ABOUT
Rise and Shine Rabbitry is small rabbitry in Mechanic Falls, Maine. We promote raising rabbits for homestead use. Our rabbits get premium care since we only raise a small number. They are kept in individual raised cages inside a hoop-house, in the barn and some hutches outside. They are shaded through the summer heat with shade cloth and kept warm and dry all winter while enjoying the company of a flock of silkies for bug control. Twice a day they have pasture plants and grasses and other homegrown produce scythed for them and served up fresh (in season), so even though we choose not to keep them on the grass directly they are still reaping the benefits of a nutritious and natural diet. Through the winter months we feed them hay and their diet is also supplemented year-round with a pelleted feed and root crops also an herbal hay mix we dry that we store for the winter rabbit “blahs”. We’re also growing sprouts and experimenting with other homegrown foods to grow in our short season! Stay tuned for interesting stuff this year!
In this blog I will discuss how rabbits are the best of all livestock to raise for self-sufficiency as well as discussing feeding, management, different practices of rabbit raising and even butchering and cooking rabbit. Rabbit breeders sooner or later have problems in their quest of raising rabbits and it is my goal that some of the enclosed tips, hints, ideas and information here and on our Facebook page help all who want to get started raising rabbits. I have collected all my knowledge from years of raising rabbits and I want to share it with you! If you are interested in a topic let me know I will write-up a post, do a podcast, or write an article in a newspaper. Just drop me an email. Raising Meat Rabbits To Save The World!!
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I really enjoyed your interview on The Self Sufficient Gardener. You mentioned using grass clippings and drying them. Why do you dry them before feeding? Is it for storage? I feed my rabbits lots of weeds along with pellets for convenience, having introduced the weeds early to babies have had no problems. Just wondering why you dry the grass before feeding.
Looks like a great site. I’ll have to take time to run through some articles. Time is a premiem, and audio usually works best for me because I do a mindless job 10 hours a day and can listen to all the podcasts I want during that time.
Keep up the good work.
Candy
Thanks, glad you liked it! I also did one with The Human Path- podcast 100.
I dry the grass clippings because they ferment quickly and get hot, That’s not good for rabbits! You can feed when the grass cools down and airs out(also getting out the clumps).I also feed weeds and other grown stuff, I also do the same with the kits gets their gut flora going for a new feed source. gradually introducing feed stuff is the way to go
Heard about you on TSP http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/
Great information, thanks.
Glad you liked it more to come!
I also heard you on TSP. I grew up in Casco and still maintain my father’s home in Mechanic Falls. It was great to hear a fellow Mainer on Jack’s show. I’m scheduled to be on sometime in June.
Sir I know you like satins. Do you have any experience with Florida whites? I read they also are a good meat rabbit and have a better meat to food ratio? I think that is what I read.
Anyway sir I look forward to reading all your posts.
I have breed and raised florida whites in the past. The food converstion is good .I just perfer a larger rabbit. I crossed some with nzw and they were great rabbits
I heard you on the TSP podcast…Great info! I’ve been thinking of raising rabbits for some time now and after your interview with Jack I went and picked up a New Zealand White buck and a doe. They are about 8 weeks old. I’m going to pick up a couple of more doe’s in about a week when he gets them weined. Now to start building a hutch!
Thanks for all the great info!!
Awsome, Glad i got you to get into rabbits! If any questions you can email or get me thru facebook!
I am starting to build cages. how many would you suggest, I plan on having a buck and two does. Raising the offsring to fryers.
With 2 doe and one buck, I would recommend 5 cages, 3 for the breeders(2 does and 1 buck) and 2 for grow out cages or to keep replacement breeders in, hope this helps!
I heard you on TSP. We have a California Buck and a Giant Flemish female. They just had their first litter of 4, 10 weeks ago. I’m amazed at how big they are. The female isn’t quite a year old yet. My question is, for continuing. . I want to get another female, probably another california. How many years can you breed a doe/buck? And then do you need to buy new ones to replace them, or can you rebreed their offspring with each other? I have no knowledge of how that would affect future offspring.
Thanks.
I also cross some Flemish in my herd and cross with CALS/NZW/Satins ect have had good results. Most of my does are productive for 3 years. If you line breed you can keep your best rabbits and breed back to the doe or buck(dam or sire) only pick the best to save eat the rest!
What do you mean by line breed?
Line breeding rabbits is a breeding program that produces rabbits from a common ancestor.
Hello, first heard you on the survival podcast. I recently joined the rabbit bandwagon as a way to raise some of my own meat. I have one doe that has “gunk” in the ear. No other rabbits are affected and she is otherwise in perfect health. Does anyone know of a good way to rid the ear of the “gunk”. Thx.
Tom, Sounds like ear mites any oil will work mineral, olive, ect. Add a few drops in each ear rubbing the base. Repeating every day for four days, Then every four days until cleared up. Then every 4 weeks as a preventive. I would treat every rabbit just for a precaution! I do all my rabbits once a month and have never had it in my rabbitry. I have a mix i make up of mineral oil with a drop of ACV, a few drops of rosemary oil,and camphor oil let me know how you make out!
Thanks, I’ll give it a try, I’ll have to pick up some rosemary oil
Hi Rick,
I too heard you on the survival podcast today. ( I’m slowly catching up) I keep rabbits at home for the same reasons you do only on a 1buck 2 doe set up. The thing is I am in the UK, England to be precise and I heard you say you needed seeds but have to place a $70 order.
I would be more than happy to help you out by getting some seeds and sending them over to you. From memory I think you said kale was what you were after. Anyway, email me if I can be of help.
Do you have pictures of your rabbit housing, here at your site?
Have some on Facebook and setting up on youtube will do a tour of the rabbitry!
Can you ship comfrey to Georgia? Please send response to my email address below.
I’m in the South, where we just went through another extremely warm summer, with over 25 days of 100+ temperatures. Since it would be almost impossible to keep a buck from becoming sterile in that type of heat, would it be a good idea to time a breeding to one of the does so that you could raise a buck that would reach breeding age around the first of September and use him to breed to back to the does? Is this even worth pursuing? Just wanted your thoughts.
Thanks!
Sterility in buck usally only last up to 3 months, Your idea has been used in many hot areas even in other countries check out my post on raising rabbits in the heat there are a few thing you can do to keep your buck for getting sterile http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/04/22/tips-for-raising-rabbits-in-the-heat/
Thank you for taking the time, effort, you’ve put into your blog. My rabbits are also on a mixed diet of first cutting, pellets, and greens from my garden. I’am looking forward to reading more. Happy Holidays.
Glad you like the blog! Check us out on facebook for daily information. If you have any ideas for new posts please let me know. I always like to hear what people want to know about and how they raise their rabbits.
I am looking for somewhere or someone who will tan rabbit hides for me for a fee. I have 20 or so hides I need tanned . any ideas . i live in oregon.
Try a local taxidermy shop.
Wow, looks like lots of helpful info. I wanted to listen to the podcasts but I was unable to retrieve the one about raising rabbits in the heat. We get hot weather where I live so I was interested in that one for sure. Is there a way to get an archive copy of that one? Thanks much. Ken
You can also get it in itunes for free
I “found” the podcasts on iTunes, but they don’t play or download. I am new to iTunes but it seems that maybe the server they were on is no longer. Does anyone else know where else I might get a copy? Thanks ken
The podcast was based on my post on rabbits in the heat check the search box on the webpage
My wife and I would like to start raising rabbits this year. We live in Maine. Are you open to visitors? Heard you on TSP.
I have a small backyard rabbitry that is my hobby. I do not have regular hours at the rabbitry. I work crazy hours at my job, so I do everything by appointment. Just give me a call a we can set something up. Tough in the winter months, gotta walk through the snow and ice!
Can anyone help me please. I am wanting to give my rabbits echinacea using capsules (instructions on the Medicinal Herbs for Rabbits section). How often should I add the herb water to their own drinking water? I don’t want to overdose, but I want it to be effective. One of my rabbits is struggling to fight off a skin infection, along with a respiratory problem. He has been on a 3 week course of antibiotics, but I want to try and help him naturally, if I can. I look forward to your reply
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I Would make a tea ands add it to the drinking water. I feed the leaves fresh in the growing season and dry the leaves to add to their winter hay mix. I feed a few leaves a couple times a week as a health tonic but in treatment I would increase remember to see how it affects your rabbit start slow first if any digestive problems stop right away. I am not a vet but I think rabbits would self medicate if in the wild so I think you are on the right patch good luck and let me know how it works out!
Hi there. I replied the other day, but added it as a new comment by accident. Would you be able to answer my additional questions. Thank you
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My rabbit has recovered from the skin infection but can’t seem to shake off the rhinitis. I had to take him to the vets yesterday and start him on another course of antibiotics. I thought that giving him echinacea tea in his drinking water and also coltsfoot tea (at different times of course), would help him get rid of the rhinitis. I am also feeding him on timothy hay, ready grass, fresh and dried dandelions, spring greens, fresh lavender, rosemary and lemon balm, together with a good quality dried food. Is there anything else I can do to help him fight off this infection?
Thank you. I will give it a try. I have just added some pro-biotic to the drinking water to help after the antibiotics but will also add the echinacea when I can get hold of some capsules. I plan to buy at least one echinacea plant when they come into season, so I have a fresh supply to keep their immune system topped up. And you are right. I am sure they would self medicate in the wild. On another subject, can rabbits eat dogwood?
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I would also like to ask whether I can use echinacea and apple cider vinegar at the same time and is it necessary to use both or is one better than the other. Apologies for all the questions, but I want to get this right. Thanks
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I try to use only one treatment at a time or do on diffent days of the week.
Dogwood is not recommended for rabbits, however, wild rabbits have been known to eat dogwood bark and twigs. I recommend the “better safe than sorry” route and avoid giving foods to their rabbits that we aren’t sure are safe. At least this way you know the rabbit won’t poisoned. If you decide to try dogwood out on your rabbits, follow the same procedure you would with any new food, start off with very small amounts, then observe for a few days, then very slightly increase the amount, observe again, but i myself would try it on only one rabbit and see how it works.
I really enjoyed reading your natural remedies. I am in a small town in Texas and can not get these plants fresh. Can I give my rabbits the capsules or teas of these plants instead or is fresh better?
Fresh is always better, but I dry stuff during the growing season so I have it in the winter. You can make teas and add to the drinking water
Can you tell me what you do with the “waste” parts when you process the rabbits for meat? We raise rabbits for meat but I would really like some ideas as to what to do with the “rest” of the rabbit as I hate to see it all wasted. Any ideas what to do with the hides (I know they can be tanned, but I don’t tan), feet, tails, ears, innards, heads? What does everyone else do with all that? Thanks!
Did a post with lots of information on the site http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/02/11/nose-to-tail-uses-for-every-part-of-the-domestic-rabbit/
I have two does, one a NZ/Cal cross whom I got from a reputable breeder. She supposedly had already had one successful kit. The other is a NZW who had had no kits yet. My buck is a California. The NZW’s first litter in the fall was a dozen babies and they died in the first few days, (I did not know she couldn’t take care of them all). She is now due to have another kit any day now. The cross just had her second kit yesterday. She did not pull any fur and when I went out in the afternoon to check her she was having her kit in the pen, not the nest box I had provided for her. I put straw in the box, put the 8 babies in the box and tried to pull some fur off her to put in box, but was not very successful. I then left them alone. When I got up this morning, I saw her in the box, but when I went to feed her awhile later, they were all dead. Was it just because they got too cold because she hadn’t pulled fur? And why would she not have pulled any fur? How long should I wait to re-breed her?
Thanks for all your help.
My daughter and i are just starting out with our rabbits. We have one sable lionhead doe which is going to kindel soon. One 4 yr. Holland mini lop, which is the sire. Also one 3 month broken orange lionlop buck. We need all of the of the advice we can get. On feeding fresh plants, we live in Deep East Texas , Lufkin, Tx. and have plenty of room to plant a rabbit garden. But don’t know what kind would be the most benifical.
I currently writing a post grow a rabbit garden but alos have a few others that will help untill I get that post up. http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/09/09/naturally-feeding-rabbits/ http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/02/26/safe-food-list-for-rabbits/ Hope this helps.
Hi! enjoy your news letters very much. I raised rabbits a few years ago and am now getting back into rais8ing them. This time I wanted to raise them so I can use the poop for worms and put the mulch on the garden etc. i have been out of the loop for a while as my computer has been down. I thought I saw where you sell redworms but I cannot find the info i am looking for. Do you sell redworms and would you ship to Oregon? Also am wondering how you have your hay feeders set up so the rabbits don’t drop it all on the ground. Mine go through about a fifty pound bale of hay a week and about 90% is on the ground under the cages. Good for the worms but rather spendy. Any info you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks BBJ
I saw a hutch design that showed a long hutch separated into 2 compartments, and there was a space in between to put the hay. I’ve built some runs that are 4 ft wide x 3 ft high by 5 or more ft long, the walls are 1″ x 2″ mesh. I put them end to end and left about 4″ between them, and stuff the hay into that space. Seemed a better solution than using a hay rick, those didn’t seem to hold very much. The rabbits seem to like it.
Is there any issue with redworms being invasive? I read somewhere that in Minnesota the old earthworms were being out-competed by a new imported kind that broke down the leaf litter a lot faster, and it was changing the ecology of the forests.
Hi! Thank you for the information on the cages sounds like a good plan I have to make some cages and I will give that a try.
Do you sell redworms? If so I would like more information.
Thanks………………….Betty
I do sell redworms But they are under 2 feet of snow at this time will post when I have them available Thanks Rick > Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:50:46 +0000 > To: riseandshinerabbitry@hotmail.com >
My rabbits are on the ground in large family groups. There is a 4 foot hardware cloth pen lined on the bottom with hardware cloth and in the spots where it rusted (since 1989) and they dug through, cement patches. The buck is in with everyone and there is no baby killing. They have about 10 feet by 50 feet. We got our latest from a Mennonite family who had them in individual cages in a dark shed. They told us they hadn’t produced litters in 3 years. I thought “vitamin D deficiency”. We got them home, put them on the ground in their new outside pen and there were new babies very quickly. They have shade areas which they may freely move to and sunny areas which they may freely move to. They also have cement houses to replicate the inderground den, and when a mother has a litter, she shoves dirt against the doorway to block others from bothering her kits. She goes in twice a day, from what we have observed, to nurse.
The outer border has a solar electric wire to keep my dogs from messing with the fence, and an upper one to keep the cats out. We have been raven free until 2 years ago, and then relented by putting bird netting over an overhead frame. We have had one badger break in, before we put the lower wire on. The cement houses proteced the rabbits as the doors were too small for him to get in.
We also have goats, and we are more and more concerned with GMO alfalfa damaging our animals. My local haymen don’t seem to know for sure of their seed is GMO or not. I am working on growing my own no GMO pasture.
That sounds like a nice setup. Interesting that they don’t cut through the hardware cloth. But my sense is that, given enough space, they’re less restless. My buck that’s in 4 sq feet is very restless, but given 25 sq ft and a view of other rabbits, my other buck seems more peaceful.
Do they have too many litters when they’re all together? Interbreed too frequently? Do you have any trouble catching them when you need to?
I’d like to see a picture of the cement houses. I put some sections of clay chimney flue in with mine and they enjoy that and can hide in them.
Any problems with ticks?
I have never had an issue with ticks here, Not on the dogs or anybody. And the fleas only like the squirrels. It is pretty dry here and when i first moved here, the fleas disappeared off my dogs. Maybe squirrel fleas are more adapted to dry.
The hardware cloth is similar to that used for hutches. It’s pretty hard to break through. I have only had badgers and my own dogs break through it. Tyhen I put up the electric wire and that was the end of that.
I have a separate pen that I put young bucks and those are meat. So in a sense I keep the population regulated that way. I know they do interbreed, but you know in 16 years, they haven’t shown any weakness. If you check out http://www.westonaprice.org and Prices Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, you will see most health problems are not genetic, but nutritional. Now those books are about humans mainly, but the principle still applies. Also Pottenger’s cats is a great study.
We feed kelp meal as free choice in 50 lb gravity feeders. They are actually dog feeders but I block the swinging door so they don’t go inside and get locked in. We feed alfalfa hay communally, and in summer local weeds and radishes and greens from the garden. In the past I have fed COB with molasses free choice but now we are very concerned with GMO. Look up GMO rats, GMO soy rats and GMO corn rats- huge tumors, in the GMO corn rats studies. And high mortality in GMO soy rats. 50% infant death. And the survivors were a third of the size of controls, and their had poor coats and weak constitutions. And they were infertile by the 3rd generation. These foods are widespread in the human food supply (they sneak them in, you really have to read labels and learn their sneaky way of labeling so we still don’t know ). Anyway, None dare call it a conspiracy, but it seems awful obvious that if they know these things and the FDA and USDA still allows these things in the food supply , they do it all knowingly and willingly. And look at all the illness here.
Anyway, I used to also feed free choice rice bran (excellent protein, vitamin E and fatty acid profiles) but 2 years ago or so, the rice became contaminated with arsenic- so we have stopped feedin g it to all livestock and ourselves. Even Lundburg organic rice admits to 90 ppm. So I have settled on growing my own lentils and an old grain I have recently learned of that my co-op carries- camelina seed. I figure the greens from these should also be good. Lentils are known for their high protein, and the greens are a clover like plant as it is a legume. I haven’t yet gotten my camelina seed.
I went through a series of waterers for the communal feeding, and various ones for horses and floats, they managed to keep just filthy, or break- so I settled on a lixit on the hose. I just have to insulate it and put heat tape on it in the winter.
Catching them, a fishing net with a long handle. Looking into the rubber one for reduction in biting out of it.
Thank you, all very helpful. I’m pretty upset about the GMO issues too.
Just read a nice piece on catching them at the rabbitgeek’s site, their article on colonies: “Catching rabbits on the fly may not be for everyone. I like it a lot!…and the rabbits are playful about it if they are never pushed hard as in a chase or a grab. Follow the rabbit’s eye as it runs, if it runs. Move your feet as little as possible and always avoid forward steps if you do move them while the rabbit runs. Shuffle, if you need to make a forward motion. Keep the side of your shoulder even with the rabbit of your focus, instead of showing it a frontal body stance. In some situations, and with certain rabbits that know how to be evasive and have gained experience with freedom and survival from threat, the tactic of staring with one eye open (the near one, of course!), as silly as this sounds to us, can be less threatening to them…making catching easier. To understand why this could make a difference, remember the facial structure of rabbits and other herbivores when compared to us and other ‘hunters’. When stared at steadily, the rabbit will stop and/or turn… it won’t run forever in a circle around you if you stare at it steadily. Have your dominant catching hand still, but ready for a deliberate motion . Reach and step forward, GENTLY place your hand over the rabbit’s eyes (giving it the place to hide it needs) and hook that hand under its chest, at the same time scooping the crook of its diagonal hind leg with your other hand. Lift it up, firmly hugging it with your arms, carefully restricting the shoulder and hips from too much jumpiness. Tuck the head under your arm if the rabbit panicked or won’t calmly settle. I catch rabbits in order to check their identifying tattoo, to learn and record distinctions between them, to pose them, to weigh them periodically, and to check them all over for whatever purpose. After handling them, I always place them down hind end first — with them facing my feet — so they are not running away from me as they leave. I think the final point is quite influential to their perception of the handler. With the sideways body stance and maintained eye contact, catching a rabbit often is as simple as reaching out, placing hand-over-eyes, a scoop up, and a firm hold. 10 minutes/10 rabbits.”
Guess I’ll go practice on my young ‘uns!
Sounds like too much work to me.
One advantage of having the cement houses inside the pen is that the rabbits go in to keep cool in summer, and also when you need to cull, they will go int there to hide, so it is more often a matter of taking them out of the house. They are fairly large houses. About 2 feet by 2 feet.