A farmer who farms for meat, my golden rule is treat the animals with the most respect you can give them. After all, you are sacrificing their life for your own gain. Just treat them better.
When able, I pasture raise rabbits, but give them places to get away from predators. A stupid fox can come in and decimate everything if you're not careful. I like my rabbits to live happy healthy lives, and only experience a bad second.
Listen, you all are THE reason I expanded my small farm to raising rabbits. I am only a few short months (4 litters so far from 1 buck and 2 does) into it and finding my market increasing as word of mouth is getting around here in WV about the quality of meat we are putting out from our New Zealand's. I just recently added 2 more bucks and 2 more does to our herd to compensate for the increasing demand. The best thing I did was to get in touch with some old timers that loved to rabbit hunt but either don't or can't anymore and provide rabbit for them to eat once again. Thank you for your initial series on raising rabbits and I am looking forward to what you will present with this new series
1 buck and 2 does, then added 2 more bucks and 2 more does? I know this comment is 2 years old but for anyone else reading, 3 bucks for 4 does is not necessary. You can raise 5-6 does with 1 buck just fine. They're not getting married so they all don't need a different partner.
This is a gold standard I will share it with anyone who is interested in meat rabbits. My family has raised domestic rabbits and trapped wild ones for over 100 years
I don't eat meat - and, don't hate on me, because I don't hate on meat eaters - it just grosses me out 🤷♀️ but, that was to say that I watched this video anyway, because I love learning from Sarah. She really makes things so interesting!! Her smile & her personality make me smile & feel at peace. God bless y'all. Thanks, Sarah 💞
Bless you, I appreciate your spirit regarding our differences, I'm a meat eater but mad respect for this who chose not to:-) question, how to you get your protein need met?
Sarah, God has given us all various gifts. He has certainly given you and Kevin the gift of teaching. God bless you guys and keep on using your gift!!!
@@OM617a I'm not sure where you get your idea of God. I get mine from His inspired Word, the Bible. Just take a moment and read in the book of Genesis, chapter 9, verses 1 thru 3. God could not have been more clear. You say we are under the New Testament? Read the book of Romans, chapter 14, verses 1 thru 23. Again, it could not be more clear.
@@OM617a Did you read Romans, chapter 14, verses 1 thru 23? The book of Romans was written after the book of Matthew. I certainly would not eat meat in your presence or attempt to serve it to you. I totally agree we should not abuse God's creation. At this time, all meat is given by God to man for food. Eating that food is not abusing His creation. If eating food is abusing God's creation, why can we eat anything? Are not corn, wheat, beans and tomatoes God's creation also? God created man with bodies that need food to survive. We must eat or starve to death. One day our spiritual bodies may not need food, but at this time we need food.
My husband and I watch you all the time. We just purchased our first 2 bucks to start breeding meat rabbits, we already have a female - they are all mixed. You couldn't have started this series at a better time for us!
I'm not Sarah, and I know you're hoping that she'll reply but in the meantime I can tell you that you should get a very firm grip on the scruff and make sure your other hand is supporting their bottom really really well because they are terrified of falling. When you pick them up, do so slowly and get them against your chest as quickly as possible so they feel secure. Then, gently lay them on their back in your lap if possible and they will... For lack of a better term hypnotize. This is how you keep bunnies calm. I hope that helps :-)
@@dldez8590 It's the loose skin above their front shoulders. I'd add to Wytchwood's comment and add "the football carry". Tuck their face into your elbow and trap/support their back legs with the same hand, while your free hand is on top of them. You can also grab them by the belly, but you have to be quick & decisive with that movement.
Thanks a lot for your videos, you guys have taught me and my wife more than you can imagine, we both are cubans, and in Cuba we used to raise our animals and grow our food. Now a days we're living in Germany (in the city), and we really miss all the wonderful time we spent on the farm. We hope one day we can have our own homestead, here in lands of freedom. We also want to thank you for helping us to improve our English, it's been a blessing having you guys. Please pray for Cuba, and the suffering of the cubans who live in the island under the oppression of the Communist Dictatorial Regime. May the Lord bless you!!!
Every single time you teach I am pleased by your organization and good animal husbandry. Every farmer has an animal or two that doesn't thrive as expected but your farm is so well run. Your livestock thrives, your planning usually yields well and you learn from failures. Your channel is a pleasure to watch and the homestead is tidy to boot.
The harvesting of these precious bunnies is something I could never do. But, I do understand the reasoning behind using them for meat. Our ancestors did it all the time!!
I totally understand where you are coming from. I would theoretically like to do it but I am a softy. My grandfather tried to teach me to fish as a young kid. I couldn't put the worm on the hook. He gave me the doesn't feel pain speech. I looked back and commented about either it was going to be eaten by a fish or it would drown and it wouldn't like either. I was no older than 6 or 7. I enjoy eating fish. I even enjoy watching people fish. I just don't want to do the deed.
@@OM617a - True. But, in the instance of homesteading and providing various kinds of meat for their family, it is a choice and a right to do so. It’s personal choice.
I like the idea of raising animals for food that I know have been treated humanely. Slaughtering an animal would be very hard, but I'd provide the least stressful, least painful death for any animal I killed. I can eat animals. I loathe the idea of taking away their quality of life. Taking their life, and treating them horrifically while they live, is totally disrespectful of them in my opinion, and therefore unacceptable to me. Any rabbit I raised would live well for the 12 weeks of their life. They'd eat food they enjoyed, I'd note their likes. They would not be abused. They'd experience nature, the outdoors, as best I could provide. No animal wants to be used as food. I would loathe being a food animal. However, if I were a food animal I would want the predator harvesting me to ensure me a good quality of life and a good death, one where I experienced no terror or pain. I want my people to raise and slaughter all food animals humanely. My second choice for us would be to grow lab meat so that we killed no animal. My first choice for our species would be vegetarianism. My second choice of lab grown meat, with no harm to living animals. As many of us are meat eaters, we, at minumum, owe animals humane treatment and a painless death, to the best of our ability.
OMG Thank you Sarah. I watched your first series. Now I am preparing for my first rabbits and have been wondering aimlessly at other sites. Watching your videos I have grown to trust your advice thru your successes and failures. This could not have come at a better time. Forgive my gushing but I am very excited for this series. 🤣
I’ve been raising TAMU-K Composite meat rabbits for almost 2 years. These were developed at Texas A&M University at Kingsville to be raised in the backyard rabbitry. These are especially suitable in warmer areas since they have large ears, thin fur and are fertile even in summer. From breeding to freezer it’s 100-114days.
Yay!! I'm so happy to see a new series. I've just gotten into raising meat rabbits and I've watched and re-watched your old serious SOOOO many times! Looking forward to this one!
This is an excellent video!! Exactly what people need to know if they're trying to be a bit more self-sufficient, even in an urban/suburban setting. A few tips from what I learned raising rabbits back in 1964-66: Once the doe is ready to give birth, double -check to make sure the other bucks can't get to her, otherwise they might kill the babies. One buck was remarkably aggressive at getting through the wire mesh into the doe's cage immediately after she dropped her litter and killed all of the new litter . And the first time or two that the doe does drop a litter, be prepared to hand feed the babies. (I fed mine a mixture of warm milk and molasses through an eye dropper). Apparently it sometimes takes a litter or two before the doe's maternal instincts kick in.
Looking very forward to your teaching about rabbits. We have Flemish Giants. I rescued a pair over the summer. They are now mating. So perfect time for us to enjoy your shared knowledge. God bless
I'm excited with this video series u r doing Sarah. I'm sharing it with my daughter. She has just started raising meat rabbits & even though she has received different types of information I know your info will b top notch. I've followed u for 5-6 yrs & I know how thorough u & Kevin are. U r easy to understand as well. We both love love love that u r Christians & believe God has directed us your way. Thanks for this series. Take care & God Bless to u as well. 🙏❤🙌❤🇺🇸
If you go back about 4 years and watch Sarah's rabbit series in order and then watch this series, you will be more knowledgeable than many sellers offering rabbits on Craigslist! I have watched the earliest series twice back to back and again 2 years ago and learned something new every time! We raised rabbits on the farm while growing up and learned that I knew less than I thought so trust Sarah. I will be watching this new series start to finish once she completes it. A tip is that it's okay to name your breeding stock, but not the ones you want to butcher. Blessings to you on your family and your rabbitry adventure
This is excellent information, and I am so appreciative you are doing this. Our homeowners insurance will no longer let us board horses at our farm as extra income -- we have never had an accident, never filed a claim, are very strict with rules, etc. -- but they put the kabosh on boarding, so I have been looking into rabbits for manure in the garden/raising fishing worms/meat for the uncertain times ahead. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. Looking forward to the next video.
I’m so excited about the new series!! Your original series was my bunny bible and my gateway into rabbits, many years ago! Thank you for these wonderfully informative videos!
Hey Sarah and Kevin! I have been watching your channel for years. We moved into our first homestead last year and hit the ground running by getting laying hens and clearing out a very large garden area with plans on adding raised beds and extending it out a bit, but we also planned ahead and got rabbit cages knowing they might be more expensive or hard to find later 9because of all the chaos), so right now we have 4 large rabbit cages and we plan to build a tree around them with leftover metal roofing from the project that was done on our home. We are very excited because this will be the first animal we raise for meat and it will start our journey towards being self sufficient. We are so thankful that you are once again making a series about rabbits because for us it is just in time! Here is our question: What is the best way to build a rabbit tree that will both save the manure for gardening later and also protect the rabbits from the heat of the Summer and the bitter cold in the Winter? We live in the frozen North so any advice on keeping them warm would be much appreciated. Thank you!! Now I'm going to go get ready for the eight inches on snow heading our way in about an hour =)
Honestly, Sarah, when I saw the topic of the video, I was just going to delete it, however, I gave you a few seconds and WOW...OFF TO THE RACES! You were a joy to watch in the sunshine beside your maker of miracles, and he, of course, was something of a scene-stealer, but it was your content that was so interesting. I'm in my 7th decade, and will never be any closer than this to a rabbit now, but I couldn't stop watching to the end...and will, I'm sure, enjoy the upcoming segments of Sarah's Rabbits! God bless your family thru the celebration of the birth of our King. This is SUCH a welcomed departure of what's making so much NOISE in the world! THANK YOU! : )
We started our rabbitry last year from watching your teachings and rabbits and how many to get how to prep them how to raise them so thank you so much for all the information. We are raising Californians and very happy with the breed. Thanks again for all your teachings and as always God bless you all :-)
I love rabbit meat. I never raised them I just hunted them on our ranch in mountains in Colorado all were snowshoe and cottontail but they were plentiful and always loved how great they taste. Oh and they were all white meat. Glad you are helping others to know how great they are
So glad you are updating your rabbit series. I've watched your older series a couple of times. I have my cages, water's, feeders. Just waiting for my husband to build a frame. Then I get to find a breeding pair. Thank you so much 💓. Blessings
Also this will be my first time having rabbits, last year I got chickens and still have them. Gardening is a challenge,. You and Kevin have been such an inspiration and a blessing. God is Good!
Yayyyy Congratulations on your up coming new adventure SoilSista! We just got rabbits and we also have chickens. Rabbits are fun. Very cute and sweet little rabbits. Easy to care for and multi purpose for our 1 acre homestead. Building the hutch was fun and easy. We have baby bunnies coming so but everything about rabbits so far has been great. Many blessings to you and your family 🐇
@@BlacksTropicalHomestead Thank you for the encouragement in this new adventure. I'm in South Louisiana so hopefully the heat won't take them out. We're on a 50 by 150 lot . But they'll be under an awning with a dirt floor. Looking forward to some rabbit fertilizer! Blessings
@@kristinebeedle657 Yes ma'am we worried about the heat also being in Savannah Georgia but we did fine a awesome breeder in our area and our rabbits are very healthy and happy. We will set up little fans for air in our hutch. We will upload more videos soon as we get baby's and more things set up to keep everyone posted on how our rabbits weather the Savannah heat. 🙏🏾
I started watching your first rabbit series when i had rabbits. And it sucked me in to your entire lives. Always cant wait to wTch your guys next video! Keep it up!!
Love love love we use to breed meat rabbits for years would love to get back into it We use to breed NZ whites flemish giants love them both as meat breeds but the NZ whites we found were the best all round than any other as my family use to breed many many different breeds and the N Z whites by far are the best meat rabbit the best flavor the best meat to bone ratio we found even over California's at the same age of 3 months the NZ won out every time looking forward to this teaching series as it been 10 years since breeding rabbits for meat this will be a perfect refresher and learning new skills
This series is coming at the perfect time for me. I just bred my buck to the first of three does. I have read Bob Bennett's Raising Rabbits book. Good resource. Thanks for the video. Great info!
Just got my rabbits and am also getting ready to bread my buck to the first of three does. KO4JXQ too funny how you meet other HAM Radio enthusiasts in other channels :-)
@@HoofNTaleFarm it is. Especially considering how our numbers have dropped over the decades. But I think there is renewed interest. I think dropping CW from the general test helped, but I'm still torn if that was a good idea or not. Whatever keeps the amateur bands going is a good thing I guess. Best of luck with the rabbits. I never knew a rabbit could bite so hard.
Since I started raising rabbits I found that some breed have a strong tastes (Chinchilla Rabbits for one). My favorite Breeds are Standard Rex, and Dutch.
Very interesting even though I don't have rabbits I have friends who do and agree that the meat is delicious and tastes like chicken. Thank you for sharing looking forward to the next session.
We loved our French Angoras ( wool meat babies) and American Chinchillas (pelt meat babies). When you have a under 5-acre homestead the more purposes you can check off the better.
Thank you so much for including the location ("Missouri") right above your title. I wish every homesteading channel would do that! I have been a subscriber of this channel for a long time and already knew where you are generally, but this is relevant. My own properties are in Florida, so I have to factor in differences of climates when learning from other homesteaders. This series is right on time as I am preparing to start raising meat rabbits soon. I am grateful for your knowledge and willingness to share what you know and what you are learning as you continue to develop your properties.
I really enjoy your videos. I was raised on a ranch but now retired. Thought I would look into rabbits. You have been the best source for information. The sound is perfect for me. Thank you.
Could you also include how/what type of cage to have - similar to Kevin's how-to regarding quail cages for larger productions? Especially so as to avoid those things that you mentioned to look for when a rabbit has been on wire too much. Thanks!! You guys are the best homesteaders that I've seen on YT - no one has as clean of an environment for their animals as you two have.
I raised for years New Zealand's. I used a floor mat and never had any problems using wire cages. I recommend if you build your own to buy high grade wire, rabbit urine is strong and will rust cheap galvanized wire quickly. Also doing regular cleaning maintenance is a must. Californians are great rabbits but are more prone to getting sore hocks. I would have my does in 24 x 24 cages and 30 x 30 cages. We built a shelving system to hang them and trays to catch the urine and poo. We double stacked them. My dad and I had a decent rabbitry (30 breeding does and (5 to 10 bucks) but after his heart attack in 2013 we started scaling it down. By 2015 we had sold most of the equipment and I gave most of the rabbits to 4-H families. Dad had a stroke late 2015 so I was thankful we took that worry off of his plate.
I had to go the cheap route and use hardware cloth and 2x material. I built the floor separate so it could be replaced easily. My cages are 24x42 and 2ft high. I give them an 8x10 piece of thin plywood to sit on when they want off the wire floor. I give them sticks to chew on and treats when I can. Happy and healthy animals are very productive and satisfying.
Exactly . . . add some fat; i.e., butter; keep it moving. This is SO valuable. Thank you ma'am. Sent a link to hubby. We are building a homestead right now.
I am amazed, we have two and have been waiting for babies. I appreciate your videos! Your videos have blessed my family so much. God bless you & yours.
I remember when you posted that you were done raising rabbits and weren't going to do it again. I'm glad you're staking it back up and sharing your experiences. Thank you.
Great video! Lots of excellent information. One thing, also, to ask the seller that you might want to include in the series: when buying a male and several females from one seller, find out if they are related. If the seller is unsure, I would buy the male from a different seller to be on the safe side. I'm looking forward to hearing about the processing part - I haven't a clue on that part, having only raised them as pets in the past. :-)
I can't wait to learn more! We REALLY want to get started raising rabbits (& quail)! I have a few questions. 1) I live in Southeastern Alabama - how do rabbits handle heat or what do I need to do to help them survive the heat/humidity? 2) Is there a minimum / maximum cage size? Is it better (more cost effective) to build your own or just buy ready made at the farm store? 3) Do YOU guys build or buy your cages? If you build - can you & Kevin do a "how to" video on that like he has done with his quail cages. 4) What about cages vs. rabbit tractors? 5). If you use a rabbit tractor are there grasses/weeds you should NOT use it on?
Heat is the enemy, use fans during the summer and well ventilated with shade. It's cheaper to build your own cages, we used wire shelving from Lowes. The kind of shelving that's foiled in plastic. It's easier on their feet... We haven't had an issue so far. We don't use rabbit tractors, we don't let them touch the ground as to minimize parasite contamination. Hook worms and such. They are a joy to raise, and it's nice knowing what you're putting you body.
I just started my little Homestead back the 1st of March and I have lionhead as well as Rex. The Rex are intended to be the meat rabbits and the lion heads to sell as babies. I haven't started breeding them yet I was over wintering for now so I'm glad to see this thank you. :-) anything that will affect your rabbits will affect mine as we're pretty close to each other
Your videos on rabbit tractors is how we found your channel. Next, we learned about using landscape fabric. We were hooked. Love your channel and really appreciate your teaching series. We found another family here in Wisconsin who are fans of your channel too. Last week we sold the rabbits we had to another younger family along with the rabbit tractor that we had modeled after your pattern. They too learned about rabbit raising from your channel! You're a blessing to our family, and are blessing others too!
I live in a condo, but feel this is super information. Thanks Sarah!. Your family have a Blessed Christmas with amazing miracles! I think we are all about to see some amazing changes.
Thank you for this timely information. We are a little lost, well more lost than we thought but are willing to learn and prepare for our family. Looking forward to watching again and taking good notes on this video and any you develop. Blessings and Merry Christmas.
Good Information! I have been raising rabbits on and off for over 40 years. I have specialized in American Chinchilla rabbits because of the temperament and the does have huge litters. My does would have 10 to 11 kits and raise them all. Great rabbits but hard to find. They are on the watch list with Livestock Conservancy. The other rabbit to consider is the TAMUK a New Zealand rabbit developed by Texas A & M University at Kingsville. They were developed to stand the heat of Texas and be a productive meat rabbit. Thanks for the new series. I'll be setting up my rabbitry again and giving it a go.
I am moving to a farm (empty) in January and I want to start a homestead. Having rabbits for meal would be awesome it looks like so, I will watch to learn from this series. Thanks so much!
Thank you for showing us how to start raising rabbits. I raised them when I was a kid for a few years but a refresher course was needed and here it is.
I'm soooo glad you decided to do a series on rabbits. I plan on buying a few rabbits this spring, but while I found tons of information on chickens (already have 6, thanks to your previous lessons), there isn't much information about rabbits out there on the Interweb. For example: what makes a good cage? What minimum size per rabbit is required? Can you put more than 1 rabbit per cage? What is best to use for the non-wire area in a cage? Best feeder/waterers? Do they need heat sources? Or lighting? What is the best way to set up for manure collection? Lol. I'll stop here, but I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series. If it's anything like your previous homesteading series, I know we will all enjoy them and walk away with an "I can do this too" attitude. You and Keven are the best. God bless.
Very cool. So much info in this video. I’ve been looking around for rabbits to raise on our farm stay, but not for meat. Of course we need poop for the gardens, but for breeding and cuddling too. Lot of our guests would love to interact with bunnies and rabbits. Serious question though…Do rabbits really need to be kept in a hutch or can I build them a shed type house that people could go into the “Bunny Barn” and interact with them. Maybe a protected run attached with grass and weeds. I was thinking to put fencing all over under the ground in the run to prevent them escaping. Sound like a great idea? Or too difficult? Really excited for this series as I’ve never raised rabbits before, great idea to do this again. Chad.
I have seen rabbits raised in shed, in rabbit tractors, outside in fenced area in colonies.. soo many different ways. We have outdoors hutches, fenced area in the garden where I let them run sometimes and I am thinking about making a space for them in shed and try small colony. Good luck with your bunnies :-)
@@HowlingWheelsAdventures that’s good to know, so my idea on how to house them is ok. Thanks so much. Any idea what’s a beautiful rabbit for cuddling and good with the winter? All I know is Mini Rex. Gotta do some more research. Thanks though. Chad.
@@HiddenSpringFarm yeah, your idea is great. The more variatety you can provide for the better I think. The worse that can happen to rabbits is to be raised in tiny cages so anything better than that is great. Happy rabbits with space to exercise and explore have better immune system and less health problems.
Very much looking forward to this series! We just had our first season raising meat rabbits and I am looking forward to learning from you to prepare for our next season after winter 😁
Many thanks for all those information. I have already 3 rabbits (2 bucks and 1 doe) and looking to breed them for meat. I will be following your series.
Looking forward to this series and I have watched the other one as I prepare to start raising rabbits. Maybe I missed it, but my question is at what age do you stop breeding and then what do you do with them? Also, when that time comes do you just hold back a replacement breeder from a recent litter? Thanks for everything and Merry Christmas!
Thank you for sharing this information. My husband isn’t too interested in raising & eating rabbits, but I love to learn. Ya never know what the future holds.
keep rabbit hutches and sleeping box out of the wind - biggest issue, and have shade in summer heat, and out of cold and wind in the winter. even in barn or garage setting, in winter cover the top and sides of the hutch to keep in warmth and prevent cold airflow from chilling the rabbits.
Depending on your location, 2 methods can be used to naturally cool or warm your hutches. Reflectix (double mylar surface bubble wrap) can be used in southern latitudes. Radiant Barrier (dark cotton fiber insulation with single mylar suface) can be used in northern latitudes. Wrap the sides of the hutch (and if need be the top if you solid wood roof), and double stick tape all together. Cut out a front hanging doorway and back doorway. In the summer, fully open up the back doorway, and prop open the front doorway (like a tent canopy). The canopy stops majority of light bouncing onto the interior mylar, but allows proper airflow and cooling. In winter, keep back doorway shut, while having the front doorway partially open, allowing proper airflow from the front door and the bottom of the hutch and some winter sunlight coming in, while having natural heat retention through the entire hutch for the rabbit.
If you are in the south, then one could also consider using Tyvek housing wrap (or the 3M counterpart air barrier). Lightweight, easy to double stick, cut out doorways, and leave over the hutch. Normal Tyvek roll is 9 ft tall - for many uses and 100 ft in length for many constructions. Any other building construction, you could probably ask those contractor-constructors to pick up the refuse Tyvek from the garbage pile - for free. Tyvek allows diffuse light to come into the hutch, but stops glaring sunlight (and heat), or in winter in an enclosed area (barn, shed, or garage) will allow building's light and heat to pass into hutch and be retained, and also have proper airflow.
Thank you, Sarah! This was awesome. I have been thinking about raising rabbits. I just didn't know where to start. When I do it, i will definitely watch this again. I love your videos. I've learned so much. Thank you!
This is so exciting as I just got 2 Does and a Buck last Saturday! Your series of videos were such a source of information and I am so grateful to you! God bless you, from South Africa
Glad to see your doing these rabbit videos. Just getting started again with TAMUK rabbits this time. It gets pretty hot here in Texas and these should do much better than the California or Rex I’ve raised before.
So glad to see you doing another series! I want to thank you for the original series. It was my main go-to for when we decided we wanted rabbits. I watched those videos constantly, until I felt confident enough. We're now a year into our rabbit journey, and very glad we started! Great information, and very thorough! Thank you again, for all you guys do for us fellow homesteaders, and aspiring homesteaders :)
Thank you so much Sarah for starting this new series! I want to take more control of my food supply. I am at the information gathering stage and this is very well timed. Im in NWOhio so we are a bit north of you. I need to learn how to them healthy during extreme heat and cold. We dont have a barn or outbuildings to keep them in. We do have about an acre of untreated grass so Im thinking tractors would be a good choice for us.I am also feeling a bit timid about the part of rabbit keeping where I will have to process them for the table.
Hello. With the age of this vlog. I'm not sure you will even get this. But my wife and I have watch yall for several years. We are in the process of getting into rabbit raising for meat. Gardening for years. Chickens for a couple years. And just the next thing on our list. We both work full time but so love the life we are creating with the help of the Lord and all the youtub vlogs. Blessings Warren
Beautiful buck. We are starting in backyard with rabbits too like you did and having small front yard garden and lots of growing pots everywhere. Hopefully we will upgrade to one acre too one day. We just started watching your old videos and it's very inspiring to see that you made it soo far. You are amazing ❤ Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪 😀
I raised rabbits for a few years a long time ago. I was careful about interbreeding and then I had a 2 yr old doe with her 3 litter eat every one. I got pretty put off by that but kept at it. She did it again and then I was done. They had a good diet and large individual cages with indoor space and out door space. Is there anything that can cause that behavior or is that now a rabbit for the pot?
This after trying several litters , should become pot meat . Find another doe , and quit wasting time with this rabbit , not ALL rabbits make good moms , just like people .
This is so helpful! We are going to pick up our first rabbits tomorrow and I have taken notes off of your video of things to look for and what to ask. Thank you for doing this video
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
A farmer who farms for meat, my golden rule is treat the animals with the most respect you can give them. After all, you are sacrificing their life for your own gain. Just treat them better.
When able, I pasture raise rabbits, but give them places to get away from predators. A stupid fox can come in and decimate everything if you're not careful. I like my rabbits to live happy healthy lives, and only experience a bad second.
Listen, you all are THE reason I expanded my small farm to raising rabbits. I am only a few short months (4 litters so far from 1 buck and 2 does) into it and finding my market increasing as word of mouth is getting around here in WV about the quality of meat we are putting out from our New Zealand's. I just recently added 2 more bucks and 2 more does to our herd to compensate for the increasing demand.
The best thing I did was to get in touch with some old timers that loved to rabbit hunt but either don't or can't anymore and provide rabbit for them to eat once again.
Thank you for your initial series on raising rabbits and I am looking forward to what you will present with this new series
Where at in WV are you Darren?
Yea live in wv also and may like to purchase a new breeder for my rabbits
How can you be so ugly, to abuse and kill such a fragile and beautiful animal. Go find your self a job instead of abusing animal for money.
1 buck and 2 does, then added 2 more bucks and 2 more does? I know this comment is 2 years old but for anyone else reading, 3 bucks for 4 does is not necessary. You can raise 5-6 does with 1 buck just fine. They're not getting married so they all don't need a different partner.
So kind to do that for them. I am sure that brings a whole lot of joy to you and them as well.
This is a gold standard I will share it with anyone who is interested in meat rabbits. My family has raised domestic rabbits and trapped wild ones for over 100 years
I learned about raising rabbits from my grandmother over 50 years ago. This knowledge is timeless and your video is excellent. Thank you for sharing.
Passing down knowledge is important which is why RUclips is so great to allow anyone to put out their own experiences and information.
I don't eat meat - and, don't hate on me, because I don't hate on meat eaters - it just grosses me out 🤷♀️ but, that was to say that I watched this video anyway, because I love learning from Sarah. She really makes things so interesting!! Her smile & her personality make me smile & feel at peace. God bless y'all. Thanks, Sarah 💞
I don’t eat meat either. just can’t. … afraid to watch because she might show the process.
@@theresatyree3090 Ahahahaha, I understand that. She doesn't, so you're safe! 😉
Are you going to have a video on your housing set up? I would love to see the differences in what y'all do and what I've seen before
Bless you, I appreciate your spirit regarding our differences, I'm a meat eater but mad respect for this who chose not to:-) question, how to you get your protein need met?
Then don't view how rabbits are raised for eating especially now in 3023 2022 inflation will encourage raising animals for sustenance
Sarah,
God has given us all various gifts. He has certainly given you and Kevin the gift of teaching. God bless you guys and keep on using your gift!!!
I agree
Yes, they have been a blessing to me.
Amen, Phil!👍
@@OM617a I'm not sure where you get your idea of God. I get mine from His inspired Word, the Bible. Just take a moment and read in the book of Genesis, chapter 9, verses 1 thru 3. God could not have been more clear. You say we are under the New Testament? Read the book of Romans, chapter 14, verses 1 thru 23. Again, it could not be more clear.
@@OM617a Did you read Romans, chapter 14, verses 1 thru 23? The book of Romans was written after the book of Matthew. I certainly would not eat meat in your presence or attempt to serve it to you. I totally agree we should not abuse God's creation. At this time, all meat is given by God to man for food. Eating that food is not abusing His creation. If eating food is abusing God's creation, why can we eat anything? Are not corn, wheat, beans and tomatoes God's creation also? God created man with bodies that need food to survive. We must eat or starve to death. One day our spiritual bodies may not need food, but at this time we need food.
My husband and I watch you all the time. We just purchased our first 2 bucks to start breeding meat rabbits, we already have a female - they are all mixed. You couldn't have started this series at a better time for us!
Will you please show us how to handle the rabbits? Like the best way to pick them up and hold them for health checks.
I'm not Sarah, and I know you're hoping that she'll reply but in the meantime I can tell you that you should get a very firm grip on the scruff and make sure your other hand is supporting their bottom really really well because they are terrified of falling. When you pick them up, do so slowly and get them against your chest as quickly as possible so they feel secure. Then, gently lay them on their back in your lap if possible and they will... For lack of a better term hypnotize. This is how you keep bunnies calm. I hope that helps :-)
@@wytchwoodhomesteadandkenne5036 what is the scruff?
@@dldez8590 It's the loose skin above their front shoulders. I'd add to Wytchwood's comment and add "the football carry". Tuck their face into your elbow and trap/support their back legs with the same hand, while your free hand is on top of them. You can also grab them by the belly, but you have to be quick & decisive with that movement.
I did a video on handling that may be helpful for you.
Thanks a lot for your videos, you guys have taught me and my wife more than you can imagine, we both are cubans, and in Cuba we used to raise our animals and grow our food. Now a days we're living in Germany (in the city), and we really miss all the wonderful time we spent on the farm. We hope one day we can have our own homestead, here in lands of freedom. We also want to thank you for helping us to improve our English, it's been a blessing having you guys. Please pray for Cuba, and the suffering of the cubans who live in the island under the oppression of the Communist Dictatorial Regime. May the Lord bless you!!!
Every single time you teach I am pleased by your organization and good animal husbandry. Every farmer has an animal or two that doesn't thrive as expected but your farm is so well run. Your livestock thrives, your planning usually yields well and you learn from failures. Your channel is a pleasure to watch and the homestead is tidy to boot.
The harvesting of these precious bunnies is something I could never do. But, I do understand the reasoning behind using them for meat. Our ancestors did it all the time!!
It is hard. But so rewarding all in all that we just tighten our belt, pray for strength and with gratitude, and get it done.
I totally understand where you are coming from. I would theoretically like to do it but I am a softy. My grandfather tried to teach me to fish as a young kid. I couldn't put the worm on the hook. He gave me the doesn't feel pain speech. I looked back and commented about either it was going to be eaten by a fish or it would drown and it wouldn't like either. I was no older than 6 or 7. I enjoy eating fish. I even enjoy watching people fish. I just don't want to do the deed.
@@OM617a - True. But, in the instance of homesteading and providing various kinds of meat for their family, it is a choice and a right to do so. It’s personal choice.
@@OM617a - we simply differ in opinions. I respect your right to disagree. Have a nice holiday, and many good blessings to you and your family.
I like the idea of raising animals for food that I know have been treated humanely. Slaughtering an animal would be very hard, but I'd provide the least stressful, least painful death for any animal I killed. I can eat animals. I loathe the idea of taking away their quality of life. Taking their life, and treating them horrifically while they live, is totally disrespectful of them in my opinion, and therefore unacceptable to me. Any rabbit I raised would live well for the 12 weeks of their life. They'd eat food they enjoyed, I'd note their likes. They would not be abused. They'd experience nature, the outdoors, as best I could provide. No animal wants to be used as food. I would loathe being a food animal. However, if I were a food animal I would want the predator harvesting me to ensure me a good quality of life and a good death, one where I experienced no terror or pain. I want my people to raise and slaughter all food animals humanely. My second choice for us would be to grow lab meat so that we killed no animal. My first choice for our species would be vegetarianism. My second choice of lab grown meat, with no harm to living animals. As many of us are meat eaters, we, at minumum, owe animals humane treatment and a painless death, to the best of our ability.
OMG Thank you Sarah. I watched your first series. Now I am preparing for my first rabbits and have been wondering aimlessly at other sites. Watching your videos I have grown to trust your advice thru your successes and failures.
This could not have come at a better time. Forgive my gushing but I am very excited for this series. 🤣
I’ve been raising TAMU-K Composite meat rabbits for almost 2 years. These were developed at Texas A&M University at Kingsville to be raised in the backyard rabbitry. These are especially suitable in warmer areas since they have large ears, thin fur and are fertile even in summer. From breeding to freezer it’s 100-114days.
Fertile even in summer?! Wow!
I'm in Texas and would love to check out the TAMU-K composite meat rabbits. Where did you get them. I'm in Conroe, Texas.
I’m raising TAMUK composts also
@@busybunnyhomestead yes, hello! I’m Gayla Parker in Tyler Texas, I recognize you from the FB group.
@@MrsSecor Yes, we breed year round with no issues. Large litters.
Yay!! I'm so happy to see a new series. I've just gotten into raising meat rabbits and I've watched and re-watched your old serious SOOOO many times! Looking forward to this one!
This is an excellent video!! Exactly what people need to know if they're trying to be a bit more self-sufficient, even in an urban/suburban setting. A few tips from what I learned raising rabbits back in 1964-66: Once the doe is ready to give birth, double -check to make sure the other bucks can't get to her, otherwise they might kill the babies. One buck was remarkably aggressive at getting through the wire mesh into the doe's cage immediately after she dropped her litter and killed all of the new litter . And the first time or two that the doe does drop a litter, be prepared to hand feed the babies. (I fed mine a mixture of warm milk and molasses through an eye dropper). Apparently it sometimes takes a litter or two before the doe's maternal instincts kick in.
Looking very forward to your teaching about rabbits. We have Flemish Giants. I rescued a pair over the summer. They are now mating. So perfect time for us to enjoy your shared knowledge. God bless
So glad to see you back in the game!!!
While watching this video, a notification popped up for my verse of the day. Psalm 32:8. Think God's leading me in the right direction!!?? :)
I'm excited with this video series u r doing Sarah. I'm sharing it with my daughter. She has just started raising meat rabbits & even though she has received different types of information I know your info will b top notch. I've followed u for 5-6 yrs & I know how thorough u & Kevin are. U r easy to understand as well. We both love love love that u r Christians & believe God has directed us your way. Thanks for this series. Take care & God Bless to u as well.
🙏❤🙌❤🇺🇸
Very excited about the series cuz my husband I are wanting to start raising rabbits for meat but we have no idea even where to begin
If you go back about 4 years and watch Sarah's rabbit series in order and then watch this series, you will be more knowledgeable than many sellers offering rabbits on Craigslist! I have watched the earliest series twice back to back and again 2 years ago and learned something new every time! We raised rabbits on the farm while growing up and learned that I knew less than I thought so trust Sarah. I will be watching this new series start to finish once she completes it. A tip is that it's okay to name your breeding stock, but not the ones you want to butcher. Blessings to you on your family and your rabbitry adventure
We have been there! Just start. We are a year in. So simple. We are doing it in an urban backyard.
This is excellent information, and I am so appreciative you are doing this. Our homeowners insurance will no longer let us board horses at our farm as extra income -- we have never had an accident, never filed a claim, are very strict with rules, etc. -- but they put the kabosh on boarding, so I have been looking into rabbits for manure in the garden/raising fishing worms/meat for the uncertain times ahead. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. Looking forward to the next video.
I learned about raising rabbits on your first video and have been doing it ever since
Thank you for all you are teachings all of us
Just finished watching the one you did 4 years ago yesterday. Happy you did another one
We just started meat rabbits this year and I super enjoy it. The meat is amazing
I’m so excited about the new series!! Your original series was my bunny bible and my gateway into rabbits, many years ago! Thank you for these wonderfully informative videos!
Rabbit fertilizer is the best!!!! 2 birds,1 stone great job!!!!
Looking forward to geeking out on rabbits and learning as much as I can from you! Thanks for doing this series!
Hey Sarah and Kevin! I have been watching your channel for years. We moved into our first homestead last year and hit the ground running by getting laying hens and clearing out a very large garden area with plans on adding raised beds and extending it out a bit, but we also planned ahead and got rabbit cages knowing they might be more expensive or hard to find later 9because of all the chaos), so right now we have 4 large rabbit cages and we plan to build a tree around them with leftover metal roofing from the project that was done on our home. We are very excited because this will be the first animal we raise for meat and it will start our journey towards being self sufficient. We are so thankful that you are once again making a series about rabbits because for us it is just in time!
Here is our question: What is the best way to build a rabbit tree that will both save the manure for gardening later and also protect the rabbits from the heat of the Summer and the bitter cold in the Winter?
We live in the frozen North so any advice on keeping them warm would be much appreciated. Thank you!! Now I'm going to go get ready for the eight inches on snow heading our way in about an hour =)
Honestly, Sarah, when I saw the topic of the video, I was just going to delete it, however, I gave you a few seconds and WOW...OFF TO THE RACES! You were a joy to watch in the sunshine beside your maker of miracles, and he, of course, was something of a scene-stealer, but it was your content that was so interesting. I'm in my 7th decade, and will never be any closer than this to a rabbit now, but I couldn't stop watching to the end...and will, I'm sure, enjoy the upcoming segments of Sarah's Rabbits! God bless your family thru the celebration of the birth of our King. This is SUCH a welcomed departure of what's making so much NOISE in the world! THANK YOU! : )
We started our rabbitry last year from watching your teachings and rabbits and how many to get how to prep them how to raise them so thank you so much for all the information. We are raising Californians and very happy with the breed. Thanks again for all your teachings and as always God bless you all :-)
I just started watching this channel. I love it so far.
I love rabbit meat. I never raised them I just hunted them on our ranch in mountains in Colorado all were snowshoe and cottontail but they were plentiful and always loved how great they taste. Oh and they were all white meat. Glad you are helping others to know how great they are
So glad you are updating your rabbit series. I've watched your older series a couple of times. I have my cages, water's, feeders. Just waiting for my husband to build a frame. Then I get to find a breeding pair. Thank you so much 💓. Blessings
Also this will be my first time having rabbits, last year I got chickens and still have them. Gardening is a challenge,. You and Kevin have been such an inspiration and a blessing. God is Good!
Yayyyy Congratulations on your up coming new adventure SoilSista! We just got rabbits and we also have chickens. Rabbits are fun. Very cute and sweet little rabbits. Easy to care for and multi purpose for our 1 acre homestead. Building the hutch was fun and easy. We have baby bunnies coming so but everything about rabbits so far has been great. Many blessings to you and your family 🐇
@@BlacksTropicalHomestead Thank you for the encouragement in this new adventure. I'm in South Louisiana so hopefully the heat won't take them out. We're on a 50 by 150 lot . But they'll be under an awning with a dirt floor. Looking forward to some rabbit fertilizer! Blessings
@@kristinebeedle657 Yes ma'am we worried about the heat also being in Savannah Georgia but we did fine a awesome breeder in our area and our rabbits are very healthy and happy. We will set up little fans for air in our hutch. We will upload more videos soon as we get baby's and more things set up to keep everyone posted on how our rabbits weather the Savannah heat. 🙏🏾
Very timely! I have 3 Mamas right now! My first time and one of the Mama's first time. We have 20 baby bunnies!
I started watching your first rabbit series when i had rabbits. And it sucked me in to your entire lives. Always cant wait to wTch your guys next video! Keep it up!!
Love love love we use to breed meat rabbits for years would love to get back into it
We use to breed NZ whites flemish giants love them both as meat breeds but the NZ whites we found were the best all round than any other as my family use to breed many many different breeds and the N Z whites by far are the best meat rabbit the best flavor the best meat to bone ratio we found even over California's at the same age of 3 months the NZ won out every time looking forward to this teaching series as it been 10 years since breeding rabbits for meat this will be a perfect refresher and learning new skills
This series is coming at the perfect time for me. I just bred my buck to the first of three does. I have read Bob Bennett's Raising Rabbits book. Good resource. Thanks for the video. Great info!
Hey,,, I'm a HAM too !
@@JT-py9lv 73's to you and yours!
Just got my rabbits and am also getting ready to bread my buck to the first of three does. KO4JXQ too funny how you meet other HAM Radio enthusiasts in other channels :-)
@@HoofNTaleFarm it is. Especially considering how our numbers have dropped over the decades. But I think there is renewed interest. I think dropping CW from the general test helped, but I'm still torn if that was a good idea or not. Whatever keeps the amateur bands going is a good thing I guess. Best of luck with the rabbits. I never knew a rabbit could bite so hard.
That's cool y'all are going back to rabbits. I was sad when y'all got rid of them about 4 years ago. Been following y'all for a long time now
Perfect timing - this is my next undertaking for the homestead❤️!
The first series was great. I send folks to it all the time.
Since I started raising rabbits I found that some breed have a strong tastes (Chinchilla Rabbits for one). My favorite Breeds are Standard Rex, and Dutch.
Our does just came in! We are excited for babies!
Very interesting even though I don't have rabbits I have friends who do and agree that the meat is delicious and tastes like chicken. Thank you for sharing looking forward to the next session.
We loved our French Angoras ( wool meat babies) and American Chinchillas (pelt meat babies). When you have a under 5-acre homestead the more purposes you can check off the better.
People eat chinchillas?
@I-hate-youtube797 Nah it's a breed of rabbit called the chinchilla rabbit. Same grey color as their namesake.
Thank you so much for including the location ("Missouri") right above your title. I wish every homesteading channel would do that! I have been a subscriber of this channel for a long time and already knew where you are generally, but this is relevant. My own properties are in Florida, so I have to factor in differences of climates when learning from other homesteaders. This series is right on time as I am preparing to start raising meat rabbits soon. I am grateful for your knowledge and willingness to share what you know and what you are learning as you continue to develop your properties.
I really enjoy your videos. I was raised on a ranch but now retired. Thought I would look into rabbits. You have been the best source for information. The sound is perfect for me. Thank you.
Could you also include how/what type of cage to have - similar to Kevin's how-to regarding quail cages for larger productions? Especially so as to avoid those things that you mentioned to look for when a rabbit has been on wire too much. Thanks!! You guys are the best homesteaders that I've seen on YT - no one has as clean of an environment for their animals as you two have.
There are resting mats that you can get for the cages. Or you can use squares of untreated wood or tiles (these are good for coolness in the summer).
I raised for years New Zealand's. I used a floor mat and never had any problems using wire cages. I recommend if you build your own to buy high grade wire, rabbit urine is strong and will rust cheap galvanized wire quickly. Also doing regular cleaning maintenance is a must. Californians are great rabbits but are more prone to getting sore hocks. I would have my does in 24 x 24 cages and 30 x 30 cages. We built a shelving system to hang them and trays to catch the urine and poo. We double stacked them. My dad and I had a decent rabbitry (30 breeding does and (5 to 10 bucks) but after his heart attack in 2013 we started scaling it down. By 2015 we had sold most of the equipment and I gave most of the rabbits to 4-H families. Dad had a stroke late 2015 so I was thankful we took that worry off of his plate.
I had to go the cheap route and use hardware cloth and 2x material. I built the floor separate so it could be replaced easily. My cages are 24x42 and 2ft high. I give them an 8x10 piece of thin plywood to sit on when they want off the wire floor. I give them sticks to chew on and treats when I can. Happy and healthy animals are very productive and satisfying.
Exactly . . . add some fat; i.e., butter; keep it moving. This is SO valuable. Thank you ma'am. Sent a link to hubby. We are building a homestead right now.
Wonderful info. I will watch again to make sure I didn't miss anything!!!
I am amazed, we have two and have been waiting for babies. I appreciate your videos! Your videos have blessed my family so much. God bless you & yours.
Oooo I'm early for a change! Great to see a new video before bedtime! God bless you and the family (and the animals!).
I remember when you posted that you were done raising rabbits and weren't going to do it again. I'm glad you're staking it back up and sharing your experiences. Thank you.
Great video! Lots of excellent information. One thing, also, to ask the seller that you might want to include in the series: when buying a male and several females from one seller, find out if they are related. If the seller is unsure, I would buy the male from a different seller to be on the safe side. I'm looking forward to hearing about the processing part - I haven't a clue on that part, having only raised them as pets in the past. :-)
I love the fact that you teach, some u-tubers just show everyday feeding etc.
So lovely to see your smiling face this morning! Thank you for this video. I just bought a home in southern Mo, and rabbits came with it!
I can't wait to learn more! We REALLY want to get started raising rabbits (& quail)! I have a few questions.
1) I live in Southeastern Alabama - how do rabbits handle heat or what do I need to do to help them survive the heat/humidity?
2) Is there a minimum / maximum cage size? Is it better (more cost effective) to build your own or just buy ready made at the farm store?
3) Do YOU guys build or buy your cages? If you build - can you & Kevin do a "how to" video on that like he has done with his quail cages.
4) What about cages vs. rabbit tractors?
5). If you use a rabbit tractor are there grasses/weeds you should NOT use it on?
I live in south Carolina so just as hot and humid make sure they got shade the sun will kill em
Heat is the enemy, use fans during the summer and well ventilated with shade.
It's cheaper to build your own cages, we used wire shelving from Lowes. The kind of shelving that's foiled in plastic. It's easier on their feet... We haven't had an issue so far.
We don't use rabbit tractors, we don't let them touch the ground as to minimize parasite contamination. Hook worms and such.
They are a joy to raise, and it's nice knowing what you're putting you body.
I just started my little Homestead back the 1st of March and I have lionhead as well as Rex. The Rex are intended to be the meat rabbits and the lion heads to sell as babies. I haven't started breeding them yet I was over wintering for now so I'm glad to see this thank you. :-) anything that will affect your rabbits will affect mine as we're pretty close to each other
You want to breed during the cool months, not the hot months.
@@RestorationAcresTN yep, I agree. That's why I said I'm overwintering them. :-)
Your videos on rabbit tractors is how we found your channel.
Next, we learned about using landscape fabric.
We were hooked. Love your channel and really appreciate your teaching series.
We found another family here in Wisconsin who are fans of your channel too. Last week we sold the rabbits we had to another younger family along with the rabbit tractor that we had modeled after your pattern. They too learned about rabbit raising from your channel!
You're a blessing to our family, and are blessing others too!
How do you keep rabbit manure dry and when is the best time to collect rabbit manure, and how do you store rabbit manure,
In sun on zinc or plastic
That is the nicest New Zealand buck I’ve ever seen… mine were a bit smaller.
I live in a condo, but feel this is super information. Thanks Sarah!. Your family have a Blessed Christmas with amazing miracles! I think we are all about to see some amazing changes.
I was drawn to your channel through your rabbit series a few years ago. Haven't regretted it and really been enjoying your channel.
Thank you for this timely information. We are a little lost, well more lost than we thought but are willing to learn and prepare for our family. Looking forward to watching again and taking good notes on this video and any you develop. Blessings and Merry Christmas.
You have come to a good place. There is a learning curve, but deciding to take action means you are halfway there!
Good Information! I have been raising rabbits on and off for over 40 years. I have specialized in American Chinchilla rabbits because of the temperament and the does have huge litters. My does would have 10 to 11 kits and raise them all. Great rabbits but hard to find. They are on the watch list with Livestock Conservancy. The other rabbit to consider is the TAMUK a New Zealand rabbit developed by Texas A & M University at Kingsville. They were developed to stand the heat of Texas and be a productive meat rabbit. Thanks for the new series. I'll be setting up my rabbitry again and giving it a go.
I just finished watching your previous videos and am excited for this new updated version!
Hey Sarah, If I had rabbits, I would go by your supreme video for any thing I needed to know...As always , a pleasure to drop in.
I am moving to a farm (empty) in January and I want to start a homestead. Having rabbits for meal would be awesome it looks like so, I will watch to learn from this series. Thanks so much!
Thank you for showing us how to start raising rabbits. I raised them when I was a kid for a few years but a refresher course was needed and here it is.
I can’t wait to see the rest of the videos in this series. We are planning on getting meat rabbits this spring.
I'm soooo glad you decided to do a series on rabbits. I plan on buying a few rabbits this spring, but while I found tons of information on chickens (already have 6, thanks to your previous lessons), there isn't much information about rabbits out there on the Interweb. For example: what makes a good cage? What minimum size per rabbit is required? Can you put more than 1 rabbit per cage? What is best to use for the non-wire area in a cage? Best feeder/waterers? Do they need heat sources? Or lighting? What is the best way to set up for manure collection? Lol. I'll stop here, but I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series. If it's anything like your previous homesteading series, I know we will all enjoy them and walk away with an "I can do this too" attitude. You and Keven are the best. God bless.
Very cool. So much info in this video. I’ve been looking around for rabbits to raise on our farm stay, but not for meat. Of course we need poop for the gardens, but for breeding and cuddling too. Lot of our guests would love to interact with bunnies and rabbits. Serious question though…Do rabbits really need to be kept in a hutch or can I build them a shed type house that people could go into the “Bunny Barn” and interact with them. Maybe a protected run attached with grass and weeds. I was thinking to put fencing all over under the ground in the run to prevent them escaping. Sound like a great idea? Or too difficult? Really excited for this series as I’ve never raised rabbits before, great idea to do this again. Chad.
I have seen rabbits raised in shed, in rabbit tractors, outside in fenced area in colonies.. soo many different ways. We have outdoors hutches, fenced area in the garden where I let them run sometimes and I am thinking about making a space for them in shed and try small colony. Good luck with your bunnies :-)
Look into rabbit colonies. Some people have great luck with them.
@@Alexis_9339 will do thnx.
@@HowlingWheelsAdventures that’s good to know, so my idea on how to house them is ok. Thanks so much. Any idea what’s a beautiful rabbit for cuddling and good with the winter? All I know is Mini Rex. Gotta do some more research. Thanks though. Chad.
@@HiddenSpringFarm yeah, your idea is great. The more variatety you can provide for the better I think. The worse that can happen to rabbits is to be raised in tiny cages so anything better than that is great. Happy rabbits with space to exercise and explore have better immune system and less health problems.
Perfect timing for me!!! Im glad you are really starting at the beginning!!! I will look forward to the entire series!!!!
Very much looking forward to this series! We just had our first season raising meat rabbits and I am looking forward to learning from you to prepare for our next season after winter 😁
Many thanks for all those information. I have already 3 rabbits (2 bucks and 1 doe) and looking to breed them for meat. I will be following your series.
Looking forward to this series and I have watched the other one as I prepare to start raising rabbits. Maybe I missed it, but my question is at what age do you stop breeding and then what do you do with them?
Also, when that time comes do you just hold back a replacement breeder from a recent litter?
Thanks for everything and Merry Christmas!
I saw this one first and now can't stop watching. So informative!!
Great information in a great format, Sarah!
Thank you for sharing this information. My husband isn’t too interested in raising & eating rabbits, but I love to learn. Ya never know what the future holds.
I'm with your husband!
@@barbaraholton4704 me too mostly, but if I were hungry I would definitely eat them.
I enjoy listening to your plethora of knowledge! Great start to your video series! Can't wait for the next one!
Thank you!
You are such a blessing. God uses you to teach things we all need to learn to make it in times to come. Thank you ♥️🇨🇦
keep rabbit hutches and sleeping box out of the wind - biggest issue, and have shade in summer heat, and out of cold and wind in the winter. even in barn or garage setting, in winter cover the top and sides of the hutch to keep in warmth and prevent cold airflow from chilling the rabbits.
Depending on your location, 2 methods can be used to naturally cool or warm your hutches. Reflectix (double mylar surface bubble wrap) can be used in southern latitudes. Radiant Barrier (dark cotton fiber insulation with single mylar suface) can be used in northern latitudes. Wrap the sides of the hutch (and if need be the top if you solid wood roof), and double stick tape all together. Cut out a front hanging doorway and back doorway. In the summer, fully open up the back doorway, and prop open the front doorway (like a tent canopy). The canopy stops majority of light bouncing onto the interior mylar, but allows proper airflow and cooling. In winter, keep back doorway shut, while having the front doorway partially open, allowing proper airflow from the front door and the bottom of the hutch and some winter sunlight coming in, while having natural heat retention through the entire hutch for the rabbit.
If you are in the south, then one could also consider using Tyvek housing wrap (or the 3M counterpart air barrier). Lightweight, easy to double stick, cut out doorways, and leave over the hutch. Normal Tyvek roll is 9 ft tall - for many uses and 100 ft in length for many constructions. Any other building construction, you could probably ask those contractor-constructors to pick up the refuse Tyvek from the garbage pile - for free. Tyvek allows diffuse light to come into the hutch, but stops glaring sunlight (and heat), or in winter in an enclosed area (barn, shed, or garage) will allow building's light and heat to pass into hutch and be retained, and also have proper airflow.
Hi from Syracuse NY young lady and thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience in this subject
Exactly what I've been looking for ❤️
Thank you, Sarah! This was awesome. I have been thinking about raising rabbits. I just didn't know where to start. When I do it, i will definitely watch this again. I love your videos. I've learned so much. Thank you!
I was wondering about winter housing requirements. This is going to be a fun series - thank you! 🙂
This is so exciting as I just got 2 Does and a Buck last Saturday! Your series of videos were such a source of information and I am so grateful to you! God bless you, from South Africa
Glad to see your doing these rabbit videos. Just getting started again with TAMUK rabbits this time. It gets pretty hot here in Texas and these should do much better than the California or Rex I’ve raised before.
Good morning Mrs! We had silvers when I was a kid,fixing to go down that path again,...if I can find some! Great presentation
I’m real excited about this series! You guys have such great content
So glad to see you doing another series! I want to thank you for the original series. It was my main go-to for when we decided we wanted rabbits. I watched those videos constantly, until I felt confident enough. We're now a year into our rabbit journey, and very glad we started!
Great information, and very thorough! Thank you again, for all you guys do for us fellow homesteaders, and aspiring homesteaders :)
Brilliant idea, thank you so much for sharing this information with us ❤️ good meat and I wouldn’t need so much space.
You guys are the best teachers! You are always so through and patient! Thank you 😊
Thank you so much Sarah for starting this new series! I want to take more control of my food supply. I am at the information gathering stage and this is very well timed. Im in NWOhio so we are a bit north of you. I need to learn how to them healthy during extreme heat and cold. We dont have a barn or outbuildings to keep them in. We do have about an acre of untreated grass so Im thinking tractors would be a good choice for us.I am also feeling a bit timid about the part of rabbit keeping where I will have to process them for the table.
Thank you. I want to have rabbits and with your lessons I feel more confident to learn.
Fantastic. Exactly what I need!
Hello. With the age of this vlog. I'm not sure you will even get this. But my wife and I have watch yall for several years.
We are in the process of getting into rabbit raising for meat.
Gardening for years. Chickens for a couple years. And just the next thing on our list. We both work full time but so love the life we are creating with the help of the Lord and all the youtub vlogs.
Blessings
Warren
Beautiful buck. We are starting in backyard with rabbits too like you did and having small front yard garden and lots of growing pots everywhere. Hopefully we will upgrade to one acre too one day. We just started watching your old videos and it's very inspiring to see that you made it soo far. You are amazing ❤ Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪 😀
Very cool. Hang in there.
You're such a good teacher Sarah. Thank you,
I raised rabbits for a few years a long time ago. I was careful about interbreeding and then I had a 2 yr old doe with her 3 litter eat every one. I got pretty put off by that but kept at it. She did it again and then I was done. They had a good diet and large individual cages with indoor space and out door space. Is there anything that can cause that behavior or is that now a rabbit for the pot?
You may not have done anything wrong. Not every doe makes a good mom. I hope you will try again.
This after trying several litters , should become pot meat . Find another doe , and quit wasting time with this rabbit , not ALL rabbits make good moms , just like people .
This is so helpful! We are going to pick up our first rabbits tomorrow and I have taken notes off of your video of things to look for and what to ask. Thank you for doing this video