Raising Rabbits for Meat Part 6: Rabbit Housing
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2017
- This episode in our raising rabbits for meat series is about housing. On our homestead, we have 2 different types of cages. We have off the ground cages for breeders and rabbit tractors for growing out litters. The first part of the video talks about our cages which are up off the ground for our breeding stock. Sarah talks about the dimensions of the cages, the feeders and water bottles, the best flooring for the breeding area, and the realities of raising rabbits in cages off the ground (urine and feces). Next, Sarah shows you 3 different styles of rabbit tractors that are used on the homestead. She discusses her recommended type of water bottles and rabbit feeders. Sarah addresses concerns about wire on the bottle of rabbit tractors and whether a wooden frame should be of concern because of rabbits chewing on the wood.
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hi! can you house multiple does together?
A friend of ours has a worm bed under the rabbit cages. The worms take care of the rabbit manure and then they have the worm castings to use or sell.
Debbie Madril we do the same. We also place the worm juice in the garden and it boosts production and we have a healthier crop. Kyle, it doesn’t. The worms love the droppings and urine from the rabbits.
When our kids were in FFA, I made tractors for raising rabbits. To make them lighter I would rip the 2x4s in half to make (nominal) 2x2s. It saves on materials and weight. I use the same design on my chickens now! Just an idea that worked for me!
I just want to share my 2 cents worth of doing this for a while. A great place for these hanging cages is in a chicken pen/house. I thought I was the only one doing this for over 30 years then I saw a video with Joe Salatine (probably spelled his name wrong) where he has incorporated this practice. Load the floor with sand and continuously ad straw hay, or grass through the year and you will have awesome compost to go on the garden, healthy chickens, great eggs and good meat from both rabbits and chickens.
I love this idea.👍
We just tossed our rabbit manure into the compost bins that we had on the property, dad would always build a new one next to the current one whenever that one got too full.
So eventually we would have a row of three to four compost bins either all full or partially full and doing their thing to the contents, Dad would put the finished product on our gardens whenever it was needed…
Excellent video Sarah.
You answered my question about them chewing on the wood in this video! Lol. I posted it on the previous one...should have waited until I finished series!
Great video. Very informative. Rabbits look really healthy and happy.
Thank you! I have been searching for videos that explain in detail on how to raise rabbits. I want to start a rabbit/chicken farm. Your videos are very informative love that you show all details with your farm and give tips along the way! Thank you
I can't say enough how much I enjoy this You Tube channel! You guys do a great job and are very likable and relatable and I've learned so much about raising rabbits. My next binge watch will be about chickens. I also love how you guys have it ALL on your homestead!
I like your preferred rabbit tractor for all the reasons you stated, good instructions 👏🏻
You are the best! I have never done anything with rabbits and I am learning so much from watching your videos. Thank you very much for making them!!
Thanks for the video. Can’t wait to get my book.
Thank you very much for your help with the information that you provided to your subscribers.
You explain what you need to do, and in a clear way. With full knowledge of this subject. I been whacking others video.
But your ore excellent. Thank you for all the the DETAILS AND IMPORTANT.
Sarah please 🙏 continue to be your self you and Kevin motivated me to be better thank you so I pray that one day I could do what you do.ty God bless you 😊
Took the design and making my supply list, easy to understand instructions and teaching.
In case you didn't see this video, here is the video of Kevin building the tractors. ruclips.net/video/on6i6VEuj8o/видео.html
Glad you enjoyed it!
Could you post a link to the video of the rabbit tractor being built?
ok got my questiions answered now. should have watched the whole series first
We also had a hock block. I have not tried the sere serrated plastic pads. We do,like your wire cages and your cage size too. We tried the automatic waterers and the feeders. We had the manure under the cages and we had worms. We sold the worms when in Texas. I agree, rabbits should be raised over dirt. You can even raise the rabbits with feed bags under the cages, but the bags do not last very long. I also like the second design. Great information, nice series. God bless America.
We really like the 3rd tractor...
I am loving this series on raising meat rabbits.Good information.But then theres learning whetber i could send them to"freezer camp" I really need to get with someone and try dispatching and processing
Rabbits molt? 🙄
Who knew? First time I have learned that. Have not read it either.
Thanks Sarah. Another great lesson.
Susan
NW Georgia
Sarah, Your channel is great and I love following it. I do not have rabbits but plan to in the spring. I plan to copy your triangle design for less materials ($$), make the south side solid and removable for shade or air flow and cut a board to fit shape of the bottom of tractor to coral the little guys (and gals) to one end to handle them. Got to love it.
Thanks so much, Harlo Condo! Let us know how your modifications do for you.
Great info.
Just subbed….Thanks for all the information on rabbits, i am thinking of raising them in the Philippines. Great info.
Litix is the best. I use this brand for my chinchilla. It is dangerous if he gets wet so I have the valve Litix bottle. No leaks! Ive tried so many.
I was building rabbit hutches for people who raised rabbits at one time, and I learned quickly that the rabbits chew any exposed wood used in building the hutches.
To avoid this, and keep my customer happy and returning, I started covering ALL exposed wood with wire that has very small squares to prevent the rabbits chewing the wood, and weakening the hutch.
We used Kevin's design and made 3 tractors. We made one small modification, that seems to have worked out well for us. We left the top of the box 2x2 at 8 feet long giving us 1 foot on each end, on each side of the box so it works as handles tome the tractor without adding much weight. The top is still 6 feet x 3 feet.
Thank you💖🌺🦋🐇
I am so glad you addressed the matter of their waste. We want to raise meat rabbits but I was worried about how to deal with the waste, so thank you for the honest reality of how to deal with that. What do you recommend for where to put their cages? We live in the high desert with hot summers and cold winters. How did you store your rabbits when you were living in the city (as far as outside and/or indoors in a shed or something)? Thank you in advance.
Very helpful
For the floor might also consider a scrap piece of 12x12 or 18x18 tile. Helps keep them cool in the summer
+Michael Ripperger Thanks, Michael!
Wonderful video thanks for sharing. This really help people overcome a lot of there own trial and error to help save money! Question are the rabbits ok in storms in the rabbit tractors?
I use porcelain tile because it also stays cool for them to lay on
Does their urine make the porcelain stink?
Really enjoying your channel!!! Do you have a video on building the breeder cages or is it something you might film in the future?
The tin in the sheet is a good idea in that it won't rot, but it will oxidize from the acidity of the urine. Something plastic to shield the metal from the salts and make for much easier cleaning.
you know it would make it easier on you on moving the tractors, if get hold of olf push lawn mowers amd take their wheels and adjusters off and put a couple on the back end of it.
Awesome I love her
I am a beginner rabbit breeder. Have had my rexs' for about a month. Am wondering about the rabbit tractors in the winter time. Am learning alot from your videos and I thank you so much for the infornation.
Love your videos! I have a Missouri question. How do you deal with ticks using the tractors?
My favorite solution to built up rabbit exhaust is to seed redworms into the pile and let them breed and reproduce in the high-nitrogen environment that they like so much, then turn the chickens loose. Fed chickens and churned compost in one easy step. Shovel when ready.
I watched the video on how to build the tractor... but just a thought - if you put together some PDF plans for it, I would totally buy them (and I bet a lot of other people would too!) I find that if I have a concrete plan to follow, my projects turn out MUCH better than if I try to figure out measurements, etc myself.
We LOVE your channel and have gleaned so much information on a lot of diff subjects, so THANK YOU! I have 2 ?s....1) on tractor #3, what is the max # of babies you would put in that size? 2) if you had to buy all the materials new, what would be a guesstimation of the costs for that tractor?
Great videos, have been very helpful do you put bucks in one tractor and one for the doe
I thoroughly enjoyed the raising rabbits for food series. A question: After weening, do the rabbits then spend the rest of their lives in the tractor?
Add cut off sapling or branches that you cut off in the cages. They will chew on the branches vs the cages. They love the bark. you can put these in the elevated cages also.
What kind fs of tree branches are fine and what are bad for rabbits? Oak, cedar, pine, etc?
I want to say thank you for yor videos. I have really enjoyed learning all about rabbits.
We are new to rabbits. We just traded a few roosters and ducks for our 2 bred NZ does and 3 young California does.
We also have a hutch that we traded a countertop for but it needs some work.
What about ticks? We have ticks so bad this year it is crazy. If I use the tractors, do rabbits get ticks? Do you have any insight on the matter? Thanks again!
My grandfather raised rabbits many years ago . He built wooden frames under the rabbit cages and raised night crawlers in the rabbit litter . He sold rabbits and fishing worms to supplement his retirement. i wonder if the worm castings were supercharged !
Thank you for this series. It was very informative. Can tractors be put on a cut down corn or soy field after harvest?
Thanks so much , for sharing these stories. can you please tell what to feed the rabbits. thanks
Am learning so much. Do you know of a way to reduce hay waste? Seems half of what I feed them ends up falling thru the bottom of cages. Thanks for all you do. Excellent videos!!!
Putting a worm bin under the rabbit cages is another option. The "worm bin" can just be a dug out area in the dirt under the cages with no lining.
A note on rabbit urine you might not be aware of is that it can be collected and used as an organic pesticide.
I've been enjoying your videos. Thanks for the work. One thing you might want to look into is "Korean Natural Farming" There's one technique, creating "Lacto Bacillis spray". As the name implies, you can spray your manure and the lacto bacillis bacteria helps process the manure and helps with the smell. I've seen it working in human composting systems, pig farming and chicken farming.
The rectangle water bottles are sold at my local Tractor Supply Store with their rabbit supplies
Thank you the information. Do the rabbits dig out of the tractors?
Hello, thank you so much for these awesome videos! They have been super helpful and i am looking forward to raising my own rabbits. Would you please tell me where i can find rabbit cages like yours?
I built 2 tractors like your last design but I am thinking about making the walled area into an enclosure by walling off the 4th side. I then plan to put in a square piece of wood for the floor and a layer of straw. The main reason is that I've had two rabbits die and I'm not sure if it's from too much exposure to the elements or what but I think will give them perfect shade and insulation. I also think I can hang the water bottle in there to help prevent it from freezing in the winter. I'd be interested to know your thoughts.
Hi! Thanks for sharing your experience! Inspiring. I live in Uruguay and just started to take care of raising pastured eat rabbits. I was wondering how much time I need to leave before to put the rabbit tractor on the same spot again. Simply until the gras is regrown and the rabbit shit has been dissolved? Or do you have other information to share about that? Thanks!
Hi. Thanks for the video series. I'd like to move my rabbits in tractors like these once they are weaned. I have a question though: can I put together different litters (with little to no age difference)? I was wondering if they could manifest aggressive behaviour. I know from experience adult rabbits are quite territorial.
I live in the north and our winters are pretty hard what would you recommend for the baby rabbits up here for there is snow all over the ground for 4 to 6 months - Awesome video FYI
Thanks a lot! One important question please. How do you combine the metal fix cages and the rabbit tractors? Mother does and bucks are (separately) always kept in metal fix cages, while young meat rabbits grow in the rabbit tractors between the moment in which you take them out from the does and the slaughtering day? Or how do you do it? (Sorry if my English isn't good, I'm from Spain - Europe). Thanks a lot in advance from a big fan of you!
I have a piece of tin under my cages I trade out and let it dry so I can use it later for fertilizer.
We raise the Flemish Giants and they chew on willow branches to keep their teeth trimmed. What kind of rabbits do you raise for meet rabbits, and what do they weigh processed? I think you said in an earlier video, but can't remember ..... how old are they when you process? As always another awesome video.
We raise New Zealand and Californian crosses. They typically weigh around 2.5 lbs or slightly more when processed. We typically process at 11 weeks.
Thanks again for your great videos! I am looking into meat rabbits and wonder what your favorite recipe is?
One of our favorite rabbit recipes is this one. ruclips.net/video/U_WUAh-bZl0/видео.html We should have more videos coming soon. We are also working on a cookbook of all rabbit recipes. 😊 Coming soon!
I really like the rabbit tractors. The ribbits look very natural and happy. How much of a problem is the mesh floor when you move them? Do the rabbits' feet get caught? If you used mesh on a chicken tractor, do you think the dumb Cornish cross would be smart enough to move their feet?
Awesome video series! Thinking of starting raising my own but would not have the luxury of keeping them outside....Yet. If I kept them inside, and because of that would need to have both poop and pee fall out of the crate into something else, do you think the urine would be a detriment to composting the droppings?
thank you for this series! We watched this many times in the last few years, and finally got our breeders back in Dec of 20. Curious, now that we're working on grow outs.....at what age (or other determining factor) do you wean them off mom, and have them go into the grow out cages?
I think she said 5 weeks
Ok so I've been watching all your videos and I have a two part question. 1 I live in southeast arizona what's the best way to keep rabbit cool in our summer weather? I've been considering box fans and misters. In my picture you can see my ratkinkey house where they will live plenty of ventilation and plenty of shade. 2 Can I breed the does thru the summer or will I just stress them out and lose the kits everytime.
You said before you don't make a lot of compost. Rabbit manure can go directly into a worm bin if wanted to set up one under your rabbit cages. And you will have an abundance of worms and compost this way.
You could put the wire on the inside of the framing. And also for your viewers never make a rabbit cage out of treated wood
Tractor supply has the square waters.
Have you ever put a leaf rake into the triangle design tractor to herd them to the door?
Hey Sarah, thanks for this video, what's the size of the litter box? Thanks
I found that if I give my rabbits something to chew on (un-treated lumber), they will chew on that vs the cage wood or wire. As a kid I had Guinea pigs and I was told by the pet shop that they needed to chew to keep their teeth from growing into their head. I kinda figured rabbits were similar bc their teeth look the same.
actually the proper way to do that is to use hay. They need it or they can go into gi stasis
So question - in your nutrition video you talk about feeding both pellets and hay (with fresh forage). The piles of poop under your cages in the barn though don't have any hay in them at all. My rabbits waste SO much hay that the area under their cages is mostly hay. So were you just feeding them pellets at that time? Or do you have some sort of efficient way to feed them hay so it isn't all over?
Rabbit manure--I know in relation to my garden it's like goat manure---GOLD! Fifty years ago my parents and I looked into a rabbit farm that havested the rabbits for meat and pelts, the manure for fertiizer, and reaised worms for fishing in the manure. Still a viable process?
Hi, Great video. We are new to rabbits. We moved our first weaned litters to the tractor. What do you use to prevent or treat Mites, Lice or Ticks? Or do you just not worry about that? We made ours much larger to accommodate more litters together with the same size wire flooring. We must pull it with the 4 wheeler to move it. We are questioning our decision since we probably should have made several smaller ones for the ease of moving them and not worrying that they may get hurt while being towed. Just so someone doesn't make the same mistake as us ;) But I would really like to put my mind at ease with what you do about preventing or treating parasites. Thanks
Yes, please, an answer here.
Happy New year. I want to ask you what do you use for rabbit's ear mites? Thank you
We use tubs under our rabbit cages. Then it’s easier to deal with once we want to use it for our garden 😉
Have you considered a tractor using 4" PVC? Do you experience issues with tics?
I live in Ohio. I’m sure those water bottles are great when the temperature is above freezing, but how do you water in the winter? Your videos are great, thank you.
I'm in Ohio as well and I want to know to
I live in subdivision. I've had pet rabbits for the past 10 years, but want to start breeding meat rabbits, mainly to feed my dogs a raw diet as one of my females is allergic to chicken. My question is: Can the young be grown out in elevated cages? I have a 4 foot by 2 foot cage that I was going to grow out in, but it's elevated as we have limited grass space in our yard. I have no problem providing the extra hay/pellets they would need. My instincts tell me it doesn't matter, but I just wanted to get some insight from someone who know's the ends and outs of raising rabbits for meat. Thank you so much, I really like your videos!
+crystalwolf2006 That would work fine as long as you have enough room for them. We just prefer the tractors because it decreases feed costs and just gives them a more natural living environment...and we have the space. Lots of people successfully grow out their babies in elevated cages. Thanks for watching and for your question!
First of all great series! There is not other yt channel that does so informative videos keep up the good work!I also have some queations. Do you eat the breeders after you sort them out after 1-2 years? Do the "tractor rabbits" stay in the tractor the whole time? What do you do with the "tractor rabbits" in the winter when there is snow? Is heavy rainfall or normal rain a problem for the "tractor rabbits" if the tractor has a roof ?
Thank you so much for the compliment! Yes, we cull and eat the breeders. The does we cull after about 2 years, and the bucks after 3 years or so. It really depends on continued productivity of the animal. The rabbits are put in the tractors at 5 weeks old and they remain there until they are processed at around 11 weeks. During the winter, we continue to move them everyday. We don't get much snow here, but will shovel spots if necessary. Rain is not an issue as long as there is no heavy pooling or puddling of water underneath. The roofs really do a good job, but the rabbits don't seem to mind it if they get a little wet anyway.
This was my question as well. We don't have much grass YET and my hubby is being a bit hesitant about cutting down a few more of our trees. Lol We have 9.5 acres...a few trees down for the rabbits benefit is not a bad sacrifice.
What about snakes? Have you had any loss from snakes? I know we have them here in MO...
What about wrapping the water bottles in a type of insulation to keep cool and protect from the elements
Is the roofing metal? was wondering if that really heats up the cage or makes it colder?
Thanks for the video series. I love it. Is there a reason you keep the breeders in elevated cages instead of tractors of there own? What is the benefit of that? Is there a reason not to have breeders on the ground that i missed
Idk why they decided to do that, but we put all our rabbits in tractors. We finally figured out a design that works very well for us. We decided that this winter we will keep all of them inside in elevated cages, this is our first time and we get several feet of snow and so we aren't ready for that experiment yet.
I thought it was for cooling, no poop, no parasites.
QUESTION: do you leave the tractors with the rabbits inside all night? Or do you wheel them into a barn area for extra protection? I scrolled through the comments to see if anyone had already asked this but didnt see anyone ask. Thank you for your time 💚
where do you buy your rabbit nesting boxes from?
What's the dimension of the nesting box?
Can you tell me where you get the cages you keep them in up above the ground please???
Could you have rollers on the four conners that can lock inplace when in use, then fold up when not in use.
+pandura gonzalez You sure could. I just haven't needed anything like that to move them. I just move them one space over each day and it's easy to do by myself.
We are in central AR, so you may get a little more winter than we do, but I wanted to ask if you still put the rabbits in grow out cages during winter months?
Question on the preferred tractor. It looks like the roof and partial wall are made from metal. Does it get real hot for the rabbits in there? I've watched all the rabbit-raising videos so far (I'm bingeing them to be honest), and I love all the info, so I know about the hose sprinkling and putting ice in. I'm just curious if the metal would kind of soak up the sun and make it hotter.
Have you thought of using PVC pipes at bottom of rabbit tractor, easier to move on grass? :)
Just a couple of questions. One, what material is providing the shade on your latest design? Two, why not extend the two upper side rails out so that they can be used as handles to help move the tractor?
How to keep the mosquitoes off the rabbits in the outside housing tractors? We have a terrible mosquito problem here.
I was wondering about keeping rabbits in tractors during the winter. I dont know how cold it gets there, but we get a lot of snow, are there tractor designs for cold weather?
I would like the answer to this, too.
The water bottles really are hard to find. They're currently unavailable at Amazon. Had to order the 32 oz. for the 3 Silver Foxes that I'll be able to pick up any time after this Saturday, at least for the time being - which will be fine, at least for now, for what will be the breeding trio cages.
I have my rabbits over dirt and I was wondering if you have ever used something like Sweet PDZ or Barn Lime under the cages? I use barn lime just sprinkled on the dirt when I clean the berries up and it seems to help with odor and flies don't seem as bad either. My Dad always used a bit of lime in his garden so I don't think it hurts the compost in any way either, but I'm not sure about that part.
We don't use anything under our cages. Be careful with lime. There are several different types, and not all of them are safe for the garden or for the respiratory system of animals and humans.
Thank you for a good series.
You did not mention the size of mesh squares in your cages or the tractors, am I right that the squares are smaller in the cage floors than the tractor floors? But the walls have the same square size.
1x2 for the sides. 2x4 on the bottom of the tractors and 1/2” x 1/2” on the cage floors. Kevin