minibackyardfarmer
Exploring the pasture
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2016
- Messages
- 27
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We will be moving and buying my aunt and uncles 5acre small farm. We are moving this year but wont be introducing meat rabbits till later next year. So I am just doing my work at gathering the information needed to have a successful rabbit production.
I will create different threads for each of my questions just to keep my info gathering organized lol
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When we start doing meat rabbits we ideally are thinking of the approach of non fast grow out where they are on only pellets. We prefer a slower grow out (not too slow) where they are getting a more rounded out semi natural diet.
Where were going to come up with a 25% rabbit pellet diet maximum. Where they are getting pellets just to make sure the nutrients needed are being received for sure.
but were thinking of a mix like this:
steamed rolled barley
steamed rolled oats
pellets (prob by themselves in the evening)
grass
ground alfalfa (can get it from our feed store)
timothy hay and sunflower seeds as a treat like once a week or so
they would also have access to hay. Is there other grains that are good for meat rabbits that helps them to put on the weight/meat in a more natural way, other than the way of a 100% strict pellet only diet?
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I know you shouldn't be too friendly with your food source. but we want even our meat rabbits to have a healthy natural grow out as much as we can do that for them. in our mind it is allow us to give them a good life before we do the act and they feed us. They are rabbits so I don't see us not interacting with them.
I've told they kids even if they name them doesn't mean it stops them from being ate lol. I think we will make the rule that the names have to be the type of food you can make with them if they really feel like they need to name them. I know some think bad idea but they name our buff orps who we use as dual purpose birds and it has yet to bother them from eating greenie (color of the leg band lol) and they like to watch the process (we homeschool and they have learned a lot, plus it's helped them respect life and understand death better. no we never forced them to watch they got interested in watching the process when I processed our first deer by hand).
I will create different threads for each of my questions just to keep my info gathering organized lol
-------------
When we start doing meat rabbits we ideally are thinking of the approach of non fast grow out where they are on only pellets. We prefer a slower grow out (not too slow) where they are getting a more rounded out semi natural diet.
Where were going to come up with a 25% rabbit pellet diet maximum. Where they are getting pellets just to make sure the nutrients needed are being received for sure.
but were thinking of a mix like this:
steamed rolled barley
steamed rolled oats
pellets (prob by themselves in the evening)
grass
ground alfalfa (can get it from our feed store)
timothy hay and sunflower seeds as a treat like once a week or so
they would also have access to hay. Is there other grains that are good for meat rabbits that helps them to put on the weight/meat in a more natural way, other than the way of a 100% strict pellet only diet?
---------------
I know you shouldn't be too friendly with your food source. but we want even our meat rabbits to have a healthy natural grow out as much as we can do that for them. in our mind it is allow us to give them a good life before we do the act and they feed us. They are rabbits so I don't see us not interacting with them.
I've told they kids even if they name them doesn't mean it stops them from being ate lol. I think we will make the rule that the names have to be the type of food you can make with them if they really feel like they need to name them. I know some think bad idea but they name our buff orps who we use as dual purpose birds and it has yet to bother them from eating greenie (color of the leg band lol) and they like to watch the process (we homeschool and they have learned a lot, plus it's helped them respect life and understand death better. no we never forced them to watch they got interested in watching the process when I processed our first deer by hand).