[YorkshireLass]

Silver fox does and hopefully a rex buck (if I can collect him in the snow!)


If you find Rex does they are originally a meat/fur breed but I could only find mini rex does

[MAK]

The buck must have his own run and shelter and the unrelated doe introduced to him for a couple of minutes. She will become pregnant ( read up on rabbit physiology to understand why). The pregnant doe will then need her own space that will be suitable for her young family after 30 days. A few days before giving birth she will pluck her fur to make a nest and have 10-12 kittens. We seem to loose 2 kittens within the first week but ensure mum has plenty of food and water ( 3 times a day) to feed her 9-10 kittens. We use hay to bed the kittens for the first few weeks then straw.  Mum is removed to her own quarters after about 8 weeks as the young males will mate with whoever is near them at about 10 weeks. We start to take the rabbits at 10 weeks. MEANWHILE - the other female has been introduced to the buck. She will be pregnant and ready to move into the breeding pen and hutch vacated by the last litter. You need a callender to record expected delievery dates from the date the doe is covered by the buck.
We gather dandelions and dock by the bucket and add a few lettuce brasica leaves as they get older. Carrots of course. Winter is more of a challenge although Brussels and store carrots help. We buy in pellets and bale our own hay. Rabbits will pretty much eat anything and c onvert it to meat - they luv an apple.
We are unsure of the breed we have as the male was given to us by a neighbour and the females we purchased from a village a few miles away. They are big and one gives the 2 of us 3 meals. Our neighbours take the heads ( good jaw meat) but we do not = although tonight I added the chopped liver to the rabbit ragu and pasta.   

[smee2012]

She will become pregnant ( read up on rabbit physiology to understand why).

 

[Mel Rice]

I have Rex's which have a super coat and are very tasty...not tooo big.
I do keep mine in large box cages (as do all the locals) A bit bigger than standard sized pet bunny hutchs. They get as much natual food as possible. pure grass cut twice daily in the growing weather and at the moment home grown fodder roots and and vege scraps in the morning with a pellet meal at night. Plus of course ad lib hay all year.
Any runs HAVE to have a good roof round here as the buzzards are very plentiful (lost a few chooks)

[MAK]

Mel - If you have time can you share a typical German rabbit receipe? It is always good to ring the changes and try something new.
Got 6 to do over the next couple of days and the freezers are near full with 2 pigs so we need some different rabbit receipes.
 

[Anke]

I have Rex's which have a super coat and are very tasty...not tooo big.
I do keep mine in large box cages (as do all the locals) A bit bigger than standard sized pet bunny hutchs. They get as much natual food as possible. pure grass cut twice daily in the growing weather and at the moment home grown fodder roots and and vege scraps in the morning with a pellet meal at night. Plus of course ad lib hay all year.
Any runs HAVE to have a good roof round here as the buzzards are very plentiful (lost a few chooks)

When I was a kid (in Eastern Germany) that's what everybody had in the little (coal) shed at the back of the house... until myximatosis (spelling?) became a huge problem in the 80s and loads of our neighbours gave up... seems to have been resolved though?

[Anke]

Mel - If you have time can you share a typical German rabbit receipe? It is always good to ring the changes and try something new.
Got 6 to do over the next couple of days and the freezers are near full with 2 pigs so we need some different rabbit receipes.

MAK - we normally had it roasted, it needed some bacon to make sure it stayed moist, but I need to ask my mum how she cooks it. Never roasted it over here, as the wild rabbits are too tough for that.

[MAK]

Any well tested and loved receipes would be good as I now have 9 in the freezer and half in the fridge. Lots of snow again last night so my morning feeding chores are less of a pain now the "maternity wing" is empty.

[YorkshireLass]

With wild rabbit I tend to do my bog standard stew - fry off some streaky bacon or lardons, brown the chunks/joints of rabbit, put to one side. In the bacon-y pan sweat some onions down, throw in carrots, celery, bayleaf, pepper, maybe sage and/or thyme, maybe mushrooms, whatever's lurking in the fridge... add the meat back in, top up with stock (normally chicken), squirt of tomato puree, put it on the lowest heat and ignore until I can't bear the aroma any more