Rabbit raising Part 1 homesteading, survival, survivalist, peak oil, long term food storage

[ster4465]

i love it

[fredkyle23]

how many acres do you have?

[chickenosm]

the door is supposed to go like that that way if you forget to latch it the bunnies still can't get out

[503Gunslinger]

hahahahahaha little smurf berries. haha made my day

[homeostasis4me]

The door is on correct. If you forget to latch it one day, you'll understand why.

[judderwocky]

im thinking you could make these cages out of bamboo if you have it growing nearby

[HomeMadeGunNut]

Lol when they're 1 week old they look a lil bit like squirrels x)

[angrymartian]

is that all rabbit poop in the barrels?

[NcoleyCP]

@angrymartian Manure. B3tter than a cow's, but not as great as a chicken's

[mybeefcows]

good video but the doors are on right if you forget to latch it they can`t get out but if you have the door on the outside and forget to latch it they can push it open and escape

[catexan]

Good start! The best cages are actually hutches with solid sides, back and roof to protect the rabbits from the elements. Too hot, too cold, too windy privacy etc... build a skirt to keep the dogs, foxes, bobcats from literally scaring the rabbits to death when they try to attack from underneath... it is an art successfully breeding and raising rabbits.

[LaceyGirl5467]

your not the only one!!! i put the door on backwards too! LOL i thought it was right!!

[georgepetlover]

make a video of how to build a CAGE! please

[SurvivalReport]

I guess it's how you look at it. We use those little catch latches like used on dog leashes, so it's easier for us to have the doors swing outwards. Makes retrieving the does to take them to the buck easier. To each his own.

[copefarms]

You mention the door is on backwards as it opens inward but this is what most people want. That way if for some reason the latch came loose or you forgot to close it back or left it unlatched the rabbit would push on the door and couldnt get out.

If it opened outward the rabbit could push on the door and open it and get out which is not what you want.

[SurvivalReport]

You could get these type at pretty much any feed store, Tractor Supply, Farm and Fleet type store.

[sheepdog762]

where do you buy your cages ?

[alejonsu]

Great video. I learned a lot. You have a great project going there. Thanks for the ideas. Good luck.

[ROFLpwnedvideos]

That door is actually on correct. That's the way those cages are. I have one.

[wxyztu]

how much do you feed a rabbit a day?

[SurvivalReport]

Sorry to hear that. Either door in or door out, you have to make sure they are locked. We started using the little connectors like are on dog leashes in addition to the normal pull down clip lock. Our dogs would have gotten a whack over that also. ;)

[sergeantsailorman]

I wrote you a couple of weeks ago about having cage doors that open to the inside. All mine are that way except for one. Well, I had my buck rabbit in that one, and this morning when I got up and looked outside he was lying in the yard dead. Somehow, it was left unlatched, and apparently he pushed it open and got out. One of the dogs killed him. I won't use any cage again that opens to the outside, where the rabbit can push it open if not latched and get out. I feel very sad for the loss of him.

[jjpiper]

Door is the right way. As said below, incase you forget to lock. But also you can reach in with one hand and not have to hold the door open or have it get in the way.

[willgameforgirls]

i think its better if you have the door that way incase you forget to lock it the rabbit wont get out

[sergeantsailorman]

Good video. My cages came from the factory with the doors on the inside like you did. (your's isn't backwards). Rabbit can't push it open that way. I don't use trays, but have plastic containers under cages that catch droppings. Simply carry it to the garden. To clean your trays, partially fill with water, and add some vinegar. Next day, they will clean up nicely. As for the Warren comment: A warren of rabbits, a herd of cows, a flock of sheep, a school of fish, etc, etc, etc. Happy rabbiting.

[JENS60]

nice vids about you rabbits

how many rabbits you have, and how long will they stay?

[1x93cm]

my mouth is wattering just looking at this

such fat coneys

[yld629]

Are there any particular advantages to raising these animals? Do they mature fairly quickly for slaughter? Is it cheap to feed them? How is the quality of the fur?

[SurvivalReport]

Thanks for watching! We have just started an online message board at

Survival and preparedness DOTCOM

[Colonoscope]

"Pita types and misc idiots" HA!

Nice set up, we raise rabbits as well as goats and chickens in Montana really like what you're doing!

[ohiovr]

NIce video. Is there a part 2? I'd like to know what you feed your rabbits and how much do they eat. How diverse do their foods need to be.

[astrialkil]

I just butchered my rooster that i raised from march 2009 . i named him white_E as he was white. he got too noisy when i bought 4 meat chickens + a meat rooster. they would have crowing wars. kept me up for 4 hrs, i had to put one down and white_E wasn't producing fertile eggs (the hens he fertilized weren't). so he had to go. Once i started it , it went quick. so You can cull your pets .

[SIDSmom]

its a matter of being honest with your food. remember, you get to dictate how comfy and happy a life your rabbits have, before they go to freezer camp and help you have a comfy, happy, tummy filled life. death for rabbits is swift, usually a quickly broken neck. as a person, wouldn't you like to be cared for, well fed, and be assured a fast death? if i had to choose a way to die, i would choose fast

[marieatthelake]

I'm new and you, all, are very informative. Thank you.

[bakeee]

they look so cute! and probably taste cute as well! YUUUM! BWAHAHA

[nijaexhile3]

Man...thats one thing I would have trouble doing initially(im sure id get used to it) would be butchering an animal id seen born. Sigh...yup, im not a vegetarian but im a bleeding heart. How do you keep from getting attached Robert?

[SurvivalReport]

@nijaexhile3 Do you buy a quarter pounder at Burger King and then go home and mourn it? No, you realize it's FOOD. You might not have "known" the cow that sits between the bun but it was an animal nevertheless. Yes the rabbits are cute and cuddly, but they are almost tasty and good for you ;)

[nijaexhile3]

@SurvivalReport Sigh, I know but if I dont see the cow doing its cute shenanigans every day its easy to just enjoy its tasty tasty flesh. Trust me, I don't have any qualms about killing for food as long as its quick and painless that's a 1000 times better death than "natural causes" will be. I was just wondering how you stay detached from something you see every day cause id probably grow attached to all my future food and starve to death haha.

[nijaexhile3]

@SurvivalReport Btw how do you kill the rabbit? Dunno if you covered this in another vid...

[DandDskeeto]

@nijaexhile3 I would tend to be the same way. I have heard the way around that is: Of course you have the orginal stock you'll keep them forever. Then pick a , 2 or more from the first cycle and they are "pets" let them live apart from the "herd" or not ( I have heard both ways work well ). Keep them, love them, their entire life. Maybe every 2 or 3 years get another one.

?????????????

I have no idea if it works, but I have heard it does. Makes sense to me, I'd try it.

[th3boy75]

Might i suggest that you add old white bread to the droppings/worm barrels, the worms like the carbs and it makes them produce great castings.

[Hashishin13]

I believe they are called rabbit warrens.

[SurvivalReport]

@Hashishin13 Warrens? What are you referring to?

[redwolfmoonhowl]

@SurvivalReport Some people call large groups of rabbits that live together a 'Warren' rather then a 'Herd', but for the most part warrens are restricted to more free ranged less caged rabbits. Rabbit 'Herd' seems to just sound weird to some folk.

[NCfoodie]

Saiga is correct, the disease is called protein toxicity. rabbit meat is so lean that when it is your only source of protein (survival stuations), the protein must be buffered by carbohydrate or another form of fat. this is true of squirrels & other small game as well. Larger game has a high enough fat % to avoid this condition. I highly recommend The Paleo Diet by Dr Loren Cordain for the full info. I am starting to raise meat rabbits this year & am really enjoying your videos BTW.

[mslorraine101]

The door is not backwards. You want the door to open that way in the case you forget to lock the door....the rabbit cannot escapte.

[IKLIPTIC]

Love the videos keep them coming. Learning much from you.

[TheUrbanOutdoors]

That could very well be it. Not sure, Can't find any specific info in the books I have. Just a warning for some reason.

[SurvivalReport]

@TheUrbanOutdoors What certain protein are they supposedly missing? If you butcher them right after they are weaned (6-8 weeks) then of course they have very little fat on them then. Keep them till 3 months and you'll see more. We are NOT talking about pig type amounts of fat though.

[TheUrbanOutdoors]

Not sure, I can look it up. I've seen where they talk about a survival situation not to rely on rabbit meat alone. Something about their not a complete protein, and you develop some deficiency. I don't know personaly. I've just seen talk about it in a few books.

[TheUrbanOutdoors]

found something in the SAS Survival Handbook just now. The Hudson Bay Company recorded cases of trappers dying of starvation though eating plenty of rabbit. Says your body has to use its own nutrients to digest it and the more you eat the worse it gets. Says trappers ate themselves to death. Does say that vegies combined would've saved them by replenishing the lost nutients.

[SurvivalReport]

@TheUrbanOutdoors Keep in mind their is a good difference between scrawny wild rabbits that actually do have very little fat and HOME RAISED rabbits that do have some fat on them. Wild rabbits= running around all the time, subsiding off of little. Home caged rabbits= not moving around much, eating a high protein concentrate. If I could ever get the remain parts of the series to load, you would SEE the fat on an adult home raised rabbit carcass...

[ilpadrino1111]

@TheUrbanOutdoors it's called protein poisoning, or rabbit-starvation. As SurvivalReport has already stated, these are not wild rabbits, but keep in mind, if you have to survive from wild lean game, you should eat the internal organs, and especially the brain, since it is composed of primarily fatty tissue.  eating the bones of the animal will also help to stave off this condition. Of course the best way would be to eat a balanced diet.

[shedtic]

@ilpadrino1111 Didn't see your post, you said it much, much better than I did.

[shedtic]

@TheUrbanOutdoors That's not quite what Rabbit starvation is.

Rabbit mean is lean, and does not contain all of the vitamins and minerals that a varied diet provides. But that isn't what meat is for anyway, meat is for protein. And rabbit is an excellent source of protein. Eating nothing (or almost nothing) except rabbit will cause malnutrition and in very extreme cases, death.

As you say though, vegetables would have offset this malnutrition.

[reverendxlt]

@TheUrbanOutdoors

pretty sure it's not protein that's the problem, but the lack of fat nutrients that present a long term problem with sole rabbit consumption.

[woodswoman783]

How much fat does domestic rabbit meat have? I know wild rabbit have none so I was wondering how domestic rabbits are different. Someone mentioned that rabbit fat was good for cooking and I know that fat is an important part of a self sufficient diet. Just looking to see what the fat return on domestic rabbits is. Thanks

[SurvivalReport]

@woodswoman783 If I can ever get this @#$%#$ video file problem figured out I'll show you how much they have on them. That's one of the things in the next couple of parts of this series. Suffice to say their IS fat on a domestic rabbit.

[woodswoman783]

I'm looking forward to seeing more vids on this. I went to raising birds because I wanted a more fat to meat ratio. If I found out that rabbits produced a good amount of fat I might think about raising them. What are they fed and what is the approx. cost of feeding them? Thanks for any info you cn give.

[jdub420rollin]

it does help keep them in but cna make it a pain to pull them out

[ConnerPlainLiving]

Makes sense to have the door swing inward. The critter shuts it trying to get out.

[wizardangel]

I have rabbits for table and garden mulch,,they do become useful in chomping the extra folage-adults must be seperated or they fight-rabbits also Must be able to eat their poop to maintain the enzimes in digestion ,lot of critters do this BTW ..IT'S normal -A woodblock in cage to chew on also,,make sure it is not treated wood !! I found the fat was a great cooking FRYoil replacement ,,might even make a good lamp or soap though have not tried yet ,,will with spring litters .kept 2 breedable pair

[EbolaV1rus]

I love rabbit meat, the fur is really nice as well. A tip I can give you for the waste tray is use a pastry dough scraper. It works fantastic and gets the waste out of the corners quickly as well. Vinegar will help clean it all up quick too. Great video!

God Bless you and your family.

[ROFLpwnedvideos]

Yup. Vinegar neutralizes ammonia. Hurray for chemistry.

I used vinegar to clean out my cat box to get rid of the smell.

[1samirover]

good u are

:)

[Talexa66]

My parents raised rabbits before I was born (a long time ago, I'm 43 now). They had a big old barn full of large white rabbits which they sold for pets and for meat. Thanks for the video :-)

[miked7891]

All my front doors open to the inside. Only the top loading doors open to the outside. I like that they open on the inside because the close themselves and you don't walk into them, ripping your shirt or skin.

[everfish]

Have you tried one of them steam cleaners on your cages?

[kingazzaman]

LOL @ "PETA types and other idiots"

I call em assetts. Their swift idealistic deaths after SHTF will be a big help in reducing competition for food.

Go hippies!

[Tabooga65]

@kingazzaman after shtf, those so called idealist hippies will either quickly die (as you suggest) or become mobs stealing anything to eat.

[DandDskeeto]

@kingazzaman

LOL never thought about that. Hope they aren't all skinny supermodel types. If we have to go cannibal and eat them I hope there is some meat and their bones.

I am a HUGE supporter of P E T A and shame on you if you aren't.

People for the EATING of TASTY animals. = PETA

Do these idiots never think about the MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of mice, rats, and various other critters KILLED as an industrial process so they can eat that stuff ?????

[252trashman]

@kingazzaman well said brother!!!!

[danboone143]

Had the same problem - wasted hours myself.

Convert to .flv format and then try it. I used a free program called Prism.

Hope it helps.

GREAT Videos by the way - I've officially watched all and can say you are spot on with all!

Danboone143

[Boonehillbilly]

Where are you getting your cages?

[RabbitWringer]

the door is on correctly

[Richardofdanbury]

I raise Florida White Rabbits, they're a smaller breed of rabbit and bred for utility. Pound for pound they have the greatest meat to bone ratio of rabbits many times their size.

Being smaller, not dwarf, of 4 - 6 pounds they talk up little room and this can be good for urban and suburban backyard homesteaders.

For my money, they are the most practical for homesteading.

Richard of Danbury

[Richardofdanbury]

Actually, rabbit droppings are one of the few manures that can be used freshly in the garden. It is the rabbit urine that is high in nitrates which burns plants. If you use pans it is best to compost the droppings plus the urine because it is in one container.

I've been raising rabbits for over 14 years. The cages hang over my garden beds. When the season is up I move them to the next bed and plant the current bed to veggies. never had a problem.

[SurvivalReport]

We have always put it right on the garden without any problems.

[frozentootsiepop]

I'm looking into raising rabbits for meat. What breed would you recommend?

[ArboriusOwns]

New Zealands and Californians are the 2 most popular meat rabbits because they have smaller bones and have good meat to feed ratio. I'm getting my first 2 New Zealands this Thursday so it will be awhile before I have any hands on experience but from what I read those are the 2 best for meat production.

[SCUBADUDESMITTY]

P. E. T. A. ---- PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS !!

POOP HAPPENS, rabbit poop is high in nitrates, let it compost before you use it as fertilizer, better yet add it to an existing compost pile to speed things up,

WORMS WORMS WORMS, are excellent to add to a good compost pile, the more the better !

if you use rabbit poop too fast to your veggies it will burn them up,

[enkryptic1]

@SCUBADUDESMITTY -worms yes, but manure can be added to the soil as fertilizer immediately. No composting required and it will not burn your veggies nor your plants. Truthfully if you are collecting in a bin or tray and you clean up daily you will notice a lot more urine than manure, I might suggest if this is the case, keep the combined mess exposed to the sun for the day as to evaporate the urea in the urine, that is what burns the veggies especially if exposed to water=ammonia

[Richardofdanbury]

Hey Bob,

The door opens correctly to the inside and clips to the top of the cage to hold open. The lock on the other hand needs to be clip to the outside of the cage on the black plastic scratch guard.

[SurvivalReport]

It was a different style than we have purchased in the past, maybe I didn't put the door on backwards? When in doubt read the directions! Thanks for watching!

[danboone143]

LOL -

In the runup to Y2K, we had more than 100 rabbits in a simple building we had made. The cages were hung from the 4x4 beams and suspended over manure/urine pits. It was the most awesome fertilizer and it became loaded with beneficial earthworms shortly afterward.

Thanks for all these awesome vids, they are top notch.

[godsend420]

animals shit in the real world ? lol funny stuff but sucks it took a day to upload cant wait for the cooking vid yummy 5*

[SurvivalReport]

LOL. Folks that don't keep animals might have said "Hey their is crap there, that guy must not take care of his animals." I think some people envision animals wearing diapers around or something!!!!

[godsend420]

yea thats true to any of thoes peeps say its a liter box then ask if they have cat and laugh at them. my uncle has a poodle and it wears a diaper

[steelhorses2004]

Excellent video as always. I think if rabbits laid eggs they'd be the perect homestead livestock. Do you think it'd be possible to keep rabbits indoors? Say in a basement?

[SurvivalReport]

Thanks. Evidently some folks keep them in basements. One thing to be cautious of is that the ammonia smell from their urine can harm their lungs. I had a friend in PA that had a bunch of rabbits in a barn, they enclosed everything tightly due to the cold. He lost a bunch of them this way. Some air movement is necessary. It doesn't get "that" cold here so we keep ours outside year round and hang blankets for wind breaks as necessary.

[charper3006]

Excellent video as always! Look forward to part 2. Hopefully I will be able to raise some rabbits one day.

[lickilysplitz]

where can i find part 2?

[SurvivalReport]

Not up yet. Will be soon. Literally took one full day to get this one up here.

[hunt1803]

Instead of poop pans you can install corrugated roofing tin at an angle under the pens, it catches the berries and urine and they'll run off to the low side. You can just hose the whole thing down once in a while. Ours is right next to the compost bins at the end of the back garden. Easy to shovel into one of the bins, or directly into the garden soil.

[narcolepsy2006]

Don't forget, for those in more northern areas, rabbit pelts also make excellent mittens.

[Michigansnowpony]

Hey -- gotta question: I see you handling the very young kits. Is it a wive's tale that handling the babies will make the mother kill / eat her babies? How common is that phenonmenon -- only young mothers, depends on the doe??? Thanks

[SurvivalReport]

We don't handle them when they are REALLY young. We don't normally handle them and I only go in there early on to remove dead ones. Sometimes you just wait till you see a few flies or smell something cause it's hard to see in a good nest bundle. If they have full fur and their eyes are open, it's been my experience that she won't stop feeding them/discard them at this stage.

[PSNTheMoleMan]

i used to raise chickens, had no prob killing them, the roosters were always violent ass holes so they got eaten quick. yum eggs...gargle gargle....

[SurvivalReport]

Yep, we've culled a few roosters for that problem. You have to be careful with violent roosters and young kids.

[Michigansnowpony]

Thanks for doing this series. I just picked up two does and am on the look out for a buck to raise some meat rabbits.

Husband says he can butcher 'em and I'm determined not to get attached. : )

I think rabbits are an excellent homestead animal -- prolific and produces the only manure that even fresh won't burn plants.  So. . . looking forward to this series.

[dalbarnes]

when i was little i ate rabbit a couple of times and i think it tasted alright..lol if i had nothing to eat then i would eat them as an adult but it would be hard to kill something so cute..lol do you ever keep any as pets??

[SurvivalReport]

We have kept some "favorites" around till they were a little past prime but that's about it. You don't eat them till they are much older. Some butcher at 8 weeks but honestly their isn't much on them then. We separate them about that time period and feed them till about 3 months. BIG difference in the amount of meat.

[ROFLpwnedvideos]

I don't know what kind of access you have...but you can also put the wire cages on top of concrete mixing tubs. They are much easier to clean (being made of heavy plastic) and cheap.

($5 a piece)

[SurvivalReport]

Good idea. Although I expect it would be heavy to move when they are half or more full, especially for children and women folk?

[ROFLpwnedvideos]

You can empty it daily if need be.

[ROFLpwnedvideos]

I have one of those cages, and the doors do the same thing. It came like that.

You didn't do anything wrong.

[SurvivalReport]

Thanks but that one I did put together wrong. I blamed it on the wife on video though ;) She's got a good spirit.

[jokertim777]

Outstanding! I have been contemplating getting into this myself. Thank you for posting.

[SafeArmsReview]

" ...had some vacancies..." "...they're born naked..."

lol - I know you didnt mean it as funny, but it struck me as such. Aside from that rabbit is really good - can be more tender & tasty than chicken.

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your other vids.

:)

[SurvivalReport]

Thanks for watching. :)

[JosiahsBackpack]

Awesome video. Thank you so much.

[Milkman12114]

Good stuff my man..

[MtnManSam]

I was hoping you guys would do videos on your rabbits. I look forward to the next part. Keep up the good work. 5/5

[desire4liberation]

LOL

OMG.... there's poop on the poo tray!!!!

good heavens

your doing a great job over there!!!

[bryandenehy76]

where can you buy the cages and equipment?

[SurvivalReport]

You can usually find them locally- check feed stores, Tractor Supply Warehouse, Farm and Fleet. You can make your own also but in general they won't last as long. Their urine tends to rot wood quickly and you want to avoid PT wood for the chance the rabbits will gnaw on the wood. We will show some home built cages in later videos, but IMO it's better to stick with wire cages at least for the breeders.

[wolfbrother2501]

i've had rabbits and thats a clean tray lol.

[hossbach3]

Thanks for sticking to it...we really appreciate the effort.

[187plumber]

gr8t info glad to see you posting again

[SurvivalReport]

Thank you. Spring and early summer are a busy time for us both with businesses and on the homestead. Taking almost one FULL DAY to upload this video and six or so attempts only complicates the matter. I have probably six or seven more videos done on various subjects. It's just finding the time to edit and process them and then tieing up the internet for 2-3 hours (at best) to upload them is an issue. Thanks for watching.

[IKLIPTIC]

Best time to upload is when you're going to bed, Sunday Monday and Tuesday as those days are fairly busy for most of us and your energy is typically higher and later in the week we all tend to get lazy. I'm very interested and love your info on the bees as well. I do have a few questions regarding the uses of bunnies on a homestead. What are all the purposes of rabbits on a homestead?

[SurvivalReport]

Eating the meat, using the poop in the garden, work the hides, bait traps and fishing lines with the guts, place laser beams on their heads and use them for defense, in general their bones are pretty small so I doubt you could get much 'tool' use out of them in a primitive context save really small implements.

[40sigsauer]

how does putting laser beams on their heads help with defense?

[SurvivalReport]

It's a joke sorry. Take off of Austin Powers with the "sharks with laser beams on their heads" deal.