# "Free Range" Rabbits



## DW Farms

Does anyone have rabbits that just run loose? What are your ideas on it? I was wanting to get some and raise them this way.

Adam


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## Jeanette

Hi there,
If you will go back a page or two into some of the older posts I started a thread there about colony raising. You might find some helpful information there.

Jeanette
Hondo, TX


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## gerald77

only when they get away!


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## Willowynd

Oh yes, I have about 8 or 9 running free right now. They are the progeny from my escaped colony raising project. Now that I have been watching these rabbits for months, I can tell you a few things. First, they will stay home...but also range for quite a distance. I spotted on burrowing a hole in the side of a hill up by the highway...2 properties away. Second, they will have thier babies where they like- in burrows, under buildings, etc. Third, they will graze on everything....including your garden, azalea bushes, trees and antique roses that you just paid $200 for this spring ( btw that rabbit repellant that is non-toxic and supposed to be 100% guaranteed- I guarantee you all it will do is make you throw up when you smell it). My bushes were reduced to several healthy flowering branches...but the rest dead and one young tree was killed...we won;t even talk about the garden. Fourth, the babies are easy targets for owls and other preators...white ones do not last long. Fifth- none of my adults made it through the winter- but enough of thier babies did to make more feral bun buns. I found some dead of fly strike, others were killed by various things from machinery to predators.
After all that damage in just several months, I got cages and bought new rabbits. I will buy a trap and try to catch the feral rabbits soon and see if I can work with them long enough to get babies that are tame. If I cannot trap them I will let my neighbor come over and shoot them. I can't afford the damage.


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## Guest

I knew a man who had rabbits running loose in his backyard (in the city). It was hazardous walking in his yard because of the tunnels.


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## Terry W

I have a few I put in the poultry yard-- am now recapturing them-- why? because they are getting injured while tunneling under the coop and fence, while squeezong into places they shouldn't be, etc... i figure, If I am goping to be worrying abou thteirsafety all the time, i need to be able to touch them when i need to....


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## YuccaFlatsRanch

Australia had a similar problem a couple of years ago. Can't own rabbits there now.


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## KSALguy

my original colony in the chicken coop did wonderful, untill the kits decided to scale the chicken wire to squeeze out the normal fence, i wound up with all my future meat rabbits out in the woods feeding the fox and anything else that happend by, i am now down to two does and a very young buck in the pen, and one buck left running loose that i need to catch, 

if you want to have ANY controle or success over rabbit raiseing you need a VERY VERY secure colony fence if your not going to use cages, other wise it will get out of hand some how


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## Beaniemom

Bet Willow thought they were cute at first, romping thru the yard, until they started eating everything in site! Wasn't it nice of you to plant them a garden? LOL How many do you think are still out there?

I had to catch one yesterday, darn they're speedy!

I wouldn't recommend free ranging, and a colony only if its Fort Knox (and they'll probably still get out!)


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## turtlehead

We have a long time "yard rabbit" that has been loose for about 9 months or so. We also have a few other escapees - one is in the garden. I forgot and left the gate open so now the rabbit is fenced in, which isn't good but at least all the others, including wild ones, are fenced out. The young ones are immediately taken by owls and hawks around here; in fact, I have bird netting over my colony.

I like colony raising but my next pens are going to be more secure (buried fencing at least 2 or 3 feet down). I'm also toying with the idea of a rabbit tractor - a movable pen - for growing the kits out on pasture/yard/weeds between weaning and butchering.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch

I thiank we need to work on rabbits like are discussed by the lady who brought Brazillion rabbits to the U.S. SHe said in some parts of Brazil these rabbits are let out during the day and return when called at night. My rabbits have been somewhat like LGD's. They have a mind of their own and don't readily do what you think they should, when you think they should.


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## rabbitgeek

YuccaFlatsRanch said:


> Australia had a similar problem a couple of years ago. Can't own rabbits there now.


Domestic rabbits did cause a lot of damage to Australia.

But people can own domestic rabbits in Australia, they even have rabbit shows and everything.

This website has a bunch of links of interest to Australian rabbit owners.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jabuck/WARCI/rabbit_links.htm

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## Willowynd

Oh yes- this spring I was trying to snap picks of all the babies! It was not until I noticed all the damage that thier appeal waned quickly. At first I thought it was deer that did the bulk of the damage...no way the rabbits could have done this much- even though I saw them grazing my bushes. It was soon apparent that those few rabbits were terrorists in fur coats! Oh yes, they enjoyed the garden (even though it was surrounded by fence) and loved the $200 worth of roses I has shipped from TX! I was trying to ge a count tonight while they made thier nightly visit to my rose garden...I counted 7- 3 adults and 4 babies. I thought I saw some younger buns yesterday morning though- so wondering if there was not another litter born. Easy to spot in thier lovely coats of siamese sable, castor, red and tan. Have not seen the blues or white ones for a while, think they have met thier demise. My freind came over to our outing today and was commenting how lovely and tame they are. I said, only until you get close enough that you might have a chance to catch them if you can sprint! I don't see many wild buns here anymore. Only one that sometimes hangs out near them.



Beaniemom said:


> Bet Willow thought they were cute at first, romping thru the yard, until they started eating everything in site! Wasn't it nice of you to plant them a garden? LOL How many do you think are still out there?
> 
> I had to catch one yesterday, darn they're speedy!
> 
> I wouldn't recommend free ranging, and a colony only if its Fort Knox (and they'll probably still get out!)


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## Beaniemom

I could see the white ones, the have to be easy pickings! I guess blue would kinda stick out too!

I hear that after so many generations they revert back to "wild rabbit brown", let us know how long that takes, okay?


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## Beaniemom

You know, Murphy must have been reading this thread...

I've spent the last hour or so trying to catch rabbits, two different cages pulled off their hay feeders and escaped!

Score so far: Dawn 2 Rabbits 3  I have two I can't catch, its like they let me get just close enough, then run off, I swear I can hear them laughing at me! :flame:

Plus there is one Rex I can't find...Gosh, I'm down to 2 in that litter out of 7, assuming I can catch the last escapee before something eats it!


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## Pony

DW Farms said:


> Does anyone have rabbits that just run loose? What are your ideas on it? I was wanting to get some and raise them this way.
> 
> Adam


Hi, Adam. 

To answer your original question, Joel Salatin has a couple of books out that describe a pastured rabbit set up. One is Pastured Poultry Profits, and the other name escapes me, but I'm sure you can find it at your library or on Amazon.

It seems to make good sense to me, the biggest concern being how to keep them from tunneling.


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## Oat Bucket Farm

When we need to catch loose buns, we use two to three people and a cat carrier. We place the open carrier long side against the fence. Then we herd the rabbit to the fence, applying just enough pressure on its 'personal space' to keep it moving and get it to the fence but not enough to make it bolt. Once at the fence one person herds from behind while the other person or people stay out to the side to keep it from bolting that direction. When it sees the open carrier in its path, it seems to think that it offers safety from us and hops right in there. We leap in and shut the door. Works every time.


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## noname

I had a very secure colony, until I decided to make it bigger. Now it depends on which rabbit you're talking to. The does don't seem to have any desire to leave - they have lots of pasture space, shade, and their bunny barrels for shelter. The buck has already escaped 3 times and is currently residing in a cage in the barn until I can figure out how he's getting out. I'm gonna put him back out there tomorrow and take a lawn chair so I can sit and watch him. There are no tunnels anywhere and no gaps in the wire that I can find, so I'm stumped. 

When I need to catch a loose rabbit, I send my 2 youngest boys after it. My 11 yo has a large fishing net that he uses, but more often than not my 14 yo manages to catch it bare handed. That kid is fast! Haven't seen a loose critter yet that he couldn't catch.


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## Beaniemom

Rabbits can climb, I didn't know that til I saw one do it! LOL Maybe he's practicing the high jump there? ;p


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## Terry W

Actually, Noname's new buck is a pasture raised rabbit that has 'run free' it's whole life-- I can just hear him thinking "What the heck?>>????" Little does he realize, if he were not where he is right now, he would be getting turned into dog or cat food... he is the prettiest shade of gold-- Sweet Saloma wanted to nab him out of the truck and keep him for herself-- but no way!!!! he was PROMISED to Noname!!! meanwhile, the source has a couple other nice golden babies coming up-- This buck of nonames' has got a real nice set of shoulders on him--- I may use another from the source to cover my Pal girls when they get older...


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