Monthly Archives: April 2012
TIPS FOR RAISING RABBITS IN THE HEAT
With summer heat on the way , raising rabbits can be very frustrating. Every year you hear of rabbit deaths due to heat. Many days in the summer there are temperatures approaching 80ºF to 95ºF+. For rabbits outside in a hutch (even in a shady area) this can be a death sentence. A rabbit’s optimal air temperature is between 50ºF and 70ºF. Here are some different ways to help keep rabbits cool and somewhat comfortable. As the temperatures rise, so do a rabbit’s chances of getting heatstroke.
Rabbits with thick or long coats of hair, overweight, and young or old are at an even greater risk. Temperature, humidity and air ventilation are all factors that contribute to heatstroke in a rabbit. Rabbits are individuals and could respond to these conditions somewhat differently. It is important to check your rabbits consistently to insure they are comfortable and do not overheat. Early detection of heatstroke and proper corrective steps could mean the difference between life and death for your rabbits.
Before we venture into prevention and treatment, let us look into the signs and symptoms that will help you recognize that your rabbit has or is beginning to get heat stroke.
-The rabbit is fully stretched out. The feet are sprawled apart and the tail is limp.
-Wetness around the nose area
-Eyes are half closed. The rabbit has a sleepy or dazed appearance.
-The rabbit’s tongue is hanging out. His breathing is rapid and possibly labored.
-Fast, shallow breathing
-The rabbit is reluctant to move.
-The rabbit refuses to eat or drink.
-Hot ears
The summer heat can cause your rabbits stress and health problems.
-Bucks can go sterile for several months if they are kept in a too hot of environment it takes up to 3 months for them to get back to normal fertility.
-Rabbits can lose condition and eat less food.
-Many times your bucks will go into molts and temporarily lose most of their hair.
-Lastly when a rabbit gets too overheated they can die from heat stroke.
Preventing heat stress is the key. Ways to help your rabbits survive the heat include.-Looking at the makeup of the common domestic rabbit, one sees that he is completely covered from head to toe in a thick fur coat. This leaves no way for the rabbit to perspire. There are virtually no means of which the rabbit can cool his body temperature other than their ears. The ears of a rabbit act as a temperature control mechanism, to warm themselves up or cool themselves down, they are able to do this because their ears are filled with blood vessels which run close to the surface of the ear. When the animal is too hot the blood vessels are able to cool the blood down from the cool air around the ear, the blood vessels are also able to warm the blood by the ears being in the sun, warming the ears and in turn the rabbit
Rabbits and heat are never a good combination, and heat stroke is one of the leading causes of death in rabbits. Fortunately it can easily be avoided, even if you do not have air conditioning.
Wild rabbits would spend the heat of the days in their burrows and go outside at night or early am when it is cooler. Here is a site That has housing ideas for hot areas – https://om.ciheam.org/om/pdf/c08/95605275.pdf
-Plenty of ventilation – Fans can be used but not best to have them blowing directly on rabbits. Place a cold, damp towel over a fan directed at your rabbit’s pen. As the water evaporates it will help keep your rabbit cool. Air flow is critical. Have a fan that is circulating the air. This not only makes the area cooler, but can help with the ammonia smell that can build up and increase in strength during hot days. And if possible, have the fan set up so that it is pulling the cool air in and not blowing against it.
-Plenty of shade- Keep them in the shade during the day. Ideally you would use trees to shade your rabbit building or hutches. I have grown sunflowers, pole beans on trellises to help shade my rabbits plus feed them! Natural shade is very helpful. If you have a shelter of some sort made of wood, which is then shaded by a tree, this is optimal. Being under a tree will make a big difference vs. being under a wood cover that is being hit directly by sunlight.
-Frozen ice cubes in a dish during hottest part of day
-Make sure there is enough space for them to stretch out to get cool.
-Ceramic tiles can be provided for them to lay on. If you place the tile in the refrigerator for an hour beforehand it will provide even greater relief
-Plenty of clean cool water. Cool water is important. Make sure they have cool water to drink to cool themselves down. If their water is hot, it not only causes them to drink less, but also keeps them from cooling down when needed. You may need to change their water 3 or 4 times a day during the hot months. And if you have an automatic watering system, make sure you have some way of flushing the system to get the hot water out of the lines and cool water in several times a day.
-Frozen liter bottles for them to lie against. Fill two to three one or two liter bottles about eighty percent full with water and freeze them. Take one out, wrap in paper towels or with a thin, clean rag that you won’t care to be chewed upon. Place this in your rabbit’s pen. This will last between four and eight hours before you will need to replace it with a new one. Place the thawed bottle back in the freezer so that you may use it again. Your rabbit will lay next to, or even on this bottle and get great relief from the heat.
-Evaporative systems like swamp coolers work in dryer climates. If barn is small enough to be closed an ac window unit can be used but again ventilation is stressed.
-Wet piece of carpet-Carpets cut into small pieces dunked in water will retain water throughout most of the day. You will have to watch for soiled pieces and change out for clean ones.
-Wet bricks – Soak them in a bucket of cold water. The bricks absorb the water and retain the coolness for hours.
-Feed in early morning or late in evening. Leave them alone during hottest part of day.
-I recommend spill proof crocks in the hottest part of summer over water bottles as the crockery holds the cool temperature of the water making it less likely that your rabbit will have to drink warm or even hot water
-Misters can be used also. If your aisles are 4’ to 5’ wide, place the mister down the middle. If you use “J” feeders, you may need to cover them to keep the feed dry. Do not let the water mist on the rabbits. Misters will lower the temperature 10-15 degrees in dryer climates.
-Outside hutches – Staple a burlap bag to the roof of the cage and have it drape over front of the cages. Place a soaker hose upside down close to the front of the roof edge. Set the hose on a timer or turn it on manually. The water will run over the burlap and act as a swamp cooler. The rabbits will lay closer to the fronts of their cages for the coolness.
-Avoid keeping multiple rabbits in the same cage. When you have multiple rabbits sharing a cage, their shared body heat contributes to a hotter living environment
When you are able to put most of these together; the cages being under a shelter which is under a tree, with cool water for them to drink, frozen 2 liter bottles in their cages, with air flow from a fan and a proper misting system, your rabbits can get through the scorching summer heat.
If you discover one of your rabbits are over heated there are a few things you can do to help, if caught in time
-Wet rabbit’s ears with a cool wet towel
-Place cold packs against the body moving around slowly but do not leave there.
-If they are alert water given orally is important
-As a last resort, dip your rabbit into cool water, taking care to keep her head and ears above the water. Most rabbits will not like this, and though it is effective, it will likely cause undue stress for your rabbit
If you breed during the summer months, you know how hard it is to keep those bucks from going sterile and keep those kits cool. Here are a few tips for those.
-Keep your bucks a close to the ground as possible. The cooler the better.
-Load the bucks up in carriers and bring them inside during the hottest part of the day.
– Bring the nest boxes inside to keep cool. Number or put the name of the doe on the boxes so you know where they go when returned. If the kits are likely to come out and explore while in the house, set them in your bathtub. If they are all the same color, you may want to number their ears so you know where they go later.
-If you need to breed your rabbits in the summer months I recommend that you use all wire nest boxes to help keep your newborn kits cool. Alternatively you can take your nest boxes indoors for the day and bring them back outside in the evening. If neither option works for you, simply be sure to keep your rabbits in a well shaded environment and maybe try running a sprinkler.
Remember- an ideal temperature for your rabbit is in the fifty to sixty degree Fahrenheit range. Any day above eighty degrees is a potential problem for your rabbit. With care and prevention your rabbits will enjoy many productive comfortable summers.
MAKING SOLAR FANS- I have had a lot of question on my solar fans i use in the rabbitry. I have made many different types some with batteries, and some that just work when the sun is shining. I Have 2 ventilation fans made from 2, 12 volt automotive fans one intake and one exhaust. These i have hooked up to a battery bank on a toggle switch. I am working on a timer to turn on for 15 minutes in 30 minute intervals this is a current project i am working on. I have a small wind powered charger i have made and solar trickle chargers to keep the battery bank charged. Also the lighting is 12 volt spotlights and i will be hooking up an inverter and even a 12volt car-radio and alarm (For rabbit thieves). For my outside hutches a have made smaller fans out of scrap items here is the information everyone has been waiting for!
Solar panels convert energy from the sun using wafer-based silicon to produce electricity. Making a solar fan is ideal for cooling rabbits. You can customize the system as your needs grow to add more panels and a bigger fan (I am constantly updating and changing these as i perfect the setup). All the fan parts can be bought from your local electronics store or found from old computers. When i was taking apart an old computer i discovered a lot of very cool parts that i could use to make stuff. One of the cooler ones was a 12V dc cooling fan. I also got the capacitor off a circuit board (just unsoldered it) I decided upon making a solar powered fan out of it. It’s really pretty basic.
ITEMS NEEDED
– 6-watt, 12-volt solar panel (Instead of buying a solar panel i soldered solar panels from path lights together to get the voltage i needed)
– Circuit box or any enclosure
-12-volt, 0.25A computer fan
-Large 25-volt capacitor
-Wire
1. Connect the red (positive) wire on the 12-volt fan to the positive side on the capacitor and to the red (positive) wire on the panel by soldering each connection point.
2 Connect the black (negative) wire on the 12-volt fan to the negative side on the capacitor and to the black (negative) wire on the panel by soldering each connection point. The solar panel will power the fan, and any extra power will be temporarily stored in the capacitor, like a small battery. When there is a shadow over the panel, the stored power in the capacitor keeps the fan going.
3 Cut a hole in the lid and base of the box with a hand or jig saw the size of the fan. Any enclosure can be used.
4 Align the fan in the opening, hot-glue it around all sides and then hot-glue the capacitor next to the fan.
You could also use batteries (AA batteries i got from the solar path lights) and use the solar power to charge the batteries and put the fan on a off/on switch. I took a battery holder (2 AA batteries) and wired it into a 1.5V to 12V step up circuit. Now that i had it outputting 12V i hooked it into the fan. Finally i hooked a PV cell into the circuit so that it would charge the batteries. This is a ongoing project i have been working on to perfect this setup
Questions i have been asked-
Is it mandatory to use capacitors in this project?
Yes it is absolutely mandatory to use a capacitor as the solar panel will power the fan, but if there is any extra power generated then it will be stored in the capacitor just like a small battery. In case there is a shadow over the solar panel then the stored power in a capacitor will keep the fan running.
How can the output of a solar fan be enhanced?
To improve the power of your solar fan, just double the output of the solar panels. You can do this by using more solar panels and by connecting them in series-parallel.
Tips
1. Before connecting the various parts, make some holes on the box and then connect the various parts in such a way that the fan and solar panel will stay outside the box and rest will be inside it. Pass the wires through the holes on the box first and then connect.
2. You can customize your fan as your needs grow by using more panels and a bigger fan.
3. Check the connections using a multi-meter.
I have also seen some solar fans on eBay i do not know how sturdy they are but they were very inexpensive and they also had larger more expensive ones .
Hope you all enjoyed this post! JOIN THE RABBIT REVOLUTION! Like Us On Facebook -Subscribe to the blog to get the updates as they are posted!
THE RABBITS DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
I will be posting what to grow and feed your rabbit on a natural or pellet free diet. To better understand this you must know how a rabbits digestive system works. One of the most interesting aspects of a rabbit’s body is their digestive system. Rabbits can eat a wide variety of plant material. They can process nutrients from many plants that are indigestible to less adaptable herbivores or omnivores. This ability helps make rabbits highly successful in all types of environments around the world. Understanding how your rabbit’s digestive system works is important so that you can feed your rabbits the right way and one that is most efficient for the rabbits. Rabbits are herbivores ,a rabbit has an esophagus, stomach, and intestinal tract like other mammals. However, because they often dine on plants that are high in fiber, they have developed a strategy for dealing with this called hind gut fermentation. This is where the indigestible materials break down into manageable chemicals. Many other herbivores including horses, guinea pigs, and chinchillas, also have this type of digestive system.
The digestive process begins in the rabbit’s mouth. The rabbit’s prehensile lips grab the plant material first and then the front teeth called incisors — four upper and two lower — neatly slice off pieces of plant material. The food is then passed to the molars (the back teeth), where it’s chewed into small particles. A rabbit chews food about 300 cycles side to side and then it finally gets swallowed down the esophagus. The nibbling/grinding action of eating the hay keeps the teeth worn down and the calcium helps to keep teeth and jaw structure strong
The food goes into the stomach, but the real action isn’t there. The stomach stores the food and the contents are sterilized before moving to the small intestine. Rabbits have a large stomach for their body size to enable them to eat large amounts of plant material quickly. They graze primarily in the a.m. and p.m. with little else during the rest of the day, depending on what’s available, the weather, and so on. Taking a purely scientific look at the digestive system of a rabbit reveals a fascinating process. These animals have a particularly efficient way of dealing with the indigestible parts of their plant diet.
While in the small intestine up to 90% of the protein, starches and sugar are absorbed from the food. Then the undigested fiberous material moves on and is sorted. Rabbits have a very large blind sac called a cecum that is located where the small intestine and the large intestine join together. This would be in the same place as our appendix, but in the rabbit this organ is very large and contains a wonderfully diverse population of healthy bacteria, yeast, and other organisms working to help the rabbit digest his food.
When the food in the small intestine reaches the cecum and large intestine, the gastrointestinal tract knows which materials to divert into the cecum for further breakdown. The materials that were already digested in the small intestine and that don’t need to make this little side trip to the cecum pass directly into the large intestine as waste. The hard waste that bypasses the cecum is moved through the colon in a circular motion and forms perfectly round hard balls as the little round droppings you see under your rabbit’s cages. There are two scent glands on either side of the anus. This scent is deposited on the waste pellets as they pass. That is why rabbits uses their poop pellets to mark their territory.
What is happening in the cecum? The multitude of microorganisms are breaking down the indigestible fiber and turning it into digestible nutrients. Every 3 to 8 hours the cecum contracts and forces the material back into the colon where it is coated with mucus, In order for the rabbit to use these nutrients he must take this material and move it through the digestive tract one more time. So, at certain times of the day (which is within several hours after a rabbit eats a big meal) the material from the cecum is packaged up into small round moist pellets called cecotropes. The rabbits get a signal in their brain about when these little clusters of goodness are ready to be passed out of the body; the rabbit eats them the minute they emerge. Your rabbit will often look like they are grooming their hind end, but actually the rabbit is taking in these nutrient-rich cecotropes.
The various types of fiber in a rabbit’s diet is not only there to be used for nutrition, but is vital to keeping the rabbit’s gastrointestinal tract in excellent working order. The indigestible fiber is particularly important in making the intestines move along smoothly. You could think of it as sort of “caress” the lining and keeping things moving smoothly. A diet that is low in appropriate types of fiber and too high in rich carbohydrates can lead to a sluggish intestine and cecum and subsequent serious disease. Normally you don’t see any cecotropes in your rabbit’s cage; at the most, you’ll see a rare one here or there. Cecotropes are soft, green to brown, mucous coated, and have a stronger smell than the waste pellets. If you see a number of them in your rabbit’s cage, it may indicate a diet too rich in protein or another, more serious condition
Ensure that you feed your rabbit with high fiber from fresh green plants such as carrot-tops, Broccoli rabe, turnip greens, parsley, dandelion, watercress or mustard. As a treat, you can offer it pieces of pear, apple, peach or melon. A low fiber and high carbohydrate and protein diet can interfere with the rabbit’s digestive system. Low fiber can as well lead to abnormal fermentation, pH changes, changes in the population of the good bacteria, as well as slowing down the cecum and colon. These disruptions results to an environment that might favor overgrowth of bad bacteria making the rabbit prone to diarrhea and other bacteria-related conditions. Stay tuned for -GROWING AND FEEDING RABBITS NATURALLY- JOIN THE RABBIT REVOLUTION! LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG to get our updates as they are posted!
SLAUGHTERING AND BUTCHERING RABBIT
I have used two basic processes for slaughtering rabbits. The first method is achieved by holding the rabbit and then hitting the rabbit on the back of the head with a blunt object. I use a short piece of re-bar, which seemed to work very well. Just use good aim and do not hit your hand. The second method also works well and is my method of choice. This method is called the “broomstick method.” Basically, you lay the rabbit down on the ground, and put a bar across the back of the neck stepping down on either end of the bar, with a swift motion, you pull up on the hind legs, dislocating (breaking) the neck of the rabbit. This is called cervical dislocation. It is an extremely quick method for killing the rabbits, and leaves little room for any mistakes to be made. Others use a high powered pellet gun or a 22cal pistol or rifle. I have seen and used a “Killing Board” this was a board with a V cut in it. The head of the rabbit was slid into the V and pulling fast and hard downward, it dislocated the neck and was extremely quick. I will be making some of these and will post more information on this
I think it is very important for you to take good care of your rabbits, and even when it comes time to butcher them they need to be handled humanely. That is why I will use these two methods that dispatch the rabbits very quickly, and with as little physical pain to the rabbit as possible. I use the second method the most .The second method can be used without a fear of dropping the rabbit, and making a poor hit to render the rabbit unconscious.
After dislocation or stunning, the rabbit is hung by one of the hind legs above the hock joint. Either with rope or hook the rabbit Thur the rear hocks. The head is immediately removed to allow complete bleeding. The front feet are then removed. The next step is to cut the skin around the hock joints of the legs and then to cut between these points across the lower part of the body. Remove the tail and pull the skin down and forward over the body(like taking of a sweater). The skins of young or fryer age rabbits are easily removed in this way, it is more difficult to remove the skins of older rabbits. If skins are saved for marketing, they should be handled as indicated in the TANNING RABBIT PELTS post in the January 2012 section.
After the head, forefeet and skin are removed, the carcass, while still hanging, is opened to remove the innards. Make a cut from the lower part of the abdomen near the anus to the mid-point of the lowest rib. The intestinal tract and lungs are normally removed. Liver, kidneys, and heart can be put aside to use or freeze. Remove the carcass from the hanger and cut off the rear feet at the hock joints.
Wash the carcass with clean, cold water to remove hair and any other soil or debris, and store it at a cold temperature. Do not hold dressed carcasses for any length of time in water as they absorb excess moisture which becomes considered as a contaminant.
Dressed rabbits may be packaged whole or can be cut into parts. To cut up a rabbit you need a very sharp knife and have a clean towel handy to wipe your hands, and a bowl for trimmings. I always start by removing the front legs, which are not attached to the body by bone. Slide your knife up from underneath, along the ribs, and slice through. Next comes the belly. A lot of people ignore this part, but if you think about it, it’s rabbit bacon! And who doesn’t like bacon? This belly flap becomes a boneless tidbit in whatever dish you are making. Start by turning the rabbit over and slicing right along the line where the loin starts, then running the knife along that edge to the ribs. When you get to the ribcage, you fillet the meat off the ribs, as far as you can go, which is usually where the front leg used to be. Finish by trimming sinew, fat and silveskin off next, the hind legs they can be a full 40% of a gutted carcass’ weight. Start on the underside and slice gently along the pelvis bones until you get to the ball-and-socket joint. When you do, grasp either end firmly and bend it back to pop the joint. Then slice around the back leg with your knife to free it from the carcass. Once you’ve done both legs, you are left with the loin You’re now ready to portion the loin. Start by removing the pelvis, which is really good in the stockpot. I do this by taking my cleaver severing the spine by banging the cleaver down with my palm. I then bend the whole thing backwards and finish the cut with the boning knife. Now you grab your kitchen shears and snip off the ribs, right at the line where the meat of the loin starts. The ribs go into the stockpot too. Your last step is to chop the loin into serving pieces. I do this by using my boning knife to slice a guide line through to the spine. Then I give the spine a whack with the cleaver by laying the cleaver blade on the spine and whacking it with my palm. Now that your rabbit is cut up try some of my recipes in the DOMESTIC RABBIT RECIPES section!
10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD EAT RABBIT MEAT
10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD EAT RABBIT MEAT!
Back in the 1940s and 1950s rabbit meat was as common for dinner as chicken is today. It is the meat they got many people and their children through the lean times of the Depression. They lost their popularity after Big AGRA, who wanted to get maximum profits with the cheapest bottom line using the government endorse chemicals and handouts. Because of this rabbits didn’t make sense. So why even eat rabbit meat now? Below you will find a few reasons why you should consider adding rabbit meat to your diet. Raise some rabbits in your lots, yards, or pastures. Become closer to your food supply know what you eat!
1. It is one of the best white meats available on the market today.
2. The meat has a high percentage of easily digestible protein.
3. It contains the least amount of fat among all the other available meets.
4. Rabbit meat contains less calorie value than other meats.
5. Rabbit meat is almost cholesterol free and therefore heart patient friendly.
6. The sodium content of rabbit meat is comparatively less than other meats.
7. The calcium and phosphorus contents of this meat or more than any other meats.
8. The ratio of me to bone is high meaning there is more edible meat on the carcass than even a chicken.
9. Rabbit meat with the many health benefits does not have a strong flavor and is comparable to chicken but not identical.
10. Rabbits are one of the most productive domestic livestock animal there is. Rabbits can produce 6 pounds of meat on the same feed and water as the cow will produce 1 pound of meat on the same feed and water.
So as you can see there are many health benefits to eating rabbit meat. It is healthy for you and cheap to produce. Why not try to incorporate some rabbit meat into your diet today! Try it you’ll like it! Use rabbit as a replacment for chicken in any chicken recipe. Check out our tested recipes on our Rabbit Recipe Page we add new ones all the time! Know what you eat screw the big AGRA and GROW YOUR OWN!
Rise and Shine Rabbitry 