Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

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As far as rabbits, found these online - don't know what shipping is. Anyone have a local or cheaper source.
http://www.agrisupply.com/product.asp?pn=25655

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I used to raise meat rabbits, and got all my cages and equipment from Bass. Really good quality and good prices. http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Rabb ... fault.aspx

Helped that I found a local dealer, so I didn't have to pay shipping. If you're going to raise babies to eating size, the smallest cage I'd use for your females is 24x36. They'll get crowded in a hurry with the babies in anything smaller. The boy can be in a smaller cage. It's also well worth the time and effort to install an automatic watering system, even for just a few cages. Let me know if I can answer any rabbit questions for you. I miss having fresh rabbit!

I used to raise meat rabbits, and got all my cages and equipment from Bass. Really good quality and good prices. http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Rabb ... fault.aspx

Helped that I found a local dealer, so I didn't have to pay shipping. If you're going to raise babies to eating size, the smallest cage I'd use for your females is 24x36. They'll get crowded in a hurry with the babies in anything smaller. The boy can be in a smaller cage. It's also well worth the time and effort to install an automatic watering system, even for just a few cages. Let me know if I can answer any rabbit questions for you. I miss having fresh rabbit![/quote]

Great link - thanks madrone! I'm thinking 6 cages along the back fence where they will get quite a bit of shade with a roof and a fold down door made from fence pickets. The door would be half the height of the fence and when down would just look like the the face of the fence. Then when needed for cleaning or bad waether I could fold it up to protect the bunnies. The guy I got the bunnies from had some BBQ grates that he said he got from bass pro shop. He put them in the cages saying it was better on their feet. I cannot find a picture online but will have to make a trip over there to see.

Sorry - finger in the way of bunny #4. The second from the right (which you cannot really see) is the only one with a name. It is the smallest of the bunch and my daughter named him/her Thumper.

Seems the board got a little confused with the post above...oh well.

I went out to check on the transplants this morning. To my supprise they have all perked up a lot! The ones in the dirt garden still look a little better then AP, but it looks like they all will survive. Last night all the leaves were laying flat on the gravel. This morning they are mostly holding their own weight now.

As soon as the garden center opens I'll get a shade cloth and rig it up. Should I still cut them back?

If you are worried that the squash/zucchini might not make it, just pick up a packet of seeds at the garden center and plant them Tues or Wed. Summer squash/zucchini grow so fast that they could well catch up and over take the transplants before you know it.

As to things struggling in your grow bed. Well if you still got sky high ammonia levels, that could be less than good for shocked seedlings. Let the system get cycled, no more over dosing with the humonia till the ammonia and nitrite are nearing 0. And if you are getting fish to go in, you won't be dosing again and wait till the ammonia and nitrite are 0 before putting the fish in.

A named bunny, that could be a bad trend! Got Ducklings here and they are cute but we have resisted naming them.

You werent called a bunniephile were you? Now back to AP. I lost all my squash. Just curled up and died. Yours are looking much healthier than mine looked.

Ya - I stopped with the amonia a few days ago. Rites are still high and Rates are on the rise. The day before yesterday they were at 5, so I assume water will be ready by tuesday. I will test again before adding fish.

I knew naming the bunnies was going to be a problem, but I am hoping the little bunny is a female, and while small I hope we can keep her around as a breeder.

Not about AP - but just snapped a good photo...

My white schnauzer...lady. We adopted her from schnauzer rescue a couple months ago. From day one she was "my" dog, she follows me everywhere and only when chewing on her bone is she not actually sitting on me - but even if I look like I am going to get up from the computer - she will jump up ready to follow. We have another salt and pepper schnauzer Doc (short for Dr. Pepper). He is younger and smaller then Lady.

Don't assume your nitrites will be zero by Tuesday... they may well not be.... test first as you suggested...

Depends on the name. Our new bull calf is named "T-Bone." 18 months and counting till the freezer.

Wait till you see the baby bunnies. Cute! And then they grow up to be tasty!

If you're going to put the cages along a fence, you might want to put a piece of sheet metal up near the rear of the cages. Or just support the cages a few inches away from the fence. Most bunnies pick a back corner as their toilet area, and unless you have something to deflect the urine off the fence, it will get nasty and difficult to clean.

thanks for the advise. Looks like the local Tractor Supply carries all the bunny stuff I need. I already have a water line run to the back of the property so an auto water system should be trivial and cheap. Keeping the cages away from the fence some is a good idea. Was just going to put some old roof shingles up, but those would be hard to clean also.

So what do you all do with the rabbit poo. These 4 little ones are generating more then I will be able to mulch. Can't imagine how much there will be once they start breeding.

Well at least bunny berries are great fertilizer for plants directly even without composting and such (as in it won't burn the plants but I would still recommend aging or composting before using around your carrot and salad crops.)

Bunny berries also make great worm feed but it is best if you can separate them from the urine. I've heard of doing a sloped screen below the rabbit cages so the urine will fall directly through to some high carbon mulch below for composting and the bunny berries can roll down the screen off to the side into a worm bin. Seems like a great idea to me though I've never tried it

I've also read that Muscovy ducks like rooting through the droppings under rabbit hutches and eating the bugs that inhabit the dung pile.

The bad new for the day is that it has been raining all day and I did not get a chance to put up shade. I have also been putting off cleaning out the sump (the one for the yard) and had the pump turned off so that back yard is flooding pretty bad. The good news is that it has been raining all day and the system sump has just about been refilled. Been putting that off also and it was only about half full. It is just about all topped up...

Forget that. Southwest Fertilizer has all their 4" veggies at .99c - they might be clearing for a new shipment from Smith nurseries. Several tomatoes, at least 4 kinds of squash, muskmelons, uh, Ichiban and Black Beauty eggplant, Millionaire Okra (don't know that one)...
Several peppers at .99c including Holy Mole, California Wonder, Red Beauty.
Their herbs are $1.49 and not a lot of those besides oregano.
They're in Bellaire.

Well, I'll sure take some off your hands!

Well - it rain enough to overflow the sump. But that is the beauty of CHIFT PIST - who cares... The squash transplants are looking better, I think they are going to make it. The SUMP is a good solid green now, but the FT is covered, so keeping the algea at bay there. One problem with the IBCs is that they let a lot of light in, so they need to be wrapped and covered. Anyone thinking about using them, I would recomend stock tanks instead. I noticed the gravel has settled a bit and the syphon needs to be lowered a little bit....could just put more gravel in I guess.