Showing posts with label Production whites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Production whites. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Summer, Keeping Your Rabbits Cool

Hello Everyone!
One question I always get is "how do you keep your rabbits cool in the summer without an AC".  That is a very good question!  It can be a challenge sometimes if you don't have an Air Conditioner.  But, don't worry! I have some good news for you! There are things you can do to keep you rabbits from overheating. 1st, it is a very important thing to have a good fan in your barn.  It is good to keep the air circulating throughout your barn which cools down the temperature.  2nd, I have found if you fill a two litter bottle of water, freeze it and place it in the rabbits cage, they like to lay on it and it helps cool their over all body temperature. 3rd, Misters.  I have also found that ether fan misters or patio misters work quite well.  The brand of misters that I have found to work quite well it is  "Misty Mate".  They are available at Sam's Club or other stores.  4th, make sure your rabbits always have fresh water available at all times! That is very important!  

Feel free to contact me with any questions you have,
Phone: (918) 431-0644
FaceBook: SunnyDayzRabbitry
Email: sunnydayzrabbitry@yahoo.com

 the misters hung
 This is the box of the misters
 more photos...
Happy Rabbit Raising!
~Grace Young

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Spring is here!

I have been so busy these past few weeks, birthing goat kids, selling rabbits and so on... The bunnies seem to be enjoying the warm weather :). The trees are starting to bud and the grass is starting to get green :).  I have sold two litters in the past week.  So, I re-bred all of my breeding does-nine of them; they are all due the end of next month.  I have decided to get out of the Californian breed, because I don't think they are as profitable as the Production Whites.  The Californian breed don't seem to handle the heat as well as the Production Whites.  They appear to struggle a lot more when it's really hot.  Last summer was an extremely hot summer, & I lost Krissa, my favorite Californian doe.  I didn't lose any Production Whites.  Also, the Californian breed eats a lot more than the Production Whites.  Since I breed for meat, I want to make sure I am getting the optimal amount of meat for my family.  I weighed the Production White breed v.s the Californian breed (freezer weight), and found that you get much less meat on the Californians at 10-11 weeks (typical slaughter age); I got about 1-1.5 pound of meat. With the Production White breed, I got about 2-2.5 pounds of freezer weight meat, & was able to slaughter much earlier (8 weeks). 
Here are a few pictures around the farm....