Boyd - Day in the life of a hillbilly stuck in Michigan..

[Boyd]

Ok I am curious (since I would like to have meat rabbits in the near future), Do you keep them outside in their hutches during the winter?

I assume a Michigan winter is similar to a Maine winter, but I guess I always thought I would have to build a big shed/barn just to keep the hutches in if I did get meat rabbits. Any insight would be apperciated

Actually, the hutches you see are what they winter in. I do provide about a 14x36" piece of plywood for them to lay on covered in straw and a divider so they have a hidey "hole"...

This past winter we lost some kits from accidental breedings, but had a 90% rate of survivability through late november.. and almost 30% from December-February.. that's why we are scaling back our breeding schedules.

With the thaws comes lots of digging of poo. Mountains and mountains of Poo!

You know, that is a sh#$ job, but my garden loves it.

I use a garden Hoe and coal shovel to gather droppings under hutches weekly (and goes into composter bins or directly in garden) during the months of march-november.

A Michigan winter........ With or without wind chill?

we had a few days that stayed -40 with wind chill......... We had plenty of 30 degree days that felt much worse than the -40 ones because of the humidity.. So I am guessing it's all relative minus a foot of snow here or there

Remind me tommorow and I'll take some overhead pics of the hutches so you can get an idea how they are setup Oh, the bucks cages are more open so the girls can't hide as easy... muahahahha er...... yeah

 

[Boyd]

ok so every night for the past 4-5 it has rained at night and gotten sunny during the day.. Good for the garden that's already put in and manured.. but bad for me to get the rest of it planted soon Also, this means that my grass is growing 2-3" a day

 

[Wannabefree]

Hang in there Boyd. The rain has to stop eventually

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Or if you grill it wrap it in some nice fatty smoky bacon! I mean, really is there nothing that bacon can not make better?

That! Grilled on a smokey fire nomnomnom
We call it Bacon Bunny Mummy

Cute kiddo And DEAR LORD that's a lot of rabbits.

 

[Denim Deb]

Hang in there Boyd. The rain has to stop eventually

I hope you're right! Right now, I'm noticing several hay fields that need to be cut. It's been great weather for growing hay-but not for cutting and/or baling it. :/

 

[Boyd]

Or if you grill it wrap it in some nice fatty smoky bacon! I mean, really is there nothing that bacon can not make better?

That! Grilled on a smokey fire nomnomnom
We call it Bacon Bunny Mummy

Cute kiddo And DEAR LORD that's a lot of rabbits.

we had 1 liter as of last friday.... as of today we have 4 more litters

But I have 7 kids, sometimes 8 plus me and the wife... So when we eat a meal it's at least 2-3 buns at a shot

 

[Boyd]

Hang in there Boyd. The rain has to stop eventually

I hope you're right! Right now, I'm noticing several hay fields that need to be cut. It's been great weather for growing hay-but not for cutting and/or baling it. :/

we're going to be trying Sudan grass way out back and alfalfa in another area to see what natural feeds our buns like better. Anybody have any tips on fresh cut noms for the buns? As it is, I have about a baskillion bajaillion carrots, n turnips for grow out bunnies that'll be consumed by this fall.....

Oh, and as far as grow out caging, we have about 15 hutches set aside for grow out now..... But am thinking of a colony type setup with fencing, 'lectric, gate, doghouses for shelter... and chairs for my parents, grand parents, kids and grand daughter to sit in and interact first hand with their food.... hard to become attached when all 400 of them have the same name and look alike right?

 

[Boyd]

danged tornados!!!!! Today we planted more onion sets, grape tomatoes, kentucky Wonder Plole Beans, scarlet runners, a patch of alfalfa, some sudanese grass, golden clover, and some green manure mix that has field peas, crown vetch etc...

Oooops almost forgot, 9-10 cucumber plants, half a dozen squash and a few zuke's to round it out... If it dries out more in the next few it'll be time to plant the wet part of the garden, Broc's n Califluers n such

 

[Wannabefree]

My bun will almost ONLY eat red clover She LOVES it! She actually has touched her pellets now though. There were a few missing from her feeder. I fill it once a week, half of it winds up on the ground. I am ASSUMING she is nibbling the other half but can't swear to it.

 

[Boyd]

Here's some more pics rabbit related.. Hutch design, and a lazy morning in the rabbit yard