CAUTION: This post is long and extremely informative. If you'd just like the 10 peso version (props if you get the reference), you can click on the link below and watch the video without all the supplementary info. If you care to understand why we're starting to do it the way we are, you should read the whole thing.
Spring so far has been pretty rainy. So when the last two days cleared up and turned out beautiful, I couldn't help but go work outside. The video below is to show you what we've been working on. Surprise! More about the rabbits. But it's a little early for the garden yet since we're not quite past the projected last frost date for our area (early-mid May), so the rabbits have been the priority. The link below gives you the idea, but it's two days old and more of the work got done today and the project was actually finished so I'll let you watch it then read about what we got going since the video was filmed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cy2QFlAu7o&feature=youtu.be
The big thing that's different from this video is the other half of the newly converted weanling tractor. Remember how in the video I tell you to just ignore it? Don't ignore it anymore. With help from Lauren and our friend Bernie (another aspiring homesteader), I got the other half done like what you saw in the video. So Jane and her two kits are now occupying that space and now all of our rabbits are stored in some sort of mobile tractor that enables them to graze grass straight off the ground. In my opinion (and in the opinion of people like Joel Salatin and many others who focus on pasture-raised livestock), God made rabbits and many other conventional meat animals to naturally graze pasture and that should be the production model for raising such an animal instead of putting it in a cage and feeding nothing but protein and grain. Grain-versus-grass feeding has been a contended issue among livestock producers for decades, and I'll gladly share my opinions on it to anybody interested but, in summary, I intend to raise as many of my current and future livestock as possible on grass as God intended. So the initiative to get the rabbits out of their cages and into tractors has been the big thing lately. It's not all finished now, not by a long shot, but every rabbit I own can graze freely so I figure that an accomplishment. Grasses lose their nutritional value after they've been cut, so grass that's grazed straight off the ground is significantly more nutrient-packed than grass that's been cut and stored for long periods (i.e. grass that's been cut and dried into hay).
Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox for a bit and keep giving you the actual updates. In both sides of the weanling tractor there are two water bottles attached to wall so that more than one rabbit at a time can drink and each side has a large tray for pellets so that more than one furball can eat at a time.
"Wait a minute Austin. You're still feeding pellets after you got on your soapbox about grazing? Isn't that hypocritical?"
Thank you for asking, simulated critic. Short answer: no. Longer explanation: larger livestock like cattle or sheep are capable of getting 100% of their dietary needs on fresh-grazed pasture grass without any supplement. Smaller animals need some sort of supplement that includes protein. Rabbits are generally recommended to have a diet of 65% grazed forage, 30% protein pellets, and 5% special treats.
"But Austin, wild rabbits don't get pellets and the pioneers you admire used to eat them regularly. Why bother with pellets?"
You're on a roll, simulated critic. But don't overlook a key aspect: the protein poisoning from eating too much extremely lean meat like wild rabbits (if you trust Wikipedia as a roughly okay source of info, here's a primer course on the condition if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation). Domestic rabbits still carry risk for the same condition but it's significantly less and you'd have to eat a lot of rabbit very regularly without eating a varied diet to supplement the lean meat. Feed pellets include more than just protein and these additional items help minimize the risk of lean-meat-induced malnutrition. The above ratio of feed is ideal for healthy and nutritious animals while minimizing the risk of adverse lean-meat-consumption effects to people. So, in summary: while grazing is ideal, we will still supplement with protein pellets for a balanced diet. It's better for them and it's better for us. And grass is free :)
The watering system that will be added will allow small containers on each side to catch rainwater and be sealed off after a rain/refill to prevent contamination from things like leaves or insects. It will run water to multiple bottles at a time, so even if it hasn't rained we can refill multiple bottles at once without ever opening a door and disturbing the rabbits inside. The pellet feed is not quite as effective a setup, but they know the sound of pellet feed coming near and falling into the trays so they get excited rather than scared.
Anyway, I'll give you a rest but expect some updates soon as the weather allows. I enjoy giving you video updates so I'll try to continue giving them (at least in short duration) so you can see what's going on instead of just having us describe it. If y'all don't like the videos, feel free to let us know and we'll hold back. But y'all have a good night, we'll see you soon! Stay tuned, more to follow.
-Austin
Spring so far has been pretty rainy. So when the last two days cleared up and turned out beautiful, I couldn't help but go work outside. The video below is to show you what we've been working on. Surprise! More about the rabbits. But it's a little early for the garden yet since we're not quite past the projected last frost date for our area (early-mid May), so the rabbits have been the priority. The link below gives you the idea, but it's two days old and more of the work got done today and the project was actually finished so I'll let you watch it then read about what we got going since the video was filmed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cy2QFlAu7o&feature=youtu.be
The big thing that's different from this video is the other half of the newly converted weanling tractor. Remember how in the video I tell you to just ignore it? Don't ignore it anymore. With help from Lauren and our friend Bernie (another aspiring homesteader), I got the other half done like what you saw in the video. So Jane and her two kits are now occupying that space and now all of our rabbits are stored in some sort of mobile tractor that enables them to graze grass straight off the ground. In my opinion (and in the opinion of people like Joel Salatin and many others who focus on pasture-raised livestock), God made rabbits and many other conventional meat animals to naturally graze pasture and that should be the production model for raising such an animal instead of putting it in a cage and feeding nothing but protein and grain. Grain-versus-grass feeding has been a contended issue among livestock producers for decades, and I'll gladly share my opinions on it to anybody interested but, in summary, I intend to raise as many of my current and future livestock as possible on grass as God intended. So the initiative to get the rabbits out of their cages and into tractors has been the big thing lately. It's not all finished now, not by a long shot, but every rabbit I own can graze freely so I figure that an accomplishment. Grasses lose their nutritional value after they've been cut, so grass that's grazed straight off the ground is significantly more nutrient-packed than grass that's been cut and stored for long periods (i.e. grass that's been cut and dried into hay).
Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox for a bit and keep giving you the actual updates. In both sides of the weanling tractor there are two water bottles attached to wall so that more than one rabbit at a time can drink and each side has a large tray for pellets so that more than one furball can eat at a time.
"Wait a minute Austin. You're still feeding pellets after you got on your soapbox about grazing? Isn't that hypocritical?"
Thank you for asking, simulated critic. Short answer: no. Longer explanation: larger livestock like cattle or sheep are capable of getting 100% of their dietary needs on fresh-grazed pasture grass without any supplement. Smaller animals need some sort of supplement that includes protein. Rabbits are generally recommended to have a diet of 65% grazed forage, 30% protein pellets, and 5% special treats.
"But Austin, wild rabbits don't get pellets and the pioneers you admire used to eat them regularly. Why bother with pellets?"
You're on a roll, simulated critic. But don't overlook a key aspect: the protein poisoning from eating too much extremely lean meat like wild rabbits (if you trust Wikipedia as a roughly okay source of info, here's a primer course on the condition if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation). Domestic rabbits still carry risk for the same condition but it's significantly less and you'd have to eat a lot of rabbit very regularly without eating a varied diet to supplement the lean meat. Feed pellets include more than just protein and these additional items help minimize the risk of lean-meat-induced malnutrition. The above ratio of feed is ideal for healthy and nutritious animals while minimizing the risk of adverse lean-meat-consumption effects to people. So, in summary: while grazing is ideal, we will still supplement with protein pellets for a balanced diet. It's better for them and it's better for us. And grass is free :)
The watering system that will be added will allow small containers on each side to catch rainwater and be sealed off after a rain/refill to prevent contamination from things like leaves or insects. It will run water to multiple bottles at a time, so even if it hasn't rained we can refill multiple bottles at once without ever opening a door and disturbing the rabbits inside. The pellet feed is not quite as effective a setup, but they know the sound of pellet feed coming near and falling into the trays so they get excited rather than scared.
Anyway, I'll give you a rest but expect some updates soon as the weather allows. I enjoy giving you video updates so I'll try to continue giving them (at least in short duration) so you can see what's going on instead of just having us describe it. If y'all don't like the videos, feel free to let us know and we'll hold back. But y'all have a good night, we'll see you soon! Stay tuned, more to follow.
-Austin
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