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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 13:17:27 GMT -5
Post by katt on May 27, 2011 13:17:27 GMT -5
So with the new huge backyard, I want to see if I can convince the landlord to let me put a rabbit hutch out in the back... Rabbits live are pretty cheap on CL, but it is hard to find feeders. As in almsot impossible. I couldn't buy someone's pet and then feed it to the boys, I would feel terrible. BUT, I could buy a rabbit and breed it, and feed the babies to the boys! This would be a huge money saver and a step towards being more self sufficient. I REALLY want to do it. The problem is I don't know how I would kill the rabbits. Does CO2 work on them? Is cervical dislocation the better method? (I worry that I would mess it up, and do not feel comfortable learning on my own without a mentor so to speak). Is there a better way to go about it? I want humane, and semi-inexpensive. Also, anyone with knowledge about breeding and caring for rabbits please chime in. I know a lot of people keep theirs in outdoor hutches around here, and we have quite the population of wild and feral rabbits so I assume they are able to withstand the winters. But I would still like to know precautions I can take to keep them warm. I might even just breed in the spring and summer and then rehome the breeders and freeze the rest (after killing them of course) over the winter. Input appreciated.
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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 13:23:37 GMT -5
Post by fearless on May 27, 2011 13:23:37 GMT -5
Good luck! I'd love to breed rabbit for my kids, would be a nice cost effective way to get whole prey in their diet, I just need a place I can keep them outside, AND keep the wild animals away IE bears, foxes, coyotes, etc.
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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 13:34:18 GMT -5
Post by katt on May 27, 2011 13:34:18 GMT -5
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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 13:36:06 GMT -5
Post by fearless on May 27, 2011 13:36:06 GMT -5
Cute! I was just looking at hutches on eBay, cause when you search nesting box you get rabbit hutches? lol
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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 13:39:32 GMT -5
Post by Sherry on May 27, 2011 13:39:32 GMT -5
Obviously haven't done it myself, but the people I buy rabbit from use cervical dislocation.
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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 15:56:57 GMT -5
Post by synu on May 27, 2011 15:56:57 GMT -5
Didn't you say the landlord had a snake? You can always bribe him by offering him some feeders for his snake. Unless I was reading something else?
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Rabbits
May 27, 2011 16:35:42 GMT -5
Post by katt on May 27, 2011 16:35:42 GMT -5
Didn't you say the landlord had a snake? You can always bribe him by offering him some feeders for his snake. Unless I was reading something else? Had. It died when one of his friends took it out without him knowing, and then didn't latch the cage when he put it back. Exactly why only a small number of very trusted friends (Shane, Derek, and my roommate) are allowed to handle my animals when I am not present. Even so, the snake that he (ball python) had would not have been big enough for rabbits. Well...maybe young rabbits actually... Liek the size of large rats... I wonder if Shiiva would like them...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 4:52:54 GMT -5
I know at petco they just put their animals into a box and then put the boxes of animals into a deep freezer to kill them. it might not seem too nice, but at least its cost effective, plus the animal isnt really scared or freaking the h*ll out! I think they just kind of pass out from no oxygen and then freeze.
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Post by katt on Aug 9, 2011 5:04:02 GMT -5
That is very inhumane. That just slowly freezes them to death. The most humane way would be cervical dislocation or probably CO2. I am not a huge fan of CO2 as while it is more humane, it is not most humane. The animal suffocates to death. But it is a much quicker death than freezing to death!
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Post by Sherry on Aug 9, 2011 9:11:16 GMT -5
Hey, katt- here's a thread on how to slaughter rabbits: holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=breeding&action=display&thread=3259And no, I'd never let anything freeze to death, either. With freezing, you don't just "go to sleep". Have you ever had frostbite? As the skin starts to freeze, it is excruciatingly painful. Yes, death may come within a few minutes, but those minutes would last a very, very long time.
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Rabbits
Aug 9, 2011 10:43:08 GMT -5
Post by miamiferret2 on Aug 9, 2011 10:43:08 GMT -5
awww. i used to have pet rabbits when i was a kid. they were so sweet. my neighbor ate them!! that jerk!
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Rabbits
Aug 13, 2011 21:29:12 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2011 21:29:12 GMT -5
Yep, the 5 most painful ways to die freezing to death burning to death electrocution microwave and radioactive exposher. Perfect example of what NOT to do. Very good point. Hay Kat, I think I read some wear that rabbet kits must be born underground. Alot of animals at birth are exposed to the elements. Oh and 6, drowning, actually quit painful. Just remember, a animal becoming food is just another sacrifice death for life, best way to show appreciation for the meat is by being humane. Both man and ferret are designed to do it quick and pain free, thus the natural efection we have for the animal.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2014 16:09:17 GMT -5
This post is old but since I've bred rabbits since i was young I thought I'd post it... Diet: There diet should consist of about 75% hay, 10% pellets, and 5% vegetables & fruit. For pregnant, nursing or rabbits under 6 months they'll need Alfalfa hay, other hay like orchard or timothy are popular but if you want fat babies alfalfa is the best. Housing You shouldn't put them on wire floors, just like ferrets it's dangerous. As long as the rabbit can hop three times, turn in a full circle, and stand up without it's ears touching the cage is large enough (BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER) There are pros and cons of breeding underground, pros, the mother has no distraction, she can contain all the babies in her hole and there is no way for it to fall out and lose heat from the others and die. Cons are they could dig out. One year mine were underground and I noticed the babies were coming out with little bugs on them, so I didn't let them burrow anymore. It is hard to capture the babies since they know the hole is safe, and it will take a while to catch them. You always will have no idea how many which can lead into problems. It is always a good idea to have at least two does have litters at the same time just in case one doe has to many for her to handle, and the other had only a few, you can even out the little and take of the stress on the mother that had to many.
Try not to touch the babies, if the mother smells that you have touched the babies she could kill them. Rabbits are strange creatures but you don't want to touch the babies until they start growing hair. If the babies does fall out of the nest place it back in the nest EXACTLY the way you found it. if it was on it's right side put it like that. The mother will know. NEVER change there position. Rabbits take 27-31 days to have babies They will kindle (start to make the nest around the 25-28th) day You will notice she will start to pull her own hair, usually around her stomach and back area and build the nest. Make sure to have a nesting box and plenty of nesting supplies. (hay, shavings, shredded paper, paper based bedding, ect. A week before she's about the have the babies clean the cage spotless, you will not be doing any cleaning around the babies till around 2 weeks. NEVER EVER move a doe to a different cage within a week of her having babies. She will not have enough time to make a nest and get comfortable. Place the nesting box in the cage around the 25th day/
Breeding:
You don't want to have more than one rabbit in a cage at a time. They are completely different than say, gpigs, mice, rats, ect. They will not 'help' each other, they will kill the litter, eating the making room for there own. ALWAYS ALWAYS take the doe to the bucks cage. Remember that!! If you do the opposite the doe will get very territorial and they WILL injury each other. If they have never met each other it may take longer. You'll notice the buck will chase the doe around, and went she's ready she'll let him mount her. It will last anywhere from 30 seconds - 1 minuet when he actually gets on her. Once he's done he will fall backwards or to the side and they'll both go along with there business. Remove the female and put her back to her cage. You may want to (especially if that was the bucks first time) do the same thing the next day. Rabbits are more prone to breed in the early morning or late night. If the temperate isn't just right they won't breed. You may need to keep them inside for a while then breed them if you need more babies.
Ages:
The bigger the rabbit the longer it takes to get the at the right age. I breed my females at around 8-10 months, and my bucks at 7-8 months. The babies I butcher at about 12 weeks (fryer age) when the meat is the best.
The best way to kill them is cervical dislocation. After seeing them go from cute babies to being butchered I cannot do this. My boyfriend does this for me. Shooting wild ones i'm fine with but doing this, I cannot. The best thing to do is get twine (the string that farmers use for hay bales) and tie there feet together, not to tight but enough to hold there weight. A porch or something is needed, you'll need a nail haning out or something, then tie them upside down. For a minuet or so, get a thick stick, a tree branch or a handle to a broken hoe, shovel, or rack works great. Hit them very hard right below the chin. It immediately breaks there neck and kills them instantly. NOTE: if you cannot stand blood have someone else do this. Depending on how hard you hit them blood will fly out from there nose and you will get blood spatter, so make sure you use old clothes, and have nothing important around.
Depending on in you skin them or not will depend on how you butcher them. Next time I do it i'll take pictures on how to gut them. Rabbit skin is super easy to cut threw. I once even witnessed a guy do it with a sharp stick. The best way to clean them out is to have a bucket, something directly under them and gut them still hanging upside down, and all the bad stuff will just fall out.
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Rabbits
Sept 1, 2014 12:52:48 GMT -5
Post by msav on Sept 1, 2014 12:52:48 GMT -5
wow that sounds pretty brutal.
I found this video on youtube. looks like it is pretty humane.
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