Farmed Rabbits

[GaryD]

Hi,


.....the integration of other crops ie poultry and (for those outside of QLD) rabbits.

In our native SA, about 25 years ago (long before it was legal to do so), Jan and I grew NZ White rabbits.

We were able to produce much of what they ate and the rest of their ration was relatively inexpensive.

We researched what we could from Europe and the US. We built the rabbits pens ourselves.

Farmed rabbits produce meat which is valued by chefs of just about every culture. Nutritionists also recommend feeding the finely-grained, easily digested meat to the elderly.

While I'm not usually conspiracy-minded, the prohibition on rabbit farming in Queensland has less to do with looking after the environment than it it does with preserving other partisan interests.

The rabbit prohibition laws are like Queensland's daylight saving laws....they are based on very little that is logic or rational. I would welcome a change on both counts....but I'm not holding my breath.


GaryD

[echidna]

On rabbits, they are a Class 2 pest in QLD and carry a fine of up to $30,000. I recently noticed a new sign at the NSW/QLD stock gate on the Mt Lindsay Hwy. pointing out rabbits are prohibited in QLD and carry a fine of up to $30,000. Given that there has been a recent push to legalise rabbit keeping in the SE, I suspect they're just itching to find someone to slap a fine on. As much as I like fresh rabbit, I don't think I want to be the "bunny" (pun intended) to cop the first fine.

I've seen a few wild rabbits locally, but they are outnumbered by European Hares. They are the size of wallabies! Oh for a .22!

[Murray]

My father-in-law has a colony of rabbits living on his 3 acre house block at Park Ridge.
The Rabbit inspector has been but F-I-L denies any knowledge of the rabbits. They are becoming very tame coming up to the back door of the house for some tit-bits.
There are a number of Greyhound type places in the neighborhood and it is suspected that perhaps the rabbits are escapees from such establishments.
The rabbit inspector was canvasing the area as someone had dobbed one of the greyhound places for "blooding" the dogs using live rabbits. It is assumed that the greyhound place in question must have released the rabbits after being tipped of about the impending inspector visit.
Anyway, they (the rabbits) are proving to be loved wild pets at the F-I-L's place.
(I deny any knowledge of rabbits in my area) :rolleyes:

[Jonathan Dyer]

Hi Gary,

So I taking it that you support daylight savings?

I see very little point as do at least 60% of West Australians regarding this matter. In WA we have a Gov that does as they will and disregards its people. Why should Qld follow suit to the rest of Australia?

[Murray]

Daylight saving makes some sense in the lower latitudes, but from around Bundy north is would be an annoyance to people that is for sure.
When we lived in Port Moresby the difference between sunup in summer and sunup in winter is 15 minutes

[GaryD]

Hi Echidna,


As much as I like fresh rabbit, I don't think I want to be the "bunny" (pun intended) to cop the first fine.

If you like bush rabbits, you'd be blown away with the taste of farmed rabbit. The only similarity between bush rabbits and the likes of NZ White or similar meat rabbits is that they both have long ears.

Many years ago, BSA made an air rifle that had some real grunt....and rifling in the barrel for accuracy.......just the thing for urban poachers to sort out hares.

A good hare.....and a cook with the necessary skill.....also makes for a good meal.

Jonathon......to be candid I've never heard an intelligent argument against daylight saving......or rabbit farming. Different speed limits, different daylight zones, different regulations for business.....all more good reasons for eliminating state governments (speaking of rabbits).

Gary

[anniefish]

Hi Gary,
Please add different education systems and drivers licences.

[anniefish]

My husband heard this at work last night - a learner driver drove into NSW, pulled up by police and fined $230 and lost their licence. What did they do? drink driving, no, speeding, no, ran over someone, no.
Answer - they had their L plates inside the window.
Do we need one set of road rules Australia wide??

[GaryD]

Hi,

Annie.....the list of state government inconsistencies would fill an encyclopaedia.

As the person responsible for getting this thread off topic, can I suggest that we now get back to farmed rabbits?

I'm happy to have someone create a thread on the shortcomings of state governments in the Lounge Area forum....if the subject still has life in it.

Gary

[Jacomish]

Hi All,
This my first post but it happens to be on a topic with which I have some experience. I farmed rabbits on the South Coast about 15 years ago before calicivirus came into the country.
I was always amazed at how an animal which survives so well in the wild dies so easily in a cage....:eek:...it turned out to be our fish farming friend, ammonia.

They are excellent eating and produce enough meat to eat rabbit twice a week from 2 breeders.

DO NOT feed them lettuce, it is poison to rabbits, most of the ones I have had turned thier noses up at it anyway.

There are lots of other 'rules' :)if you want to be successful with them but once you have worked them out they are fairly easy to keep, I am planning to incorporate them into my new backyard as part of the self sufficient cycle.

[GaryD]

Hi Jacomish,

Welcome aboard....and thanks for your contribution.

I envy you for the fact that you live somewhere where you can breed and rear meat rabbits.

Ammonia would certainly harm rabbits (like any other creature) in the right concentrations. I suggest that deaths due to ammonia poisoning in a rabbitry would suggest a management problem.

I agree with you about the lettuce.....I found that any quantity of lettuce would make rabbits scour.

Keep us posted as your self-sufficiency program unfolds.

GaryD

[Murray]

Here is an idea I came across the other day. A Rabbit tractor !!!
Evidently the rabbit moves the device along all by itself keeping the family lawn cut to perfection.
If the rabbit desires to have a sleep or to get out of the hot sun he/she gets into the plastic drum which has both ends cut out of it to allow it to move along with the tractor. It (the plastic drum) is suspended on the axle.
What a neat idea !!!

Great use for old bicycle wheels. Evidently you remove groups of spokes from the two middle bike wheels, to allow the rabbit to travel sideways along the device.

[Jacomish]

Hi All,

Thanks for the welcome. The creativity of people never fails to amaze me, hope they don't have any dog problems..

Gary, I agree that deaths from ammonia is a management problem. But 15 years ago, rabbit farming was very new and information was hard to come by for a beginner. The only people doing it were the French, and I think I skipped those classes..:D

The problem was by the time we humans can smell it, it is too late the damage has been done.

I have to agree with you on the culinary delight of a well prepared rabbit dish with farmed rabbit compared to gamy old bush rabbit.....I used to cook chicken recipes and see if people noticed the difference.......no-one ever picked it unless they were involved in the cooking, the rabbit meat had no fat when you cooked it compared to chicken.

I found your article on Japanese Quail very interesting and will be trying them out in the IBFP system. I always thought I was the only person interested in a self sufficient backyard food production system.....I shall be reading future posts with interest.

Richard.

[Jonathan Dyer]

There is a simple trick to make wild rabbit taste excellent and lose all the association of that ‘gamey’ flavor they have. Once skinned and gutted store the rabbit in the deep freezer for around 3 months (it needs to be three months too) slowly defrost it in the refrigerator and cook to your hearts content. I have a few up the paddock that need the attention of my freezer just have to catch the quick little buggers here comes the 22.
I have never tasted true farmed meat rabbit as of yet but with out a doubt they will taste superb and make a nice soft hat too not that I wear Akubra hats. How do they handle the weather heat/cold?

[GaryD]

Hi Jonathon,

Thanks for that tip......I wish I'd had that information when I was a kid and had to eat wild rabbits on a regular basis.

Farmed rabbits will cope well with the cold weather but less so really hot weather. Since they have to be housed to prevent myxamatosis, it's probably a good idea to have the growing sheds climate-controlled.

Gary

[inzane]

Ha Ha, go on Gary laugh at me, Ha, Ha, you have full permission! I made a snidy response to you suggesting farming rabbits a couple of days ago...remember. Well I just bought 2 rabbits. Not I might add of my own free will but regardless, I know have two in the garden. My daughter saw them and fell in love...what can I say. As they are there I guess I'll have a go with them, but I'm sure the little buggers will tunnel out their enclosure!

Heres a good link for basic info on raising rabbits in different climates. The saharan model should be of some interest to those of you in the warmer parts of OZ!

http://193.43.36.103/AG/AGAInfo/themes/documents/ibys/contents.htm

The begining is interesting if you like development issuses if not scroll down to backyard small species and you'll find the section on rabbits there. Its funny you should say rabbit farming was new 15 yrs ago! Its amazing how we forget knowledge so quickly. Rabbit farming came to the UK in 1066, in fact if you know anyone with the surname Warren, their ancestors were rabbit farmers. When I lived in france and germany, everyone farmed rabbits. At the yearly town festivals everyone got dressed up in rabbit skin coats and trousers, like a cross between an eskimo and a barbarian! It was quite shocking to see how many rabbits went into each dress!!!!

I just read a bit further in about the rabbits as I skipped it last time (I was interested in the guinea pigs) and it seems to be very relavent for you aussies. In sub saharan africa the spread of rabbit farming for self suff has been slow cause NGO's have used european methods, which bring a lot of problems in hot climates where rabbits are exposed to ambient temperatures above 30 degrees. Whereas in North Africa they have been farmed forever, but are not kept in cages, but encouraged to dig their own burrows, this way they are protected form the heat. Here a ripped gif of a setup from the Sahara!

[Hamish]

...with out a doubt they will taste superb and make a nice soft hat too not that I wear Akubra hats. How do they handle the weather heat/cold?
Is it possible to dye the hats purple?

[GaryD]

Hi Inzane,



.....rabbit farming was new 15 yrs ago.....


As you've discovered rabbit farming has been happening for hundreds of years. It was particularly big in Britain during World War 2.....to the point where rabbit-keepers had (in the face of rationing for virtually everything) a special dispensation to buy bran for use in rabbit rations.

Backyard food production (as part of the Victory Gardens program) was seen to be vital given that much of what the British needed would otherwise have had to be imported.

Gary

[inzane]

I didnt know they were part of the victoy gardens campaign. I had assumed rabbit farming kinda died out as the wild population reached plague proportions! I have never known anyone farm rabbits in the uk...

[GaryD]

Hi,

I don't know that they were a formal part of the Victory Gardens campaign....but many British people grew them in order to expand their diet.


I have never known anyone farm rabbits in the uk...
Well, there you go. Some of the best literature that exists on raising rabbits comes from Britain. My favourite book is "The Domestic Rabbit" by J.C. Sandford.

Rabbits are farmed extensively in France, Spain, Belgium and America.

Gary

[inzane]

Hi,

My favourite book is "The Domestic Rabbit" by J.C. Sandford.

Rabbits are farmed extensively in France, Spain, Belgium and America.

Gary

Its amazing how fast knowledge dissappears. We live in an agricultural area and often go to the national/county shows and I've never seen anything on rabbits. We nearly lost all our bantams too, but luckily they are making a bit of a comeback, there is still presious little on the net, but you see them a lot more in the papers and at shows.

I spent the past 2 days trying to make a rabbit enclosure, 'mediteranean style', and have got the rabbits in there. Now we'll see whether they dig there burrows there or escape!!!!

I like these rabbits a lot more than I thought I would! They love having a bit of space, they are running around jumping like spring lambs. The enlosure is 2.5m by 5m. I put a little poly tunnel in for them after reading murrays link to the berkely farm and the symbiosis! well fingers crossed!

[echidna]

http://www.cd3wd.com/CD3WD_40/CD3WD/index.htm has several booklets on rabbit-keeping as well as other suitable small area livestock.

[MarkEinOz]

This might be of interest

http://www.csiro.au/science/CrusaderRabbits.html

[GaryD]

G'day Mark,

That's a great link......and some of the other links on the site are really good, too.

Gary

[MarkEinOz]

Yeah, very interesting indeed!

And I see the going rate for Crusader or Growtec brood does and bucks are around the $55 mark. Not bad considering the output of those beasties!

I will be acquiring some in the next 6 months so will be able to see what this is all about.