Rabbits

Why Rabbits?

Rabbits are a very desirable and sustainable source of protein in urban areas. They have a long history of use in the United States for backyard production in lean times.  During the Great Depression, and during the meat rations of WWII, millions of Americans raised and consumed rabbits on the home-scale level.  The are quiet, easy to maintain, require only a small space, can be raised in shaded and otherwise wasted spaces in the yard, and they naturally like to sit around for most of the day.

Design of Rabbit Hutch

• Give them shade! They tolerate very cold weather if protected from wind and rain, but won't survive hot weather...so put them on the north side of the house or garage
• Consider smell (prevailing winds)
• Cage components should be constructed completely of welded wire (at least one inch guage) to allow manure and urine to fall into trays, worms, or chickens below. Tryas should be at least 12 inches deep. Add worms to the trays, and prepare them with a bed of peat moss, wood shavings, or newspaper 3-6 inches deep
• Mature rabbits must be housed separately in order to ensure dependable breeding
• Each buck and dry doe must have 5 sq ft. of floor space, and cages should be at least 32 inches deep
• You'll need at least 4 small compartments to house th buck, dry and pregnant does, and weaned fryer rabbits
• You'll need tow larger compartments for does and their litters
• Total size can be 3 feet wide and 8 feet long, if you construct a double-tier system such as the one below:

Taking Care of Rabbits

• Managing rabbit manure is of the utmost importance.  Place trays with lots of wood shavings underneath the hutch...wood shavings soak up the urine and hold onto the nitrogen. Empty wood shavings directly around plants every week or so.
• Luckily for us, rabbit manure can go directly to the garden without any further composting or processing.
• Most common breeds for meat are New Zealand, Californian, and Silber Martin
• Obtain rabbits from registered breeders, from friends who are raising them, or from 4-H members
• Rabbits breed QUICKLY, so you can soon develop a good stock of your own by selecting mothers who have large litters, are calm, easy to breed, and take good care of young.
• Size of Herd: Start with one buck and four does (femailes), small enough for urban backyards
• A doe can have four litters a year, averaging 8 young per litter. This four-doe and one-buck system can yeild 5 pounds of meat/week!!

Check out this innovative design for a Rabbit-Chicken Integrated Housing System!