Free Feed Everywhere

Our semi-arid environment limits the crops that can be grown without irrigation. Human populations in semi-arid areas have been historically limited due to crops needing to be grown near rivers or other bodies of water. Most indigenous people were pastoral; raising their own cattle or were hunter gatherers. They relied on animals digesting plant material that is mostly inedible to humans and turning it into meat.

Most of us now grow up relying on the grocery store for all our food. Whatever doomsday scenario that were to come to fruition would render the general population desperate. We are dependent and at the mercy of the technology that drives our society. What would you do if there was no food in the grocery store?

I'd be trimming trees, gathering weeds and make sure I had a good water supply. I'd just keep growing meat from plant materials most people consider worthless or even despise as being foreign invasive species.

We get a bonus with rabbits. The amount of meat you produce is about double what you'd get feeding a calf on the same feed and they reproduce 50 times faster and take up a fraction of the space, especially if you have stackable cages.

Here's some ideas on where to find free feed:

• Industrial areas
• Vacant lots
• Canal banks
• Transportation right of ways
• Lawn & Garden
• Cracks in the sidewalk
• Fence lines
• Roadside
• Frontage road
• Abandoned Property
• Public Buildings
• Your neighbor's garbage

Surviving Heat

Rabbits prefer cold to hot weather. I've lived in Arizona where temperatures got over 120F and was able to avoid losing rabbits to the heat but you have to make accommodations to help them stay cool.

Heat is especially hard on newborn babies up to about two weeks when they can finally leave the nest. The fattest fastest growing babies in the litter will look fine then be dead and hour later. Some get stuck under the bedding under a pile of siblings and become over heated. Heat also can make a buck, especially older ones, temporarily sterile. All rabbits look miserable in the heat of the day and appetite drops off. When a doe isn't taking in as much feed, she can't produce as much milk or maintain her weight. So, she can't raise as many in a litter or they'll grow slower and you'll have to wait longer to rebreed. If rabbits get too hot they die, whereas adult rabbits can handle extreme cold as long as they are kept dry.

Keeping rabbits cool

Provide shade

I keep my rabbits under my apple trees. Anywhere sun can shine I have attached white feed bags to reflect the sun and keep them shaded.

Evaporative cooling

Works well in dry climates. This will not work well in humid conditions. In Arizona I used a mist system surrounding my rabbit hutches. I'd also hang heavy cloth or burlap drapes around the exterior and spray them with water. Spraying water around and under the pens also helps create an evaporative cooling effect. Ears function for your rabbit like the radiator in a car. My rabbits enjoy me wipping water over their ears and fur.

Conduction

A ceramic tile to lay on will help draw away body heat from the rabbit. Ice bottles to lay next to can help them get through an especially hot day.

Take kits inside

Bring the nestbox inside during the hottest part of the day, then return after the sun goes down. This method has virtually eliminated losses due to kits getting overheated. My mothers don't mind their babies being handled. I've only needed to do this until they start leaving the nest at about 2 weeks.

Keep indoors

Some rabbit breeders will have a climate controlled shed. In dry climates a swamp cooler makes a big difference. Air conditioning is expensive. Rabbits can be kept in stackable cages in a basement. You'll just need to have that room well ventilated and clean daily.

Underground burrow

Rabbits like to dig. Going underground is the natural way a rabbit would keep comfortable and keep their young safe from the elements. The downside is they can dig under fencing and escape or a burrow can collapse or fill with water. I have successfully raised many litters underground in both extreme heat and cold.

Heat can be a great filter for deciding which rabbits to keep or determine those that need to be replaced. I keep an eye out for my does that do best in the heat. If they can raise large litters during the summer and maintain their weight, I target their young for replacement stock.

Field Bindweed

Convolvulus arvensis L.

Bindweed aka morning glory is one of the most invasive and hard to control weeds in the world. Most of the literature indicates that it is mildly toxic to livestock but then others list that sheep and hogs have been used to control it. Most of the feed lists for rabbits list it as toxic. However, studies have shown that deer and other wildlife use bindweed as a significant part of their diet. So, I smell bias.

My rabbits enjoy bindweed and I've been feeding it for years with no problems. Bindweed has deep roots that store protein and carbs which allow it to regrow quickly. I feed it fresh or dried.

Be warned that if it's in flower, you most likely will be spreading seed as the dry ones drop under the rabbit pen and mix with the manure or the seed goes right through your rabbit and stays viable. Unless you can get your compost very hot, there is a good chance some will survive to grow more rabbit feed when you spread it in your garden. That's true of many of the invasive plants I feed my rabbits. I've started using wood chips, leaves and grass clippings to heavily mulch my garden, so the problem is minimal. 

When I was a boy we called it morning glory. What a lovely name for a plant most gardeners loathe. I see a patch, smile then fill my bucket. More free greens to turn into meat that feeds my family.

References:
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/conarv/all.html