Advice Needed!

[Genipher]

I am considering getting rid of all my rabbits. My main issue being that the times my family wants to take an overnight (or weekend) trip, I have no-one to feed them (the rabbits).

I hate to give up on this so easily though. It had been my dream for years to be self-sustaining and to have good food for my family to eat. Living "in town", rabbits were my first step in that attempt. I was also hoping to get a chicken or two in the future but now...I just don't know anymore.

I know "farmers" don't have the liberty of traveling much and I hate to sound like such a wimp...I guess my questions are:

--Can you have it both ways? Is it possible to raise animals AND take trips with your family? If so, how?

There is also an issue of money. So far it seems like we're just spending more and more to feed the boogers. So:

--Does the cost of set-up and animal feed ever balance out with the actual meat from the rabbits?

Any advice would be welcome...I need to make a once-and-for-all decision and stick to it. No more Charlie-Browning for me!!

 

[secuono]

I don't go anywhere, my choice. Mainly because I know if something goes wrong and it's not their fault, I will still take it out on whom ever was caring for them. In my mind, my care will always be superior over anyone else.

Rabbits are easy for a day or three away. You fill up a large J feeder and hang 2 water bottles, stuff extra hay in extra nets.
You could have more demanding animals, rabbits aren't one of them unless they are all pigs and waste most of the food. But if mine did that, I'd just butcher them.

Now that everything for my 6 rabbits, and their new kits [11] is all made and in place, I only buy pellets. I have horses, so hay is also already here and paid for. If you are still spending a ton of money on feed and expanding your rabbitry, then that is your issue.

Are the rabbits for your immediate family or do you give away meat to cousins and all that? I would charge everyone other than you, significant other and your kids. How many adults do you have and how much of rabbit meat do you really use?

 

[quiltnchik]

My husband and I have adult children still living at home, but we still never go any where. It was my choice to farm and it's MY responsibility to ensure these animals come first. I know it sounds harsh, but farmers work 24/7 365; there are no breaks. You either love it or hate it, but it's a choice only you can make.

 

[secuono]

My husband and I have adult children still living at home, but we still never go any where. It was my choice to farm and it's MY responsibility to ensure these animals come first. I know it sounds harsh, but farmers work 24/7 365; there are no breaks. You either love it or hate it, but it's a choice only you can make.

Yup!
I don't even notice holidays, I actually can't stand them because I have to work around everyone's craziness.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

We take vacations, and we did growing up as well. My parents thought it was very important to have family vacations, so we found a fellow 4-Her who took excellent care of the animals. I also think it's important for us to have family vacations, and I'm very lucky that my Dad in Law feeds the animals for us while we're away. He won't milk though, so my neighbors will come over and milk for me if needed. I've even brought the goat to the neighbors for a week once.

Call local vets, 4-H groups, etc. You should be able to find someone reliable enough for rabbits for sure. Ask for references, and ask them to come over while you're there so you can show them what to do. Unless you live 40 miles from any other person, I'm sure you can find someone!

 

[20kidsonhill]

We pay someone to watch the farm. That wouldn't help with the money situation. If we are going to be gone Saturday morning to Sunday evening, we just fill up the water, put out extra water containers and feed extra. Then do the chores when we get back Sunday night, Otherwise we pay someone.

It cost me $300 last Christmas to be gone for 10 days. $30 a day, for a neighbor to come over and do around an hour of chores.

 

[quiltnchik]

Maybe it's just my age (almost 48) and/or the fact that a farm has been my dream my entire life, but my farm IS my vacation. I get such an incredible sense of peace just walking outside here

 

[Genipher]

Secuono, the meat is just for my immediate family (4 kids, 2 adults). Right now I have one doe (possibly pregnant), one buck and five 10-week old kits (almost ready for Freezer Camp). I have two feeders in the giant hutch that the kits are in. One is a regular-sized J-feeder and the other is just a big, sturdy dog bowl. I feed every morning, and by the next day both dishes are usually empty of pellets and the rabbits act as if they're "starving". They've also been getting greens.

It seems a 50# bag of pellets only lasts for a month. Is this normal? At $20/50# feed this puts our meat at, roughly, $8.50 per 3-month-old rabbit (live weight). (We started with 7 kits--I sold two of 'em). Well, maybe a little less because some of the adult breeders are eating, too...I was thinking if I continued with this adventure of "converting" the rabbits to a more natural diet and limiting the pellets, which would save more money...but takes time.

Our beginning costs were...well, too embarrassing to mention. I think we're on our third set of cages (the first two I couldn't stand). My fault, I know. But the price added up.

Anyway, my family likes to go camping in the summer. Not often, but there are at least 2 separate trips. Then we have occasional weekend trips to visit family. For the most part, we're home. When we take trips, we usually aren't gone for more than 3 days.

So perhaps adding more feeders will be enough?

Thanks, Aggieterpkatie. I'll have to look into the 4-H groups around here. And 20kidsonhill, if I had the money that might be a good option, too. Just have to watch my pennies...

 

[AZ Rabbits]

Find a teenager to become your "intern" and learn the ropes of all the care taking. Maybe even let them raise a doe in your facility to have a vested interest in the process. They can learn the details so that they can have a huge jump start when they are on their own. Then when you need to leave, you know someone who knows what they're doing is taking care of them.

Also, get an automatic watering system set up. You can do that for pretty inexpensive. It's pretty hard to mess up feeding them, even for a youth.

Then just plan your breeding schedule around your trip so they don't have litters coming while you're gone or even just before.

 

[secuono]

My regular JFeeders last 2-4 days depending on which adult it is. :/ My mom's and kits get a 8in round cake pan that's 2in deep full every day.
If it's going to be nice out, I limit the food the pigs get and I don't bother with their begging. Is the hay also all gone? If not, they won't starve, the fatsos!
Grass and weeds here lasts until November, next year I am going to make clear glass or plexiglass covers[kind of like a coldbox for gardeners] so patches of my lawn will just keep growing. A few days ago I found a thick patch of grass and clover under a small clear plant pot, and it has been freezing and snowing for a week.