craigs list find UPDATE PICS post 16!!

[collector]

I was looking thrugh the local CL And I came across an add for NZ's for free. the ad says they are young adults maybe 8-9 mo's old there are blacks, reds ,.and whites. the add says that they have to be caught i think they live under a shed or something. We have been wanting to get meat rabbits so I was wondering if you think it would be worth trying to catch them or not. I am 44yr old so I might feel a little funny running around somebodies yard and crawling under stuff( Hey I'm not to proud to do it though) do you think they might be to wild to cage up, or keep caged?
Think maybe we would be better off just buying some ready to breed?
thank you for any advice.

 

[DianeS]

I'd do that in a heartbeat! Can't hurt to go look and see if you can catch them. If you can't catch them, then it isn't like you've paid anything. Same thing with if you see them or catch them and don't like their looks, you also haven't paid anything and can walk away.

I'd get a big fishing net, the kind they use to lift the BIG fish out of the water, and use that. I'd have some easy to use containers to dump them in, too - like medium sized dog crates.

I'd get them all, too, if possible. Keep the whites (or the best looking ones) for breeding if they look good, and process the rest.

And again, if they turn out to be impossible to keep caged (although that's doubtful, cages are strong) then you just process them and start over later.

Looks like a no-lose situation to me. Let us know what you decide to do!

 

[Calliopia]

I would try live traps and see if you can catch them that way. You probably won't have much luck just nabbing one by hand but if traps aren't an option you might try setting up some cornering areas where you can funnel the rabbits to a certain point and then enclose the area.

 

[collector]

I'd do that in a heartbeat! Can't hurt to go look and see if you can catch them. If you can't catch them, then it isn't like you've paid anything. Same thing with if you see them or catch them and don't like their looks, you also haven't paid anything and can walk away.

I'd get a big fishing net, the kind they use to lift the BIG fish out of the water, and use that. I'd have some easy to use containers to dump them in, too - like medium sized dog crates.

I'd get them all, too, if possible. Keep the whites (or the best looking ones) for breeding if they look good, and process the rest.

And again, if they turn out to be impossible to keep caged (although that's doubtful, cages are strong) then you just process them and start over later.

Looks like a no-lose situation to me. Let us know what you decide to do!

Dianes, do you think that the blacks and reds are not worth breeding . The add says there is only one white one it is a female. there are six black ones gender unknown, and two brown ones gender unknown. do you think that these are cross breeds and not worth messing with or what. I am sorry for the questions I just dont know much about meat rabbits yet am trying to learn.

 

[collector]

I would try live traps and see if you can catch them that way. You probably won't have much luck just nabbing one by hand but if traps aren't an option you might try setting up some cornering areas where you can funnel the rabbits to a certain point and then enclose the area.

Calliopa, I went back to the add it says if interested they will catch and cage themselves. I am wondering if It would be worth it to take them. I am glad that I dont have to catch them myself if I want them, I am still recovering from my last "domestic animal safari" LOL

 

[rabbitlady4433]

Catching loose rabbits can be fun. Once we had a pair that somehow managed to escape and were loose in our back yard. I'm sure our neighbors found it amusing to see me and my husband running frantically in our pj's at 7 in the morning! By the end of that excursion we realized that it's much easier to kind of herd them into a spot they can't get out of and nab them. I would do if I had the chance, free is free. And like the above said, if they don't work out dinner's on the table!

 

[DianeS]

Dianes, do you think that the blacks and reds are not worth breeding . The add says there is only one white one it is a female. there are six black ones gender unknown, and two brown ones gender unknown. do you think that these are cross breeds and not worth messing with or what. I am sorry for the questions I just dont know much about meat rabbits yet am trying to learn.

I don't know enough to answer your question. I just know that all the debates on color that I see seem to recommend the whites. But a lot of the reasons seem to have to do with what people do with the pelts afterward - white pelts seem to be easier to sell, and the leather on the back looks more consistent. It has nothing to do with the meat or size.

That said, I just started this meat rabbit adventure myself. I got two NZ bucks off Craigslist Friday for $5 apiece, and they're reds.

 

[CrimsonRose]

colors shouldn't matter the meat will all be the same... professionals raise the whites because the pelts are easier to sell and processors like the white hair because it cleans up easier (if you skin a black rabbit you see every last black hair you leave behind... white hair is harder to see)

I would definitely go for it! It's free rabbits! If they haven't been handled they will be jumpy when you pick them up to breed them and such... but if that is the case you will only need to handle them every few months so not a huge deal... jumpy bunny can still be decent moms and give you lots of meat... you can try to tame them over time by petting them each time you feed them and coaxing them with treats like small banana slices... If they are still too hard to handle... then keep a few of the offspring they will be ready to breed in 6-7 months and handle them from babies so they will be more tame...

 

[wYs Ranch]

just a thought.... create chanels and pen area with some plywood, make it along a fence or somewhere you can herd the rabbits into it easier, then have someone by a "gate" you can shut to keep them from escaping.

This will make it a little less stressful for the rabbits and yourself. Also must have some one to video the whole thing for some good laughs later! LOL!...

I'd also wear gloves and long sleeve shirts, they're bound to kick and scratch!

 

[collector]

just a thought.... create chanels and pen area with some plywood, make it along a fence or somewhere you can herd the rabbits into it easier, then have someone by a "gate" you can shut to keep them from escaping.

This will make it a little less stressful for the rabbits and yourself. Also must have some one to video the whole thing for some good laughs later! LOL!...

I'd also wear gloves and long sleeve shirts, they're bound to kick and scratch!

I should of had a vid camera on alot of my animal wrangling adventures, it gets down right hallarious sometimes. and i always end up with alot of bumps and sore spots.