Free Range Rabbits

People often ask me how I can possibly raise free range rabbits. Well this is what it looks like:

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Raven and BeBe hanging in the sheep pen, settlers for the new outback colony!
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The established colony: that’s our new mulberry tree in the back pasture. Later this summer when the grass is done growing we’ll let them out into all the pastures. The plywood roof is over one of the main dens.

We’ve come to accept that where there is rabbits, there will be no plants. There are pastures to the left and forward of the main pen, that are fenced off to let the grass grow. The young litters squeeze through the fence and mow the grass without destroying it. We pick grass to feed the adults. Later in the summer when the grass is done growing, we’ll open all the pastures to give them plenty of room to roam.

We look forward to that mulberry tree to someday be big enough to harvest leaves, and the berries will fall into the pasture for the rabbits to eat. We keep its trunk protected.

The rabbits have lots of dens, the plywood roof is over one of the main dens.

Some of our girls... our colony consists of American, Harlequin, Beveren, and American x Belgian Hare crosses
Some of our girls… our colony consists of American, Harlequin, Beveren, and American x Belgian Hare crosses

We were locking all the rabbits up at night in a 10ft x 4 ft structure when the foxes started coming around last Fall. They have given up on us for the time being and there are so many baby rabbits running everywhere anyways that won’t get into the structure that we figure our breeders are safe. So far, so good, til the news gets out about all these Free Range Rabbits.

Cuz what comes with the territory, is baby rabbits don’t tend to stay in the pasture, and break out all the time. Little do they know about foxes.  Here’s the must have for any Free Range Rabbit operation:

Caught one Free Range Rabbit!
Caught one Free Range Rabbit!

Please follow proper procedures for setting up a colony and don’t try to co-house territorial older does!!

 

3 comments

    1. Thank you! Its been a process of trial and error, but overall been working for us for the past 4 years… and our rabbits are very happy!

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