*re-post from rabbitgeek notes, May 31 2004*
Hi all,
I made a little rabbit shed. I had some rabbit cages on two by
fours and sawhorses and I wanted to get the rabbits under some
proper cover. Using an idea from Pamela Alley in Meatrabbits, I
built a little 8' x 8' shed.
It didn't turn out exactly as I thought it would. I didn't get a
four foot walkway in the middle because our growing cages are 30
inch deep not 24 inch, so it is a little more crowded in there than
I thought. And I made my walls 7 x 7 foot perimeter to get some
overhang on the roof.
An important factor in building was finding these little angle
brackets by Simpson strong tie. I hate nailing with a hammer and I
don't own a nail gun. But I have electric screwdrivers and I was
able to put the shed together with screws and brackets. I spent
about $40 on screws and bracket, but it was the difference between
go and no-go on the project. And I can unscrew and move pieces if
needed. The whole shed except the roof is put together using screws
and can be unscrewed if needed.
I don't have a lot of construction skill. I have more construction
luck than skill, so I'm glad I found those brackets.
I double hung four litter cages on one side 36 wide by 30 deep. The
other side is two hanging cages (24 wide by 24 deep) and a three
hole stacker (24 x 24) for bucks and growers. Total 9 cages. I'm
planning to set up some worm bins under the hanging cages. The
stackers will have their trays dumped into the worm bins as well.
The shed mostly consists of 4 x 4 posts in the corner, 2 x 4
framing, green corrugated plastic roof. I haven't finished the
walls completely yet, but it's good enough with some tarps tacked up
for shade. The roof is almost 9 foot high, great for hot weather
sheds. Also, the shed is in the shade of a large hackberry tree.
When I started to hang the cages, my wife suggested I use it for my
Americans. So I have four breeding does in there (two with
litters), two show and breeding bucks, a junior doe for show, and
our 4 year old Dutch doe who is a retired breeder that first got us
started in Dutch rabbits. And one empty cage for growing out
another rabbit.
So, I have a house of American Blues. What could be better? B-)
Thank you Pam!
Have a good day!
Franco Rios
MFO Rabbitry, Sacramento, Calif.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Drum Carder - Strauch Petite
*from Jan 2009 notes*
I hand carded with big slicker brushes for dogs.
Then I gave my lovely wife permission to buy a Strauch Petite drum carder. Great little drum carder. It's also the lowest cost (new) model Strauch makes.
We watched for used drum carders on the internet but apparently no wanted to sell a used one when we wanted to buy one last year.
So we bought it new with the brush attachment. I really like the brush attachment.
We wanted fine teeth (standard on Petite) because we have angora rabbit wool to blend.
Also works with angora goat (mohair), sheepwool, alpaca fiber.
Have a good day!
I hand carded with big slicker brushes for dogs.
Then I gave my lovely wife permission to buy a Strauch Petite drum carder. Great little drum carder. It's also the lowest cost (new) model Strauch makes.
We watched for used drum carders on the internet but apparently no wanted to sell a used one when we wanted to buy one last year.
So we bought it new with the brush attachment. I really like the brush attachment.
We wanted fine teeth (standard on Petite) because we have angora rabbit wool to blend.
Also works with angora goat (mohair), sheepwool, alpaca fiber.
Have a good day!
Sustainable Standard of Living -- Not Lower Standard
*from feb 2009 rabbitgeek notes*
I'd like to propose a shift in the discussion.
In the current economic environment, people are learning the "buy now -- pay later" model doesn't work.
When borrowing against the future, we are subject to rise and fall of fortune, fashion and economy.
By adopting the "pay as you go" economy, we are setting a foundation for living that is practical and SUSTAINABLE!
Instead of trying to pump as much equity out of our properties and being mortgaged into the next century, we will be trying to live within thelimitations of our income and the product of our properties. Since we will not be squeezing our property to death (mortgage) we will have a sustainable livingstandard that will weather the bumps of economy.
Everyone on these forums knows what I mean by sustainable standard of living.
I am proposing the use of the phrase "Sustainable Standard of Living" as a catchphrase that will get people away from thinking "Lower Standard" since it's not a lower standard, it's a better standard, it is realistic and will provide a measure of security in turbulent times.
It's just an idea for promoting a common sense way of life in a new way.
You can use it or not. Spread the word. Sustainable Standard of Living.
Your mileage may vary, Void where taxed or prohibited.
Have a joyful day!
I'd like to propose a shift in the discussion.
In the current economic environment, people are learning the "buy now -- pay later" model doesn't work.
When borrowing against the future, we are subject to rise and fall of fortune, fashion and economy.
By adopting the "pay as you go" economy, we are setting a foundation for living that is practical and SUSTAINABLE!
Instead of trying to pump as much equity out of our properties and being mortgaged into the next century, we will be trying to live within thelimitations of our income and the product of our properties. Since we will not be squeezing our property to death (mortgage) we will have a sustainable livingstandard that will weather the bumps of economy.
Everyone on these forums knows what I mean by sustainable standard of living.
I am proposing the use of the phrase "Sustainable Standard of Living" as a catchphrase that will get people away from thinking "Lower Standard" since it's not a lower standard, it's a better standard, it is realistic and will provide a measure of security in turbulent times.
It's just an idea for promoting a common sense way of life in a new way.
You can use it or not. Spread the word. Sustainable Standard of Living.
Your mileage may vary, Void where taxed or prohibited.
Have a joyful day!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Don't need salt spools
*from rabbitgeek notes 11-09-07*
The only time I would use salt licks is if I was not using pellet feed. Home made rations would require additional minerals and salts. The feed list recommended by House Rabbit Society is also very weak on minerals.
I don't use salt licks or salt spools. My pellet feed contains all the sodium and minerals the rabbits will need. Another reason for not using salt licks is that if you hang them on the side of a wire cage, the salt will corrode and rust the wire.
If you decide to use salt licks, hang them from the ceiling of the cage like a hanging toy so it does not touch the sides of the cage. Hang it at a level that the rabbit can reach up to lick the salt
spool. Now it will not corrode the side of the cage and the rabbit has a play toy!
Have a good day!
The only time I would use salt licks is if I was not using pellet feed. Home made rations would require additional minerals and salts. The feed list recommended by House Rabbit Society is also very weak on minerals.
I don't use salt licks or salt spools. My pellet feed contains all the sodium and minerals the rabbits will need. Another reason for not using salt licks is that if you hang them on the side of a wire cage, the salt will corrode and rust the wire.
If you decide to use salt licks, hang them from the ceiling of the cage like a hanging toy so it does not touch the sides of the cage. Hang it at a level that the rabbit can reach up to lick the salt
spool. Now it will not corrode the side of the cage and the rabbit has a play toy!
Have a good day!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Rabbit Tray Tactics
We kept rabbits in a garage. We used fans for air circulation and air conditioning for summer comfort.
We used trays under the cages to catch droppings. If you are going to clean every day, put a handful of pine shavings in the tray in the spot where the rabbits usually go to poop.
Rabbits will usually use the same corner as their potty corner.
The pine shavings do a pretty good job of reducing that smell.
When we took rabbits to the county fair, they stayed there for 5 days over trays that had two inches of pine shavings. Very little smell there too.
One trick we learned was to use a dustpan to scoop the waste from the trays and dump it into a plastic bucket.
Have a good day!
We used trays under the cages to catch droppings. If you are going to clean every day, put a handful of pine shavings in the tray in the spot where the rabbits usually go to poop.
Rabbits will usually use the same corner as their potty corner.
The pine shavings do a pretty good job of reducing that smell.
When we took rabbits to the county fair, they stayed there for 5 days over trays that had two inches of pine shavings. Very little smell there too.
One trick we learned was to use a dustpan to scoop the waste from the trays and dump it into a plastic bucket.
Have a good day!
White Toenail
The white toenail thing.
Its one of the things that has to be Perfect. Its called a Standard Of Perfection. The toenails have to conform to the breed description. Generally the dark rabbits need to have dark toenails. Some judges will fault a rabbit for "uneven colored" toenails rather than DQ for a white toenail.
I have to respectfully disagree with the statement that a white toenail on a dark rabbit means its a heavily marked solid, not a broken.
I would agree that it MIGHT mean a heavily marked solid. After all, a judge has this rabbit in front of them that they never have seen before, so everything has to be taken into account.
When I raised American Blues, a variety of rabbit that has been solid for almost 100 years (1917 accepted in the Standard), we would get white toenails, usually on a front paw, one of the middle toes. These rabbits are solids. They always have been.
I learned to treat the white toenail thing as a separate genetic trait. A very annoying one. If it turned up in a rabbit, that rabbit was removed from the breeding program. Usually there would not be more than two white nails in any litter of 8 or more.
After a couple of years of culling, I was only getting a white nail in every other litter. Because of the Standard, I improved my lines.
Only the first year when I had such a hard time finding Americans would I keep a doe with a white toenail to use as a breeder. I never kept a buck with a white toenail.
If I was raising solely for meat, I could use white nails. But I was raising for show and culls go to the butcher.
I think that showbunny people would be best served to remember to use production traits in choosing rabbits for breeding. It's not just a showbunny. A doe needs to be able to raise kits. A buck needs to be able to breed does and make baby rabbits.
When I only looked for show bodies or eye color or fur color, I would wind up with does that won't breed or won't raise their kits or won't be easy to handle. We've had Grand Champion does that would not raise a litter to save their own life. And that is what I consider a failed bloodline because the line was a dead end at that point.
The goal of herdsmanship is to create a sustainable line of consistently high quality rabbits.
We all have our favorite rabbits, but I love looking at the great-great-great grandson or daughter of a favorite rabbit. Its about the bloodlines and the family tree.
Have a good day!
Its one of the things that has to be Perfect. Its called a Standard Of Perfection. The toenails have to conform to the breed description. Generally the dark rabbits need to have dark toenails. Some judges will fault a rabbit for "uneven colored" toenails rather than DQ for a white toenail.
I have to respectfully disagree with the statement that a white toenail on a dark rabbit means its a heavily marked solid, not a broken.
I would agree that it MIGHT mean a heavily marked solid. After all, a judge has this rabbit in front of them that they never have seen before, so everything has to be taken into account.
When I raised American Blues, a variety of rabbit that has been solid for almost 100 years (1917 accepted in the Standard), we would get white toenails, usually on a front paw, one of the middle toes. These rabbits are solids. They always have been.
I learned to treat the white toenail thing as a separate genetic trait. A very annoying one. If it turned up in a rabbit, that rabbit was removed from the breeding program. Usually there would not be more than two white nails in any litter of 8 or more.
After a couple of years of culling, I was only getting a white nail in every other litter. Because of the Standard, I improved my lines.
Only the first year when I had such a hard time finding Americans would I keep a doe with a white toenail to use as a breeder. I never kept a buck with a white toenail.
If I was raising solely for meat, I could use white nails. But I was raising for show and culls go to the butcher.
I think that showbunny people would be best served to remember to use production traits in choosing rabbits for breeding. It's not just a showbunny. A doe needs to be able to raise kits. A buck needs to be able to breed does and make baby rabbits.
When I only looked for show bodies or eye color or fur color, I would wind up with does that won't breed or won't raise their kits or won't be easy to handle. We've had Grand Champion does that would not raise a litter to save their own life. And that is what I consider a failed bloodline because the line was a dead end at that point.
The goal of herdsmanship is to create a sustainable line of consistently high quality rabbits.
We all have our favorite rabbits, but I love looking at the great-great-great grandson or daughter of a favorite rabbit. Its about the bloodlines and the family tree.
Have a good day!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tattoos
(Pic: American Blue buck, ear # DE9)
*These are notes about tattoos that were written at different times and are presented here in no particular order. Originally posted July 2007 on yahoogroups*
Wrap the rabbit in a towel (think bunny burrito) with just the ear sticking out to maintain control of the rabbit for tattooing.
I use clamp style tattoo on rabbits at 4-6 weeks. Older than that and the thicker ear is harder to tat. I squeeze hard and fast, usually the pins go all the way through the ear, I have to peel the ear off the pins. I try to avoid any large veins in the ear.
For ARBA purposes, tattoo goes in the left ear.
I use a cotton swab (like Q-tip) soaked in ink, I put a finger behind the ear, and then I rub/roll the ink into the pin holes so the ink goes all the way through the holes in the ear. If I do it well, the ink goes through the holes and I can read the tattoo (ink dots) on my finger.
If you do it a couple of days before weaning, you can put the rabbits back in with the doe who will lick off the excess ink.
I once mis-read my calendar and tattooed some 3 week old rabbits. The ears were kind of small, but when they grew up, the tattoo grew with them and it was extremely easy to read the tattoos.
NOTE: Be prepared for kits to scream. DON'T PANIC! At first you think you have caused great bodily injury, but you haven't. Give them a moment and they calm down. Before I clamp the tattoo, I squeeze the ear for a moment to desensitize the area. Some people press an ice cube to the ear before tattoo.
You can use a combination of numbers and letters, 3 is usually sufficient, or you can use more letters and numbers if you like. Some people use fancy combinations with buck and does initials, month born, year, etc.
If you only have numbers 0-9, you can just start with a 3 number serial like 102, 103, 104,etc. Note that when you get to 109, you won't be able to make 200, so skip 200 and use 201, skip 202, use 203, 204, etc.
A common numbering system is to use initials of the buck and the doe names with another number or letter to denote which litter and which kit.
LMA2 = Louie, Madison, A is first litter, 2 is the second one that was tattooed.
Or your initials and a number like LAC23
One rabbitry I know kept a tattoo register book and just used their rabbitry initials RR and a sequence RR102, RR103, RR104, etc. You can get hundreds of tattoos with a couple of letters and a full set of numbers.
Just don't lose that book. They recorded buck/doe, date of birth, and whether the kit was a buck or doe. They used the same book for all the breeds they raised.
We have used battery tattoo pens and they work pretty good. My lovely wife used them extensively on her rabbits. Batt-tatt made the best tattoos. The other EZ tat brands did nearly as well.
I do not use the tattoo pens very well because I have very bad handwriting. I failed cursive writing every year in grade school. I found out it is called dysgraphia and is not uncommon. My sons have the same problem. Even my block letters are very bad. So I use the tattoo clamp. And I learned to use a typewriter in junior high school.
I hope this info helps.
Have a good day!
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