Inexpensive fences

Fences are not cheap to make, and those that are (and some that aren't) often fall apart. We made a fence for our horses several years ago out of landscape timbers and livestock fencing. At times, you can find the landscape timbers at Lowes for under $2 each. Right now is one of those times. When they're not on sale, they're between $6 & $9 each.

Landscape timbers and barbwire or livestock fencing aren't fantastic fence materials and it won't last 20 years, but it will work and will probably last 8-10 years.

To get the best deal, go through UPromise or Ebates, then choose Lowes, make the purchase online and choose to pick the order up from the store. You can put a note into the system or call the store and say you would like to select your own timbers. You can also get 10% off coupons if you're moving through Lowes or the change of address forms from the post office.

Be choosy about the boards you select. Landscape timbers are landscape timbers because they're not choice boards. They won't be perfect, but you can get ones that are decent. Choose ones with few if any knots. If they have knots, chose ones with the knots at the very top. Bury the 8' timbers 2' deep.

Livestock Auction

If you live in the boonies, most likely you've at least seen an auction sign.

Livestock auctions can be kind of fun. They can be smoke-filled, hot, smelly, sweat boxes too. This weekend we went to one. I think it was the best layout I've seen. They do an excellent job of moving the animals smoothly and keeping things moving. The auctioneers tried their hardest to get good prices for the animals being sold, but no one seemed to want to spend much money. Weaned calves went for $60, registered Tennessee Walker yearling horses went for $30, a pot bellied pig of about 30 lbs went for $5, rabbits went for $2-10 (even the pedigreed Flemish Giants), and large koi went for $1.50 each. It was quite a place to buy whatever farm animals you wanted that night. It was not a night to sell. We groaned when our full grown peacock went for $15 instead of the $50 we're used to. We'll be back again to buy, but I'm not so sure about going back to sell.

Many things influence the price of an item: the time of night, the number of buyers, the quantity of like items present, the area economy, the appearance and behavior of the animal, and the condition of the cage.

We did learn a lesson... whenever going to an auction, always come prepared to bring someone new home with you. We bought 2 additional rabbits and 2 ducks, Sweedish Blue Crosses. We had ducks several years ago and lost them thanks to hawks and dogs. We're  hoping for better luck this time.  The ducks weren't planned, but they went so cheap, we thought it was worth the buy for the meat if nothing else.

Oh, there were 2 animals that went for more than anyone expected. The Silver Laced Wyandottes went for $45/bird and the Gold Laced Wyandottes went for $100/bird! That's a whole lot of money for a chicken that doesn't lay golden eggs! Guess I know what type of chicken to raise for money now.

There are usually kids at the auctions and this one had lots of kids. They had a great time playing in the shaded, grassy field just outside the bidding area. They were away from the animals, cars, and bidders, but within sight of parents. It was perfect in that regard.

Livestock auctions can be fun. It's always a good idea to checkout the auction before selling or buying anything.

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.