Rabbit manure ??

[jimslad]

Right , here goes , i'm wondering if there are any advantage in getting a couple of rabbits to eat all my waste and turn it into manure ?? i have an almost unlimited supply of apples and veg waste , certainly enough to feed 6 or so rabbits , i thought maybe a couple breed a few for the pot , and produce some manure , what do you all think ??

[lancashire lass]

Rabbit manure is good but as regards feeding them "waste", a worm farm might be a better solution as they'll turn it into black gold for the garden. Rabbits on the other hand might might need a more varied and healthier diet than the apples and veg waste.

For the small garden, I suppose the manure/bedding could be put into the compost bin with green materials, but generally if you are relying on rabbits for a good supply of manure alone, it won't be that much.

[jimslad]

Thanks , i do envisage feeding a bit corn as a supplement , hay and straw , no cost to me , i would be happy to have a few dinners , but the garden manurewould be a bonus , i just was'nt sure how good it was for the ground .

[madmum]

They would need something to keep their teeth in check or they could have probs......! Apples can cause gas if fed to often, as regards to freshness of veg leftovers then,my rule of thumb for all my outdoor animals is if i wouldnt eat it then neither should they,but they certainly can produce plenty of manure!!!!!

[jimslad]

Well i've had my 3 rabbits for 7 weeks now ,and they seem to be doing just great on the greens that i have left over, they are fed apples as i said and they are happily eating around 2 a day each along with melon skin and all manner of fresh greens cut daily from the allotment waste ground,the doe who is due to kindle this week has started to get a small ration of bruised barley, the other doe has been to visit the buck so it will be a couple of weeks before i start giving her any hard feed , i've just done a deal with the local baker who is going to give his brown scones and whole grain rolls that dont sell in exchange for the odd rabbit for the pot, it's looking good for me .

[jimslad]

My first doe had 7 kitts on sunday and they all seem to be doing fine .

[MissEllie]

That's great, sounds like your plan's working out.
It's not something I could do as our bunnies are purely pets but good luck with your rabbits, hope they all thrive

[jimslad]

The second doe has now given birth to 8 youngsters , i'm delighted to have such large litters , the first litter are doing great , the doe is in fine fettle and seems perfectly happy on her green food and small portion of bruised barley / oats mix.

[4 french hens]

Floppsy, & co will love dandelions, and the odd small handfull of fresh grass cuttings.

What breed are the rabbits? The best meat/bone ratio is Colorado bred with large whites.

Bed them in hay, they will also eat some of that as a diet supplement.

Contry to popular belief, rabbits are not big lovers of lettuce, but do enjoy carrots.

If you do not give them to the buck, they will have a false pregnancy and will build a nest anyway, at this time they will often bite you! Maybe frustration.........

Do you skin them yourself? The easy way to get the skin off the body is to grab it with a cloth, after using the tip of a knife to break through the fur layer but not the skin itself.

Naked cats and rabbits look the same, but there is a way to tell the difference, one has the kidneys side by side and in the other they are staggered, but I cannot remember which way round it is.

Be carefull about looking in when they are very young as the doe may eat them.

Mike

[jimslad]

What breed are they ? The does are new zealand x californian, and the buck is 75% nz x 25% californian, so they are big bunnys , hopefully killing at between 4/5 lb's at 10 weeks old .

[4 french hens]

They sound pretty good to me. There should be a good meet/bone ratio.

Unfortunatly I was very young when we moved of the small holding and my grandfather who was the small holder died many years ago so I can't ask him.

However I do remember getting into a lot of trouble when I let all 200 of then out into the run that had 1000 hens in!

Mike