Recently, we found out that the two male rabbits a friend gave to us are actually a male and a female. This seems to be a familiar story among rabbit owners world wide. Unfortunately, we were not around to separate them and nature took care of things the way nature usually does, quickly and ferociously. For those of you who do not know, the earth is far from a fragile place.
So we decided to try again, although this time I looked to state extension for a little help. The first order of business was to build a new rabbit hutch. My first attempt is pictured below (off of its original table) and was mainly used for sleeping quarters. We have a "rabbit run" for them to play in during the day.
I found a new design (here at Penn State Extension) and modified it for what I thought would fit our needs. It’s made out of pine and hardware cloth. And most importantly, can be divided into one or two hutches (three in the future).
So far, I have not sold the kids on the idea of rabbit farming. Petting the furry little creatures is one thing, eating bar-b-qued rabbit appears to be something from a parallel universe. The rabbit preparation video I found on YouTube did not win me any support either.
See how to prepare rabbit here at YouTube!
I wonder what the kids would think of a soft, fluffy, rabbit fur pillow?
The family voted and it is strictly rabbits as pets, the dad being out voted. The kids can have the proceeds from any rabbits they sell. And if they want more rabbits, they have to market these first. Then maybe we’ll add to the rabbit farm a little more. Real entrepreneurship training for the kids. Or will it be that our house is over-run with rabbits? Stay tuned!
(5 days old and already a new coat of fur)
I stumbled upon your blog. Please allow me to say that I really really hope this is an outdated post, and you have decided not to breed rabbits, for sale or meat. There are tens of thousands of bunnies in shelters who need homes, and selling them to people who might not take good care of them does not help at all. I skimmed your blog, and can appreciate a lot of what you write about. I love Third Day too, and I'm a Christian Conservative. I just wanted to share that breeding rabbits when there are already so many out there is not a great idea. And please, get your bunnies spayed or neutered asap. If you have any questions, plese feel free to stop by my blog. =) God Bless!
ReplyDeleteNo rabbits were ever harmed... the little ones were all given away as pets. After a couple of years, the kids were no longer excited about the rabbits and the "mom and dad" found a new home.
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