# Fishy’s Rabbitry 😊



## Fishychix

I thought I would start a thread for all things to do with my buns. I have started a small number of threads with concerns or questions and then started straying off topic and sharing the cuteness that is my new babies. Maybe this will help keep me on topic 🤣🤣


----------



## Fishychix

I thought about getting a website, but am very unsure as to how the process works. All platforms seem pretty pricey for someone like me. I also can't decide on a name. I like the (my  first name) Rabbit Ranch, but it doesn't sound professional and the word “ranch” sounds bigger than what I have going. I dont want to mislead anyone.  Thoughts?


----------



## animalmom

You could do "your first name" Rabbitry instead of Ranch.


----------



## Tre3hugger

Fishychix said:


> I thought about getting a website, but am very unsure as to how the process works. All platforms seem pretty pricey for someone like me. I also can't decide on a name. I like the (my  first name) Rabbit Ranch, but it doesn't sound professional and the word “ranch” sounds bigger than what I have going. I dont want to mislead anyone.  Thoughts?


My homestead name is Cuckoo Mountain. I always call all the birds "cuckoo birds" real loud and they all come running so my wife thought that would be an apt name. So my small operation is Cuckoo Mountain Rabbitry.


----------



## Fishychix

What would be the difference between ranch and rabbitry?


----------



## Tre3hugger

Fishychix said:


> What would be the difference between ranch and rabbitry?


In my (admittedly warped) mind, ranch implies large, wide open spaces. And well, cattle. Rabbitry is accurate whether referring to a 3 hole or 300 hole operation. 

Will you be offering other products from your "ranch" or is it purely a rabbit venture?


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

To my mind, ranch is raising all sorts of animals, where rabbitry is just rabbits. Pick ranch if you might branch out in the future to other animals.


----------



## Fishychix

Tre3hugger said:


> In my (admittedly warped) mind, ranch implies large, wide open spaces. And well, cattle. Rabbitry is accurate whether referring to a 3 hole or 300 hole operation.
> 
> Will you be offering other products from your "ranch" or is it purely a rabbit venture?





Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> To my mind, ranch is raising all sorts of animals, where rabbitry is just rabbits. Pick ranch if you might branch out in the future to other animals.


Thank you both! That makes sense. I do plan on, someday, branching out but who knows when that will be. I o also plan on selling other stuff, just not other animals yet.


----------



## Fishychix

Theyre getting SO fuzzy 🥰🥰🥰


----------



## LilTxFarmer

How about 'Farm'?


----------



## Kusanar

If you are liking the word rabbitry but are thinking about branching out later, you could always add "and farm" or "and ranch" to it later, that way if anyone is searching for Blank Rabbitry they will still get it in the search results, but then the name change will tip those people off that you have other things as well.


----------



## Fishychix

LilTxFarmer said:


> How about 'Farm'?


I live in the suburbs 🤣

Someday hopefully 🥰


----------



## Fishychix

Mom looks pretty tired. I’m thinking of taking a 24x24 inch cage and cutting matching holes in it and in her cage, kind of like an extension. 

She was taking a nap earlier (🥰) and one of the little ones was chewing its food and dozing off while leaning up against her 🤣🤣🤣🤣


----------



## Fishychix

My friend brought her granddaughter over to see the babies. Zelda was so good! I had her sniff them and they gave her spinach, maybe that helped 😍. 
Ive had zero interest in my CL ads for them. That worries me. Maybe the 4Hers are waiting?


----------



## Fishychix

The little stinker is pulling fur now! 🤣. Good thing no one has answered her CL ad 🤣. I hope she does have a litter and it isn't a false pregnancy.


----------



## BooksAndChooks

Fishychix said:


> The little stinker is pulling fur now! 🤣. Good thing no one has answered her CL ad 🤣. I hope she does have a litter and it isn't a false pregnancy.


 Hoping for many healthy little jumping beans soon


----------



## Fishychix

My San Juan doe had two(?) kits last night. Both did not survive. I would love to know the reason, but of course I can speculate until Im blue in the face with no clear answer. I will rebreed her tomorrow. Poor thing ☹️


----------



## Fishychix

I think we freaked out mom today 🤣. I put up another cage to hers and we cut openings for the babies to go between the two cages, but mom doesnt fit. This is to give them some more room. I put each one in there to show them and she kept trying to go through the opening herself.  All of them hopped back onto her side before we went back inside. They also had their first strawberry today 🥰. Too cute!  
My buck has a weepy eye. I guess its a trip to TSC for eye ointment. I havent seen symptoms in the nursery thankfully


----------



## Niele da Kine

We had a small farm on a hillside when we started, so we were and still are 'Hillside Farm'.  I was surprised at how many other Hillside Farms showed up online, so it extended to 'Hillside Farm Hawaii'.  Our first website was a Google Site, which is free, although a very limited storage space and if many pictures are loaded, it fills up fast.  We used PhotoBucket as a picture storage site with links to the pictures on the Google Site and things went on well for several years.  Then PhotoBucket finally noticed that everyone was just using their site as storage instead of ordering prints of their pictures like the site had hoped.  So, they then made links to outside websites not work and all the pictures on my Google Site disappeared.  For a mere $400 per year, PhotoBucket would let me link to an outside site.

Google Sites also doesn't let you sell stuff from their sites, so between that and the pictures disappearing, I got a direct domain of my own 'http://HillsideFarmHawaii.com' and it's hosted on HostGator.  You buy your site name from a domain name site such as 'NameCheap' or some such.  That's a one shot thing and not all that expensive.  Then you need a site to host your webpage, such as HostGator or there's others as well.  That gives you your site name and a place to put it, now you have to build your site.

A lot of folks use WordPress to build their sites and HostGator integrates with that.  I didn't like how rigid it was so my site is directly coded in HTML and CSS.  That's *H*yper *T*ext *M*arkup *L*anguage and *C*ascading *S*tyle *S*heets.  They're not that hard to learn and you can learn them online for free.

We aren't a 'farm' anymore.  That had been leased farmland and when we moved to town we gave up farming and just kept the rabbits.  They were the only profitable part of our farming anyway since feral pigs kept eating up everything we tried to grow and fencing them out was too expensive.  Pigs are tasty, but we can't legally sell pork.  We ate well, but didn't make any money on farming.  It was fun to play with the backhoe, though, I miss the backhoe.


----------



## Kusanar

Niele da Kine said:


> We had a small farm on a hillside when we started, so we were and still are 'Hillside Farm'.  I was surprised at how many other Hillside Farms showed up online, so it extended to 'Hillside Farm Hawaii'.  Our first website was a Google Site, which is free, although a very limited storage space and if many pictures are loaded, it fills up fast.  We used PhotoBucket as a picture storage site with links to the pictures on the Google Site and things went on well for several years.  Then PhotoBucket finally noticed that everyone was just using their site as storage instead of ordering prints of their pictures like the site had hoped.  So, they then made links to outside websites not work and all the pictures on my Google Site disappeared.  For a mere $400 per year, PhotoBucket would let me link to an outside site.
> 
> Google Sites also doesn't let you sell stuff from their sites, so between that and the pictures disappearing, I got a direct domain of my own 'http://HillsideFarmHawaii.com' and it's hosted on HostGator.  You buy your site name from a domain name site such as 'NameCheap' or some such.  That's a one shot thing and not all that expensive.  Then you need a site to host your webpage, such as HostGator or there's others as well.  That gives you your site name and a place to put it, now you have to build your site.
> 
> A lot of folks use WordPress to build their sites and HostGator integrates with that.  I didn't like how rigid it was so my site is directly coded in HTML and CSS.  That's *H*yper *T*ext *M*arkup *L*anguage and *C*ascading *S*tyle *S*heets.  They're not that hard to learn and you can learn them online for free.
> 
> We aren't a 'farm' anymore.  That had been leased farmland and when we moved to town we gave up farming and just kept the rabbits.  They were the only profitable part of our farming anyway since feral pigs kept eating up everything we tried to grow and fencing them out was too expensive.  Pigs are tasty, but we can't legally sell pork.  We ate well, but didn't make any money on farming.  It was fun to play with the backhoe, though, I miss the backhoe.


To expand on this a bit, I found this website which teaches how to code in a pretty practical way. If you ever get stuck there is a video you can watch where they walk you through step by step. https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/


----------



## Fishychix

Awesome info @Niele da Kine and @Kusanar!  I thought about a website to make myself more legit, but am feeling disappointed in the lack of response for the rabbits in general. I had two responses in two weeks. One wanted one for Easter despite the wean date, in my ad, being 4/23; and one wanted pedigreed.  I think rabbit shows are starting back up, so I’ll check them out. I want to see how well they fit the standard anyway.


----------



## Niele da Kine

Yup, there's a lot of online assistance for learning code.  Since my desktop has no sound, videos don't work all that well so I use *https://www.w3schools.com/html/* as my main code learning page. They also have CSS on their website as well as the HTML.


----------



## Niele da Kine

For pedigreed, are your rabbits purebred?  If they are, then start writing down their ancestors and in several generations, you'll have fully pedigreed rabbits.  Rabbit generations are pretty quick, after all.

I use Kintracks, it's a brilliant database for breeding pretty much any animal.  It's a free download and you can use it for quite some time before you have to pay for the key to unlock it and even then it's not expensive at around $20 Australian which is less in U.S. dollars:   *https://kintraks.com/*


----------



## Niele da Kine

As far as folks wanting rabbits, sometimes there's a list of waiting folks and then sometimes it seems nobody wants them.  Generally, I have them listed on their website (*http://hillsidefarmhawaii.com/pages/available/available.html*) if they're available as well as listing them on the "In the Nestbox" page as sort of a preview of what may become available soon: *http://hillsidefarmhawaii.com/pages/nestbox/nestbox.html* .  It takes a bit to keep the pages updated, having a website means adding content to it whenever possible to keep it fresh.

When there's more rabbits than folks wanting rabbits, I'll list them as available on Craig's List although most of the CL ad is a link to the website.  CL doesn't allow pet sales, but livestock sales are okay.  FaceBook doesn't allow animal sales, so folks will post pictures of their bunnies and then folks will private message them for more details.

What advertisement options do you have in your area?  If you buy bunny feed from the feed store, they will frequently have a bulletin board where you can post hardcopy ads for bunny sales.


----------



## Fishychix

I could have paid extra for the pedigree when I bought mom and dad, but didnt. These are the only two I have right now. I was planning on buying one more doe to expand the bloodline after I sold this litter. 
I pretty much only have CL, but forgot about the bulletin boards. Thanks for the reminder 😊. Not that I want to attribute to impulse shopping, but was expecting more interest around Easter.


----------



## Niele da Kine

Will they still sell you the pedigrees if you pay the extra?  Might be worthwhile to get the paperwork if they don't ask much more.  Otherwise, it sounds like they are at least purebred.  If you know the colors of the parents or anything else about them, you can make that their parent's name on the pedigree you start for them.  Add in the rabbitry name of the folks you got them from and use that as an entry?  "Rabbitryname Black Doe" or some such?  Within several generations, you'll have a complete pedigree on them.

The bunnies here are island bunnies, so there's not a lot of other available breeding stock.   Someone I'd sold a doe to brought in an unpedigreed 'wooler' buck from someone in a FaceBook spinner's group.  All I know is that he at least looks English, but I've only seen pictures of him since he's on a different island.  He was bred to the doe I'd sent and an offspring of that pair was the buck used here to decrease the levels of inbreeding.  So that buck at least had half a pedigree.  Since then, there's been several generations so the offspring is now back to being fully pedigreed.

FWIW, I don't sell rabbits around Easter time.  It's a bad idea to put a bunny in a basket of candy and then hand it to a kid.  Sugar amped kids mixed with young bunnies is just a recipe for a disaster.


----------



## Fishychix

Yeah, definitely not a good mix. Even if they were ready I would not have released them until a few days after. I have a similar-ish issue with breeding stock. This is not a common breed so finding “fresh blood” will be a challenge. I know blackcat paddock has some, so sometime in the future they could be a good source.


----------



## Fishychix

I just had to get a pedigree designed cuz some guy wants a “nice pedigreed buck”. He would only buy one if it came with a pedigree 🤷🏻‍♀️  Oh well, I was hemming and hawing about it anyway 🤣


----------



## Fishychix

I did try to get a pedigree for the parents but that guy now said he doesn't have any. ???    And he’s getting out of rabbits.


----------



## Fishychix

First dose of eye ointment went well for my buck. Whew! I knew he should be okay, but it still made me nervous. 

Im not sure if the babies are thriving. They look great and act great, but they arent nearly as big as their parents were when I brought them home at (supposedly) 8 weeks. They're barely two pounds.


----------



## Fishychix

Getting nervous about this weekend. Im having bunny pick up and it seems everybody wants a buck! Ive tried sexing them, but they still seem to be too small. 🤞🤞🤞


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

Fishychix said:


> Getting nervous about this weekend. Im having bunny pick up and it seems everybody wants a buck! Ive tried sexing them, but they still seem to be too small. 🤞🤞🤞


Good luck! Try sexing the rabbit while the person watches? Then they can agree/disagree with the gender guess and it's not all on you if the gender switch fairy visits and the rabbit is the wrong gender.


----------



## Fishychix

Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> Good luck! Try sexing the rabbit while the person watches? Then they can agree/disagree with the gender guess and it's not all on you if the gender switch fairy visits and the rabbit is the wrong gender.


Yes. Good idea 🤣. As it stands right now i only have one doe, so thats not right 🤣🤣

Question though - they all looked really dirty in their privates. Cause for concern?


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

Fishychix said:


> Yes. Good idea 🤣. As it stands right now i only have one doe, so thats not right 🤣🤣
> 
> Question though - they all looked really dirty in their privates. Cause for concern?


Possibly? Are the cages getting dirty really fast and they are standing/sitting in their waste? Or do they seem sick? I know they can get the runs if they are eating too much greens or changing food too quickly. Try cutting back on greens and increasing hay. Clean the cages a bit more if they are making a mess and sitting in it. Not as experienced with sick bunnies so hopefully someone else will chime in.

You can use a damp washcloth and give them a spot bath if they are dirty. It's not recommended to actually bathe a rabbit in water like you would a dog or cat (yes I've bathed my cats).


----------



## Fishychix

Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> Possibly? Are the cages getting dirty really fast and they are standing/sitting in their waste? Or do they seem sick? I know they can get the runs if they are eating too much greens or changing food too quickly. Try cutting back on greens and increasing hay. Clean the cages a bit more if they are making a mess and sitting in it. Not as experienced with sick bunnies so hopefully someone else will chime in.
> 
> You can use a damp washcloth and give them a spot bath if they are dirty. It's not recommended to actually bathe a rabbit in water like you would a dog or cat (yes I've bathed my cats).


Their cages are clean. They have unlimited hay and no changes in their food. I can try to wipe them down some. It looks like dried skin cells that never got cleaned away and accumulated. I dont have a good example to use without sounding incredibly gross 🤣🤣 
I have bathed cats also. Not a lot of fun! I definitely wont bathe the bunnies. They were already pretty stressed with shredding my hands and their nail trim. I tried weighing them again but they're too big for my kitchen scale now. I thought Id try the bathroom scale but they don't register 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

My cats were bathed often as kittens (feral kittens with fleas) so they actually purr the whole time. I haven't had to wash them in a year or so though, no telling if they are still ok with it.

I use a cloth grocery bag and a hanging fish scale to weigh my bunnies. Works pretty well plus it can tare out to remove the weight of the bag for me.


----------



## Fishychix

Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> My cats were bathed often as kittens (feral kittens with fleas) so they actually purr the whole time. I haven't had to wash them in a year or so though, no telling if they are still ok with it.
> 
> I use a cloth grocery bag and a hanging fish scale to weigh my bunnies. Works pretty well plus it can tare out to remove the weight of the bag for me.


Good idea. Maybe i can grab one at wally world?


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

Fishychix said:


> Good idea. Maybe i can grab one at wally world?


Possible. I got mine at Bass Pro, it was less than $15 and seems pretty accurate. Some have a hook or ring you can attach it to something to hang it up.


----------



## Fishychix

I had a weird experience today. Im still trying to decide if the guy is an ahole or just a jerk. Either way Im thoroughly confused by his behavior. He wanted to but a pedigreed buck. I explained a couple of weeks ago that Im just starting out and dont have a pedigree for the parents, but I can create one with the info I do have. I asked if that would be fine with him and he said yes. Today he apparently no longer thinks thats okay and started telling me of some other breed hes getting in a few weeks and how his family had been in rabbits for a long time. He insists that he only buys pedigreed. I told him what Id come up with for my own pedigree and he said, basically, that it’s fine. I asked the name of his rabbitry and he responded saying “I’m done.” The events are slightly out of order, but the gist is there. I blocked him from my contacts, just in case. Is this weird or what?


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

Fishychix said:


> I had a weird experience today. Im still trying to decide if the guy is an ahole or just a jerk. Either way Im thoroughly confused by his behavior. He wanted to but a pedigreed buck. I explained a couple of weeks ago that Im just starting out and dont have a pedigree for the parents, but I can create one with the info I do have. I asked if that would be fine with him and he said yes. Today he apparently no longer thinks thats okay and started telling me of some other breed hes getting in a few weeks and how his family had been in rabbits for a long time. He insists that he only buys pedigreed. I told him what Id come up with for my own pedigree and he said, basically, that it’s fine. I asked the name of his rabbitry and he responded saying “I’m done.” The events are slightly out of order, but the gist is there. I blocked him from my contacts, just in case. Is this weird or what?


If contact was only by text/email, maybe he was misreading tone or didn't actually understand what you were saying. Or he's just an idiot. If he found you off craigslist, highly likely he was an idiot or tire kicker.


----------



## Fishychix

Three down, five to go! Im trading a buck for a doe as the next “sale”. In my book that counts 🤣. Only because I was planning on adding a doe at some point anyway.


----------



## Fishychix

Mr. Bunny was very expensive today. Nearly $200 for a $40 bunny. I took him to the vet because he had a few issues that appear to not be too much to worry about. I posted about them in my What Is It? thread. He's lucky I love him! 🤣🤣. He's also my first, and only, buck. Now to sell four of his children to make up for the cost


----------



## Tre3hugger

Glad you got some sold!


----------



## Fishychix

Tre3hugger said:


> Glad you got some sold!


Thanks. How are you doing? I thought I was watching your thread but haven't seen it in my list in a while.


----------



## Tre3hugger

Doing well! Maple's 9 kits are almost 2 weeks old and thriving. Crewella is due in 10 days! Tomorrow I will try to get some pics and update my thread.


----------



## Fishychix

Woot! Got my ARBA card yesterday. Now to register the rabbitry.


----------



## Tre3hugger

Fishychix said:


> Woot! Got my ARBA card yesterday. Now to register the rabbitry.


I just joined too! Registered last night.


----------



## Fishychix

Tre3hugger said:


> I just joined too! Registered last night.


Lol! I didnt even see this until after I replied to your thread 🤣


----------



## messybun

Hey, my brother is actually in IT. He does simple websites and will tutor if you prefer. If you are still looking for a website start a private conversation with me and I can give you his work contact so you guys could discuss a website.


----------



## Tre3hugger

We just built a website with Wix. It is pretty cheap and has a lot of customizable options. This is mine.

www.cuckoomountain.com


----------



## Fishychix

messybun said:


> Hey, my brother is actually in IT. He does simple websites and will tutor if you prefer. If you are still looking for a website start a private conversation with me and I can give you his work contact so you guys could discuss a website.


Thanks for the offer. I will keep it in my thoughts. I started on one but got overwhelmed.


----------



## messybun

Tre3hugger said:


> We just built a website with Wix. It is pretty cheap and has a lot of customizable options. This is mine.
> 
> www.cuckoomountain.com


 Nice.


----------



## Fishychix

I’m official! The Runny Babbitry 🤣🤣. I’m confused about the ARBA number though. I got my card with my membership number which has my last name, first initial and a couple of numbers, but the numbers I see people put on their breeder sites has only numbers. So, I thought maybe thats their rabbitry number, but thats not the impression Im getting with emailing ARBA. Any insight?


----------



## Tre3hugger

^^X2


----------



## Fishychix

That was quick! They misunderstood my question which is why I git the “wrong” answer. I will get a rabbitry certificate in the mail and it has its own number. Woot! I need to find an appropriate frame now 🥰


----------



## Fishychix

Just sold the San Juans and now Im all blue 🤣🤣


----------



## Tre3hugger

Fishychix said:


> Just sold the San Juans and now Im all blue 🤣🤣


Lol the highs and lows of the Rabbiter. Congrats on the sales! Were they through craigslist?


----------



## Fishychix

Tre3hugger said:


> Lol the highs and lows of the Rabbiter. Congrats on the sales! Were they through craigslist?


Yup. Thats the only way Im getting any sold right now. I have some flyers up, but no one seems interested.


----------



## Fishychix

I don’t have any worthwile updates, just that I made it through another start of the school year. WOW!  SO MANY KIDS  They just kept coming. I really should have had some extra help this year, but I had no idea it would be this bad. Good for enrollment counts though!
I still have my four unsold juniors from the original litter. Really wish my buyers hadn’t fallen through. I don’t know how to advertise them and am leery of breeding for more. CL worked sort of, flyers didn’t work at all, and I havent had time to work on a website. I simply can’t house any more unsold ones and cannot seem to find a processor either. Sigh! Stuck right out of the gate. I need contacts and resources. A mentor couldn’t hurt. 🤣
Anyone available in my area by chance? Please, with a cherry on top? 🤣


----------



## Alasgun

Process them yourself, it’s not that difficult! Then you’re unstuck!
once you’ve done a batch, you’ll be a pro; really.


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

Watch some YouTube videos on processing, then get it done. Having a buddy to help process makes it easier and faster. Thank the rabbit for their sacrifice for the food you will receive. It's dismayingly easy to kill a rabbit, you just need to make sure it's quick and as painless as possible. 

You can do this, and should know how to dispatch a rabbit humanely if you are going to raise them. What if one of your breeders gets injured and there's no vet available to put them down?


----------



## Fishychix

Alasgun said:


> Process them yourself, it’s not that difficult! Then you’re unstuck!
> once you’ve done a batch, you’ll be a pro; really.





Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> Watch some YouTube videos on processing, then get it done. Having a buddy to help process makes it easier and faster. Thank the rabbit for their sacrifice for the food you will receive. It's dismayingly easy to kill a rabbit, you just need to make sure it's quick and as painless as possible.
> 
> You can do this, and should know how to dispatch a rabbit humanely if you are going to raise them. What if one of your breeders gets injured and there's no vet available to put them down?



Unfortunately, I would be breaking my city’s laws if I did. And I don’t have any space at all in the house/garage. My Plan B was selling at the fair, livestock auction, and a mentor from BYC. The fair was a no go for me this year due to insane workload; my mentor is MIA, I havent seen her on BYC in a couple of months; as for the livestock auctions, they are held during my work days and Ive never been. A coworkers dad drives the Amish to the auctions so I can try her. Several of the auctions say that the cage will go with the animal and cardboard is not allowed though. Who has a spare cage laying around every time they take livestock to auction? Not me. I need all that I have including my extras. Now that things have slowed somewhat at work I can try to dig deeper into the auctions.


----------



## Alasgun

I would have never dreamt a city ordinance would exist; keeping you from butchering your own rabbits on your own place!

Another reason i’m thankful for where i live. 😳


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

That's absurd that the cage would go with the animal. The auction near me has rows of cages (very beat up), but the animal is transferred from the transport cage to the other cages when they are dropped off. This allows the auctioneer to separate the animals by age/color/gender/etc, whatever makes them into different lots. The auction also sells misc stuff, so you could sell the cage too but it's usually not a package deal, the animal and cage are both auctioned separately.

I would see if you can go to the auction and talk to a few regulars, or reach out to the auction staff, to get more info. If there are Amish around I bet you could pay one to butcher the rabbits for you if you want to go that route. I doubt they would have that same restriction on their property regarding butchering.


----------



## Fishychix

Alasgun said:


> I would have never dreamt a city ordinance would exist; keeping you from butchering your own rabbits on your own place!
> 
> Another reason i’m thankful for where i live. 😳


Ive never lived anywhere else as an adult while owning any type of livestock, but this makes zero sense to me, too. I dont know what the deal is.


----------



## Fishychix

Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> That's absurd that the cage would go with the animal. The auction near me has rows of cages (very beat up), but the animal is transferred from the transport cage to the other cages when they are dropped off. This allows the auctioneer to separate the animals by age/color/gender/etc, whatever makes them into different lots. The auction also sells misc stuff, so you could sell the cage too but it's usually not a package deal, the animal and cage are both auctioned separately.
> 
> I would see if you can go to the auction and talk to a few regulars, or reach out to the auction staff, to get more info. If there are Amish around I bet you could pay one to butcher the rabbits for you if you want to go that route. I doubt they would have that same restriction on their property regarding butchering.


I definitely plan on it now that work has slowed down somewhat. The setup you’re describing is what I imagined a livestock auction for smaller animals would be like. I reread that passage about four times just to make sure i didn't misread anything 🤷🏻‍♀️
Edit:
The passage on the auctions website.


----------



## Fishychix

Sold two more babies! They're 7 mos, but I still call them babies. Now, hopefully the buyer will show today 
I have no reason to think they won’t, just being realistic. 
Hopefully hubs will let me breed both my does now 🙄🙄
I dont think he understands how a rabbitry works 🤣


----------



## Tre3hugger

Fishychix said:


> Sold two more babies! They're 7 mos, but I still call them babies. Now, hopefully the buyer will show today
> I have no reason to think they won’t, just being realistic.
> Hopefully hubs will let me breed both my does now 🙄🙄
> I dont think he understands how a rabbitry works 🤣


NIce. Good luck!


----------



## Fishychix

They showed up!
And I got Zelda bred again 🤞🤞.  Poor dude though 🤦🏻‍♀️  He had one fall off finally. He was going at her at every angle 😂   Youd think it was his first time ever. Hopefully he’ll be a bit better with my other doe tonight. I want to breed both at the same time since it'll be Maggies first.


----------



## Tre3hugger

Nice! I tried to rebreed both my girls yesterday too. Only one was cooperative. Oh well. I will keep trying this week. At least I got the meat mama bred. I know I will be grateful for that come mid winter.


----------



## Fishychix

Got Maggie in with Spyro too. Phew! That one went a little better. She didn't put up nearly the fight Zelda did. He had one fall off, but a couple of times he stayed on but was limp. It was funny 🤣. Unless that is a bad thing? 
Ive never had two does bred at the same time. Is it okay if their cages are right next to each other? For the whole duration? Thats how they have been arranged but I don't know if babies will throw a wrench in that arrangement. 
When should I try to rebreed, just to check if they are pregnant? A couple of days or an entire week?


----------



## Tre3hugger

My buck does the same thing. Sometimes he will be pumping away and then just stop and lay on her back for a minute to rest lol. I don't consider it a bad thing but it def doesn't count as a fall off. Seems to me to just be part of the "dance". 
As far as adjacent cages. Is it the two does that are next to each other or doe and buck? I have two double cages. I keep my girls next to each other, and the buck and grow outs in the other double. I have had both does produce litters with their cage attached to the other doe and haven't had a problem.  I have read that a doe and buck next to each other can breed through the wire so I try to keep them separated. 
Personally, I don't check for pregnancy by rebreeding. It is not an exact thing and I don't find it worth it. Every single time (4 so far) that my buck had has ONE SINGLE FALL OFF my doe was pregnant. If you are really anxious and want to confirm pregnancy I would suggest learning how to palpate. That simply means feel the belly for embryos with your fingers. It is often more accurate than the rebreed test and you can even get an idea how many babies are in there once you get good at it. There is a ton of info out there including how and when to do it. Look it up if you're interested!


----------



## Fishychix

Tre3hugger said:


> My buck does the same thing. Sometimes he will be pumping away and then just stop and lay on her back for a minute to rest lol. I don't consider it a bad thing but it def doesn't count as a fall off. Seems to me to just be part of the "dance".
> As far as adjacent cages. Is it the two does that are next to each other or doe and buck? I have two double cages. I keep my girls next to each other, and the buck and grow outs in the other double. I have had both does produce litters with their cage attached to the other doe and haven't had a problem.  I have read that a doe and buck next to each other can breed through the wire so I try to keep them separated.
> Personally, I don't check for pregnancy by rebreeding. It is not an exact thing and I don't find it worth it. Every single time (4 so far) that my buck had has ONE SINGLE FALL OFF my doe was pregnant. If you are really anxious and want to confirm pregnancy I would suggest learning how to palpate. That simply means feel the belly for embryos with your fingers. It is often more accurate than the rebreed test and you can even get an idea how many babies are in there once you get good at it. There is a ton of info out there including how and when to do it. Look it up if you're interested!


Thanks! Yes, the two does are side by side. There is always a bit of a gap between my cages so unless he is incredibly well endowed Im not concerned 🤣🤣
I have heard those stories too and would be very interested in their cage setup, etc.


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

If there's an inch or two gap between the cages, the does should be fine and a buck can't breed through the wire. If there's no gap, the buck could reach a cooperative doe, it does happen. Also, any gender rabbit could bite through the cage to the neighbor, I have had that happen in my early setup. Not good for the rabbit as they end up with less useable space in their cage as the aggressive/dominant one bites at the other whenever they are close.

I would recommend breeding the rabbits again about 6-8 hours after their first encounters, if the buck is up to it. I usually aim for 3 fall offs total between the two encounters to ensure pregnancy, most of mine I've had weren't pregnant after only a single fall off and I wasted a month waiting for babies that weren't coming.


----------



## Fishychix

Just sold the last  from this litter

Hopefully both my does are due in a few days   I cannot find any nest boxes   I guess i could use cardboard boxes? Id rather not but have heard others doing so.


----------



## animalmom

Cardboard boxes work just fine.  Try to get, or cut down to size, the box in the right size for your doe.  Yeah it is going to get wet, pooped in and everything else, but it is only a one time use and should last long enough.

I've used cardboard to line my wire nest boxes with great success.  Yes the doe, and kits when old enough will probably gnaw on the cardboard so try to use plain cardboard, not laminated stuff like a cereal box, but the good old fashioned shipping boxes.

Please keep us posted on your does' status and, naturally, pictures of the kits.


----------



## Fishychix

animalmom said:


> Cardboard boxes work just fine.  Try to get, or cut down to size, the box in the right size for your doe.  Yeah it is going to get wet, pooped in and everything else, but it is only a one time use and should last long enough.
> 
> I've used cardboard to line my wire nest boxes with great success.  Yes the doe, and kits when old enough will probably gnaw on the cardboard so try to use plain cardboard, not laminated stuff like a cereal box, but the good old fashioned shipping boxes.
> 
> Please keep us posted on your does' status and, naturally, pictures of the kits.


Thanks for the info!  I will def post pics


----------



## Fishychix

Ugh! I got nothing from either doe 
Im really not sure if I want to breed again now and have littles during the really cold months or wait until Feb or March. Problem is, Im afraid I may miss my window of trying to stick to the cooler months for breeding. Again


----------



## Larsen Poultry Ranch

How many days after the breeding is it now? 

What is the weather forecast in your area in a month to month and a half? I forget your setup, are they outside, and could they be brought inside or into a garage or something right around the due date?

Once the kits are here and in the nest, usually they are fine, and after 2 weeks are fuzzy enough to withstand most cold temps. It's just when they are born they are most vulnerable.


----------



## Fishychix

Larsen Poultry Ranch said:


> How many days after the breeding is it now?
> 
> What is the weather forecast in your area in a month to month and a half? I forget your setup, are they outside, and could they be brought inside or into a garage or something right around the due date?
> 
> Once the kits are here and in the nest, usually they are fine, and after 2 weeks are fuzzy enough to withstand most cold temps. It's just when they are born they are most vulnerable.


Not sure about the forecast that far ahead, but I keep hearing its going to be a bad winter. Usually, at least the last several years, its been fairly mild until around January and then it starts getting to be winter. They are outside and there really isnt a space for them to be inside. I can put up wind breakers where they are so that will usually be enough. We had rexes during the -20’s several years ago and they were just fine with extra hay and wind breakers, but they weren't being bred. 
I’ll give it another shot then 😊


----------



## LilTxFarmer

I'd breed them again. I have two does due, now, myself. Actually, 1 of them is 2 days overdue. If she doesn't have them soon, I'll breed her again. When I bred them, I left them in the cage with the buck and he topped them and fell over 3 times with one doe and 4 with the other, but even so, they're's no guarantee. As for the weather, I'm with Larsen Poultry Ranch on how it's just when theyre being born that theyre most vulnerable but after that, they'll be ok.
If my kits could survive the Polar Blast that hit us here in Texas, last winter, they can survive your winter. Of course, I did have a tarp over the pen, with a heat lamp under it but with the power outages and the brown outs, I did worry, however, they made it!  Resilent them California Whites!


----------



## Fishychix

Crossing my fingers the does took this time 🤞🤞. They look a tad chunky 🥰


----------



## Fishychix

Yikes! Ive been neglectful. Will start typing updates. That'll take a little bit of time, but hopefully not another 3 months 😂


----------



## Fishychix

Alright, so ...
I am still waiting on litters. Nothing from either doe still. Not sure whats up. Rhetorical pondering 🙄🙄
Zelda was *not* a happy camper and attacked him everytime he would get near her. Thats very unusual for her. Maggie did well and he had three fall offs. On the second attempt, the next day, she wouldnt lift.
We did a show a few weeks ago. First one ever for them and me. Learned a good bit and would like to do it again.
I got a second job cause bills are out of control, mainly regular monthly bills 🤷🏻‍♀️  So, the shows are going to wait since they are during when i work job 2.
Im “remodeling” the house a touch. Mainly just a new floor, but of course that means - “well, while X is being done, i might as well do Y”
The kitchen subfloor is rotted by the patio door and im having a tough time with insurance. They dont cover rot, but they cover water leaks 🤷🏻‍♀️  Well, it rotted because of a water leak. Now they want pictures! I pulled up the floor, no pictures were taken because there was no reason to take any. I just wanted to do the kitchen floor at the same time as the living room, not because there was an issue.
They did send us a check to cover the cost of painting the water spots on the ceilings of two rooms.
My anxiety and adhd are going nuts. Thats always fun. Not!
I had a *very* bad/sad incident with my 75 gal fish tank. The heater malfunctioned and all but one little bichir died. It was horrible! I smelled it as soon as i came home, but didnt realize where it was coming from. The tank is in the kiddos’ room and he keeps the door shut. I checked for bad potatoes, took out the garbage, cleaned the sink and disposal, and cleaned the litter boxes. Each time i thought id found the source. Not that the house is that dirt (lol), i was just grasping at straws. All night long i smelled it and was getting very nauseous. I don't even remember why i went into his room since it wasn't a feeding day for them, but —- yeah. That what just plain bad. There werent many in there, but they were the big ones.
On a good note, i finally figured out that i can get another dog since my allergy seems to be to their yeast and not the regular dog allergy. Now i just need to find one not susceptible to yeast,  skin infections and, cat friendly. My little old fluffy boy doesnt do well with dogs  i think hes afraid of them. The other two cats love dogs.
Im sure i forgot lots of stuff, but will try to keep with this a bit better. Job 2 only has me for the weekend and a weekday, so it isnt too bad. I think  i dont officially start til tomorrow.


----------



## LilTxFarmer

Fishychix said:


> Alright, so ...
> I am still waiting on litters. Nothing from either doe still. Not sure whats up. Rhetorical pondering 🙄🙄
> Zelda was *not* a happy camper and attacked him everytime he would get near her. Thats very unusual for her. Maggie did well and he had three fall offs. On the second attempt, the next day, she wouldnt lift.
> We did a show a few weeks ago. First one ever for them and me. Learned a good bit and would like to do it again.
> I got a second job cause bills are out of control, mainly regular monthly bills 🤷🏻‍♀️  So, the shows are going to wait since they are during when i work job 2.
> Im “remodeling” the house a touch. Mainly just a new floor, but of course that means - “well, while X is being done, i might as well do Y”
> The kitchen subfloor is rotted by the patio door and im having a tough time with insurance. They dont cover rot, but they cover water leaks 🤷🏻‍♀️  Well, it rotted because of a water leak. Now they want pictures! I pulled up the floor, no pictures were taken because there was no reason to take any. I just wanted to do the kitchen floor at the same time as the living room, not because there was an issue.
> They did send us a check to cover the cost of painting the water spots on the ceilings of two rooms.
> My anxiety and adhd are going nuts. Thats always fun. Not!
> I had a *very* bad/sad incident with my 75 gal fish tank. The heater malfunctioned and all but one little bichir died. It was horrible! I smelled it as soon as i came home, but didnt realize where it was coming from. The tank is in the kiddos’ room and he keeps the door shut. I checked for bad potatoes, took out the garbage, cleaned the sink and disposal, and cleaned the litter boxes. Each time i thought id found the source. Not that the house is that dirt (lol), i was just grasping at straws. All night long i smelled it and was getting very nauseous. I don't even remember why i went into his room since it wasn't a feeding day for them, but —- yeah. That what just plain bad. There werent many in there, but they were the big ones.
> On a good note, i finally figured out that i can get another dog since my allergy seems to be to their yeast and not the regular dog allergy. Now i just need to find one not susceptible to yeast,  skin infections and, cat friendly. My little old fluffy boy doesnt do well with dogs  i think hes afraid of them. The other two cats love dogs.
> Im sure i forgot lots of stuff, but will try to keep with this a bit better. Job 2 only has me for the weekend and a weekday, so it isnt too bad. I think  i dont officially start til tomorrow.


What day are they on?


----------



## Fishychix

LilTxFarmer said:


> What day are they on?


Only Maggie actually got bred. Her day 31 is 4/5. I just felt her belly and didnt notice anything moving. I have yet to learn to palpate and didnt want to stress her by taking her out since i cant really lift them. I swear they melt into their cages when they dont want picked up! 😂


----------



## LilTxFarmer

Fishychix said:


> Only Maggie actually got bred. Her day 31 is 4/5. I just felt her belly and didnt notice anything moving. I have yet to learn to palpate and didnt want to stress her by taking her out since i cant really lift them. I swear they melt into their cages when they dont want picked up! 😂


Yeah, I think they're all that way. As I mentioned before, only one time have I ever felt the babies inside and that was because they were big babies, 4 of them. Other than that time, I can never tell either. At times I thought maybe she isn't pregnant, Lol, but they always are, so don't fret. Let me know how it goes.


----------



## Fishychix

LilTxFarmer said:


> Yeah, I think they're all that way. As I mentioned before, only one time have I ever felt the babies inside and that was because they were big babies, 4 of them. Other than that time, I can never tell either. At times I thought maybe she isn't pregnant, Lol, but they always are, so don't fret. Let me know how it goes.


Well, I dreamt she had a litter of 5, so


----------



## Fishychix

We have *10*! Maggie had 7 and Zelda had 3 the next morning.


----------



## LilTxFarmer

Fishychix said:


> View attachment 90599
> We have *10*! Maggie had 7 and Zelda had 3 the next morning.


Yay! Congradulations!


----------



## Fishychix

LilTxFarmer said:


> Yay! Congradulations!


Thanks!


----------



## Fishychix

Well, i guess theres a first time for everything. Just found a little one with its foot stuck in the cage. No idea how long it'd been there. It looks as if it managed to get on top of the nest box, it was that high up. Poor thing. 
Other than that, everybody seems okay. They opened their eyes a couple of days ago and are just starting to get around.


----------



## LilTxFarmer

Well, that's not good. How's the lil fella doing?


----------



## Fishychix

LilTxFarmer said:


> Well, that's not good. How's the lil fella doing?


Sorry! I didnt see this. Well, it didnt go to waste. I work with a biologyteacher that has a reptile and snake rescue in his classroom. The bigger snake had a good snack. 

They all had some playtime yesterday. As soon as they hit the ground theystarted eating grass like tiny sheep


----------



## Fishychix

Alrighty. A neighbor just gave us a wild baby bunny. They thought it was ours at first but suspected it may be wild and thought it was hurt. It does have splayed legs but seems just fine. It survived the night so far. I have no idea how old it is but not weaned for sure. It isnt drinking water, eating carrot, banana or any greens I picked from the outside - dandelion, tender beet greens, tiny ground ivy leaf. So we got some kitten milk and will try that. I have no idea where their nest may be so I cant really put it back outside.


----------



## LilTxFarmer

Fishychix said:


> Alrighty. A neighbor just gave us a wild baby bunny. They thought it was ours at first but suspected it may be wild and thought it was hurt. It does have splayed legs but seems just fine. It survived the night so far. I have no idea how old it is but not weaned for sure. It isnt drinking water, eating carrot, banana or any greens I picked from the outside - dandelion, tender beet greens, tiny ground ivy leaf. So we got some kitten milk and will try that. I have no idea where their nest may be so I cant really put it back outside.


You can also add a tablespoon of 100% heavy whipping cream with no sugar to each can of Kitten milk and use a syringe to feed it. They don't do nipples well. Unfortunately it's a slim chance it will survive but it never hurts to try, I did.


----------



## Fishychix

Good news: baby wild bunny seems to be doing fine. I’ll feed it for another day and let it go.
Its eating greens really well and someone more familiar with the wild ones said its likely weaned 

I’ll prob make it a safe place outside but it'll be free to go.


----------



## Fishychix

All gone 
I thought it may hang around a bit but it didn't,  hopefully it'll do fine.


----------



## Fishychix

Yay! I sold two littles to a farm store. I wasn't going to go that route but no one is answering my CL ad this time around. Hopefully, they’ll buy the rest too 

I do have someone from TN asking and am curious where they got my info. I am listed as a breeder on ARBA and The Livestock Conservancy, so hopefully thats paying off


----------

