Rabbits.....Those cute, furry little bunnies make a great addition to the hobby farm or homestead by providing another source of food for the table as well as another source of income.
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| Albino Champagne De Argente |
There are two types of rabbits I recommend raising. These are New Zealand Whites and Champagne de Argente. There are many other breeds out there, but these are the two I personally raise because they are easy to take care of and do very well when it comes to reproduction. My rabbits have proven to be calm and gentle making it easy for our children to care for them.
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| New Zealand White Rabbit |
The rabbit in the photo below is a cross between a New Zealand White and a Champagne de Argente.
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| Dakota Holding One Of The Bunnies |
In addition to selling their offspring, money can also be made by selling their manure. Collect livestock feed bags as they are emptied and fill them with rabbit manure. By using a screen to separate the manure from any grass, hay and other debris the end product will be rabbit pellets that can be loaded into the feed bags and sold for garden fertilizer (don't forget to keep enough for your own garden). Rabbit manure is an excellent fertilizer that doesn't even need to be composted before adding it to the soil.
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| Another Champagne/New Zealand Cross |
Other Breeds to consider:
- Flemish Giant
- California Rabbit
- American Rabbit
- Blanc de Hotot
- Checkered Giant
- Florida White
- Beveren
- Florida White
- New Zealand Red
- Silver Marten
- Belgian Hare
- Continental Giant
- Cinnamon
- Carmagnola Grey
The size of hutch that will be needed depends on the type of rabbit being raised. The rabbit hutch I use provides separate pens for each rabbit and provides about fifteen square feet of space for each one. Because rabbits tend to be territorial a hutch with separate pens is the best scenario.
Below is a picture of the rabbit hutch that we use while I was in the process of building it.
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| Rabbit Hutch Being Built |
Other than feeding and watering your rabbits, there is very little to do as they are quite content being left alone.
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