Colony Style Rabbits

When most people think of raising rabbits, they think about cages hanging neatly in a row or a bunch of hutches spread throughout the yard. These methods of raising rabbits can seem the most proficient and simple, but there is another option to consider and that is raising your rabbits’ colony style.

There are many advantages to raising rabbits in a colony rather than in cages or hutches. The main advantage is that it allows your rabbits to live in a setting that is more natural for them. In a colony, the rabbits can move around freely while interacting with your other rabbits. They are often allowed to burrow into the ground, even if limited in doing so. They have a lot more room to get their exercise than a cage or hutch allows. This is my preferred way to raise my rabbits. I strongly believe that happy rabbits produce better meat, so raising mine in a colony when possible gives me the happiest rabbits.

Of course, there are a few downsides of raising rabbits in a colony. One of the main downsides is that it requires a lot more space typically. You need a decent sized area to create a colony for the rabbits to move around in naturally. It can also be more difficult to make the area predator proof, especially if your colony is located outdoors. We allow our livestock guardian dogs to roam around the outside of the colony area to keep predators out of ours, and we have netting over the top for any hawks or owls that may see our rabbits as easy prey. The other downside is that you don’t have as much control over breeding. If you have more than one buck in the colony, you will not know for sure which one is the father, which can be an issue if you are trying to keep up with pedigrees. It can also be difficult to know when a doe has kindled and which babies belong to which doe.

Despite the challenges of raising rabbits in a colony, I have found it to be my preferred method. There are many articles online that can walk you through setting up a colony for your rabbits if you want to give it a try.

Tanning Rabbit Hides

If you are like me, when you butcher an animal, you want to use as much of the animal as you can, so nothing goes to waste. Though the fur market isn’t what it used to be, tanning rabbit hides is a very rewarding skill that allows you to use more of the rabbit. Besides, using the pelt is a way to work towards more sustainability. When you simply ignore the hide, you are contributing to filling the landfills and petroleum products being used for fake furs.

Granted, it isn’t realistic to believe that you can enter some mass market when you tan hides. There are many hobbyists, though, who love the real fur you can provide. For example, those who do historical reenactments covet real furs for their props and clothing. If you can tap into the clothing market, you may find a seamstress that enjoys adding the real fur to gloves, hoods, coats, and more. There are many other homesteaders that use real fur for their crafts. In my area, I have a local guy who teaches medieval fighting on the side (he does sprinkler repair as his main job) who purchases my pelts for his weaponry, such as lining his sheath.

Whether you can find a regular buyer or not, if you are raising rabbits for meat, the best reason to tan the hides is so you can create a product using what you have already without adding to the waste. You know what goes into your rabbits, so you can ensure they are healthy and have furs of high quality. If you are unable to find a buyer, it may be time for you to learn how to make clothing from the hides. It may provide you with a fun new hobby that allows you to end up with a new, toasty warm fur hat to work in on the cold, bitter days of winter.  

Learning to Butcher





The Need to Dispatch





Providing Food for Your Rabbits






Providing Housing for Your Rabbits






Deciding What Rabbit Breed to Raise





Why Raise Rabbits?


