Fodder Sprouting Results

If you've been following our progress in growing fodder, you know that I've been conducting an experiment to compare various sprouting methods.

Wheat sprouts after 24 hours of sitting in the trays.

24 hours after being put into the tray (total time 48 hours), it's becoming a little more obvious that the shorter soak time in the vinegar solution seems to be doing the best, as far as sprouting time goes.

Wheat sprouts after 36 hours of sitting in the trays.

That same trend continues through the day, although it's starting to look like the 1- and 8-hour batches are lagging behind the most.  I suspect that may be because they're in the middle of the trays and thus may not be getting as much water as the ones on the edges of the tray.

Progress of sprouts that had vinegar for first 1/2 hour of soak.

Progress of sprouts that had vinegar for first 1 hour of soak.

Progress of sprouts that had vinegar for first 2 hours of soak.

Progress of sprouts that had vinegar for first 4 hours of soak.

Progress of sprouts that had vinegar for first 8 hours of soak.

Progress of sprouts that had vinegar for first 12 hours of soak.

The above pictures were taken at 51 hours, 72 hours, and 103 hours in the tray, except for the 12-hour-vinegared batch, which was 12 hours older than the others at each of the pictures.  The 1/2-hour-vinegared batch was the first to show green on the sprouts, and continues to be the furthest grown, which tells me that it's the best environment for sprouting.

I did see some hints of fuzzy white late on Day 4, so all batches got a spray down of white vinegar, and a repeat treatment on Day 5, which doesn't seem to have affected the wheat's growth.  I didn't tweeze any out, but the white fuzz has dissipated anyway. Looks like we should be on schedule for serving this batch in a few more days.

< Start of the Experiment

Fodder Sprouting Solutions

When last I left you on my fodder project, I had managed to defeat the mold and got to feed it to my rabbits.  Since then, I've been doing a number of experiments, specifically on what the best sprouting solution is.

To start off with, I tried to make a solution which I estimated should have come out to a pH of 6, which I understand is generally too low for mold to grow in, but should still be in the range for wheat to grow (at least, if it were soil instead of water).  My math was averaging out the pH of water (7) and vinegar (2), which should have been 4 parts water and 2 parts vinegar.  I still have some doubts whether averaging actually applies to a solution like this, but I thought I'd give it a try.  (It probably would have been more accurate if I had dug out the pH test strips).  Unfortunately, even though I only soaked it in that solution for 1 day, after 4 days (the last 3 being in water-only), I still wasn't seeing sprouts.  I gave up on that batch.

4 different solutions for trying to sprout fodder.

My next trial was to compare soaking in only water to soaking in a bleach solution, and soaking in two different concentrations of vinegar.  The bleach solution ended up being 3.7% bleach just because that was exactly how much bleach I had when I poured it into the water.  3.7% is in range of the recommended 3-10%.  For the vinegar, I did a 5:1 concentration (just a little less acidic than my previous experiment) and a 10:1 concentration (works out to 9.1% vinegar).

41 hours since starting wheat fodder in various solutions.

I left them in those solutions for 24 hours, then let them just sit in their jars.  By 41 hours after initially starting their soak, the water-only batch had very obvious sprouts.  The bleach solution had less, but there was at least signs of sprouting.  Neither of the vinegar solutions showed any signs of trying to sprout.  I really wanted vinegar to work (I keep hearing so many people crying out about using bleach), so I gave the vinegar trials a little longer to do their thing.  After 3 full days, there was still no sign.

3 days into 3% vinegar trial.

My next trial was to see if maybe the vinegar jars weren't sprouting because I was using distilled white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar (often called ACV).  I also decided to reduce the solution down to 3% vinegar.  I set up one jar that was 3% white vinegar, and another that was 3% ACV, let them soak for 24 hours, rinsed them thoroughly and took a peak at their growth.  Nothing.  Let them sit in their jars for a little longer. Nothing.  At 3 days, it finally looked like they were warming up to the idea of sprouting, but there didn't appear to be a difference between white and ACV.

Bubbles in the water over soaking grains.

What if I was soaking the seeds too long in the vinegar solution?  That was my next trial.  For the time trial, I set up 6 pint-size jars, each with 1/2 cup of seeds and 200 mL of 3% ACV solution.  The first one was drained after 30 minutes, rinsed thoroughly, drained again, and re-filled with plain water. The second had the same thing done to it at 1 hour.  The rest were at 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours and 12 hours.  I did have some concerns about the about of bubbles that I was seeing in the jars.  I crossed my fingers that the grains weren't actually fermenting.  At 24 hours, I drained all of them, and spread them into seedling trays.  There were already differences between the various times.

Differences between exposure to solution in 24 total-time soak.

This trial seems very promising, although I'm still holding back any conclusions.  It's been over 12 hours since they were dumped into the trays, and the growth is obvious on all of them, in various degrees.

36  hours into timed-exposure trial.

See the Results >

Number Crunching

I've done a couple of posts so far which show the math problems for solving various questions related to rabbits:

• Cost of Feeding Rabbit Pellets
• Planning for Fair Market Pens

Since numbers are one of my favorite things, I decided it might be best to have all of the calculators in one tidy little place, here on the blog. In case you forget where the post was which first referenced the calculator, you can now go here to solve your equation.

I also added a calculator to help you figure out how many does you'll need in order to produce enough fryers for your family.

Happy number-crunching!

Breeding Successfully

Very-ready doe, lifting for buck.

Finally!  The weather has been decent for long enough that the rabbits actually agree with me that it is time to start making kits!  (In case you didn't know: rabbit fertility can be affected by light; they are much more likely to be in the mood when they get 12-16 hours of light a day than when they only get 8-10 hours.)

Doe rolled over, she was so excited to breed!

Our blue otter doe, Mena, was so into it, that she had her hind end up on stilts, and her tail lifted as high as it possibly could go, as soon as she was in Tron's cage.  She even rolled over onto her side at one point.  (In talking with others online, this is a common behavior in does that really want bred).

(Tip for beginners: always bring the doe to the buck's cage, or both of them to a neutral territory.  Bucks can be too interested in sniffing around a new area to do their job.  Does can get very territorial, and have been known to castrate bucks.  Also, watch them the whole time they are together.  Breeding can happen in a split second, and one or the other could decide to hurt the other one at any time.)

Circling each other as part of the mating dance.

Of course, there was also some of the usual horny-doe behavior, including chasing each other around in circles, and she riding him (backwards, of course, to keep it more interesting).  He also did sideways and backwards mounts a couple of times, but we still got a good couple of fall-offs from him.

Doe riding buck, backwards.

Buck holds a tuft of doe's fur after breeding.

Mena and Tron weren't the only ones to breed successfully today (although certainly the most entertaining).  BamBam pulled a few tufts of fur out of Lisi's shoulders.  At least he's not as bad as some bucks I've had, which have pulled fur until the doe starts bleeding!

Doe keeps hocks firmly planted to thwart buck.

But, not every story is a success story.  Poor Gem was trying so hard, but Razzle was just not interested.  I checked her vent afterward, and it was a nice red, which just goes to show that checking the vent really doesn't indicate much of anything.  (I've never relied on it--in fact, I only just heard about it maybe a couple years ago.)

Cute Pictures of the Day

Ok, so I didn't actually get around to putting together a full educational post today (although I did add a few educational pictures to our Facebook album), but I did get a few cute pictures to share.

New Zealand buck, Snap, in trance state.

This is Snap, our New Zealand herd buck.  I got him out to take a picture for sexing mature males.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get the picture, since I needed one hand to hold the camera, and another to expose the vent...and normally another to hold the rabbit's head.  But, I managed to pin his head between my knees, and that positioned him well enough to completely hypnotize him.

Rex doe, Maragaret, trying out a pink apron.

Margaret, our house bunny, got plenty of time out and about today, too.  While skittering around the kitchen, she decided that the pretty pink apron hanging by the stove looked good on her (that, or she wanted to see how it tasted; she didn't actually damage it by chewing).

By the way, does anyone have any tips for getting rid of the glow on red-eyed animals?  (Obviously, it's too late to turn the flash off).  I couldn't get any satisfactory results from anything I tried in Photoshop.

Planning for Fair Market Pens

For people who like to breed for market pens for fair, there's a good bit of planning that has to go into it.  "When to breed" depends on when your fair is, what the age allowance is, and how long it takes your rabbits to get to the maximum weight limit.

To get that information, check the website for your county's extension office.  Most will have a copy of the premium book (sometimes also called a handbook or catalog) from the most recent fair (if not the upcoming fair).  If you plan to sell to 4-H kids, look at that section.  If you plan on doing your own entry (and aren't a 4-H kid, yourself), look at the Open Class section.  Unfortunately, not all websites are easy to navigate, and not all of them will have the premium book available online.  If that's the case, call the extension office and ask if you can get a copy of last year's (or this year's) premium book.  Or, you can ask for the contact information for the local rabbit club leader.

In our county, the fair auction is the first Saturday in August.  The maximum allowed age is 69 days (other fairs allow up to 70 or even 90 days for fryers; others may also have a class for roasters).  The maximum allowed weight is 5 pounds per fryer (again, other fairs may have other limits).

In order to calculate your breeding date, look at a calendar, starting on your fair date (for me, it's August 2nd).  Count back however many days is the maximum allowed age or when your fryers normally reach the maximum allowed weight, whichever is smallest. (I have some lines that hit 5 lbs closer to 8 or 9 weeks, so 56 to 63 days).  If I'm calculating for maximum age (69 days), I would land on May 25th as the target birthdate.  For my quick-growers, I would get May 31 to June 1 as the target birthdate.

From there, count back how many days your doe normally takes to kindle.  If she's not consistent, go with the shortest term she's had.  If you've never bred her before, go with 28 days, which is the shortest normal term for any rabbit pregnancy.  That way, if she kindles late, you'll still be in range for age, and probably not much shorter on weight.  The alternate case (breeding for her longest pregnancy) could result in the kits being too old for the fair, should she kindle early.  28 days before May 25th is April 27th.

Write that date down on your calendar.  It's often a good idea to put it on an electronic calendar (such as on your phone, or attached to your email) so that you'll get a reminder when it's time to breed.

Once it's on your calendar, you can now see if you have time to breed for one more litter before you breed for fair.  This is especially handy so that you can more accurately predict what weight you'll get from that specific pair of rabbits, provided that you actually have time to let the kits grow out before you need to breed for fair.

Most meat breeds are capable of handling a breed-back schedule as close as 3 weeks after kindling. Of course, the longer you can wait after kindling before breeding, the healthier the doe will stay, and the more litters you can consecutively breed back. Also, remember that you'll want to wean the kits no later than 3 weeks after their dam has been bred back.  So, if you breed back when the kits are 3 weeks old, you'll have to wean them at 6 weeks.

If I were to breed today, the kits would be born some time between March 15th (28 day pregnancy) and March 22nd (35 day pregnancy), which would mean that when I breed for fair, the doe will have been nursing for 34 to 41 days (5 to 6 weeks).  Since I normally wean at 8 weeks, the weaning date wouldn't change, and the doe would still get 1 to 2 weeks of not nursing before she kindles again.

Calculate your breeding dates with this tool.

Fryer Growth

I see a lot of people asking whether their weights for X-aged kits is "good" or not.  There can be quite a bit of variation in what constitutes "good," depending on what they're being fed, what breed they are, and how good the lines are.  There is actually quite a bit of research out there which documents weights of various meat breeds through various ages, and many which also compare different methods of feeding and/or care.  One of these days, I may put together a list of those papers, but for today, I'll just go through my own data.

Graph of rabbit growth rates.

LEGEND:

Green line - crossbred average

Green field - crossbred range

Purple line - Rex average

Purple field - Rex range

Red line - Californian weights

Blue line - New Zealand average

I compiled data from 15 litters (9 undetermined crossbred, 3 Rex, 2 New Zealand white, and 1 Californian) from 3 to 8 weeks old (the crossbreds were only weighed at the 3- and 8-week marks; the purebreds were weighed weekly).  Litter sizes ranged from 2 to 9 (non-DOA), averaging 6.33 kits per litter.  All litters were fed on a diet of 18% crude protein pellets, plus occasional time on grass and infrequent garden treats.

3-week weights ranged from 9.8 oz. to 21 oz. (1 lb. 5 oz), averaging 13.2 oz.  8-week weights ranged from 43 oz. (2 lbs. 11 oz.) to 70 oz. (4 lbs. 6 oz.), averaging 54.1 oz (3 lbs. 6.1 oz.).

I'll admit that these are not ideal weights (the ideal goal would be 5 lbs by 8 weeks), but they still produce sizable-enough fryers to butcher at 10 to 12 weeks old, especially since at the 8- to 10-week-old range, fryers typically put on about 1/2 a pound a week (which would put the 10-week average at almost 4-1/2 pounds, and the 12-week average at nearly 5-1/2 lbs).  With that gain, they are right on target for the typical backyard breeder's goal of 5 lbs between 10 and 12 weeks old.

The big point of interest that I'd like to point out is how the litter weights cross around the 7-week mark.  I didn't post a graph of the individual litter weights, but there are also crossovers between several litters at 4 and 6 weeks, as well.  That goes to show that weights before 7 weeks are not reliably indicative of weights at 8 weeks or more.

Comparing litter sizes:

	Litter size (number of litters)
	2 (2)	3	5	6 (2)	7 (3)	8 (4)	9 (2)
3-wk wt.	16.4	21.0	16.8	13.5	10.8	11.8	10.5
8-wk wt.	55.6	70.0	68.0	50.8	49.5	52.0	53.1

From that data, litter size plays a marginally significant role in litter weights.

I also thought you might want to look at the data which shows how parents' weights affect the weight of the litters:

As you might be able to see from the data, the parents' adult weights really don't play a role in the growing weights of the kits.

I promise I will collect more data from upcoming litters, and probably make a new post showing weights through 10 or 12 weeks old.  I may also put together a chart showing the breakdown by litter size.

Housing and Placement

There are about as many different ways to house rabbits as there are people who own rabbits, and no one way is the absolute best.  Different methods work best for different people in different areas.  When planning your own set-up, there are a few things to consider.  If you have a garage, or insulated shed, that will probably be your best bet for housing.  Not everyone has one available, though.  Even if you do have one available, lack of airflow may be a drawback, and you may prefer to have a hutch or other shelter.  I'm in the latter group.

Three-sided hutch with its back to the south.

When choosing a place for your rabbitry in your yard, you want to consider the predominant weather patterns in your area.  For instance, where I live, we get windstorms occasionally, with wind coming up from the south and/or east.  Fortunately for me, those are also the directions you want to protect the rabbits from summer sun (afternoon sun is much worse than morning sun).  We also get heavy snowfall during some winters, which means that I have to plan for solid roofs with good slope.

If you're doing hutches, I highly recommend protecting from three different directions, especially if you have wind and rain.  In my case, my hutch is protected from south, east, and west.  Also, if you have heavy wind, it is especially important to have the opening facing away from predominant wind, in order to prevent the wind knocking the hutch over.  Having a heavy hutch will also help with that. I was lucky enough that my dad is good with woodwork, and he built a hutch for me.  The top is protected from water damage using leftover shingles and flashing.  The legs are treated wood.  Do not use treated wood for any wood that the rabbits may have contact with.  Some people like to paint their hutches, but I haven't found it necessary.  Also, if you can still smell the paint, it's likely to cause respiratory issues for the rabbits.

Silver-side-out tarps wrapping a dog kennel.

Some people (like me) are less capable with woodwork, so we look at other shelter options.  I made what I call a bunny hut, where I keep stackers for the does and litters.  The hut consists of a 10'x10' chain link dog kennel with a roof, and wrapped in tarps.  Dog kennels have a wide range of prices, but I managed to find one for only $200, with a raised roof bar.  10'x10' is large enough to house two rows of three doe-cage stackers, each, with an aisle down the middle.  The tarps are held in place using a combination of zip ties and chain link wires.

Chain link tie holding tarp to frame.

Zip tie holding tarp to chain link.

Sun can be a killer for rabbits, especially in summer.  I made sure to get tarps which have a silver side, which reflects some of the sun's heat by facing out.

The roof tarp that came with the kennel only went to the top edges of the kennel, which caused some issues with rain running into the kennel.  To fix that issue, I added a second tarp over the top which attached to outside of the wall tarps, a few inches below the top of the kennel.

Latticework and plywood adding support to roof.

A tarp roof will sag--and eventually develop holes from sagging--if there is heavy rain or snow.  To fix that issue, I gave the roof some support.  I made a lattice-work of fence planks (we had torn down our old fence, so the scrap wood was readily available).  I wedged the vertical planks between the top bar of the kennel and the roof tarp, and between the roof bar and the tarp.  Sometimes the wind would knock those down, so I gave it extra support by putting some scrap plywood on top of nestboxes, which happened to be about the right angle.

During the summer, I am able to give the rabbits extra airflow by rolling up the tarp on the north side of the hut.  Since the hut is nestled into the corner of our fence, I could probably roll up the tarp on other sides, and still have the hut safe from most rain, but it's a tight squeeze, so I usually just leave it down.

A 10'x10' area can hold 18 doe-and-litter cages.
(Pardon the bad photomerge).

Finishing Out Fodder

Fodder after 5 days in the tray.

Fodder after 6 days in the tray.

Spraying down the grass to get rid of vinegar flavor.

After the mold fiasco, I still kept the fodder going, and it continued to grow.  Finally, I decided that the fodder had probably grown enough that I should probably feed it to the rabbits.  Since I had been spritzing the whole thing with white vinegar after every watering, I rinsed the whole thing off with water before taking it out to the rabbits.  (Vinegar is usually not regarded as a pleasant flavor, especially not white vinegar).

Whole growth after 6 days in the tray.

I dumped the whole thing out onto the top of our house rabbit's cage.  I thought it would be funny to watch her nibble at the grass upside down (she's a white rabbit, and the idea struck me with a kind of Wonderland madness).  Plus, I wanted to get a good look at the root mat.  It was surprisingly thick, which made me happy.  Our last run had a disappointingly thin root mat, despite having grown a day longer than the current run.

Nice thick root mat for this round, compared to the thin one from our last run that took 8 days.

House rabbit, Margaret.

BamBam, Cali herd buck.

Ixis, white Rex buck.

< Previous: Defeating Mold on Fodder

Defeating Mold on Fodder

Mold growth showing up 4 days after putting in tray.

Darn it! Four days after dumping the seeds into the trays, I've spotted mold! It appears that there are at least two varieties: a fuzzy white kind and a blue kind. I've heard some debate about the white kind actually being a normal growth of the roots, but it's not appearing on all of the roots, which makes me suspect that it's a contaminant.

Fuzzy white mold.

Blue mold.

Tweezing out mold growth.

The last time I saw this, I just chucked the whole lot right away and counted it a loss.  This time, I'm not giving up.  The mold was visible, and in only a few places, so I should be able to cull out the infected areas. I got out a pair of clean tweezers and thoroughly scanned the entire tray for any signs of mold.  Any time I saw something growing that shouldn't be, I pulled it out.

Jar of sprouts culled for mold.

It may be weird, but I put all the culled sprouts into a container and doused them with a strong solution of distilled white vinegar and water.  The intention was that I would be able to see if the vinegar had any effect on the mold.

The next day, I was still culling sprouts for mold growth.  In fact, I was culling more! I decided to try adding vinegar directly to the tray.  I would have bleached, knowing that it kills mold well (in theory), but being so close to feeding (6 days since first starting the seeds), I didn't feel that bleach was safe. I filled a spray bottle with white vinegar, and my watering routine became: cull, flood, drain, spritz.

I had much less culling to do on the day after that.  I'm not sure if it was the vinegar or the near-OCD culling that did it, but we'll see how things go with the next batch.

Day 8 culls were much less than Day 7.

< Previous: Going Green with Fodder

Next: Finishing Out Fodder >