Raising Rabbits

We've been raising/keeping rabbits for about 2 years. Amazingly enough, the most difficult part of rabbits is getting a successful breeding. Isn't that the whole point of rabbits?!?

Anyway, I wanted to share some keeping tips...

Food:
We don't buy commercial feed for our rabbits. Commercial feed is mostly hay. We have coastal hay that grows naturally on our  property as well as tons of other weeds. Because we're on 5 acres in North Florida, we have grass growing about 10 months of the year. The other two months it doesn't really grow, but there's enough area, that we do ok.

Each day, we mow 1 bag full of fresh grass for the rabbits. A few times a week, we also give them whole oats. Occasionally, they get dried beet pulp, table scraps of fruits and vegetables, and garden scraps (weeds, stalks, excess fruits & leaves, etc). By doing this, we can cut our feed bill significantly and the rabbits are happy.

Weather considerations:
In Florida, we struggle with heat in the summer. Summer being May through September. Rabbits are happiest when it's between 40 and 70 F. Can't say I blame them. When it gets hot, we add ice cubes, made in a ice tray for bottle ice, to their waterers. We also have a misting hose that we turn on during the hottest part of the day. We keep their cages clear of too much debris (uneaten grass & hay) to allow more air circulation. We also make sure they have shade available at all times of the day. The other issue with heat is when it gets too hot, the fertility in bucks (males) drops significantly. Because of this, we usually only breed in the cooler months.

In this part of Florida, we can get into the teens at night in January and February. It doesn't happen much, but it does occasionally. When it's going to get below freezing, we cover their cages with blankets and when it's going to get really cold, we let some debris accumulate on the bottom of the cages. On especially cold mornings we sometimes make hot oatmeal for them. When there are new babies in the winter, we leave a light in the nesting box for extra warmth.

As you can imagine, we get lots of rain, especially during hurricane season. We always make sure they have cover from the rain. Too much water can kill rabbits.

Waste:

Rabbits make lots of droppings. The cages have wire bottoms, so most of their droppings go through the floor and are caught in trays (cement troughs) under the cages. The trays also catch dropped food. We feed them whole oats because they like it, the hulls are good for their teeth, and when the excess food falls, it grows in the manure. Rabbit manure is the only manure that can be planted in directly without needing to age first. The food falls and then starts to grow. Sometimes the cleaner stalks are picked and fed to the rabbits as treats, and once in a while, we take the trays and spread the whole thing, manure, seeds, and all into the pastures to grow more food.

Uses:
Rabbit meat is considered one of the healthiest meats. It tastes good and can be used in any dish normally made with chicken.

Rabbit fur is very soft and can be used for many items.

The manure, if not completely mixed with seed, is perfect for gardening.

Cute and Fuzzy:

Don't let people fool you, rabbits are not the cute and cuddly things people make them out to be. I've had more than my share of rabbit bites and scratches. Then can be eaten as early as 8 weeks of age, but most people wait 12 because they are awfully cute at 8 weeks.

Diseases and Issues:

We have had our share of deaths with rabbits. Many were due to neighborhood dogs destroying cages and attacking rabbits. One death was due to our son's childish fun in scaring them to see them jump. Several young died last year due to heat. A few adults died last year because we thought the children were feeding them and discovered they weren't when they died due to starvation. (Those were probably the hardest deaths to deal with, as they were our fault.)

The only other major issue we've dealt with is ear mites. Rabbits need to be kept in elevated cages to help deter dogs and keep them away from wild rabbits that can carry diseases and ear mites. Ours that get ear mites get them from the grass we cut. To help deal with ear mites, we put a few drops of mineral oil in each ear of each rabbit periodically. Those that have ear mites are treated with hydrogen peroxide and then mineral oil.

Children:

When we got the rabbits (and our other "farm" animals) we made it very clear to our children that they are food and not pets. To some extent, it helps the kids stay detached from them.

Kids are naturally curious and we've talked to them about not holding them, although petting of breeders is ok when they don't have young with them. After the death of one, we've addressed the issue of not scaring the rabbits to get a reaction out of them.

When we first got them, giving them treats was fun for the kids, although it's become a chore now instead.

Is it worth it?

It's hard to say if it's worth keeping rabbits. The advantages are-- 1. we know we have them should we ever need them for food if they're not producing enough young, 2. we know what they're eating and that it's not full of chemicals.

The disadvantages are--1. no, it's not cheaper to raise them, even with grass as their main diet, 2. although they don't take a tremendous amount of time, it does take 20-60 min each day to feed, water, clean cages, and breed them.

I do like having the rabbits. I can't wait for more babies or hare stew.