I read that some people where getting rid of a bunch of rabbits. About 4-5 of them. It's really too bad that they want to let them go. As they are really a good investment.
When I had my rabbitry - I was able to use the manure in my composting. Worms are attracted to the rabbit manure in the compost pile and it helps turn it into good garden soil faster. I often added a small worm called a red wiggler. It's more prolific than my rabbits! They double their numbers every 30 days! So I was able to have very rich soil for my garden real quick.
Straight rabbit manure and red wigglers are a magic mix that makes for great garden fertilizer. It's the preference of rose growers especially. Plus it's great for making hot beds for young plants as it's the only manure that won't burn the tender shoots. I sold lots of 5lb bags of that special fertilizer to nurseries, gardeners & rose growers.
Plus the tomato plants that I had in hot beds and then transferred into the garden later, produced larger fruit than those that weren't grown in a hot bed first. Most crops that I used the rabbit manure compost on grew extremely well.
I also collected night crawlers in our yard which I put into a mesh bottom box that held this rabbit manure compost. I made a good amount from selling them for fishing bait in a 1/2 pint.
The big breeds I had were Rex, English Spot and French Angora. The Rex has a thick lush pelt, but is a big boned breed. The English Spot is a small boned, lean looking rabbit. By breeding the two I got mostly good thick pelts, small boned rabbits with a good amount of meat.
Only issue is they don't breed true. So it has to be crossbred to get a good meat producer and a good pelt producer. It provided excellent meat for the table. Rabbit is white meat with a fine grain and is easy to digest.
The pelts when tanned properly are great for stitching together to form a quilt or muffler. It keeps heat in if combined with a soft cotton backing. Saves on heating expenses as it keeps you toasty warm. (some may not be for fur - but when it comes to my own stock I don't believe in wasting what can be used. It's more respectful to the animal & the old ways.)
Now the French Angora were good for harvesting wool from - once it's combed and carded - it's good for spinning. Many yarn crafters love to spin or work with angora. They said it was like spinning a cloud. I made a good amount from selling wool too.
The small breeds I had were Netherland Dwarf, Mini Lop, Jersey Woolies & Holland Lop. These were bred for pets, classrooms & 4H club members as well as some were show animals. I was very proud of my breeding lines. I also used to try to educate others about many things related to rabbits & raising them.
Some pet shops tried to pan off rabbits as Netherland Dwarf or other small breeds. But you could tell by the ears if it was or wasn't a small breed. Top length for a Dwarf is 2 1/2" - no bigger. Head like an rounded like an apple and adult weight of 4 lbs. tops. These are most likely culls, animals taken out from breeding due to flaws.
Anytime that you want to get an animal for a pet - a legally licensed breeder or an animal rescue shelter would be the best bet.
For show, meat, pelt or hobby animals it's always best to go to the breeder. Always be sure that they are properly licensed and associated first, before making a purchase.
So if you were wanting to make a little extra money, the investment of time & money is well worth it with rabbits. They convert lb. for lb. better than most other animals for feed to meat ratio. Plus they can be very relaxing to be around too. The small ones are very affectionate when raised socially. I found them to be a great experience the I'd love to enjoy again some day.
Hope that this information about rabbits, some use of their manure compost mix and earning some income from them is useful to someone. Thanks for reading.
