|
Post by charmantpapillon on Aug 10, 2008 13:00:57 GMT -5
Okay i know some people on here thought about mice breeding but WHAT about rabbit breeding.
I was thinking aobut getting 3 or our bucks and 3 or four does them breeding the rabbits for food then whatever i dont give to beast or what i cull could be "sold" for "free" to people on here (i say "sold" and "free" because all i would ask is you pay for the shippind and dry ice)
I'tll probably take a few months or so and i probably would do it on a smaller scale if no one was interested or a larger one if more people were interested.
Please reply =)
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Aug 10, 2008 14:47:56 GMT -5
Well I guess you could........Just remember rabbits stink if not spayed or neutered, mark territory everywhere, and females can get cancer if not spayed. I wouldn't breed them just because they need about as much space as a ferret and they are interactive animals that need playtime! Maybe I'm just biased..... Also you can only put males and females together only to mate. With mice or rats they can stay together all the time. Dwarf hamsters are also easier to breed too. Anyways I would research it thoroughly.
|
|
|
Post by tss on Aug 10, 2008 16:51:19 GMT -5
Well, I work at a rabbitry so I can help you with any questions you may have.
You don't need anymore then 1 buck, the rabbitry has 1 buck for about 20 does. The bucks don't stink, the only thing is the poop and pee. I've held the huge 15 pound buck and many other bucks and none of them smell. The rabbits also don't have to have play time, the best thing would just be a moveable pen for outside so they can graze.
|
|
|
Post by charmantpapillon on Aug 10, 2008 17:27:31 GMT -5
Its just an idea right now but i was planning on building an outdoor enclosure for the ferret and and future ferrets when im doing that i could make a side off the ferret enclosure for the rabbits. (they would get a heated shed where the ferrets wouldnt because the ferrets could come in whenever they want)
|
|
|
Post by josiesmom on Aug 10, 2008 19:25:26 GMT -5
If you set up your hutches right you can also use the rabbit droppings as worm food and grow worms and or mushrooms!
Sell the worms to bait shops and gardeners, eat the mushrooms and your rabbit farming can be fairly lucrative!
Rabbit meat is delicious and fairly healthy for people. The hides can be sold to tanneries- so the entire rabbit will get used!
If I had the space, I'd do it!
Good luck! Cheers, Kim
|
|
|
Post by charmantpapillon on Aug 10, 2008 19:46:52 GMT -5
yeah i mentioned this idea to a friend.. and they told me i was cruel to raise animals for food. It galls me at how ignorant people are. As long as the animals are cared for properly its not cruelty because A) Im taking care of them and B) i would kill them humanely (no chemicals to kill them of course just a quick neck snap) as long as they arent tortured i do NOT see how i am being cruel
|
|
|
Post by whipple on Aug 10, 2008 22:14:38 GMT -5
I completely agree with this. I was planning on breeding my own raqts for a snake we were planning on getting (but didn't) and was told repeatedly that i was cruel. Bah! Whatever. I am going to breed mice for the ferrets. If you do start breeding rabbits, I might be interested, but it completely depends on the cost of shipping. I was interested in breeding rabbits for people yrs ago, but never got around to it. How much room would they need?
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Aug 10, 2008 23:19:50 GMT -5
Well depends what size/breed the rabbit is. A good size cage for ONE netherland dwarf rabbit would be 2 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet. Enough for them to stand up, turn around, and stretch out.
|
|
|
Post by charmantpapillon on Aug 11, 2008 9:27:15 GMT -5
hey whipple jus curious, hows fang workin out for you? *of topic i know*
Neways rabbits up here are cheeeeeeeeap =D I can get a few that were bred for pets for bout 5 dollars a peice but its too soon for bunnies. i gotta Move out first (which will happen before november if it kills me!!)
it'll take a while to set up but in the end it'll help out my ferret buddy =) or the evil ferret of doom as my friend calls him XD
Hey kim HOW do you set up the hutches for wormfood and mushrooms?
|
|
|
Post by josiesmom on Aug 12, 2008 20:08:17 GMT -5
The rabbit hutches need to be set up off of the ground so the bottom of the hutch is at least 4 feet off the ground. Use mesh flooring( large hole hardware cloth, so the rabbit droppings fall through. Use some hay for bedding in the rabbit hutch and on part of of the mesh floring, becuse the rabbits have to be able to eat some of their own droppings to properly digest their food. Its gross- but that's nature.
The worm bins are rather like flower beds under the hutches, add some dirt, some of the soiled hay from the rabbits, seed it with live worms and or worm pupae and voila! the rabbit poop falls through to feed the worms, the worms eat the poop, if the area is dark and damp enough you get mushrooms! Red wigglers are great for raising as compost worms and night crawlers do pretty good too, but sometimes the night crawlers will actually crawl out of the worm bed.
Sounds like fun to me! The fuzzies eat good, the rabbits eat good, the worms eat good, you make a few bucks. The fuzzies will actually eat the night crawlers too! You could too - fried of course!
AS for the ignoramuses that say its cruel to raise animals as food for other animals- HELLOOO? What do they think farmers and ranchers are doing for US? Duhh. When you can raise the prey, house it properly and dispatch it properly all the while overseeing every aspect of that animal's care- you are NOT being cruel you are being smart! Shrug them off and tell them to go mind their own business!
Cheers, Kim
|
|
|
Post by wmella85 on Aug 13, 2008 0:31:13 GMT -5
if shipping wasnt too expensive, i would totally buy from you.
|
|
|
Post by whipple on Aug 13, 2008 11:01:31 GMT -5
Fang is actually headed to his new home as I write this. Heather is taking him, and I am so happy she is. She will be getting him on Saturday, and I hope she posts and update on him.
So would you be breeding a drawf rabbit?
|
|
|
Post by charmantpapillon on Aug 13, 2008 12:40:53 GMT -5
Yes more than likely. they dont need as much room and i'd probably build them an outdoor enclosure so they could run wild (kind of like a chicken coop for rabbits [and the ferrets])
|
|
|
Post by pear2apple on Aug 13, 2008 14:04:53 GMT -5
Thats an interesting idea. Depending on shipping costs, and in what form you would ship (ground, whole, no fur) I think that is a good idea and I might be interested.
|
|
|
Post by charmantpapillon on Aug 13, 2008 15:58:11 GMT -5
well if i was shipping meat first i would freeze it rock solid and pack it with dry ice and send it over night so it wouldnt get yucky.
and they'd be skinned before i froze them unless they were babies (some people would want to feed baby bunnies ?)
|
|