Breeder!
Chillin' with the herd
Hello,
I've been on BYC for about 2 years now, and I'm coming over to BYH as I look to get into rabbits. Perhaps one day in the future we will have dairy goats, Highland cattle and horses (that's the dream), but we are living on a 1/3 acre suburban plot right now so that's not that type of herd is not currently feasible. We currently have 10 chickens (3 are just chicks), 6 ducks, 2 turkeys and a bunch of quail. I'm thinking of getting out of quail and re-purposing their 3 tier hutch for rabbit breeding/rearing. If possible, I'd like to keep the rabbits outdoors most of the year, ideally in the run with the chickens and two turkeys. Our chicken run is well shaded and I could build an area into the shed that the run wraps around to keep the rabbits in. During the winter, I wouldn't mind moving the rabbits into our heated garage.
About 8 years ago, my wife (then girlfriend) and I had a pet rabbit for some time. That's the extent of my experience with rabbits though. I've never bred them nor kept them in a colony like I would like to. I'd also like to try to get them to be friendly around people. We have two children, son is 3 years old and daughter just going on 5 months. I certainly don't want a child being bit and scratched by rabbits.
The purpose of the rabbits would be for meat primarily and possibly selling kits. They would also be pets though, especially the breeding group. I'm favoring the Flemish Giant as a breed of choice. I've been told I should consider a different breed for meat/bone ratio and feed conversion, but I REALLY like the Flemish Giants. I think they would look awesome in the run with the birds. I may go with a different breed though, especially because finding the Giants locally seems impossible.
I've been on BYC for about 2 years now, and I'm coming over to BYH as I look to get into rabbits. Perhaps one day in the future we will have dairy goats, Highland cattle and horses (that's the dream), but we are living on a 1/3 acre suburban plot right now so that's not that type of herd is not currently feasible. We currently have 10 chickens (3 are just chicks), 6 ducks, 2 turkeys and a bunch of quail. I'm thinking of getting out of quail and re-purposing their 3 tier hutch for rabbit breeding/rearing. If possible, I'd like to keep the rabbits outdoors most of the year, ideally in the run with the chickens and two turkeys. Our chicken run is well shaded and I could build an area into the shed that the run wraps around to keep the rabbits in. During the winter, I wouldn't mind moving the rabbits into our heated garage.
About 8 years ago, my wife (then girlfriend) and I had a pet rabbit for some time. That's the extent of my experience with rabbits though. I've never bred them nor kept them in a colony like I would like to. I'd also like to try to get them to be friendly around people. We have two children, son is 3 years old and daughter just going on 5 months. I certainly don't want a child being bit and scratched by rabbits.
The purpose of the rabbits would be for meat primarily and possibly selling kits. They would also be pets though, especially the breeding group. I'm favoring the Flemish Giant as a breed of choice. I've been told I should consider a different breed for meat/bone ratio and feed conversion, but I REALLY like the Flemish Giants. I think they would look awesome in the run with the birds. I may go with a different breed though, especially because finding the Giants locally seems impossible.