Meet Navy Bean
Our newest doe, Navy, carries both her name and her coat like a badge of her lineage. She was born from our herd buck, Radish, and her mother, Beans, short for Black Bean. Her name, Navy Bean, comes partly from her mother and partly from her beautiful blue-gray coat. Her slate-blue coat is striking, but it’s more than color that made us hold on to her. She is the combination of two temperaments we consider the foundation of a good rabbitry.
The Line She Comes From
Radish, our herd buck, is a red New Zealand. Bucks are often written off as aggressive or temperamental, but Radish has proven the opposite. He is steady and gentle with the does, respectful in the breeding process, never rough, never difficult. That kind of disposition matters. A buck like that keeps the entire herd calmer, less stressed, and more productive.
Beans, Navy’s mother, is as sweet as they come. She loves affection often lingering at the front of her hutch for a scratch. Her black coat shines like polished stone, but more important is her nature. She is unbothered, calm, and affectionate. Those are traits we value every bit as much as meat yield or growth rates.
When Radish and Beans produced a litter, we knew we wanted to keep at least one kit. Not for sentiment, but because their shared genetics, temperament, health, and calm demeanor are exactly what we want to carry forward.
Her Role on the Farm
Navy will take her place in the cycle of the farm in two ways. First, as a producer of some of the best fertilizer available. Rabbit manure goes straight to the garden, rich in nitrogen and safe to use without composting. Every rabbit on this farm feeds more than us; they feed the soil, and the soil feeds everything else.
Second, she is part of our breeding program. Breeding rabbits is not complicated, but it does require attention. The doe is always taken to the buck’s enclosure. Does are extremely territorial, and moving a buck into their space often leads to fights or failed breeding. During mating the buck will usually chase the doe. This can look aggressive at first, but it is normal courtship behavior and different from actual fighting. When the breeding happens, the buck will stiffen and roll off the doe. That is called the “fall off” and it confirms the breeding. We usually let it happen more than once to be certain, and we repeat the process the following day to improve the odds. We love our little man Radish, he is the sweetest boy. We would only ever put calm does in with him, because an aggressive doe can seriously injure or even castrate a buck.
From there it’s about a month of waiting. A rabbit’s gestation is roughly 31 days. Near the end of that month (day 28) we provide a nest box filled with hay. The doe will line it with her own fur and kindle her litter there. New Zealands often produce 6 to 10 kits. They are born blind and hairless, but they grow quickly. At two weeks their eyes are open, at four they begin nibbling feed, at six they are ready to wean, and at 12 weeks they are processed into meat for our freezer and the community.
A doe managed this way can raise several litters in a year. That means a steady supply of meat for the table and hundreds of pounds of manure for the garden. Rabbits take little more than hay and leafy garden scraps, and return both meat and fertility. Navy is not just another animal added to the herd. She is the continuation of a line we trust, proof of why we keep producing food on our own terms, and a reminder that real cycles of food and soil can still be built one rabbit at a time.