Free: Contests & Raffles.
Fashion some metal skirts around the legs to. Keep rats from climbing up the legs.They raise heck with small bunnies.They will be attracted to the smell of the feed.
I can't remember where I got this pic, but I like the design.
Quote from: SniperDanWA on July 20, 2014, 09:09:12 AMI can't remember where I got this pic, but I like the design.That's the one I built a couple years ago. It worked great! The thread...http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,132764.msg1769216.html#msg1769216
Nope, got out of it. It turned into to big of a PITA when my work picked up and I couldn't keep up with it. Also, those little buggers stink to high heaven!!! We have lots of cottontails around our place, so when I feel like rabbit it's not a problem to pick one off.
Quote from: Fishstiq on July 20, 2014, 05:07:30 PMNope, got out of it. It turned into to big of a PITA when my work picked up and I couldn't keep up with it. Also, those little buggers stink to high heaven!!! We have lots of cottontails around our place, so when I feel like rabbit it's not a problem to pick one off. I imagine the barrels without drains would stink pretty good. I don't remember the last rabbit hutch similar to the one I pictured above as stinking. but of course that was a long time ago tooI don't think they stink too bad when you let all the poo fall to the ground and it's kept shoveled out pretty good. The hutch is right in the garden so I can just shovel it right onto the raised garden beds. I STILL don't have any rabbits in it yet though lolHard to find this time of year people lay off the breeding in the heat.
Quote from: KFhunter on July 20, 2014, 07:41:33 PMQuote from: Fishstiq on July 20, 2014, 05:07:30 PMNope, got out of it. It turned into to big of a PITA when my work picked up and I couldn't keep up with it. Also, those little buggers stink to high heaven!!! We have lots of cottontails around our place, so when I feel like rabbit it's not a problem to pick one off. I imagine the barrels without drains would stink pretty good. I don't remember the last rabbit hutch similar to the one I pictured above as stinking. but of course that was a long time ago tooI don't think they stink too bad when you let all the poo fall to the ground and it's kept shoveled out pretty good. The hutch is right in the garden so I can just shovel it right onto the raised garden beds. I STILL don't have any rabbits in it yet though lolHard to find this time of year people lay off the breeding in the heat.It must be an Eastside thing to lay off breeding. We breed all year long. I currently have 21 kits, ranging from 2 weeks to 10 weeks. 2 more leaving tonight to another breeder who wants our lines. If I had larger meat breeds I'd hook ya up. If you use wood pellets for animal bedding, it really cuts down on the smell. Way better than shavings. I kno a Rex breeder that always has rabbits to cull.
I did the frozen 2 liter bottle thing, they seemed to really like it. You have to have a bunch though, as I recall they like chewing holes in them once they thaw!!!
thinking about coiling up some 1/4 inch copper tubing and gluing it to the bottom of a 12"x12" porcelain tile, then gluing a pine backer board to insulate and protect the copper tubing. Like a sandwich with the copper coil in the center. Then I'll run water from the copper coil to a mister and run cold ground water through it. The mister would be setup so it wouldn't get the rabbits wet, just cool the hutch roof and general area.
Young does? If I had a doe do it more than once I would change her out.
3rd times a charm. none on the wire and all snug and warm in the nest box. I pulled a good wad of hair last night though and helped her out some, she gave birth and so I got a bunch of warm kits in the box this morning. She pulled more hair and did a good job.
The rabbitry is going in high gear now one doe that wouldn't breed made rabbit dumplings, awesome I'm temped to let all the rabbits grow full size just for these dumplings they were that good. Chicken dumplings can't hold a candle to rabbit dumplings. I let the fryers grow up a wee bit too much, I need to butcher sooner they got too big and too chewy for a fryer. I'm saving all the front legs and freezing them together for a huge rabbit wing (think buffalo wings) feast this summer.
Still putting rabbit in the freezer most of my does have been replaced except one, now I've got 4 young cali/nzw cross does and one nzw purebred left over from my original 3. I'll cull the young does after they show me if they can raise a litter or not. I was holding on to doe's too long not anymore. On the first litter I expect losses but if they show signs of nesting I'll give them another try (pull hair, move hay to make nest etc) 2nd litter I expect some losses but not the whole litter3rd litter I expect a few dead but most of the litter survive 4 and up I'll tolerate 1 maybe 2 dead but I want at least 10 alive and thrivingAlso found I need to keep them bred more, any long pauses in litters it's almost like they forget what's up. A successful doe if left un-bred too long might loose litters again when you start back up. You have better success if you keep them pumping out kits, it's a commitment! I like to time the breeding so I'm butchering every 9 weeks roughly (1 month gestation, 5 weeks growth) I'd rather butcher a bunch all at once, make it a production. Biggest difference with meat rabbits vs show rabbits is very high culling rates for meat breeds. Meat rabbit you're breading for food and dead kits don't make food, secondly you breed for carcass quality. It's difficult to achieve both high (successful) birth rates and carcass quality. Show rabbits you breed for conformation almost exclusively and will tolerate low birth rates if the doe puts out fantastic looking kits.
Those guys/gals are probably a little further along than I am and have been culling for many generations. All mine came from the same breeder who focused on showing them above all else as she was in the show circuit, I learned a lot on what makes a great meat rabbit carcass but have been plagued with lost litters. I'm doing my part, I use an alarm calendar to make sure the nest boxes are prepped and in the hutches on time. I think drop in nest boxes would have saved a large number of kits. I want to rebuild my hutch.
