Is It Cruel To Keep Rabbits On Wire?

[@paulmcwhorter]

Great video. I agree with all you are saying. The funny thing is the people who would criticize you think nothing of the food they are eating, and where it came from. Visit a chicken factory, pig factory farm or confined beef feedlot. Then come back tell me about how terrible wire cage bottoms are. I will admit that raising animals I HATE to butcher them and eat them. It does really make me feel bad. But, I know that that animal had an infinitely better life than any animal whose meat is being sold in the grocery store. Thanks for your educational material.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

Agreed 100%!

[@mrteddobek]

Great video! Also the just the fact that wire raised rabbits live a much cleaner life compared to other methods as they never have to sit in their urine/feces.

[@thechickenwizard8172]

Thanks for making this video, when i kept chickens i learned that wire floring is bad for their feet, and i assumed the same was true for rabbits for a while.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

While I won't pretend that wire is better than nice clean grass, it's certainly better than colonies. Ultimately you have to decide if the health risks of tractors are worth it. I advocate for a mixed system. Tractors in the summer for grow outs (if there's not to much disease in your area) and cages for winter or areas with lots of disease.

[@aamichael4628]

Thanks, I totally agree with your submission and I like the way you have put it out. People should educate them self to understand breeding meat rabbits on wires. Great love from Uganda.

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Greetings from Texas!

[@tkfarmgoods9508]

I agree with what you are saying. I had resting boards in my cages and my rabbits would push them to the side to have more room to lay on the wire. When you put the time in with your animals you know when somethings not quite right with them. No matter what kind of animal. Thank you for making this vid I have had the same comments on wire.

[@mariusneumayer4419]

Nice touch on the subject. Great videos. Just started my breedings this past summer and watched your videos and took lots of advices

[@westmeadowrabbits]

Thanks! I'm glad my videos helped.

[@jnf2211]

I raise meat rabbits, I also hunt and fish. Some idiot in the internet might think that I hate animals by the amount of time I spend killing and eating them. But actually I love animals. My rabbits are taken very good care of while they’re alive. They get the best food I can buy/grow, they get time free ranging in their rabbit tractor and constant fresh water. The animals I hunt and fish I do my best to dispatch them as quickly and painlessly as possible. Ignorant people only see in black and white, all they see if people like us killing animals. They don’t see the amount of care we put into making sure these animals have the best lives possible up until the time they die. Not for fun, but for the harvesting of organic, healthy pure meat for us and our families. I may sound like a crazy prepper but I always say, he who controls the food controls the people. If you can provide your own food without relying on a government controlled grocery store, you can’t be controlled.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

Well said!

[@sebastianpacurar8350]

Very good

[@RabbitandMore]

Great information! i love how you took time to explain this even though you are not obliged to... Thanks for your continuous great flow of useful content. Stay healthy and happy farming mate!

[@darrenlewis7001]

I put a ceramic tile in my cages for the rabbits to rest on and usually all they do is take a crap on them. They tend to like laying on the wire.

[@MP-uz5ks]

Haha, same with my rabbits. Either on wood in the winter or marble in summer, they always poo on it and sit on the wire.

[@thenorthernstarrabbits3835]

Very well explained bud!

[@sueannchism1128]

Well said! Thanks for sharing

[@edwinlugo90]

Great video! Looking forward to meeting with you soon to buy some breeding stock.

[@SuperSapphireStone]

I think the main problem is that people look at all rodents as the same. This I see is perfectly fine with rabbits, however wire is bad for other rodents. If hamsters use a wire wheel, it will cause them to get bumble foot. I also see this bad for chinchillas. Chinchillas have no fur padding on their feet and can easily get dry feet with sores on them. It's recommended that they have aspen shavings or anti peel fleece in their cage. Basically what I'm trying to say is that just because a animal is a rodent, doesn't mean wire is ok for all rodents.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

Very true. Also the type of wire matters as well! The right wire in the right sized cage with resting boards is fine for rabbits, but bad wire will hurt them.

[@leigejoseph2006]

Great video with great information

[@kenrick5652]

There seems to be a lack of knowledge and understanding of wild rabbits vs livestock rabbits. Which have been bred for the purpose of farming

[@greenthumbprepper8653]

What rabbit breeds do you suggest for meat rabbits for me. I’m in Ontario and am about to pull the trigger on a breeding setup.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

The best breed is the one you can find locally! The commercial meat breeds are Californians and New Zealands, but most breeds will work. Look into their history and see what they were used for, and make sure your breeder is focused on "production animals".

[@greenthumbprepper8653]

@@westmeadowrabbits excelent. Thanks for the advice. Gives me a direction to head!!

[@littleridgefarm4073]

Wonderful video as always .. Thank you and hope we talk soon

[@carlschleg5918]

Well done, AMEN

[@amylynnmcdevitt5596]

Well stated… love your videos.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

Thanks!

[@jeanbergeron4112]

As usual. Well said

[@prveteran]

Don't waste too much of your time having to explain yourself. These idiots are never going to agree. They'll find something else to complain about. They have some utopian idea of the world based on what's fed to them by social media. Keep on doing what your doing. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@westmeadowrabbits]

People expecting reality to look like utopia is a serious problem. I find that I can convince reasonable people when I explain why we do things. Obviously, I try and ignore the nut jobs.