Rabbits

Originally Posted by lucille

The rabbits can eat trimmings from various veggies (not tomatoes I don't think).

I had a rabbit get out of the pen by climbing up a fence. I walked out to my garden and found a few tomatoes on the ground half eaten. I looked over at my rabbit pen and on the inside I noticed the culprit. There she sat, a normally all white rabbit with tomato stains all around her face.

If you want to grow extra stuff for you and the animals I have a few suggestions. When you grow squash (at least here) I have so much I don't know what to do with. I throw a few their way. After they are done, I toss the whole plant to them.

Pumpkins for October. Also, you can offer to collect them after Halloween from others. Both the chickens and rabbits love them. Pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer for the chickens.

Thanks for the info. I thought I remembered something about avoiding tomato leaves? I'm thinking I'm fixing to get a ton of pickling cukes and will try to actually pickle some, but I'm going to see if the rabbits will eat the older ones I 'm not going to use.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

I had a rabbit get out of the pen by climbing up a fence. I walked out to my garden and found a few tomatoes on the ground half eaten. I looked over at my rabbit pen and on the inside I noticed the culprit. There she sat, a normally all white rabbit with tomato stains all around her face.

If you want to grow extra stuff for you and the animals I have a few suggestions. When you grow squash (at least here) I have so much I don't know what to do with. I throw a few their way. After they are done, I toss the whole plant to them.

Pumpkins for October. Also, you can offer to collect them after Halloween from others. Both the chickens and rabbits love them. Pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer for the chickens.

Originally Posted by lucille

Thanks for the info. I thought I remembered something about avoiding tomato leaves? I'm thinking I'm fixing to get a ton of pickling cukes and will try to actually pickle some, but I'm going to see if the rabbits will eat the older ones I 'm not going to use.

I just googled it and it appears that they are toxic to rabbits. Nothing noticeable happened to the rabbit that had tomato on her face. Also, I have thrown the plants over to them after they are done. Usually there is nothing left of them by the time the tomatoes are done. No leaves just stem. I guess I will not be doing that again.

One breed I haven't seen mentioned is the Florida White for meat. They top out at about 6 pounds, which means they take up less space and eat less feed. Their fryers grow in line with other meat rabbits, and fine bones mean they dress out with just about as much meat as an NZ. A friend describes them as "the block of meat show rabbit". Might wanna give them a look.

Might have a few of them around here. *whistles*

Tomato is in the nightshade family which is why the leaves are toxic~ to us as well. But animals tend to know when a plant is toxic and refuse to eat it unless there is nothing else to eat (not always~ we all know of people who have lost stupid animals!) Also~ I don't know if tomato is one of them or not~ but some toxic plants such as buttercups are only toxic while alive and lose whatever it is that causes it to be toxic when it dries. On the other hand some plants like johnson grass and cherry leaves are fine while in their prime but become toxic when the plant gets stressed or is cut. But johnson grass is only toxic for a short time after being cut (which is why it is okay in hay) and unfortunately both of those tend to become more palatable at the toxic stage.

Or~ at least thats what I've been learning from my very helpful neighbors here! (I have a pasture full of buttercups and Johnson grass with a couple wild cherry trees for shade)

That clover your planning to plant~ my helpful neighbors tell me "Alyce" or White clover are the best for naturalizing and protein content here~ ask your neighbors or post to that homesteading site to ask whats good in your area.

Ive got the white clover in my yard... and I bought some white clover seed to plant between my raised beds. Since it stays short and will out compete all other grasses around here I plan on using the white clover as a living ground cover on the walk paths in my garden between the raised beds.

The red clover gets around 10 inches tall or so... and would make for better cutting and storing.

As to my neighbors... most are family and dont know anything about homesteading, and the rest of my close neighbors know even less.

The meat rabbit project is not doing well at all on account of me having a lifetime of making pets of small critters like gerbils and guinea pigs. While my garden is beautiful and still producing despite the record heat and drought, I now have 3 small pet rabbits

Oh lord Lucille..... There is a chance I may in the same boat. I hope not though. It's gonna be tough to have a barn full or pet rabbits and chickens.

I'm ruthless. I butcher chickens, ducks, goats, pigs even a rabbit once on my front porch (someone elses rabbit). I bought rabbits to breed and make baby meat rabbits for me over a year ago....

I let them loose in my old turkey pen and they dig holes all through my turkey pen, I suspect they are undermining my mouse house, and they do absolutely NOTHING useful and make NO babies ~ or if they do they are rotten parents, lots of rabbit sex going on out there....no baby bunnies.

Stupid things are so bloody cute~ run up to me and beg for feed every morning...
LOL~ so yeah....I'm not at all surprised you have three new very expensive pets....
stupid cute rabbits.

I don't think I would mind dispatching chickens. But the rabbits are pretty appealling. 2 out of the 3 are already using litter boxes in their cages.
Plus I'm decorating their cages, I have some fabric I'm going to put on the back.
All I can say for myself as far as survival skills, is that I'm getting to be very good at gardening and growing food. Next year I plan to substantially increase productivity by putting in trellises so I can use more vertical space.