The Barn
Freesteading group focused on the discussion of livestock.
Organizer:
- Organized by
-
-
Meat rabbits
-
Meat rabbits
-
Yes you ar right, there comes my name from. As a kid I always wanted Jersey, lived and worked in the states but finely got them in Germany go figure.
And the poule de Bresse and Barbezieux from France, in exchange a couple of Jersey and other breed moved to France.
But so many chickens as you have o my, you realy are a cracy chicken lady like me. Chicken live show is the best, cup of coffee and enjoy the show.
What a great stories you can tell, so many chickens and rabbits. Thank you for all the great info, very helpful. I did not see rabbits as little monsters yet, they are not just for meat why not enjoy the breeders and give the young a good live even if it is short.
Going to read it again tomorrow, for now it is bedtime 6 a clock rise and shine. But I wake up earlier, so wish you all a good night for now or later.
-
First Ms rabbit is home, she like to be pet and is bigger than I thought.
-
I am so very happy for you!!! It is good that she is very friendly & likes to be petted! I know you will have her spoiled and she will be a BIG PET! I hope you got big hutches because they get much larger than your standard rabbits, which you already know. How old is Ms Rabbit?
Are you still here in the USA or in Germany now? Be sure and send pic’s of your new rabbits when you get a chance! I’m anxious to see them since I’ve never seen a German Giant!
Yes, I am a crazy chicken lady and love to watch them. I had an old hen that was a lone survivor of a predator attack that killed all my chickens in one of my coops/runs. I have 3 coops/runs. I kept her guarded in a safe area til I felt she was a bit over the shock of the attack. I took special care of her and spent a lot of time with her. Eventually I let her out during the day when I was working in my garden. She followed me around like a dog would. When I would stop to dig a hole to plant something & move on to dig another hole she would either dig up what I had planted or scratch the dirt back into the hole I had dug. She would look at me as if to say, Look Mama, I helped you cover the hole. I loved that hen. Then one day I went outside and went to let her out of her special cage and she couldn’t stand up. She tried hard but couldn’t get her legs under her to stand. I looked up what could be wrong & how to treat her but couldn’t find any thing definite since she didn’t have all symptoms of any one problem. I put Apple Cider Vinegar in her water, got some antibiotics. some yogurt I mixed with some feed. I would have to hand feed her and give her water & antibiotics with a syringe. After about a week she began eating & drinking on her own and then one day she was standing when I went out to check on her. She got better and eventually was able to walk but had a slight limp as one of her legs still didn’t work as it should but she never let it slow her down. About a yr later, I went out to let her out and found her passed away. I cried like a baby for a long time. I build a box and put a blanket it in and buried her deep so nothing could get to her since I live in the deep backwoods with lots of predators. Her name was Henny Penny. She probably passed from old age as she was 8+ yrs old. I will always remember her and when I dig a hole to plant something now, I look up and tell Henny Penny I still love her & miss her helping me in the garden. I get way to attached to my animals, especially those that really stole my heart.
I forgot to tell you I also learned to incubate eggs. That was why I had lots of baby chicks that were barnyard mixes. I will do some more incubating this next spring when the hens start laying good again. There are so many people wanting chicks and are all the time asking me if I have any for sale. Could be a good way to make a little extra money to help pay for feed. I had a 98% hatch rate but I used a special method to raise the humidity in the incubator during critical times of the process. That is why you see the hygrometer/thermometer in with the incubator.
I also love BIG animals. I have a huge female Great Pyrenees that has just turned a year old that weighs every bit of 1400-150 lbs. She stand to get kisses & puts her paw paws on my shoulders. I have to look up to her. She is also my Gentle Giant that protects my chickens & rabbits. She is housed in with the big chicken coop yard in her own house. I also have a HUGE HUGE German Shephard. He is 150+ lbs. He is more than likely a KING German Shephard. My brother in law that passed away last year got him for me as a birthday present to help PROTECT ME living so far out in a small rural community. I could tell you many stories of how strong he is. One of his favorite toys is a full size landscape timber. He used to love to sit in my lap when he was a puppy and still thinks he can sit in Mama’s lap even now. He has turned my patio chair over with me in it many times trying to get in my lap. When I would walk him on a leash this past summer he would drag me around sometimes like I was a rag doll. I had to stop walking him on a leash & just let him run. He doesn’t realize his strength. Here are pictures of them as well as my lil 12 yr old Yorkie and my Chihuahua Pomeranian Mix I adopted/rescued several yrs ago. They are inside fur babies.
-
Thank you you are so sweet. You are going to be so right, she will be a big per. I hope she will give us nice young rabbits for mea, so see can stay many years. She is in a large box with a cage now, she can run around this winter inside. Spring they are going to get a voliere with a chicken coop, so we can lock them inside to be save at night.
Germany with my German Husband and son, I miss USA so mutch but my life is in Germany now. So if you ever come to Germany let me know! I will make some pictures especially for you. Siamesische collor like a California rabbit I guess, you can tell me after seeing the pictures.
All those crazy chicken ladies, makes life so mutch better. She was a special hen, all those great memories. Like you I miss special chickens, like good breeding roosters and hens. From this year we have 6 young chickens with a old rooster in the garden, our son takes care of them. They come to get him as soon as he is in garden, so a funny flock to see.
Good you learned to incubate eggs! So do I for years now, saved years for the incubators I have now. Started with small old machines and sold them again, buying less older and bigger a couple times. The 2 I have now stay, perfect for us. What is you special method during lock down (no not corona but incubation), I have to use one with water cups and the other with water jug.
Big animals more like huge animals and beautiful dogs to, very special gift from your brother in law still watching over you. I believe you how strong he can be, trained police dogs all working dogs and always kept one. Pup up to certified police dog, 10 dogs at one time. Next year we are going to get a pup again, specially for our son mostly.
Now I must go to work, after work I will make some pictures hopefully I can upload them.
-
I use the DRY HATCH Incubation method. I have 2 large incubators (40 eggs each) with an automatic egg turner, heater & blower. I also purchased a digital hygrometer/thermometer from the Lawn & Garden dept at Lowes. My incubator is old so doesn’t have any digital readouts like temp, humidity, 21-day countdown like the newer models. So the hygrometer & thermometer (2 in one) helps me monitor the temp & humidity. The thermometer in my unit is just a regular thermometer and is NOT accurate!! On day 18 I remove the egg turner & put eggs on their sides and raise the humidity to around 70%. I have special bellows (like a big sponge) that I use since my unit doesn’t have water wells to add water in. When I remove the egg turner I quickly add a second wet sponge for extra humidity. I have to run my A/C during spring/summer because living in coastal Alabama (just north of the Gulf of Mexico) we have very high humidity generally 80-90% (I live fairly close to Danny & Wanda at Deep South Homestead) so our weather, temperature/humidity is usually the same. Running the A/C keeps the humidity down in the house (I incubate eggs in my laundry room that has A/C to keep the humidity down especially during incubating. During the 3-day lockdown, I close the vent in there to help raise temp & humidity levels. It is a lot of work incubating eggs here due to high humidity but it can be done.
Here is an article you can read and there are lots more if you want to read more and there are even YouTubes on Dry Hatching.
https://www.communitychickens.com/what-is-a-dry-hatch/ -
I understand, in our climate dry incubation is not a option.
The MS is analog and the Hemel is digital, but I alway use Thermometer and hydrometer in the machines. With the MS I do the incubating and the Hemel the hatching. Different systems of incubation, MS slaglatten like a helicopter and Hemel ventilator, as soon as you got them running the keep on running like you set them up. And the best part is, that they are still being made and everything is still to order and fixed if needed. These machines are for life and to give to the next generation.
MS
https://www.broedmachine.nl/broedmachine-model-90-slaglatten
Hemel
Poule the Bresse are normal with incubating, but the Jersey and Barbezieux are a different story. Those giants are not so hardy.
I could not upload pictures of Nana, her new name given by our son. Today I will try again, wish me luck.
-
-
-
Some pics of Nana
-
Oh my! Nana is GORGEOUS!! I really like the big wooden box you have her in! Gives me an idea to use a couple of shipping crates I have for temp housing for chicks (kind of like a brooder box) I have a brooder box I built with a built in electrical socket to plug in a heat lamp. I cut out a trap door and hinged it to drop down and a barrel bolt lock to hold it shut. It had a big wasted area down below that I covered with wire and put in a wood board floor with a ramp leading down from the brooder area. When the chicks are little I won’t have the ramp in place and will have the trap door locked. When they get big enough to be able to take the heat from them I will drop the trap door and put the ramp on. That way the young chicks can go down the ramp into an open area for playing & to get fresh air & sunshine. They will be protected from any predators in the play area. I have a wire door on the bottom to be able to open & clean the bottom area.
I tried pulling up one of the links to the incubators you sent. One wouldn’t pull up because my Malware protector wouldn’t allow it to open because it contained Malware. I pulled up the 2nd link and WOW, that is a NICE incubator!! And it holds a LOT of eggs!! I love all the functions you can program it to do, too! I was very impressed with it. Mine is so old, but still works good but what I would give to have something like the one you have!!
What is your climate like there? We are VERY HOT & HUMID here 10 months of the year. Humid even in the winter time and have a few nights of freezing temps here & there usually in January & February.
I’ve done a lot of traveling up until a few years ago. People have done got CRAZY in this old world so I don’t do much traveling by myself anymore. I’ve been to Maui, Hawaii, Paris, France (spent 3 weeks to both of those areas). Been all over Canada and almost all of the US states. I was to go back to Paris, France to visit my friends and we were going to Austria & Germany but I never made it back. My friends spoke good English but I spoke very little French so I had big problems with a language barrier. Such a different culture, too. AND they love to eat & drink!! LOL!
I understand German’s do as well! Always wanted to go to a German Beer Festival. I had a friend that was an older lady that was German. She taught me a lot about cooking German meals. I love Hasenpfeffer and make it about once/twice a year usually when I dispatch a lot of rabbits. Schnitzel & Spätzle is very good, too. I even make homemade Spatzle! Spatzle and Beef Burgandy, Beef Stroganoff & Spatzle, Sauerbraten with spaetzle and red cabbage & apples are more favorites. I LOVE Spatzle, or can you tell?? LOL!
She introduced me to REAL German Bratwurst sausages and I LOVE them, too. We grill them and eat them like a hot dog here with sauerkraut. The bratwurst we get here in the states is NOTHING like a REAL GERMAN Bratwurst!! Also, I like German potato salad (made with vinegar) instead of mayonnaise which is used in the states.She brought back some DELICIOUS cheese when she visited Germany. I think it was called Butterkase. We always had it on a piece of good toasted bread.
One of my favorite desserts that I make often is Schwarzwalder, we call it Black Forrest Cake in the states.
My friend taught me how to make Pizzelles cookies. She always told me they were German cookies and her mother made them all the time, especially at Christmas. We always make them at Christmas to have with boiled custard. I knew they were actually Italian cookies but I never told her I knew that.
I could go on & on about different German foods.Here is a picture of the brooder I built for chicks. #1 is a pic of whole brooder, #2 is a pic of outside play area with ramp down, 3rd pic is looking inside at the trap door opening & showing the ramp.
-
-
<div>
Nana looks like a huge California does she not? She is so sweet, yesterday our son could really pet her and get a hold on her. No picking up yet, because she is not used to that and is to wild she could get hurt. Grabbing her by the sholder/neck works that she stays calm. But he is to small to pick her up that way, so have to practice she gets used to be picked up. For now I take a layer of, so he can pet her in the box.
Your brooder set up is great, it will work for rabbits to.
They are both great incubators, steady working machines.
Our climate is 8b, but we are in a micro climate. Now it is below 7 c freezing. I watch Deep South Homestead, your climate is a lot warmer and humidity is a lot higher. We have a real winter, but hope to be mild but I think it is going to be extreme like Mr Danny is saying.
If you ever come to Germany, please let me know.
German food is tasty, but my tast is more Arabic and Indonesian style. I do not eat any pork (only kosher), almost impossible over here.
In the Germany part of Freesteading, we are olso talking about German food same for France. Maybe you are already taking part?
</div>
-
Nana is doing fine, but she does not eat so much hay wonder why. Cutting her back on feed, just give her for the day. She digs out the feed and eating it from the bottom, strange eating habits. Getting hay block, gras and lucerne pallets but still wonder why she will not eat mutch hay.
-
Meat Rabbit?
-
That is an appetizer (but a cutie). THIS is a meat rabbit. 12 lbs at 6 months old.
-
-
Cutie looks delicious!
-
Meat rabbits?
-
I do not eat pig meat, but as fat we can use different fats. Sheep fat is also easy to prepare for being kept outside the fridge or freezer. And cook with fat, the meat that is given to us of course we are not going to eat our pets or beautiful flowers…
-
Hey Girl, I should have mentioned the other sources of fat that people can consume for their health. YES, there are many other sources that can be used for those that don’t eat pork.
I also have my pet animals I could NEVER eat that have been with me for years. They may not be productive to give me meat/egg sources but they will have a good life on my homestead as long as they are alive & do not suffer. I’ve just got to get out of the habit of making them ALL my pets!! LOL! AND I DO LOVE MY FLOWERS, TOO!! GOD’S BEAUTY for the earth HE created must be enjoyed & appreciated, too! They bring us our pollinators as well as beauty to our gardens! My gardens are my HAPPY PLACE where I find my inner peace & happiness!
How is Nana & did you get the other Mr & Mrs bunnies??-
We have our breeding and meat, but for the record they are pets used for therapy and we grow flowers.
Nana is being a princess, she has a little bit of a attitude a little bit mutch. She will not let you pet her, if she does not get it her way. So ok close up and let her be, wrong of course though luck missy no time to play your game.
Miss and mister rabbit are coming soon, pick them up this week hopefully.
And how are youre pets doing?
-
How old is Nana? Just curious as to why she won’t let you pet and love on her. Maybe she will get better with a little more time and when the other new rabbits come.
All my pets & animals are doing well. They all made it through that brutal cold we had at Christmas. I think I worried more about them than I did about myself keeping warm. We are not used to having that kind of cold this far south. A lot of my beautiful spring time bulbs were already up ready to form their blooms so I hope it didn’t hurt them and that they will still make beautiful flowers later. Some of my fruit trees and bushes were already in bloom so they may not make fruit this year. Breaks my heart to see crazy weather destroying our crops. I lost all of my fall/winter crops, even tho I had them protected. They would normally be okay with our “NORMAL” winter weather but this was just too much cold for too long for them to survive.
Oh well, I can only hope I can get in a good spring/summer garden & it do well this year. -
Nana is around 6 months, she really likes to be pet but if you clean her cage nope not having that. Just let her be and move on, no time to wait till she is ready again.
Mr rabbit can do his job soon with Nana, around 8 months before a year right?
Glad your pets are all doing fine, it was cold brrr. But with good housing, food water and care they can have a lot.
My best friend she is like my little sister, has Guinea pigs the big ones. Comes over today to bring her bedding, lives in a village. She gets ready to use compost for her flower garden.
-
Forgotten a part … sorry for the lost of crops, hope you fruit trees will make it. Same problem over here each year, some years lucky and some no fruit. Important the bushes and trees stay alive, keep growing on…
-
-
-
How long you in for?
-
Guess 25 up to life will be a better deal than on dead row?
-
-
The allrecipes Hassenpfeffer recipe is fabulous. Frying with a batter of part cornmeal part flour is scrumptous. Haven’t tried canning yet, that’s next.
-
We have a trio rabbits, picked Casper and Silver up yesterday. The 2 are so sweet as can be and huge, our son can pet them nicely.
Nana is a bit … and not so nice, but she has to get along with Silver if she wants to or not.
So nice to sit down, enjoy a cup of coffee and pet them.
And 80 liter that is about 30 gallon fertilizer, could be more in a week will see. And we can pick up from a animal store, they have 5 house garbage containers every 2 weeks. So going to pick up every week, what Fits in my small car.
-
@JerseyGiantChick Wow, you have a lot of good news! Two new rabbits, Casper & Silver and FREE fertilizer from the pet store!! I hope Nana will be nice and accept Silver. Will you keep them together or in a separate hutch or pen?
You can soon start your vegetable & flower gardens and have lots of good fertilizer to make them grow very well. Then you can sit in your gardens and watch your bunnies play if you are going to keep them outside.I may think about putting some of my special TAMUK rabbits in a colony so they can live natural in the ground like they are meant to. I may not get to that project this year as I want to build my 2nd bigger greenhouse and I will have all my gardening to do. Plus I have about 25 fruit trees & bushes that I have got to plant that I didn’t get planted last year. So much to do but I will be happy when springtime comes and STAYS!
Send pic’s of Casper & Silver when you can. I can’t wait to see them!-
Nana will need some time, she is such a spoilt rabbit. Nana and Silver will be together, and Casper separated.
They are in a hutches for the winter now, but will move in a pen with hutch. So we can lock them up for the night, like the chickens. A pen for the females, one for Casper, and a pen for the young that we can split up in 2 for females and males.
Chicken and bunnies theater, so nice coffee or tea and just enjoy the sighting.
As far as I now there are no tamuk here, hybrid so no breeding? Like hybrid meat birds?
In a colony is nice, but I thought rabbits did not live in groups?
Wow a second greenhouse, what are you planning for the garden? So many fruit trees and bushes , bless you one of the best to plant now!
I must plant also and some dwarf trees in the tunnel.
Pictures on the way…
-
-
-
I’d love to know why rabbits are priced as they are. Seems pricey for a rodent?
-
@Ampersand What prices are you seeing for meat rabbits? Or are you referring to show rabbits or the ones people have for pets? They all have different price ranges depending on the bloodline & breed. And rabbits do not belong to the rodent family (Rodentia order), they are lagomorphs (Lagomorpha order).
-
Depends on the rabbit, breed and color.
Just the yearly shots are around 50 $, we have to give Nana her first shot so she was not expensive. Casper and Silver second shot, Silver had brought up 11 young and Casper gave some nice colors he is breeding with different females.
They are all siamesische color but all different unrelated, so see it as a infestation. Also a good therapy for my son and us parents, who does not like to pet them? And all there fertilizer, what is the price of that? Priceless maybe in the future?
-
If you say a needed shot is$50 and they have good genes to be bred, then that makes more sense. I would not have considered vaccinating rabbits. All I know is that “breed like rabbits” comes from somewhere so $65-80 for a small animal that can have many offspring did not make sense. To me they are a nuisance in the garden and I do not enjoy petting rabbits or looking at them like many do. Thanks for the info.
-
The wild ones can be a pest but also extra proteins.
My husband likes Casper already, man go figure.
-
-
-
Casper, Silver and Nana
-
Happy with the rabbits, our son is having so much fun and so do we. And it is creat for the children coming for the project.
They produce so much for the garden, for the machine and compost by hand.
Curious about the meat and skin, bones all we can use for the good.
Log in to reply.