Got me some rabbits

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by Shotgunpapa, Aug 21, 2016.


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  1. Shotgunpapa

    Shotgunpapa Monkey

    Hey everyone I just got two Rabbits and pens gave to me and my wife we have been wanting to get were we would not have to spend so much money on food and such we grow our own vegetable's and can them, we fish and I hunt and trap and we eat what we get but as most of you know you don't always come home with the game you were after.
    So maybe these rabbits will help us some next we will get some chickens, and thinking of a couple Goats. what do y'all think.
     
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  2. marlas1too

    marlas1too Monkey+++

    now put a metal or plastic bin under the pen and raise worms as you can raise some chickens too just give some worms to the chickens every once in a while for protein but great to hear they were free are the a pair a doe and a buck
     
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  3. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    can't easily go wrong with rabbits and chickens. both seem to give back more than they take with only a moderate amount of care. there is plenty of good info available about their care and handling, etc. read up on it or find a good mentor local. have fun
     
  4. Mindgrinder

    Mindgrinder Karma Pirate Ninja|RIP 12-25-2017

    @Gopherman raises rabbits big enough to fight off coyotes....
    :)
    Never ending perfect fert for your gardens.
    congrats
     
  5. Shotgunpapa

    Shotgunpapa Monkey

    Yes they are a pair buck and doe
     
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  6. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    I second a worm bed under the pens I had a big grape vine arbor when on was a kid I had rabbit's under them for shade and worm bed under it sold rabbit's grapes and worms.
     
  7. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    for me 8 rabbits was an excellent number for breeding, growing, eating and selling. had 2 bucks and 6 does. had a regular schedule for breeding in rotation so as to limit number of growers filling out prior to sale or butchering. 8 large cages for breeders and 16 smaller cages slightly for split litters weaned from mammas and on solid food and using water nipples. these were what I called my grow cages and each held 4 weaned growers. could easily have used another 8 of these grow cages.
     
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  8. Shotgunpapa

    Shotgunpapa Monkey

    I know when I was young I raised rabbits and soon it got out of hand I had more rabbits than I could sale or eat, also had a worm bed but never sold them used them myself to fish with and here in Georgia a box of worms is $3.00 and all you get is 25 worms when I was a teen you got a 100 for 10 cents man have times changed. So I will have me a worm bed seeing I love to fish. also want to ask what can I grow in a raised bed that I could feed the rabbits to cut down on the feed bill. thanks for the info.
     
    marlas1too likes this.
  9. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    I would advise 2 things. First off do you know what Kudzu looks like? If you do or can find out, look for it growing anywhere in your area. Almost anyone who has it will be willing to let you prune it within reason. Kudzu is more nutritious than alfalfa. It was brought over here as a miracle livestock feed from Japan and is so invasive it is widely hated. You can really severely cut it back for fresh fodder and it will come right back at you. Locate a source and get permission and you can be fodder rich. Or ........ you might try growing some in a controlled area yourself. YMMV
     
  10. Shotgunpapa

    Shotgunpapa Monkey

    thanks and yes I know it. It grows all over Georgia so I will get some thank you so much.
     
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  11. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    Yeah!!! Rabbits are awesome.Lots of dependable meat. get six Females and in less than a years time you could have 100 or more babies.
    Get sheep instead. Goats are good for milk if your dedicated and can allocate the time everyday, but, bang for the buck are bigger and less trouble, as well as easier on the fences.
    Turkeys are the way to go for poultry meat, and chickens for eggs IMHO!
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2016
  12. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Ducks for EGGS !! Much nicer .we use all eggs , but for my eggs to be eaten cooked without baking DUCK only .
    Both are for meat as well . Ducks eat slugs & keep the garden clean , chickens dig holes & destroy gardens
     
  13. Legion489

    Legion489 Rev. 2:19 Banned

    First off do you know what Kudzu looks like? If you do or can find out, look for it growing anywhere in your area. Almost anyone who has it will be willing to let you prune it within reason.

    WHAT?! Everyone with kudzu I have seen is over joyed if you could kill it! Cutting it back to bare ground means it will be knee high in about a week.
     
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  14. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    .
    @Cruisin Sloth , I am not absolutely sure this post of yours was aimed at me or not. But if so, in rebuttal I would say you need to both read again what my suggestion post said in it's entirety and do the same with your reference link. Yes there are negatives with kudzu, that is why I suggested first finding a source to prune for fresh green fodder for rabbits (anyone reading this and considering it, keep in mind that herbicides might have been used on the kudzu, and may have an undesirable effect on your rabbits health and or make their manure unhealthy to plants as well)(this was something I had not considered).
    .
    The thread is about raising rabbits and the question was about fodder to cut down on the cost of feed. If you had read the entire thread from the beginning that would be clear to you. I can only assume you read my kudzu response out of context, and responded to that and that alone. ....... is that the way you approach everything?
    .
    I was quite clear that Kudzu was an invasive plant hated by many. Can you read?
    .
    Kudzu has many positive properties including being high in protein and edible for humans as well as animals. It also has beneficial medical uses.
    .
    Calling in the Mods, to warn or Spank??? What kind of closed minded, one way individual are you???
     
  15. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    Kudzu is a Plague! Goats love to eat it But if it get a foothold on your property, it will bury you and your house in a season and you'l never get rid of it!
     
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  16. Shotgunpapa

    Shotgunpapa Monkey

    my sister has it growing in her field I can trim it up for her and feed it to the rabbits I was thinking about planting some red clover in a raised bed and cut it for them do any of you know how fast it grows how many time a year I can cut it it stays warm here up till November and some times longer.
     
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  17. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    I have as many as 30 rabbits at a time, feed costs me around 13.00 for 50 lbs. I buy 3 bags at a tim and it ill last roughly 5 weeks.
    Or you could plant peanut grass, and let it take over. Drought resistant and nutritious and is also a nitrogen fixer. The peanuts it produces are minute and it is a perennial.
    I am trying to get rid of grass in my lawn and Peanut grass only grows to a short height and doesn't require much mowing.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2016
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  18. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    brilliant @ gopherman turns out the flowers of
    Perennial Peanut
    are edible too
     
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