Dinner rabbits, Journal

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I'll be using this thread to keep up with my meat rabbitry.
I sold out back on 2014 & am now starting again.

Got an 8-hole stacker, wrapped it in hardware cloth. It came with some bottles, crocks & all pans.


I dug up one cage, a few crocks & bottles that I had saved.


When I went to pickup some rabbits, breeder sold me this cage.


These are the mutts I saved, rest I put in the fridge/freezer.


This little squirt,I couldn't leave it behind. Been treating her for ear mites, bloat & general sadness. She's doing great & I'll find a pet home for her soon.


And these are my new Silver Fox brood stock buns. 1 buck, 3 does.
I'll be comparing the mutts to these & decide if any of the mutts will stay or end up in freezer.

 

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I also dug up this other cage. Using it for travel/temp caging.



And I'm wanting to do nest boxes very differently than most do this time around. Instead of boxes going in, I'll have ones that hook to the door & have a hinge to check on kits.



I'm headed out to pickup several stackers today. They will be joined together to make 4×2ft cages. The removed panels will make new cages, I just need to buy floor wire.


And here are the numbers for 4 of the freezer rabbits. The last two I'll add when I finish them tomorrow.

Two of the bones, spine & ribs, weighs 1.5#.
Four meats + legs, weighs 7# 9oz.
10# 8oz of waste in all; hide, guts, head, feet, tail, organs & the spine+ribs.
18# 1oz of rabbits turned into 7# 9oz of food. IDK what that is in percentage.

Store rabbit, 2.5# on bones, $32. $12.8 per pound.
Live rabbits, 7# 9oz mostly just meat, $30. $3.79 per pound.

Pic of the two done this morning.

 

[Finnie]

Instead of boxes going in, I'll have ones that hook to the door & have a hinge to check on kits.

That is almost exactly how I used to do my Budgie nest boxes, except with wood, of course. Makes checking the nest sooooo much easier!

 

[murphysranch]

I've never tried rabbit. I could steel myself to grow and harvest and I've watched some you tubes on dispatching.

18# 1oz of rabbits turned into 7# 9oz of food. IDK what that is in percentage.

121 oz of finished goods from 289 ounces of raw material = about a 42% yield.

 

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That is almost exactly how I used to do my Budgie nest boxes, except with wood, of course. Makes checking the nest sooooo much easier!

I'm hoping it'll help a lot. No more nest in toilet corner, no sitting on top of it, no taking up her space, no distracting defensive does to check kits & easy on/off.

 

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I've never tried rabbit. I could steel myself to grow and harvest and I've watched some you tubes on dispatching.

121 oz of finished goods from 289 ounces of raw material = about a 42% yield.

Awesome, thanks!

 

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Got the cages, no wonder they were cheap! $11.36 per hole.
Some need floor patches, most need scrubbing & rust converter used. Some feeder holes to be patched, as they used them for dwarfs and split the holes further.
Some feeders, crocks & a bottle were reusable! Always nice to have less to buy!

 

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Got 3 bottom holes ready for buns. Will swap that blue doe with the broken buck in the lone stacker. Idk why I put her there, brainfart, I guess. Lol

Using the crocks to catch drips.



All cages will be moved over to the far end, but this'll work for tonight.


The 4 hole stackers are HUGE!
Six foot tall!
Top row can't be used in summer, too hot up there!

 

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Found 2 spray cans of rust converter in storage. Then three spray paint cans, so, lots of work today to get them ready to patch!

Did them a little different. Left loin on bone. One went into freezer, one into pressure cooker for DH's birthday dinner.
2lbs 4oz went into the freezer, didn't get weight on other.

 

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If it looks like chicken & it tastes like chicken, but it doesn't squak like chicken, it must be rabbit!