..... must come to an end. I feel I have covered the "basics" of commercial rabbit raising, which was my purpose for this blog. I mean how much more can be said, without getting too technical, which I am not. We continue to enjoy our rabbits, and harvest an average of 70-80 rabbits every 2 weeks. We hope to continue this number through the summer.
There are also plenty of short videos on you-tube having to do with the subject of raising rabbits. So therefore I will just say I hope that what I have written has been a help to any of you interested in considering a rabbitry, whether commercial or just for your own use. This blog wll remain open, but I will not be posting. If anyone has questions, please feel free to e-mail me and I will be glad to attemp an answer.
Wishing you all the best ......
Sunny
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Rabbit-pen wire
Some have asked for sizes of our rabbit pens, how to build and what size wire we used. So I have tried to answer this to the best of my ability.
We order our wire from Klubertanz in Wisconson. You can view their catalog online by clicking on their name.
Hubby makes a double row of cages using two 14' lengths of 1" x 1/2" by 30" back to back, laid flat. Where these make a seam you attach a length of 18" x 1"x 2" with babysaver wire (4' deep) at the bottom to form a common back (cut in whatever length you are working with; we did 14' sections to make a double 7 hole run.) The sides, made from 1"x2"x 18" with babysaver wire at the one edge, are cut 30" front to back. The front wire is one piece, from 1"x2"x 24" bent at an angle with 14" being on the slant and 10" the very front.
Slant front has a hole cut out of 10"x16". The doors then are 14' long by 20" wide, hinged at the topseam, so they can lay back over the pen, and covering the hole and overlapping the sides of the opening, fastened with a spring fastener on the edge toward you. The top is 36" wide and covers both back to back cages ; each cage top being 18" front to back. Our cages are hung from the ceiling with fencing wire (can't remember the gage)
Now..... I add a disclaimer; Any information given here-in is correct to the best of my knowledge, however I will not be responsible for any mis-information. In other words, make sure to do your own math :)
I hope this post is helpful to those who are looking to build a rabbitry of more than hobby size..
We order our wire from Klubertanz in Wisconson. You can view their catalog online by clicking on their name.
Hubby makes a double row of cages using two 14' lengths of 1" x 1/2" by 30" back to back, laid flat. Where these make a seam you attach a length of 18" x 1"x 2" with babysaver wire (4' deep) at the bottom to form a common back (cut in whatever length you are working with; we did 14' sections to make a double 7 hole run.) The sides, made from 1"x2"x 18" with babysaver wire at the one edge, are cut 30" front to back. The front wire is one piece, from 1"x2"x 24" bent at an angle with 14" being on the slant and 10" the very front.
Slant front has a hole cut out of 10"x16". The doors then are 14' long by 20" wide, hinged at the topseam, so they can lay back over the pen, and covering the hole and overlapping the sides of the opening, fastened with a spring fastener on the edge toward you. The top is 36" wide and covers both back to back cages ; each cage top being 18" front to back. Our cages are hung from the ceiling with fencing wire (can't remember the gage)
Now..... I add a disclaimer; Any information given here-in is correct to the best of my knowledge, however I will not be responsible for any mis-information. In other words, make sure to do your own math :)
I hope this post is helpful to those who are looking to build a rabbitry of more than hobby size..
How many Rabbits in Your Barn??
I have been asked this many times, and always the answer is the same ...... "well, I am not quite sure" .... as the number can change so rapidly. However I do have an answer today! Saturday night I counted all of them ..... ALL!
Breeding does ..............................................59
Jr does .........................................................26
Bucks ...........................................................10
Jr Bucks .........................................................5
Fryers, various ages,
out of the nest box .............................288
Babies,
still in the nest box ..............................127
______________________________
if I did my math right............................. 515
We put in 9 nest boxes last night and have about 80 fryers to go today.
Breeding does ..............................................59
Jr does .........................................................26
Bucks ...........................................................10
Jr Bucks .........................................................5
Fryers, various ages,
out of the nest box .............................288
Babies,
still in the nest box ..............................127
______________________________
if I did my math right............................. 515
We put in 9 nest boxes last night and have about 80 fryers to go today.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Posting on Cage Building Soon ....
I am sorry to take so long in answering about how we built our cage system, but my computer fried like an egg in the hot Arizona sun and I lost alot of the info I had written down.
Thank-you for your patience. I will try to get it done over the week-end. Enjoy your rabbits!
Thank-you for your patience. I will try to get it done over the week-end. Enjoy your rabbits!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Windows Completed in the Rabbit Barn
Hubby had lots of help getting the windows finished up in the rabbit barn. They are hinged at the top and tip outward, allowing for fresh air flow, light, and protection from the elements.
Daughter was a big help getting the curtain material stretched and fastened to the window frames.
There are 4 windows along the east side and 2 on the west.
This is what it looks like on the inside.
This about completes the rabbit barn upgrade. We will put another single row of pens on this side of the barn 6-8' from the wall, making a total of 176 holes (pens) This has been an on-going transformation, from a cattle barn to a proper set-up for commercial rabbit production.
I appreciate my husband's dedication to this project and the opportunity to be able to keep working with animals that benefit not just ourselves but a whole generation of people. There are strict guidelines to follow in order to sell to the medical research community, and medical research is important if we are to find new cures and treatments for diseases.
Daughter was a big help getting the curtain material stretched and fastened to the window frames.
There are 4 windows along the east side and 2 on the west.
This is what it looks like on the inside.
This about completes the rabbit barn upgrade. We will put another single row of pens on this side of the barn 6-8' from the wall, making a total of 176 holes (pens) This has been an on-going transformation, from a cattle barn to a proper set-up for commercial rabbit production.
I appreciate my husband's dedication to this project and the opportunity to be able to keep working with animals that benefit not just ourselves but a whole generation of people. There are strict guidelines to follow in order to sell to the medical research community, and medical research is important if we are to find new cures and treatments for diseases.
Friday, November 6, 2009
A Video of what's going on in our Barn
I love watching the does when they begin making their nests, the scratching around they do and chewing up the wood chips before pulling hair. I was fortunate to catch this doe doing just that ....
Turn up the volume so you can hear her toward the end of video. I am so excited as I just learned to use this feature on my camera and just had to post!
Turn up the volume so you can hear her toward the end of video. I am so excited as I just learned to use this feature on my camera and just had to post!
What's going on in our barn
When I first enter the barn a pleasant sight greets me; a doe cleaning and looking after her babies.
This is a young doe with her first litter, about 3 wks old
Here is one of our older does with her litter of 10
Another with her litter of 8. See the baby on its mothers back?
This doe is pulling hair to make a nice soft nest for her babies. She will kindle (give birth) in a day or two. You can see the hair in her mouth. Click on the picture to enlarge.
Here are more young does that will be ready for breeding in Dec. They are raised 2 in a pen until breeding age.
Can't forget the boys ........ There are 12 of them but these 2 are my favorites.
This is JMJ3, one of the younger ones
And this is our Grand-papa, Mr Big. He was the first buck when we started raising commercial rabbits.
He has a face only a mother could love, but has nice, fast-growing babies!
Hubby has finished the last wall, getting ready to put in the windows. This will keep the cold out and let light in.
A whole double row of cages, cleaned, and waiting to grow out the young. It gets real busy when the pens are all full.
Thanks for stopping by. Leave us a comment. We always try to answer.
This is a young doe with her first litter, about 3 wks old
Here is one of our older does with her litter of 10
Another with her litter of 8. See the baby on its mothers back?
This doe is pulling hair to make a nice soft nest for her babies. She will kindle (give birth) in a day or two. You can see the hair in her mouth. Click on the picture to enlarge.
Here are more young does that will be ready for breeding in Dec. They are raised 2 in a pen until breeding age.
Can't forget the boys ........ There are 12 of them but these 2 are my favorites.
This is JMJ3, one of the younger ones
And this is our Grand-papa, Mr Big. He was the first buck when we started raising commercial rabbits.
He has a face only a mother could love, but has nice, fast-growing babies!
Hubby has finished the last wall, getting ready to put in the windows. This will keep the cold out and let light in.
A whole double row of cages, cleaned, and waiting to grow out the young. It gets real busy when the pens are all full.
Thanks for stopping by. Leave us a comment. We always try to answer.
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