While doing genealogy research in Croatia I stayed with my cousin Maltida and her husband Alojz (Ah-low-ja) Kuaternik in the small village of Suhopolje in northeastern Croatia. Suhopolje is in a fertile plain between hills and the Drava River which separates Croatia from Hungary.

At one time they raised a couple of pigs each year and had a milk cow and chickens. However, now in their mid-70s, they have cut back to just rabbits (three does and a buck) and a couple of chickens. They also intensively garden about 1/4 acre and grow grapes to make homemade juice, wine and a killer brandy.

The method they use to raise rabbits is quite different than ours.

The cages do not have wire mesh bottoms, but are either out of plywood or a slotted metal with very small slots. Size I would say is about 28"x28". Two does shared one cage with the V feedrack between them. One doe had no feedrack and the buck had one at the side of his cage. When they were large enough kits were taken from the doe and placed in a stall about 4'x8' with a feedrack leaning against the wall so they could access both sides. At night they just piled up in a corner.

About every other day Alojz would take a wheelbarrow, scythe and pitchfork to a lot behind his homestead. It was owned by the local health clinic and not otherwise used. He would scythe down a section and bring it back to the rabbitry, weeds and all, one to three loads at a time. Some went directly over a pile on poles over the former pig sty/stall. Each morning each of the cages received this fresh grass, which was supplemented with corn still on the cob and stale bread slices (which was obtained from the village bakery). During winter the hay would be used. I forgot to ask if any garden trimmings would be provided.

This was the total feed the rabbits received. No purchased feeds and no salt lick. (Apparently salt is not provided to any livestock in Croatia.) For water bowls he had put plastic tubs in some type of a form and molded concrete around them for weight.

When I was there, there were eleven kits in the stall, which, if I understood him correctly, (Matilda and Alojz spoke no English and I speak no Croatian, which made for an interesting weeks stay)is about an average litter - sometimes a couple more, sometimes a couple less. Litters are timed to where one from one of the does will be ready to go into the stall when those there now are ready to process. The cages had about two inches of grass on them and the does are allowed to build their nest where ever they want, and the two with the feedrack usually do so under it. One doe did have a litter of kits a couple of days old.

The rabbits receive no medication in their drinking water. I tried to explain the benefits of adding a bit of vinegar to the water but couldn't get the point across and if it ain't broke...

Through a granddaughter who spoke a bit of English I asked if the rabbits every get sick (sniffles, sore hocks, etc.) and was told Na, Na, Na, Na, Na (no). (Croatians don't say yes or no, but rather Ya, Ya, Ya, Ya, Ya or Na... very fast.)

The cages would only be completely cleaned out after each litter is removed, so perhaps a couple of times a year. The bedding and manure would be thrown through a small window onto the compost bin, to which the chickens had free access.

The rabbits were tended once a day, and it took maybe 5-10 minutes. The rabbitry smelled fresh and the rabbits and kits sure looked healthy. I could not determine breed, but they were large.

Rather makes one wonder if we aren't over complicating the way we do it.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 29, 2001

Answers

Ken, Welcome home. Glad you had a good trip.

The rabbit info is really interesting. You might be right about our over complicating things. My dad always used to day "simpler is usually better". He was right.

Thanks for the different look at rabbits. I'll have to start thinking about this one.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), May 29, 2001.

Acualy Ken there is a new cage on the market built like you describe only it has a drop nest box at the end. sounds like they have bred for hardyness and easy keeper. it can be done just take a couple generations.fresh food is the healthyest for any animal.interesting, cant wait for your next one.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), May 29, 2001.

Ken,

Welcome back and thank you for sharing all the information that is so interesting. I especially liked the info. on the care and feeding of rabbits there. I wonder about some of our complicated ways too. This year I started our egg-layer chicks out in a much simpler way and they have done great - didn't lose a one and they seem to be very healthy.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), May 29, 2001.

"Rather makes one wonder if we aren't over complicating the way we do it."

I think that's the trouble with many things, on the homestead and off. Many farm and garden practices evolved under conditions that no longer apply, or were intended for commercial production--not on a homestead scale.

As to the rabbits, one of my rabbit books covers what to feed with one line: "Computing feed ingredients to meet all of the dietary needs of rabbits is far too complex for the average rabbit raiser, simply buy commercial feed and don't worry about it." Or something along that line. If any stock had feed requirements that stringent, the beasts would have been extinct long ago. Maybe, just maybe, the textbook optimum feed will increase production, but I'm willing to bet not to the point that it's cost effective on a home-grown scale.

The question shouldn't be (as many would have it) "how can they raise animals so primitively?" but "why do we have to be so far from natural?"

==>paul

-- paul (p@ledgewood-consulting.com), May 29, 2001.

Paul:

I think you hit the nail on the head. Their method is more natural - and probably a heck of a lot cheaper per pound of rabbit produced.

I had so many unanswered questions I may have to go back in a couple of years.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 29, 2001.

Going to learn Croatian in the meantime? ;-)

I am enjoying your posts, Ken!

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), May 29, 2001.

Ken, your rabbit story reminded me of the COUNTRYSIDE issue where they talked a lot about the Depression and someone wrote about how they kept rabbits in their backyards then....they ate mostly hay and whatever else could be obtained free and they were always fat and healthy and made many meals for that family!

Although i don't raise our rabbits to eat (remember, mine are English Angoras) I still do a lot of stuff that isn't the way they 'recommend" it in the rabbit books! Most of them say to feed pellets only etc etc etc. Mine get treats like carrots, Romaine lettuce (just a little at a time) etc. Mine also have an exercise yard to play in and get petted A LOT!!!

Your trip sounded really interesting! I'd love to hear about some other aspects of it!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), May 30, 2001.

Our rabbits are eating grass hay and sweet feed (no animals byproducts). After we bought the first 2 bags of pellets, we figured out it cost too much. Our rabbits are very healthy and have lots of babies. The does nursing and the weaned kids get sweet feed twice a day, the others get it only at night, when it's cooler. They all have salt spools. I haven't lost any this way, but then again I'm not feeding fresh greens either, just good green dry grass hay or alfalfa.

The adult rabbits can have alfalfa, but never the babies, it'll kill them. Grass hay for the does with babies untill the babies are out of the cage. You have to be careful to ask that the hay has not been sprayed with anything, especially for weevels, as that will get the babies too. I buy my hay from one guy and I know he dosen't spray. We don't give our rabbits any medications either. They love the sweet feed, they dig in their bowls in anticipation every morning and night, even the little ones. Our rabbits are in the garage where it is cool, not in the sun, but I open the two big doors all day for them and they get lots of light.

If we get into commercial rabbits with registered New Zealands and Californians, we will have to go to only pellets I'm sure, if we sell smuts to the processing plants. I am reading all I can about it on the net still.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), May 30, 2001.

Ken -

Well - for obvious reasons - I read this with a LOT of interest, lol!!

Guess they couldn't keep the grass in the bottom of the cage if it were mesh. Cleaning only a couple/few times a year would be great though, lol!

I don't use any salt as a rule, either... just occasionally. But about that vinegar... what are the benefits?? I never heard or read about that. Its certainly economical -

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), May 30, 2001.

Ken - welcome back. I'm sure that your head must be spinning from everything that you saw there, trying to process it all!

I'm finding this a very interesting discussion. I just found a rabbit hopping down the road a few nights ago,and have been trying to care for The Bun, since the shelters are uninterested. I don't know how long that rabbit has been out and about, days, weeks, or what, but I saw two identical to this about two months ago in the same vicinity, but when I drove back, they were gone. I am assuming that this very well may be one of them.

In reading internet sites on rabbit care, I was struck by the number of places that said catagorically to not give rabbits green food, that they should stick to hay and pellets, and I thought that this was odd in the extreme -- this rabbit has been out and about,eating heart's content of fresh growing grass, dandelions, clover, and whatever else tickles a rabbit's fancy, and no sign of the diahrrea predicted. All the wild ones around here (cottontails and snowshoes) don't seem afflicted either.

I suspect it is like dog kibble -- the company that makes it puts out all kinds of advertising about how if you LOVE your dog, you will feed him THEIR kibble. If you want your dog to be HEALTHY, you must feed THEIR product. If you don't, the animal will curl up and die without kibble, never mind that this animal evolved eating raw meat and bones without access to stove, dehydrator, kibble extruder, or oven. People see it and believe it, without considering what the natural diet of the animal is.

Some time ago I found info on cutting meadow grasses and 'weeds' of various types for drying into rabbit feed for the winter. I seem to remember that coltsfoot was one of the recommended 'weeds', but other than dandelions, clover, and mixed grasses, I don't remember what else they recommended as beneficial.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), May 30, 2001.

Julie:

Alojz and I eventually got to the point where were could somewhat communicate through simple words and gestures. When he was feeding the rabbits one morning I pulled some weeds out of the wheelbarrow and pointed to the rabbits and said Good? as a question. He patted his stomach and repeated good back, so I took that to mean not only the grasses, but the weeds were also good for them.

Alojz basically trades some of this time and effort for basically free food for his rabbits.

From what I saw, some was recycled before going on the compost pile. For example, twice during the week I saw him remove what was left in the feeders and it was tossed in with the kits as more bedding if they didn't want to eat it.

From what I could tell, these rabbits were being fed pretty close to what they would be if they were loose. Someone with rabbits might be able to estimate how many freezer rabbits a year his operation produced, but whatever the number, it was cheap meat for them.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 30, 2001.

Ken, Thanks for posting this info. I'm curious to know about processing- do your cousins have a freezer? Or, do they process the rabbits as needed for the table?

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), May 31, 2001.

Elizabeth:

They had a small chest freezer. It was in a hallway between bedrooms and bath.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 31, 2001.

We don't raise rabbits anymore but when we did, all the little one, after weaning, were fed green feed and nothing else. they were ready to butcher in the usual time. We cut a wheelbarrow of grass, weeed and particularly dandelions . They did very well on this. We kept the feeder full and they could eat as much as they wanted.

-- tomas siwash (bakerzee@hotmail.com), June 01, 2001.

I regularly feed my rabbits fresh vegetable trimmings, dropped apples, and bread. They love it and practically jump out of the cage to get these treats. My son and my nephews are raising 4-H rabbits for the county fair and they are growing so fast on this diet that I'm almost afraid that they will get too big before the fair in August. I butchered 7 eight week old rabbits last week and they were HUGE with the sweetest meat I have ever tasted. I used to be very conservative about feeding greens to my rabbits, always believing that it was hard on their digestive system. Well, I'm over that now. These are the best group of rabbits that I've ever raised. I will never go back to just commercial pellets and hay again. I'm in the process of building a rabbit tractor (now that the chicken tractor is complete!).

-- Marianne WVA (mkoonrn@yahoo.com), July 04, 2001.

Re: feeding green foods. The trick is not to make sudden changes in diet. If the rabbit has been on pellets and you withdraw the pellets and start feeding greens, the rabbit will get diarrhea and likely die. But if you "wean" them off the pellets a bit at a time it should be fine. I just posted a long and complete discussion on feeding rabbits not to long ago. Basically along these lines.

Re: Rabbit tractors. Rabbits dig. I think Joel Salatin has done some work along these lines and he ended up using semi-permanent pens and lined the bottom with chicken wire so they couldn't dig out. The chicken wire eventually disintegrates, but in the meantime the rabbits build up the soil right there. I'm not real sure exactly how it works but there was an article about it in one of the small farm type magazines a couple of years back. It's actually his son that did it, apparently made a good profit raising rabbits this way. Sorry I can't remember more about it, maybe a web search would dig something more on it up.

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), July 05, 2001.