Blog Posts
Plans, Recipes, DIY, and more!
Rabbit Pot Pie - Homestead Recipes
Buttery, flaky crust… divine gravy… perfectly sautéed and steamed veggies… and delicious shredding rabbit meat. Are you looking for a staple comfort food recipe for your homestead?
THIS. IS. IT!
Rabbit pot pie is a hands down winner for rainy days and cold winter nights. This recipe includes favorite root veggies and herbs. For directions on how to make a rustic homemade crust, make sure to watch the video that goes along with this blog post!
DIY Rabbit Nest Box
Rabbit nest boxes are an essential item to have on hand if you plan on breeding and having litters. There are many different styles of “nest boxes” out there - metal, drop down, attached to the cage - but so far, my favorite remains the classic wood nest box.
PLANS: The Best Rabbit Growout Hutch
Plans for the best rabbit growout hutch! This guide explains everything - from the materials and supplies needed, all cuts to be made, a “cut chart” to save you on lumber costs, comprehensive assembly, and bonus shelf area for rabbits to jump up on. This growout hutch is perfect for growing out meat rabbits with large litters. It is 30” deep and 7-feet long. Once created, the hutch is easily customizable!
White Rabbit Chili - Homestead Recipes
White rabbit chili is a staple comfort food in our house. While I am game to make it any time of the year, there’s something that feels extra cozy about cooking up a big pot of white chili on a cold fall or winter day. The rich flavors, creamy broth, and subtle spice is unbeatable. Over the years I’ve refined my recipe to my family’s taste preferences, and I’m excited to share it with you!
PLANS: Creating Triple-Stacked Cage Frames for the Rabbitry
These DIY wood stacker frames hang three 30”x30”x18” modular cages and trays within. They are painted to last longer and feature casters for easy moving and cleaning in the barn. They are simple to make, only requiring 16 cuts of wood each, and can easily be built by one person.
DIY Rabbit Tattoo Ink and Needles
In this blog post I’m going to teach you how to make DIY rabbit tattoo ink out of activated charcoal and vodka. I love this hack so much! This ink has a better consistency and easier clean-up than store-bought inks, and I have not witnessed nearly as much irritation in my rabbits’ ears as they heal over. We’re also going to go over how to create DIY tattoo needles for the TB Tatt tattoo pen for a fraction of the cost.
Building a Two-Level Quail Hutch for Indoors
This hutch has an open roof and is designed to be kept in a garage or shed, out of the elements. Casters make for easy moving and cleaning. It has two levels that are both 2ft deep by 4ft wide. It is made with a wood frame but has all-wire sides, roof, and floor for sanitation and ease of cleaning.
Building a Rabbit Tractor
There are so many rabbit tractor designs out there. I’ve created several different rabbit tractors over the years, and with every new build I learned something new and kept trying to perfect it. I think that over time, I’ve created one of the safest and most efficient designs out there. My rabbit tractors don’t push the grass down in the middle and offer a hiding place for rabbits that feel threatened. They can be placed on moderately uneven terrain if needed, and they are dig-proof around the edges.
Part Two: Rabbit Pregnancy & Birth
In Part One of my rabbit breeding series, we discussed how to tell the difference between bucks and does as well as how to breed rabbits. In Part Two, we’ll go over the pregnancy of the doe and the birth (or “kindling”) of her kits, as well as a couple other helpful tidbits of information.
Part One: Breeding Rabbits
I breed Silver Fox and Creme d’Argent rabbits for meat, breeding stock, and show. Rabbits are amazing little animals that have the ability to provide meat for even the smallest homestead, and I love helping people get started with them! Often times I’m asked questions about breeding, kindling, and raising rabbit kits (as well as choosing the best candidates from show or breeding stock). This is Part One of my 3-part series all about rabbit breeding & raising.
DIY Pinecone Toys for Rabbits
Even though my rabbits are primarily meat & show animals, I try to give them the best life possible. This includes lots of hay, fresh greens, and enrichment. Rabbits LOVE to chew, and dried pinecones are perfect for satisfying a rabbit’s need to chew, shred, and throw objects around. In this post I’ll be showing you how to prepare pinecones for rabbits and how I made mobile toys for all of mine this Christmas.
Winterizing My Rabbits & Chickens + DIY Rolling Drop Curtain
I live in Northeastern Indiana where winters can get pretty cold, so I have to winterize my outdoor rabbits and chickens. In this blog post I’ll explain how I covered my rabbit hutches in plastic sheeting and created a DIY clear plastic rolling drop curtain. I’ll also address the extra steps I took to ensure my chickens are ready for a comfortable and warm winter within their coop.
How to Enter a Rabbit Show
Entering rabbit shows is a fun way to meet new friends and have fun with your rabbits! All to often though, I hear that people are confused by the entry process, and I totally get it. Understanding how to enter a rabbit show can be a learning curve at first, but I’m here to break it down for you. Join me and my silver fox and creme d'argent rabbits as we head to a show in Indiana!
Building My Rabbit Hutch with KW Cages
Finally I have created an ideal setup for my backyard rabbits, and I’ve created a step-by-step for my viewers along the way! I raise Silver Fox and Creme d’Argent rabbits for show, breeding stock, and meat. I am always trying to improve their infrastructure to give them ideal living conditions, so this hutch addresses many of the problems that I ran into on my last build.