I’ve precious little spare time these days, but when I get a moment, I’m searching for rabbit-related materials. The BeeGirl and I are hoping to have a hutch ready soon, so we can get our first doe and a buck this spring.

If that means we’re moving a hutch and rabbits when it comes time to move, so be it. It’s getting late in the season already, and it’s just damn time. I’m not going to let the monkey wrench that is a certain…nameless twig…wrench this from us, too.

Basically, I’m wanting a hutch similar to the one in the linked video (clicking the link will take you to Youtube in another tab). It’s quite similar to those my grandfather used to build for his rabbitry, and they’re the easiest to maintain and clean up after. Realistically, we’ll need two – one for the buck and doe, and one for the buns when they’re ready to be weaned. If things go well and space allows at the future new place, we’ll get a second doe.

As much as I want to stick to one breed, I’m thinking I’d like to cross New Zealands or Californians with one of the larger breeds, such as Chinchilla, or Champagne D’Argent. Then we’d have a mix of size and temperaments, as well as fur color.

I’m really looking forward to this venture, for many reasons. I know my veg/vegan friends will tsk, etc., but rabbit meat is quite good and less fatty than pork or even chicken. And it does taste like chicken, the dark meat, anyway. The manure does not need to be composted and aged, it can be used directly into whatever garden or planting pot you wish, as soon as it’s scraped up from under the hutch. And with BeeGirl looking to expand her homesteading skills (even if they’re only ever to be used on a tiny lot in town), there will be pelts aplenty for winter crafting. I might be crazy, but I do want to try my hand at making a pair of mukluks, or at least, slippers. Or mittens.

Thankfully, BeeGirl doesn’t seem to have the soft, squishy parts in her chest that I do, or that my grandfather did. He always had to have someone else come in and help with killing and butchering. This is something the girl wants to learn.

And then there is the option of selling the buns to other breeders or as pets. Fortunately I already know that wherever we go, we’re not going to have the luxury of an old lumberyard to house our rabbitry in, so the adventure is going to be small. No 20+ does and four breeder bucks for us!

She and I looked at a house today, and in amongst all of the other bits and pieces that have become ‘must haves’ was the space for the rabbits. This place… yeah, it had that. Only one more to look at before we make a final decision, but this one looks good. So it’ll be on to the rabbits soon enough!

<3 JL