Rabbits

Rabbits are quite simple to raise, depending on your intentions, they breed like crazy, so if you’re harvesting them for meat you should never have an issue. We have them specifically for their poo. Rabbit poo is one of the most beneficial poos that you can use in the garden next to bat guano. It can be used directly in the garden, and it does not need to be composted first like chicken poo and other waste high in nitrogen. You can collect daily, and put in the garden where needed and throw the rest in the compost pile. They need fresh and dried foods as well as grains like alfalfa daily, and on top of all that, they make great pets. Rabbits will let you handle them as long as it’s something you have done since they were bunnies, if you go trying to catch a wild rabbit with your bare hands, you’re going to have quite the challenge, however once they are comfortable with you, they don’t mind at all.

I’m not going to get into choosing breeds like I did with the chickens, the two rabbits we have were actually given to us so it was not something I was prepared for, we did however build a hutch to provide a good life for them, and did a lot of reading and research about the food they can and cannot have. Some are better for meat, others better for pets so be sure to do diligence and look into all of it before actually getting rabbits, as well as having a home for them to live in. Our hutch like almost everything on our homestead was made from scrap wood and up cycled materials, we also used the same sheet metal from our coop on the hutch, down to the exact amount needed actually. Rabbits need somewhat of a spacious hutch, they need a nesting area where they sleep, they need their food and water separate from everything, and a screened bottom for when they poo so that it just drops right out onto the ground below. This is convenient for harvesting the poop, and for cleaning the hutch out. The more natural things you can add to your garden, such as livestock poo and manure will benefit your crops and soil for years to come. Happy hopping along!