BYH Official Poll: What are the things that you should consider before buying herds?

[DutchBunny03]

Yes!! A vet is very important. And if you can't get a vet, you have to almost become one yourself. There are almost no vets that treat rabbits in my area, and the ones that do cost an arm and a leg because rabbits are classified as "exotics". I've had to do the same thngs as @CntryBoy777 .

 

[Horselover]

for 'others' i meant shelter, vet, emergency

 

[samssimonsays]

Yes!! A vet is very important. And if you can't get a vet, you have to almost become one yourself. There are almost no vets that treat rabbits in my area, and the ones that do cost an arm and a leg because rabbits are classified as "exotics". I've had to do the same thngs as @CntryBoy777 .

YES! My normal vet and a good exotic vet both have told me that rabbits were something they all learned about on a friday afternoon in vet school and no one paid any attention! Scary! It is soooo difficult to find a good one now days for rabbits! Mine retired so now I have no one. Made it virtually impossible to get any care or herd checks to keep my meds current. I no longer have rabbits.

 

[DutchBunny03]

A good step is to buy a book about rabbit veterinary medicine. There are whole textbooks on the subjects. I have my eye on a couple that I found on Amazon. It's cheaper to buy a vet book than have to track down a vet every time something comes up.

 

[llamas r us]

Understanding basic disease and parasite management protocols AND where the nearest large animal veterinarian is located with experience in your species of livestock is critical. What do they charge for farm calls, how available are they for emergencies, what are the willing to teach you to minimize needing them for usual and customary animal husbandry practices are things you may want to research IN ADVANCE.

 

[Lanthanum]

How about all of the above, plus what @DutchBunny03 added? BTW, that's a good post @DutchBunny03 !!!!

I would like to add
1. Predators and how to protect your herd from predators.
2. Possible theft and how to keep thieves away.
3. Livestock Guard Dogs!

I have a question about LGDs. Do they have to be a specific breed? Because I've never been able to train any of my dogs to care for my herd, they've only been able to stay with them very nonchalantly. I have an American Bulldog and a Black Labrador Retriever, and neither of them pay any attention to my chickens or goats. Only livestock gaurdian I ever had was a donkey, and my poor Ollie had a seizure and had to be put down when he was only three years old. So do gaurdians have to be a specific breed?

 

[Baymule]

I have a question about LGDs. Do they have to be a specific breed? Because I've never been able to train any of my dogs to care for my herd, they've only been able to stay with them very nonchalantly. I have an American Bulldog and a Black Labrador Retriever, and neither of them pay any attention to my chickens or goats. Only livestock gaurdian I ever had was a donkey, and my poor Ollie had a seizure and had to be put down when he was only three years old. So do gaurdians have to be a specific breed?

The short answer is YES! LGD's are wired different from what we know as "regular" dogs. We have a very informative forum on LGD's that you will enjoy. Ask all the questions you want, we will be glad to help you.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forums/livestock-guardians.75/

Many of us have LGD's of various breeds, and we are devoted to our dogs!

 

[LocoYokel]

Having checked all of the above in "what should be considered" I still have some others: zoning, predators, and theft have already been mentioned, as well as knowing to choose a healthy animal. Food costs were listed but keep in mind other costs: feeders and water containers weather and need to be replaced. Fencing needs fixing, and tools to do it, as well as cage repair. Dewormers, antiseptics and other health care items regularly needed also run up a tab. When considering how much space you have for your livestock include how much space you have for storing feed, especially hay/straw bales. In some cases manure needs to be hauled off and some dumps charge by the pound.
Being prepared is way over half the battle, the rest is just a little hard work and the will to do it.
Most of all, Recycle, Relax, and Enjoy your critters!

 

[ksaunders94]

@DutchBunny03 we actually did get a livestock guardian dog for our rabbits because we had coyotes coming right up onto our porch and lost 2 of our purebred American Chinchillas that way! So we got him to deter them, but we live way out in the country and coyotes/foxes are a HUGE problem. While he didn't know he was guarding them his presence and bark keeps them away He also guarded our chickens and will soon be guarding our sheep as we also live in mountain lion country!

I would add if you are looking to breed know the reproductive ability of the animals. Most of our rabbits are hybrid but were crossed with very specific purpose and we only select the healthiest and hardiest. We've run into snags but it turns out it was not their fault but ours, hard lesson learned but that can happen on the farm, you can only read so many books (I own 3 giant rabbit raising books lol) and read so many forums and articles. So I have to agree hybrids can introduce better traits and health, but has to be done carefully and selectively, so if that's not something you care for purebreds are the better way to go as it's easier to know what you are getting.

 

[DutchBunny03]

!!! Thats horrible. We had a bear knock over a hutch once, but no rabbits died. Foxes are more a problem than bears. They can get into pretty much everything. Be careful of raccoons, too. They reach into hutches and grab at the rabbits.