How To Get Started With Meat Rabbits

A simple guide to getting started with meat rabbits on your homestead or in your backyard.
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[@Hebrews12v2]

Excellent synopsis of how and why's of starting a rabbitry, which is actually also referred to as Cuniculture. I came to know about you wonderful folks through your willingness to help me out when I lost my first buck and a doe to the 100+ heat wave we had in late July. My Cuniculture is set up in my back yard in 'town' where it doesn't bother any one of my neighbors. There is a caveat though for "in town" rabbit raising. While rabbits are very quiet, and their poop is highly sought after by gardeners ( we use what ours produce), their urine is quite odorific before it dries out. That is the only downside we have experienced, mostly due to the fact we don't want the neighbors to have any complaints. I have a catchment system that rolls their waste down into a gutter, which I then clean the gutter to put into a large container. Once it all dries out it goes directly to the garden or to our compost pile. Great video and I love any Cuniculture related topics.

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Sounds like a good setup!

[@Goose00123]

😮 👍🏻

[@hiramtaylor3190]

In my set up I started with cages. However a friend from Fern Bank showed me that you can put them in a fenced area and they will stay in it. They will build dens unground reaching even outside of the fence line. However they will not run away choosing to stay in the fenced area playing and enjoying to food/ water source. Be careful they will become territorial and try to bite your feet.

[@Francedefence]

Hi there. I have the same type of set up than yours. To avoid filling up the buckets, i installed, high up, a container connected to running water with a floater inside, so that I don't have to fill buckets constantly. When they have drunk some water, The float goes down and the water fills up the container. Once in a while, I add apple cider vinegar which is very good for the rabbits.

[@Nautilus1972]

The chickens scratch around and mix the rabbit droppings into the sawdust. Twice a year he gets great compost. Kills the smell in the coop too.

[@nicolerobertson5764]

This video was so helpful! Thank you for showing us your rabbitry setup, breaking down the process you follow, and giving us tips and ideas and the “why” behind some things. Hope you and your rabbits are doing well!

[@godzuki2099]

Paint your watering buckets black an make sure there's a lid on the at all times (with a breather hole to allow water to flow) that way you wont get algae (no light, no algae)

[@kristenpaterson4261]

This is an awesome video. Thank you! 😊

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Glad you liked it!

[@yellichic]

this video was great! way to be so thorough, I appreciate you n your knowledge, and ur willingness to educate others!

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Thank you and Thank you for watching!

[@77gmcnut]

Great video with good info thanks

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@calebschlake8387]

Dude I absolutely love ur set up with the chickens and the rabbits

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Thank you!

[@BD-cu4cq]

Thank you very much. One question if you would please address how you process your rabbits? Do you send them to a processor, or do you do it yourself. I would like to learn more about that please. Thank you. We like your channel and we subscribed !

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Absolutely! We have a video on that. Here it is. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYatc4GYoa57gLc Thanks for watching!

[@leomiranda-castro6908]

Excellent instructional video!

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Thank you!

[@DillRidge]

So they have nothing but wire to sit on?

[@gbengafashami4133]

I love your Rabbitry

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Thank you!

[@TCCflow]

Extremely helpful video. Do you have a video where you follow a doe around where you document everything from breeding, to following the babies, all the way to dispatching? Kind of like a start to finish video for dummies?

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Not yet! Thank you!

[@365hillclimb]

How do you manage water in winter (subzero temps)? That's always a concern with my chickens, and I haven't found a great solution yet.

[@mountainspringhomestead]

We only keep our layerflock as far as chickens go. We keep a 6gallon rubber tote that we can knock the ice out of it if we need to. We also use a frost free valve that's connected to our pumphouse for a water supply. Actually with the deep bedding method, since it creates heat, the waters really only freeze for a solid 3-4 weeks throughout the entire winter, but we typically have a mild winter.

[@milagrosripski7679]

Nice set up. Can you use well water for drinking water? If so, does it need to be filtered? Thank you

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Well water is perfect, and no, it doesn't need to be filtered.

[@rosasmith6102]

it would be great to see how you process your rabbits

[@mountainspringhomestead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYatc4GYoa57gLc

[@sharicampbell9068]

Great video! Thanks for sharing! Interested in having rabbits, but afraid to make the leap! I worry about predator protection as I am rural too & I worry about being able to afford to feed them. also, I know its better to make your cages & I would be doing that myself. Would love to see more videos on this. Subscribing today!

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Thank you!

[@alibuoy744]

Hi! I give my rabbits pellets with corn and soy in them! Is that bad and why!

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Most industrial made rabbit feed has corn and soy in it. They use it as a "filler". Corn and soy are cheap to produce and therefore a cheap alternative to quality ingredients. Rabbits are foragers and mainly survive on grasses and weeds in the wild. We just do our best to mimic to the best of our abilities their natural food source on our homestead. This creates a healthier and more nutrient dense source of protien for us to consume.

[@TheSarcasticEggplant]

Hey! Just a question real quick, do you keep the mommas and the baby’s together in the same cage for the entirety of the 6 weeks?

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Yep, we do.

[@alaxandersupertramp6955]

What is the gap size of of bottom of tractor? thanks allot

[@mountainspringhomestead]

I wouldn't go anymore than an inch.

[@lennylink8772]

Just paint the buckets, or use duct tape to black them out.

[@yellowbasementrecords651]

Do have any problem with them trying to dig underneath that yard pin and trying to escape?

[@mountainspringhomestead]

No, the boards are close enough together that they can't fit through them.

[@northstarretrieversanddwar4505]

I just wished he would have put those kits who were too young to be out of the box back into the box. Even to have made a comment about how they should naturally not have been out of the nest box yet and that maybe that doe wasn’t the best for breeding because of that. Coming from someone who has raised rabbits for hobby and profession since a child.

[@carrieashley6465]

You Have any racoons getting with your chickens ??? Don't know if you seen it or not but look like you had bunnies on floor wire in this video ????

[@mountainspringhomestead]

We haven't had issues with racoons. We don't have them where we are thankfully.

[@patrickwalters6794]

Why don't you put the breeders on grass?

[@bettinaripperger4159]

Because they pick up parasites

[@jamescalvert3683]

What do you do when you retire a mother rabbit and or father? Are they any good to eat?

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Yep thats exactly what we do. We eat them.

[@jamescalvert3683]

Thank you! Great video

[@aubin1010]

that black hose will get algae in it too you just wont see it lol

[@mountainspringhomestead]

Its actually done surprisingly well. I clean the entire system about once a month and I haven't had any build up issues with it. I would imagine if I let it go for a few months it would build up with gunk though. The clear hose was easily filled with green algae within 2 weeks and water wouldn't even flow through the lines.

[@aubin1010]

@@mountainspringhomestead well im definitely going to try your idea because i have been replacing clear for 2 years now. Good luck

[@Goose00123]

👍🏻

[@notpoliticallycorrect]

Excellent channel! God bless you!

[@leroycarter4824]

Why six weeks on weaning

[@mountainspringhomestead]

We wean at 6 weeks because by that time the kits or baby's are fully eating pellets and mom is no longer allowing them to drink milk.

[@theodoreholdt9420]

❤

[@waynetroy953]

I live on a huge farm and there's wild Rabbits on this farm my boss he eats them I told my boss they are full of disease I told him I would breed some rabbits rabbits for him and also to sell and keep some for the breeding program

[@mountainspringhomestead]

That is an awesome plan! Best of luck!

[@josephmcarthur6095]

We eat wild rabbit all the time just can’t kill them before the first frost cause of wolf worms

[@iwantosavemoney]

Why not just change the buckets to none translucent bucket then no algae.

[@mountainspringhomestead]

We've tried black buckets, but they still do the same exact thing. Is there a specific color we should be using?

[@Damnto]

i ate all the males by accident and the big males died....

[@jase123111]

I'm glad I am vegetarian when I see this. Just the amount of time, money and energy you need to grow rabbits for food is crazy. I am way too lazy to be doing that. I just have some free range ducks and chickens for their eggs and I grow most of our own vegetables and mushrooms etc. All you have to do with them is water them. But, it's for my own personal use, not to make money.

[@N0sf3r4tuR1s3n]

Well, the rabbits are definitely easier than larger livestock. As far as ducks go, I hear they're good for eating the slugs and snails that would eat your vegetables, so that's definitely a smart choice too.

[@BIGBigBoiNICK]

From getting the doe pregnant to processing the growouts, takes only 4 months, give or take, depending on the breed.

[@jamesmeador3982]

It’s not more work than growing your own fruit and vegetables, honestly. It’s more nutrient dense food than fruit and vegetables are. But, to each their own when it comes to what they choose to eat.

[@826bmp]

My vegetable garden costs yaaaaaaaay more time and energy than all my farm animals 😅😅

[@littlefarmer1303]

Rasing animals for meat is not that work consuming. Growing vegetables is crazy amount of work though. So I stopped it altogether. All I have is animals and fruit. Even stopped eating vegetables. Not only I save so much time and effort this way, but my health is amazing without vegetables and grains.

[@chip63us]

Thank you

[@mountainspringhomestead]

You're welcome! Best of luck!