.

[1reb]

worms and worm castings. :)doak

Is there much of a market for worm and casting?

Johnny

[BjornBee]

I did read an article awhile back that said if you want to make a little money, sell worms to fisherman. If you want to make more money, sell worms to gardeners. I have often wondered if a market existed in working with market/nurseries that dealt with the basic homeowner in such things as plants, etc. Could they be cleaned of dirt and shipped by some mail order business...I don't know. But I'm always thinking.... :-D

[Cindi]

There is an enormous market for worm castings.  It is sold in all my seed catalogues.  There is a company a few hundred miles to the north of me that makes worm castings, a worm farm they call it.  They sell masses of worm castings.  I once upon a time purchased a 50 pound bag of the stuff from this company, it is known as black gold.  It works extremely well for the gardener and also is wonderful to spread around certain plants to keep pests away from those plants.  Do some research on worm castings, you would be surprised....have that wonderful and awesome day, Cindi