Bunnies!

I've finally officially added rabbits to the homestead plan. This week I picked up a dozen youngsters from a local meat breeder. While I don't plan to actually eat these guys, I did want them from meat bloodlines. The intent is to produce future meals.....and in addition, breeding stock for others to start out their own meat production. 

I was torn between having rabbits that were plain white or going with cute, pretty colored ones. Personally I find it easier to kill plain white ones. I know that may sound silly, but when the bunny is cute, I have a harder time of it. Anyway, I opted for colors. That way some of the babies may find their way into pet homes. 

I'm building traditional style rabbit hutches up off the ground for them. I have one four-holer ready for them and am building two more. Today they are still in the wire pen (photo above) but tomorrow they get introduced to the hutches, 3 babies pet hutch for now. They are still young enough that they can be housed together, but within 3-4 weeks they will need to be living separately since instinctively they will fight. 

Right now the rabbits are eating rabbit pellets. But they will be introduced to a wide selection of local foods. I'm already offering them some grasses. Gradually they will be given little bits of the leaves from bananas, beans, cowpeas, pigeon peas, sweet potatoes, plantains, nasturtiums, cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, corn, millet, mango, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, collards, kale, beets, and chard. While the base of their diet will be hay cubes/grasses, the fresh greens will make for happy bunnies. They will also get treats of bits of fruits and veggies, and edible flowers, but it won't be the bulk of their diet. Rabbits are designed to be grass/leaf eaters so the other things are treats.