@sleepyhines There is a breed called Florida Whites. You might check them out. My Californians seem to handle the heat really well. Im sorry I couldnt be more help.
Thanks for this video. This helped me figure out what I was going to do to protect my own Silver Fox rabbits this coming winter in Massachusetts. Out of curiosity, why stop breeding in the winter. Don't most folks take a breeding time out during the hot summer months?
Omg I'm so sad when you said you have them for meet I just about cryed.I understand That you have to do what you have to do.but I would just fall in love with all of them and to eat them would kill my there is other meet put there to eat.I'm not trying to tell you what to do but it realy mad my sad to see that.I live and let live.but ooo there so sweet as animals.I would save them all!:'(
I would suggest making bigger places for the rabbits . Cause I feel they do need excercise. They will not be happy being forced in so tight! Can you eat these rabbits? Not sure why people have them? I wished we could have chickens in Clearfield. But unfortunley no!
If your interested in saving a bit on feed you may want to consider adding some alfalfa hay..If your buying your Hay from a pet or Feed store your getting ripped off..Check out Craigslist for horse hay providers..Maybe 300 a ton for good quality eastern Oregon timothy delivered. Often get a steal on oat hay to..the more you mix up the hays the less pellets are needed. Also molasses mixed a little with hay makes it tatsy sweet..
@Crushedknee Thanks for the tips. I dont have any room for a ton of hay but I did find some places where I could get timothy hay pretty cheap if I go and pick it up out of the field. I will look into the molasses also.
Yep molasses is used a lot in all sorts of feed pellets..Acts as a binder and the sweetness make animals eat more.. I would not feed much to your Breed stock as it can cause liver issues from all the Carbohydrates..But for meat ones their life is to short for this to be an issue. Lots of info about it online.
If 29 Fahrenheit is "really cold" I'd better plan on even more cold protection for my rabbitry :) Where I live in MN we've had 1 day above freezing since the second week in November. The resistance wire sounds like a good idea. I wonder how cold it will work. I'll be getting silver fox rabbits, which have 1.5-2" fur so hopefully they'll be pretty cold hearty.
@Gomanson Rabbits can handle really cold weather. Just keep all water and wind off them they should do just fine. Baby bunnies need more care though so if plan on breeding in the winter get some kind of heater for them. My biggest trouble is the water bottles.
So do you leave the babies with the doe until they are old enough to butcher? I am going to build cages in a couple of weeks and was under the impression the babies had to be moved out into a separate cage. Any help would be appreciated. Blessings, Preacher
@PreacherPrepper The bunnies should be fully weaned by eight weeks and can be moved into the grow out pens then. I have left this litter with her for now because of all the cold weather. Everyone seems to be getting along and I have been giving them exercise in the pen so I think it is fine to leave them a little longer.
@KainanRa Should each rabbit have his own grow out pen or can they be combined and if so, how many to a pen. I am going to start with one buck and 2 or 3 does. I am unclear how many grow out pens I will need. Blessing, Preacher
@kcbigjoe I put them into the same pen for a week or two then split them up so I have about 2 rabbits per pen. Some people butcher them at 8 weeks so they dont need a grow out pen but I wait until around 12 weeks to butcher. If you are going to keep them longer than 12 weeks I would make sure you separate the males and females and have larger cages for grow out pens. They start getting a little frisky with each other around 12 weeks.
I keep 2 bottles and nozzles for each of my cages. When the water freezes leave the nozzle on the bottle until it thaws or you could crack them. I just switch bottles and by the time they need switched again the 1st bottle is thawed.
I wrap heated cable around my water bottles to keep them from freezing. Its not to expensive and I only run them while the temperature is dropping down below 20 degrees. You can buy the stuff at Lowes or Home depot in the plumbing department. I haven't noticed any effect on the power bill and it will save quite a bit of time.
@pinetar100 I really like them. They seem to be really warm weather tolerant and even though they are a little smaller they are really meaty. The only thing I dont like is they are more fatty than my New Zealands.
Nice video. Our breeding doe is nothing but skin and bones after her last litter. I'm not going to breed her till March, maybe even wait till April. I may even keep one of her doe offspring in case she doesn't make it.
I switched how I dress out my rabbits after watching one of your videos and the time it took dropped by nearly two thirds, it's excellent! Thanks for posting and all the best for 2011.
I live in Fl. what do you think are best for warm climates. Whcih are best cost effective for farm raising?
sleepyhines 5 months ago
@sleepyhines There is a breed called Florida Whites. You might check them out. My Californians seem to handle the heat really well. Im sorry I couldnt be more help.
KainanRa 4 months ago
Thanks for this video. This helped me figure out what I was going to do to protect my own Silver Fox rabbits this coming winter in Massachusetts. Out of curiosity, why stop breeding in the winter. Don't most folks take a breeding time out during the hot summer months?
wasakat1 6 months ago
@wasakat1 We have pretty mild summers here and even winter is mild. I just give the rabbit a break and dont want to have to run heaters or anything.
KainanRa 6 months ago
Omg I'm so sad when you said you have them for meet I just about cryed.I understand That you have to do what you have to do.but I would just fall in love with all of them and to eat them would kill my there is other meet put there to eat.I'm not trying to tell you what to do but it realy mad my sad to see that.I live and let live.but ooo there so sweet as animals.I would save them all!:'(
Yogilatino 7 months ago
I would suggest making bigger places for the rabbits . Cause I feel they do need excercise. They will not be happy being forced in so tight! Can you eat these rabbits? Not sure why people have them? I wished we could have chickens in Clearfield. But unfortunley no!
AngelikavonDeutschla 8 months ago
If your interested in saving a bit on feed you may want to consider adding some alfalfa hay..If your buying your Hay from a pet or Feed store your getting ripped off..Check out Craigslist for horse hay providers..Maybe 300 a ton for good quality eastern Oregon timothy delivered. Often get a steal on oat hay to..the more you mix up the hays the less pellets are needed. Also molasses mixed a little with hay makes it tatsy sweet..
Crushedknee 1 year ago
Molasses is a cheap way to add dense calories and you can pick it up for $10 for 5 gallon bucket at Wilco..Free food grade planter bucket as well.
Crushedknee 1 year ago
@Crushedknee Thanks for the tips. I dont have any room for a ton of hay but I did find some places where I could get timothy hay pretty cheap if I go and pick it up out of the field. I will look into the molasses also.
KainanRa 1 year ago
Yep molasses is used a lot in all sorts of feed pellets..Acts as a binder and the sweetness make animals eat more.. I would not feed much to your Breed stock as it can cause liver issues from all the Carbohydrates..But for meat ones their life is to short for this to be an issue. Lots of info about it online.
Crushedknee 1 year ago
@Crushedknee I buy timothy hay local. Its pretty cheap.
KainanRa 6 months ago
If 29 Fahrenheit is "really cold" I'd better plan on even more cold protection for my rabbitry :) Where I live in MN we've had 1 day above freezing since the second week in November. The resistance wire sounds like a good idea. I wonder how cold it will work. I'll be getting silver fox rabbits, which have 1.5-2" fur so hopefully they'll be pretty cold hearty.
Gomanson 1 year ago
@Gomanson Rabbits can handle really cold weather. Just keep all water and wind off them they should do just fine. Baby bunnies need more care though so if plan on breeding in the winter get some kind of heater for them. My biggest trouble is the water bottles.
KainanRa 1 year ago
So do you leave the babies with the doe until they are old enough to butcher? I am going to build cages in a couple of weeks and was under the impression the babies had to be moved out into a separate cage. Any help would be appreciated. Blessings, Preacher
PreacherPrepper 1 year ago
@PreacherPrepper The bunnies should be fully weaned by eight weeks and can be moved into the grow out pens then. I have left this litter with her for now because of all the cold weather. Everyone seems to be getting along and I have been giving them exercise in the pen so I think it is fine to leave them a little longer.
KainanRa 1 year ago
@KainanRa Should each rabbit have his own grow out pen or can they be combined and if so, how many to a pen. I am going to start with one buck and 2 or 3 does. I am unclear how many grow out pens I will need. Blessing, Preacher
kcbigjoe 1 year ago
@kcbigjoe I put them into the same pen for a week or two then split them up so I have about 2 rabbits per pen. Some people butcher them at 8 weeks so they dont need a grow out pen but I wait until around 12 weeks to butcher. If you are going to keep them longer than 12 weeks I would make sure you separate the males and females and have larger cages for grow out pens. They start getting a little frisky with each other around 12 weeks.
KainanRa 1 year ago
I keep 2 bottles and nozzles for each of my cages. When the water freezes leave the nozzle on the bottle until it thaws or you could crack them. I just switch bottles and by the time they need switched again the 1st bottle is thawed.
ArboriusOwns 1 year ago
I wrap heated cable around my water bottles to keep them from freezing. Its not to expensive and I only run them while the temperature is dropping down below 20 degrees. You can buy the stuff at Lowes or Home depot in the plumbing department. I haven't noticed any effect on the power bill and it will save quite a bit of time.
ShaneGorter 1 year ago
@ShaneGorter Hmm I will look into that. Thanks for the tip.
KainanRa 1 year ago
That blue tarp makes the difference
thehilitereel 1 year ago
@thehilitereel Just keeps the wind and rain out but it does make a little difference.
KainanRa 1 year ago
@KainanRa Stand outside when the wind is blowing and when it's not, it's a huge difference lol
thehilitereel 1 year ago
nice setup.......how do you like the californian breed
pinetar100 1 year ago
@pinetar100 I really like them. They seem to be really warm weather tolerant and even though they are a little smaller they are really meaty. The only thing I dont like is they are more fatty than my New Zealands.
KainanRa 1 year ago
Nice video. Our breeding doe is nothing but skin and bones after her last litter. I'm not going to breed her till March, maybe even wait till April. I may even keep one of her doe offspring in case she doesn't make it.
I switched how I dress out my rabbits after watching one of your videos and the time it took dropped by nearly two thirds, it's excellent! Thanks for posting and all the best for 2011.
Cannibalriot 1 year ago