Suburban Rabbit Ranch - MateFrio's Backyard Bunnies.

[matefrio]

Don't know where else to put this. Thought I'd share my backyard rabbit raising project that I have in the works. These aren't show bunnies I plan on getting a 100lbs of meat from each doe a year.

The cages have three "holes" each for a total of six cages. 3 top 3 bottom. They will hold 1 buck and 4 does with the extra for grow out.

I have a detailed writeup on ar15.com if you want how much it's costing and the lessons I'm learning.
Rabbits For Meat - Small Hutch Project - AR15.COM

The "Rabbit Swing" where the cages will hang.

Roof that needs shingling.

The cages waiting to be hung up.

Here is the "plan" I drew up seven months ago:

 

[TexMex247]

Looks like a cool set up. Keep us updated.

 

[MR Redneck]

Do you have a catch pan that goes under it or something?
I guess the dropping would make good fertilizer.

 

[matefrio]

Ya, it'll have a catch pan that I can kick the pellets back into the garden. May get a tub and try to grow worms. Rabbit pellets can go direct into a garden.

 

[TheDan]

Very cool topic! I wish you luck, man. I had rabbits for a short time as a kid, and I don't want to mess with them ever again, lol. They aren't good pets and they don't taste all that great either. There are a ton of wild rabbits in my neighborhood, tho. If I was hungry, I wouldn't hesitate in bagging a few of them.

On a side note, I've thought about raising guinea pigs for meat. Apparently they taste great, but I haven't tried it yet. They are popular in south america.

 

[Texas1911]

I would think your neighbors wouldn't like you raising rabbits in your backyard.

 

[matefrio]

They are quiet. Less odor than my dogs (and that's not much). The rabbit swing will be two feet above the fence line. I've talked to the flanking neighbors and it's good with them. The hutch will have some pretty lattice work on the sides and look like a Gazebo or an Arbor soon. It's six rabbits (buck and 4 does) and the kits get slaughtered at 8 weeks.

I'd rather have chickens.... but these guys are soooo quiet.

 

[MR Redneck]

Rabbits dont make too much stink.
You neighbors might even like to know the pellets make great rose and flower fertilizer.
The neighborhood kids can even use the pellets to shoot at each other with slingshots.
100 points for one in the mouth!

 

[outdare]

Watch out for your city animal codes. Most cities prohibit live stock etc as well as the number of pets to 5. I do believe rabbits fall under these. If you have a H.O.A you could be fined by them as well. I like the idea just as long as you know the legal ramifications. If you rural then disregard.

Good luck with this. You can take the excess to the farmers market and sell the meat.

 

[308nato]

Darn I thought there would be pics like the bunny ranch in Nevada.

 

[matefrio]

Roof is on now still need to brace it.

 

[matefrio]

Some more progress:

 

[matefrio]

Getting closer to what I envisioned. Here it is.

 

[TheDan]

Looking good. Have you eaten one yet? I'm curious as to how rabbits raised in captivity taste.

 

[matefrio]

Young fryers 8-11 weeks old taste\texture is like chicken but more filling. Older rabbits are better for stewing but are still good and nothing like wild rabbit.

 

[matefrio]

Time for the harvest. These get progressively gruesom.

 

[Glockster69]

I spose it' no accident you chose Californian's?

 

[DBDawg]

So...how much does it cost you...weight of meat per food bought?

 

[Tejano Scott]

Wow! That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

[matefrio]

So...how much does it cost you...weight of meat per food bought?

It's about $6 /lb of meat. With this amount of rabbits I don't plan to break even. This is a learning process a little lab on how to raise livestock so I can hopefully get out of suberbia and to a place where scale will allow me to avoid the supermarket. Garden is the same way.

My quail on the other hand I have produce great eggs every day and they are very inexpensive to maintain and we're buying very few eggs from the supermarket. The only bad thing is fly control with them.

http://www.texasguntalk.com/forums/texas-hunting-fishing/22422-raising-quail-eggs-meat.html