We’re getting into rabbits because we want to get away from the centralized food system! We decided from the go that we were going to do a colony. I think we can give them such a better life then in small cages
I love this concept so much and love the videos you have shared about colony rabbits! My two questions are: 1. Do you think this would work in a humid subtropical area that gets a lot of rain? I'm assuming we'd have to be very careful about design and placement to avoid the burrows filling up with water (which would be disastrous), but I'd also be worried about the ground being too wet during the many months of rain we get. I'd love your thoughts about that! 2. I'm very curious about your deep litter method for rabbits, as I haven't come across that before (deep litter, yes, just not for rabbits). With them so close to the ground all of the time, do you find the deep litter method is still working for you? Do you "harvest compost" or just "muck out" the enclosure and how often do you feel that is needed? Sorry for all of the questions, maybe another video? 😆 Even if you don't have time to answer, I still appreciate the videos and information you have shared! Thank you so much!
1. For sure. I recommend raising their hutch a few feet above ground level so they can dig without risking flooding (happened to us). 2. It's still working for us. The rabbits are actually really good at mixing their manure with the carbon we add -- even better than chickens. But every couple of months we have to remove some of the composted material so the layer doesn't get too thick.
"Everyone" are advising against colonies, so its so nice to see a successful set up. And I wholeheartedly agree when it comes to diseases. They are a good thing - as then you get to know which rabbits have good genes and who dont. As you only want to breed the strongest of them. Great video
I just love this video.... same way I raised my rabbits in a colony, and yes rabbits like to be next to each other. And every time the female makes babies everyone knows.... and get a custom to the smell and each other. My mama made 9 they grew up now at 8 months then I bred her after her first litter was at 8 months now she has 13 new babies and they all cuddle together no issues. If there's any issue mam puts them I check lol I seen it before I spent a lot of time with them. Bucks don't kill that's an old say I've been raising rabbits most of my life.... great video man!!
Deep litter is the obvious solution people are looking past. We put wood char in with wood chips for extra smell and soak ability for chickens. Have you considered an ash dust bath for rabbits ? Like the chickens have . That takes care of any mite lice. I've never seen a case of mite or lice. The chickens love wood char when you break it up for them they eat it. I do it cause I know there is calcium
I didn't know charcoal has calcium in it. That's actually incredibly handy to know for raising hens and pullets. Thanks for sharing, fren: I'll have to research this.
@@fredflintystoneea yeah the research i did was saying hardwoods can have up to 20 percent calcium in the ash or char cause it doesn't off gas in the burning process . I started using char as my calcium source for chickens instead of ash cause you would have to wash off the lye with the ash imo. Besides the chickens readily eat the bits of black wood char. I crush it to chicken grit size and wonder if it doubles as grit. I couldn't find a more natural calcium supplement i wouldn't have to pay for
@@fredflintystoneea actually i can say I'm getting great hard eggs right now still in winter conditions without store feed that has calcium in it . I just use farmer grains and the wood char is the calcium . However Im going to break up these wonderful shells though and vinegar them and feed them back to the chickens to see if they want more calcium.
I appreciate all your great info! I just wanted to confirm.... are there multiple bucks in the colony together? I like that your rabbits get along so well.
As a kid our rabbits were always kept in a colony. We didn't get any of the problems that most rabbit breeders tell you. They live in colonies in the wild, and it is just cruel to keep them in tiny cages.
Does English/American not divide the animals into Rabbit and Hares? they are very different in terms of social behavior. I can see why people get confused if these two gets mixed up. Honestly it seems cruel to keep Rabbits in those wire cages.
I always see rabbits in colony here in Europe. If u see them alone they’re usually sick and dying. Now hares i do always see alone. The only thing i do know is u need to put babies separate, or buck will kill them so he can mate again. And sometimes the alpha female will kill all others babies.
We have never had a buck or doe kill the offspring and we have never separated them. I'm not saying it ain't possible but we've never seen it happening.
@@kummerhomestead i used to have (hope I translate it right) Flemish Giants. The buck always peed on the babies and killed them like that. Same with the females the dominant one killed the others babies. Maybe it’s the breed.
That depends on how many does you have and how large your rabbits' enclosure is. If you have only a few does, I'd stick with one buck to prevent fighting.
While they're also a domestic breed (like the New Zealands), their ancestors lived in colonies. So I see no reason why they wouldn't thrive in a colony setup.
New Zealand were bred from European rabbits that naturally live in colonies. And even feral New Zealands exhibit the same social behavior as their ancestors. I’m surprised you didn’t learn that during your 65 years of breeding rabbits.
![Why We Broke Up Our Rabbit Colony [Lessons Learned and New Strategy]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hBRF12-dCGs/mqdefault.jpg)
![Why We Broke Up Our Rabbit Colony [Lessons Learned and New Strategy]](/img/tr.png)
Check out our blog to learn more about how we raise rabbits for meat: kummerhomestead.com
We’re getting into rabbits because we want to get away from the centralized food system! We decided from the go that we were going to do a colony. I think we can give them such a better life then in small cages
I love this concept so much and love the videos you have shared about colony rabbits!
My two questions are:
1. Do you think this would work in a humid subtropical area that gets a lot of rain? I'm assuming we'd have to be very careful about design and placement to avoid the burrows filling up with water (which would be disastrous), but I'd also be worried about the ground being too wet during the many months of rain we get. I'd love your thoughts about that!
2. I'm very curious about your deep litter method for rabbits, as I haven't come across that before (deep litter, yes, just not for rabbits). With them so close to the ground all of the time, do you find the deep litter method is still working for you? Do you "harvest compost" or just "muck out" the enclosure and how often do you feel that is needed? Sorry for all of the questions, maybe another video? 😆
Even if you don't have time to answer, I still appreciate the videos and information you have shared! Thank you so much!
1. For sure. I recommend raising their hutch a few feet above ground level so they can dig without risking flooding (happened to us).
2. It's still working for us. The rabbits are actually really good at mixing their manure with the carbon we add -- even better than chickens. But every couple of months we have to remove some of the composted material so the layer doesn't get too thick.
Great video. So much misinformation about this on some channels. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
How do u avoid inbreeding@@kummerhomestead
Very good philosophy.
"Everyone" are advising against colonies, so its so nice to see a successful set up. And I wholeheartedly agree when it comes to diseases. They are a good thing - as then you get to know which rabbits have good genes and who dont. As you only want to breed the strongest of them. Great video
Thanks for watching!
I just love this video.... same way I raised my rabbits in a colony, and yes rabbits like to be next to each other. And every time the female makes babies everyone knows.... and get a custom to the smell and each other. My mama made 9 they grew up now at 8 months then I bred her after her first litter was at 8 months now she has 13 new babies and they all cuddle together no issues. If there's any issue mam puts them I check lol I seen it before I spent a lot of time with them. Bucks don't kill that's an old say I've been raising rabbits most of my life.... great video man!!
Thanks for watching!
I love tuis concept 100%
Deep litter is the obvious solution people are looking past. We put wood char in with wood chips for extra smell and soak ability for chickens.
Have you considered an ash dust bath for rabbits ?
Like the chickens have . That takes care of any mite lice. I've never seen a case of mite or lice. The chickens love wood char when you break it up for them they eat it. I do it cause I know there is calcium
I didn't know charcoal has calcium in it. That's actually incredibly handy to know for raising hens and pullets. Thanks for sharing, fren: I'll have to research this.
@@fredflintystoneea yeah the research i did was saying hardwoods can have up to 20 percent calcium in the ash or char cause it doesn't off gas in the burning process . I started using char as my calcium source for chickens instead of ash cause you would have to wash off the lye with the ash imo. Besides the chickens readily eat the bits of black wood char. I crush it to chicken grit size and wonder if it doubles as grit. I couldn't find a more natural calcium supplement i wouldn't have to pay for
@@fredflintystoneea actually i can say I'm getting great hard eggs right now still in winter conditions without store feed that has calcium in it . I just use farmer grains and the wood char is the calcium . However Im going to break up these wonderful shells though and vinegar them and feed them back to the chickens to see if they want more calcium.
GREAT VIDEOS and INFORMATION Just Subbed
Thanks for the sub!
I had a large colony in MI. I loved t. I would lie on the floor and the let them climb all over me. I called it rabbit therapy.
Right on! That's what our kids do too!
Thank you. All of it
I appreciate all your great info! I just wanted to confirm.... are there multiple bucks in the colony together? I like that your rabbits get along so well.
One buck per colony (ignoring the kits).
True words, I really appreciate. Sad to see so many american videos of rabbits alone in boxes with grid grounds. Are you originally from Austria?
Yep, I was born and raised in Austria.
@@kummerhomestead You sound a little bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger. ;)
Best regards from Germany!
@@wonka6848 He's a brother from another mother :)
@@kummerhomestead 🤣🤣🤣
Most of what you're saying is true my only concern is fleas and ticks and sickness from other wild life if they are on the ground
We've never had any flea or tick issues so far...
Awesome 👍
Thanks 🤗
As a kid our rabbits were always kept in a colony. We didn't get any of the problems that most rabbit breeders tell you. They live in colonies in the wild, and it is just cruel to keep them in tiny cages.
Right on!
Does English/American not divide the animals into Rabbit and Hares? they are very different in terms of social behavior.
I can see why people get confused if these two gets mixed up.
Honestly it seems cruel to keep Rabbits in those wire cages.
I'm Austrian so I can't speak with absolute authority on language issues but I'm aware of the differences. Good point though!
👍🏻
Could one raise rabbits and chickens in one run?
One could but it's a risk due to fecal cross-contamination.
Can i raise rabbit on concrete?
I suppose you could but I don't think it's ideal unless you clean out the bedding frequently or use a deep litter method.
Without a doubt, the colony is the healthiest and most natural... But, how do you avoid inbreeding and subsequent genetic deterioration?
We remove the kits after they are weaned into mobile rabbit tractors (stay tuned for a video on our process from start to finish).
I always see rabbits in colony here in Europe. If u see them alone they’re usually sick and dying. Now hares i do always see alone.
The only thing i do know is u need to put babies separate, or buck will kill them so he can mate again. And sometimes the alpha female will kill all others babies.
We have never had a buck or doe kill the offspring and we have never separated them. I'm not saying it ain't possible but we've never seen it happening.
@@kummerhomestead i used to have (hope I translate it right) Flemish Giants. The buck always peed on the babies and killed them like that.
Same with the females the dominant one killed the others babies. Maybe it’s the breed.
New Zealand have never been a wild rabbits they was breed in the 20 in California
I addressed this concern in another comment already.
How many bucks do you need in a colony?
That depends on how many does you have and how large your rabbits' enclosure is. If you have only a few does, I'd stick with one buck to prevent fighting.
@@kummerhomestead my enclosure is 12x30 I have one buck and 1 doe. They only had 1 baby.
@@dravenq6928 For one doe, you definitely don't need more than one buck (one can handle multiple does).
Can Dutch rabbits be in colonies?
While they're also a domestic breed (like the New Zealands), their ancestors lived in colonies. So I see no reason why they wouldn't thrive in a colony setup.
What kind of rabbits are these?
New Zealands!
Sind sie Deutsch?
Fast...ich bin Österreicher :)
New Zealand never was wild
Oh I been raising rabbits for 65 years
You know, you could have just left one comment with all your thoughts :)
You know you won't have to worry about it because you don't know the first thing about rabbits and you won't have them very long anyway
@@buckreynolds7475 Noted.
@@buckreynolds7475you’re to old to be insulting people on the internet. Theres pros and cons to colony AND cage raising. Get over yourself.
@@Macey345 I'm not putting 40 does on the ground so I can doctor them
New Zealand rabbits was developed in the usa in the 30s I believe they was developed out of tame rabbits you don't what you are talking about sir
New Zealand were bred from European rabbits that naturally live in colonies. And even feral New Zealands exhibit the same social behavior as their ancestors.
I’m surprised you didn’t learn that during your 65 years of breeding rabbits.
All you are doing is let teem get parasite
That's where good husbandry comes into it.
People do not listen to this man
Rubbish, he is telling the truth. Rabbits should never be kept in tiny cruel cages. They always live in colonies in the wild.
@@thedeadgypsyBuck is old and won’t listen to anyone he rather comment several times and harass this poor guy giving good advice lol
How do you keep them from digging out?
@@adrianloggains5506 You dig in a wire barrier around the perimeter.