Hello everone. My name is Ron. I live in south Louisiana. I would like to get all the info. I can on raising rabbits for food and Bee's for the honey. Any advice is welcomed . Thank you.
__________________ "Our constitution protects aliens, drunks and U.S. Senators." - Will Rogers
I've only raised a few rabbits, quite awhile ago. My old farm neighbor down the road told me to "keep them up off the ground in foxproof wire, each should have it's own enclosed box with straw, they need shade in the summer, feed them alfalpha hay if you want them to grow fast and large (higher protein content in alfalpha), plenty of clean water. Also keep at least 2 buck bunnies but keep them separate and remove them from the female's cage after mating to avoid fights. (Sounds like being married).A maximum of 5 breed cycles a year if you care about the health of the mother rabbits. Gestation is 28 -32 days and a rabbit will breed again before the babies are weaned (about 4 weeks) if allowed but it's not healthy for all involved.
'Bout the only other thing I know is their droppings make excellent fertilizer. It's not "hot" so you can apply it directly on the garden without aging it and it won't burn the plants.
As for bees...you figure out how to deal with those little bandits and I'll buy the honey. I gotta stay away...allergic.
Find a local bee keeper. Hives should be dividing soon, maybe you can get setup with one. Bee's do require care, their are some good books on the subject, or work with a established keeper. You need a machine to separate the honey, and a hot room to work in. It's not real practical for a single hive operation.
__________________
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.
I've only raised a few rabbits, quite awhile ago. My old farm neighbor down the road told me to "keep them up off the ground in foxproof wire, each should have it's own enclosed box with straw, they need shade in the summer, feed them alfalpha hay if you want them to grow fast and large (higher protein content in alfalpha), plenty of clean water. Also keep at least 2 buck bunnies but keep them separate and remove them from the female's cage after mating to avoid fights. (Sounds like being married).A maximum of 5 breed cycles a year if you care about the health of the mother rabbits. Gestation is 28 -32 days and a rabbit will breed again before the babies are weaned (about 4 weeks) if allowed but it's not healthy for all involved.
'Bout the only other thing I know is their droppings make excellent fertilizer. It's not "hot" so you can apply it directly on the garden without aging it and it won't burn the plants.
As for bees...you figure out how to deal with those little bandits and I'll buy the honey. I gotta stay away...allergic.
That's some great info!!!! Sounds like you know your business!!
I'm sure there's lots more to know, especially from the disease angle if you're going to be raising 'in bulk'. Most importantly (for rabbits) just do it. Your knowledge will grow with the colony. And if you lose one or two, well, they're not million dollar race horses.
Biggest problem with meat rabbits is kids. Who wants to eat the Easter Bunny?
Growing up, my dad raised rabbits that he sold butchered in the factory where he worked for extra money... and meals for us. .22 hustler about summed it up! You could probably sell some of the poo for fertilizer as well! LOL.
Dad started small, but you know the saying about rabbits and before it was all over with we had over a 200 rabbit operation.
Best of luck to ya... I know nothing about bees
__________________ Most of my life I've spent hunting,... the rest of it I've just wasted
A friend of mine has a rabbitry. He keep Satins. All his cages are suspended with chains. Then all you have to do is shove the poop. When someone wants it for fertilizer, they bring big trash cans and you fill it and charge them for it.You will have to have breeding boxes for babies when they come. You keep the adult males and females separated until you are ready for them to breed. Then babies come all at the same time. There are some domestic rabbit magazines and probably some websites with a lot more detail. You will probably also need to be familiar with diseases, because one spreading can wipe out all your bunnies.
__________________ I try to live life, that in the morning, Satan shudders & says 'Oh crap, she's awake!"
BTW, if you're doing the butchering too, consider the $$ in the skins. If you 'shuck' the rabbit the way you do a muskrat you don't do knife damage to the skins. Not sure what they're worth these days but they should bring in a little extra coin from crafters, leatherworkers and maybe commercial fur buyers. Worth checking out. Even if it's minimal, it beats discarding them.
Can you help me on Rabbitss and Bee's ? 
