I was talking to Mark about rabbits. I honestly don't think we would be able to sustain them unless we fed primarily pellets. Thank you for educating us on all aspects of homesteading. 💚
Glad you enjoyed this one. Its always amazing how much any animal can and does eat given the opportunity! It certainly is where rabbits are great on a small scale but also tough in that without pellets you do have to tap into a lot of different resources to keep them well fed and productive (hands down a pellet diet is the most convenient for a lot of reasons but.... as we have seen in the last few years that dependency is not always a guarantee). Still they are a good animal for smaller spaces but may not be the best fit for all situations (something you don't hear much talk about honestly).
@@HickorycroftFarm my problem is I want to do it all! But I have to understand the logistics of what I have to work with. So far Mark hasn't pardoned anymore of our fowl lol
We do like using the tractors but it is amazing how much they can consume in a very short timeframe. When we used them years ago that was one thing we found that if the grass/forage was short it was really only a small supplement as we just couldn't move them fast enough to keep them happy. But letting it grow like we have this year seems to really work well (though I wouldn't trust an older rabbit that might dig....)
Maybe I misunderstood what you said but did you say that they start digging at a younger age (happens quickly)? The reason I ask is, I want to run meat rabbits in my backyard but I do not want holes dug. I live in a city. I like your system, cheap, simple with plenty of food!
We usually find they don't start digging until they get close to 6 months old. It works great for the growouts, but we ate looking into some different ideas for our breeders for next year.
So a 1/4 acre would be eaten up pretty quick. I knew I'd need to pellet feed also but was unsure how fast they would eat the "biomass". Hard to find any info on this.
Pending how many rabbits I would say yes. We have had between 12 and 16 rabbits in 3 tractors this summer on our "lawn" which is fortunately about a 1/4 acre of lush grass, clover, yarrow and a lot of other bits that they like. It worked and gave them a great moving space, but we still had to feed pellets, although less then normal amounts, to get them to a good size in a decent time frame.
What a clever way to make the tractor.
They work really well as long as you have fairly flat ground (we just put a few rabbits out in the tractors today actually!)
I really liked yours design on the rabbit tractors....need 2 bld some....gonna use your design...thanks!
Thanks for the idea I have dog kennels that I use to put baby birds in before I take them out to their permanent place.
Happy looking rabbitat!
They love it. But they sure eat a lot. It also seems to really help them stay cool being on the ground. Thanks so much for watching.
Those tractors work great! Great design! Thanks for sharing this!
We are soon going to have a whole fleet of them we like them so much.
That is great
I love those rabbits. Might buy a male this year lol
Well I am hoping to start breeding next week if the weather holds. Plus 13 today.
I was talking to Mark about rabbits. I honestly don't think we would be able to sustain them unless we fed primarily pellets. Thank you for educating us on all aspects of homesteading. 💚
Glad you enjoyed this one. Its always amazing how much any animal can and does eat given the opportunity! It certainly is where rabbits are great on a small scale but also tough in that without pellets you do have to tap into a lot of different resources to keep them well fed and productive (hands down a pellet diet is the most convenient for a lot of reasons but.... as we have seen in the last few years that dependency is not always a guarantee). Still they are a good animal for smaller spaces but may not be the best fit for all situations (something you don't hear much talk about honestly).
@@HickorycroftFarm my problem is I want to do it all! But I have to understand the logistics of what I have to work with. So far Mark hasn't pardoned anymore of our fowl lol
Love this idea. Do stay inside them overnight? How do you handle predators?
Wow thanks for the info
Glad you enjoyed and found it helpful. We enjoy sharing what we are learning.
6:53....oh look the Cadbury bunny!😂
Good video! Something to think about...
We do like using the tractors but it is amazing how much they can consume in a very short timeframe. When we used them years ago that was one thing we found that if the grass/forage was short it was really only a small supplement as we just couldn't move them fast enough to keep them happy. But letting it grow like we have this year seems to really work well (though I wouldn't trust an older rabbit that might dig....)
Great video 👍
Thanks so much 😃
Maybe I misunderstood what you said but did you say that they start digging at a younger age (happens quickly)? The reason I ask is, I want to run meat rabbits in my backyard but I do not want holes dug. I live in a city. I like your system, cheap, simple with plenty of food!
We usually find they don't start digging until they get close to 6 months old. It works great for the growouts, but we ate looking into some different ideas for our breeders for next year.
That's genius..
do you bring them in at night? or are you not worried about predators?
So a 1/4 acre would be eaten up pretty quick. I knew I'd need to pellet feed also but was unsure how fast they would eat the "biomass". Hard to find any info on this.
Pending how many rabbits I would say yes. We have had between 12 and 16 rabbits in 3 tractors this summer on our "lawn" which is fortunately about a 1/4 acre of lush grass, clover, yarrow and a lot of other bits that they like. It worked and gave them a great moving space, but we still had to feed pellets, although less then normal amounts, to get them to a good size in a decent time frame.
What type of rabbits do you have?
We raise Champagne D'argents rabbits. Not the fastest growing meat rabbit but we really like the temperament of them and they are enjoyable to raise.