Raising Meat Rabbits in the Winter

[@d0nn13m0n0]

Your no nonsense approach to raising rabbits is something I can appreciate. This is my first year and I’m trying to figure out how many rabbits I can have in a single enclosure without problems and if I need to separate them by sex Ieven before they’re at breeding age. I haven’t had any problems with the first litter yet but I’ve heard two mature does in a single enclosure will fight like crazy.

[@atomicsnowflake2130]

This is the best and most informative video on rabbit care that I have found yet. Thank you so much for sharing your time and knowledge.

[@georgejaxxon481]

i guess im randomly asking but does any of you know a method to get back into an Instagram account?? I somehow lost my account password. I appreciate any tips you can give me!

[@coreychandler6449]

@George Jaxxon Instablaster =)

[@georgejaxxon481]

@Corey Chandler thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and im in the hacking process atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@georgejaxxon481]

@Corey Chandler It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thank you so much you saved my account!

[@coreychandler6449]

@George Jaxxon you are welcome =)

[@tdvanwinkle]

I really enjoy your channel. Your videos are to the point and very informative. Your organic approach to pest control is awesome.

[@misterlaplante970]

Great video. Very informative. Keep up the good work!

[@hawkspiritweaver6664]

Go information.. just thinking about getting started with wabbits.. Thank you

[@scandinavianhomestead2309]

Great video, a lot of good info!

[@pamelapearon2630]

What kind of earth do you put on their food to stop worms? Sorry I could not catch the word before earth

[@BasicSkills]

Diatomaceous Earth. Apple Cider Vinegar is also very effective.

[@GDName]

Is it called "diatomaceous earth" to keep feed from clumping and prevent parasites?" Can you provide a link... so I know the product?

[@BasicSkills]

Diatomaceous Earth is sold in bulk to be mixed into feed and prevent clumping, we use it for deworming instead. You can find food grade DE at www.diatomaceousearth.com/, but for most use just go to your local feed store and ask if they can get it in. The food grade stuff will cost a lot more and won't be any better for your animals than what you can find in bulk at a feed store.

[@sheperdshook47]

the wire for the tuna cans. how did you make it? i have not had as mich success with tuna cans for water but they love them for toys.

[@BasicSkills]

It's just a loop of wire that is tight around the can, they'll pull them out sometimes, but they generally stay in pretty well.

[@robertkadow3367]

Thanks for info, very helpful.

[@swizz85]

What type of oats do you feed your rabbits in the winter? (whole, crimped, rolled).

[@BasicSkills]

I feed them whole oats mixed with rabbit pellets.

[@Cowboys8Panel]

I can't believe they can get that cold. Wow!

[@pamelapearon2630]

Found it in comments thank you

[@meruertmeyer8017]

Is there anyone out there that raises rabbits in cooler weather where it never gets near the thawing point

[@robbydarin8739]

THANK YOU

[@mungomunro8579]

Nice one, cheers for that. The Diatomaceous Earth and the apple cider vinegar were good tips. I was concentrating on hutches, breeding times, feed, procedures, equipment, etc I sort of failed to appreciate that if my animal is not healthy, hungry and happy in the first place, I'm not going to get anything. I've ordered the Diatomaceous Earth, I already had apple cider, vinegar, but being a Brit, the Golden Seal is a bugger to get hold of here, especially at the minute. Do you know any alternatives? Are vaccinations relevant, do they hold equal importance in both our countries and if so what? Thanks for your time!

[@BasicSkills]

I don't use a whole lot of Golden Seal, only when a rabbit is actually sick which doesn't happen very often. Generally apple-cider vinegar and Diatomaceous Earth keeps them healthy. I will put a couple cloves of garlic in on top of their feed once in a while, it's easier to get than Golden Seal and will give them a boost. When we first got into rabbits around eight years ago we got some shots that someone recommended. They weren't a vaccine against any disease, just an immune boost. We used them a few times, but it didn't seem to be a good solution. I'm sure people use them, but most likely for antibiotics and stuff that I wouldn't want in my rabbits anyway. So no, I don't recommend vaccines for rabbits. The best way to fix an issue is to notice when it's beginning and give them DE, vinegar, and garlic. Hope that helps.

[@mungomunro8579]

@@BasicSkills Nice one, Brilliant!

[@mungomunro8579]

It actually makes total sense.

[@MustangNancy55]

you said sometimes she doesn't want to have the babies after you build the nest cor her so what do you do then? trying to get into meetrabbits too :)

[@BasicSkills]

If she won't use the nest and has them on the floor instead, I just put them back into the nest, move it over to where she had them and make sure I wire the box to the floor so she can't mess it up too much.

[@g1m828]

What weight do you butcher your babies at?

[@BasicSkills]

Thirteen weeks is the general rule, but it really depends how busy we are. You can do them earlier or later without any issues. At that point ours are usually around 5 lbs live, and dress out to 2.5-3.5.

[@TomWylie]

Helpful info, thanks! We're new to rabbits & have 4 day old bunnies now. Have you experienced a 1st time mamma not nursing her kits? We're having to lay her down & allow the bunnies to eat, and looking for tips on how to help her figure out how to do it by herself :) I also noticed your nest boxes have a very small top on them compared to most I've seen. Can you explain why you make them that way? I'm wondering if our nest box is maybe not tall enough & that might be why the mamma isn't consistently nursing her kits without us helping. Thanks!

[@BasicSkills]

I never remember having any issues with feeding. Every once in a while when a doe has a huge litter she won't be able to care for all of them, but the always feed the ones they can. My first thought is to ask if you are sure she's not feeding them. Rabbits only nurse their kits twice a day, so you may not see her do it. The other question would be whether or not she's caring for them otherwise. Did she build a nest? Every once in a while you'll have a first-time doe who doesn't have a clue what's going on. In that case it's extremely hard to do anything for the kits.

[@TomWylie]

Basic Skills wow, thanks for the quick reply! Yes I had read that they only feed twice a day, so I've been observing the kits and also how full of milk she feels. Kits were getting pretty thin and it wouldn't change through the course of a day or two, so I started laying the mama down and helping make sure everybody got a chance to feed, which has helped them bulk back up and keep the milk flowing. But now I'm trying to diagnose why it was happening in the first place & how I can help get them back on their own. The litter was 8 at first, but two were dead and frozen in the outer open part of the nest box when I discovered them several hours after she had kindled. They still had placentas attached, so I wasn't sure if she had abandoned them because she thought she couldn't take care of all of them, or if it was an accident during her getting in/out. She does generally seem to take care of them, & did make her own nest before kindling. She pulled some fur but not very much. I read somewhere that in the wild, rabbits nurse at dawn and dusk, so those are the main times I've been expecting to observe differences before and after. Are those general time frames what you have observed, or do they just pick two times anywhere around the clock?

[@BasicSkills]

I haven't really noticed a time that they prefer to feed their kits. If you're actually getting them fed and she isn't catching on, I'd keep going. The deal with rabbits is that if their mother doesn't care for them, there's not usually much you can do. It sounds like you're doing really well at getting them something to eat. My suggestion would be to keep feeding them when you need to, but try to give her as much time as you can to figure it out for herself. You probably don't want to be holding her down and trying to feed them every day for the next 5 weeks! If she made a nest and did decent job with everything except feedings, she may figure it out. Depending how cold it is in your area, she'll pull more or less hair. If she built a nest, she at least has a clue what is going on.

[@TomWylie]

Sounds good. Yes I hope to have her take over so I don't have to help her every day :) I'm going to take the top of her nest box off today and see what happens. Thanks again!

[@cqammaz53]

Oat do you mean oatmeal oat and if not where do you buy the oats from.

[@BasicSkills]

We feed whole oats mixed with rabbit pellets and both can be purchased at almost any feed store in fifty pound sacks.

[@GDName]

You should upgrade the nest boxes... metal edges are so harsh, cold and sharp. Make her and her babies comfortable.

[@BasicSkills]

I've never had any issues with the nest boxes being too cold or sharp. The babies are in a nice warm/soft nest, and the mothers don't seem to mind either.

[@cqammaz53]

Why are your nest boxes so small Won't mommy crash them?

[@BasicSkills]

We usually wire the nest-box through the floor to keep the does from tipping them over.

[@DerekSTHO]

Thank you !

[@mungomunro8579]

Hey! I hope you and yours are on fine fettle! My Rex rabbit, (I have 3) - who I didn't think was old enough to have kits, and as far as I was aware, had no opportunity to breed, - has just given birth to a litter this morning. I do let them roam around, separately, in my back yard, but I thought my segregation was good: wrong! I've got to build a nest box today; she won't use the other does box as I've heard it'll stink of another mother. I'll leave them alone for a couple of days, but I'll have to get them into a cage, for their own good. There's no way of stopping them getting out of Rex's plastic two foot domed, insulated shelter. We don't have many predators here; the main ones being cats and rats, and if I'm truthful a rat would have the Public Health, here and around, immediately. I suppose crows and seagulls could be a problem once they're in the run. I'm in a fairly built up residential area, but my yard is spacious and sealed I don't know how she'll react going from a run into a cage, so I fear they might not survive I'm in North East of England, and though we only occasionally go below minus centigrade; it is damp. The sea is only four miles away. This was totally unplanned. I'd really appreciate any tips on the transfer to the cage please. I've opened up her run today, so she can access the full yard, and she's going mental; running all over the place. Easy'!

[@BasicSkills]

Great to hear from you again! The biggest concern for me would be keeping the babies dry and warm. If she made a nest for them somewhere else I would make the best nest I could from hay in the nest box, then put her nest inside of that. The more of her hair (if she used any) that lines the new nest, the better. Depending on her temperament she may be perfectly happy in the cage. If not, some rabbits are known to kill their babies when stressed, so that may be something you need to watch for. Given she made a nest, I would scoop out the babies along with almost all the hair and put them in a container while I transferred the rest of the hair/nest into the nesting box. Then I'd use some of the hair I left with the kits to make a nice thick lining in the box (without this lining they will sometimes burrow and get lost in a corner of the box where they'll get cold and hungry). Finally I'd plop the babies into the nest and put the remaining hair on top to keep them warm. If she didn't make a nest, I'd do basically the same thing, build the best nest possible and use whatever she made on the inside. You want a circular nest with tight walls so they don't crawl through and get lost in a back corner of the box. If you're doing it out of hay, just keep shaping the hay until it's relatively smooth and firm. Then I'd put the babies into the nest and do my best to keep them relatively warm. If they don't have the hair layer, they'll be much more susceptible to the cold. Often does struggle on their first litter of kits. They will not build a good nest, not feed them properly, or make any number of other mistakes. Even if you do everything perfectly, she may still have issues. Try your best but also realize that the babies may not survive no matter how well you do. Good luck!

[@windymcgee6833]

Grow some wheat grass. Costs pennies

[@BasicSkills]

We tried wheat grass a few years ago. The problem we ran into was in a colder climate it was extremely difficult to grow enough while keeping the temperature up. It's certainly a great option for warmer areas.