Meat Rabbits

obsessed

Songster
12 Years
Jan 3, 2008
250
1
141
Slidell, LA
I was thinking about meat rabbits. What can you guys tell me about them.

I read that they are a bit easier to process logistically (however, I think it would be easier to process an ugly cornish than a bunny). I also read that there poop doesnt need to be composted and that they have a lower feed conversion ratio.

Ok Thanks
 
We have never butchered rabbit before, but we have a few 'meat breeds'.
we have 18 rabbits + 3 litters of babies. We go through a lot of feed. 100 pounds of rabbit pellets mixed with 100 pounds of mixed feed. Along with suppliments like oatmeal, crackers, veggies, fruits, grasses. don't get me wrong--even with the amount of rabbits we have it still take a long time to go through all that food. We don't have a scientific method when we feed. We use a tuna can. Each rabbit gets 2-3 scoops in there dish. Some have an empty dish by morning others still have left overs. So it kinds depends on each rabbit.
As for the poo.....Basically the same as like sheep, goats, llamas....rabbit poo pebbles(for lack of better word). It composts easier -because it's smaller to break down unlike horses, pigs, cows.
Yes you can use it as fertilizer sooner for things like gardens and flower beds too..
 
I've honestly never tasted Rabbit. What does it taste like?

I saw online where it's very expensive to buy.

Down here it seems to be quite popular. Suppose it's what you're raised on.
 
Quote:
Chicken!!!
barnie.gif


no really I have no idea, but have been told it kinda taste like chicken. But I was also told the same thing about snake, turtle, frog legs. I have tried those and I don't think they taste anything like chicken. Never had rabbit though
 
Quote:
Rabbit is delicious and very good for you - low in fat. We used to have lurchers and my husband would hunt rabbit - I really miss the meat. He would curry or make pies and stews - really lovely tasting. it is not at all gamey - I am not keen on strong game taste.
 
Rabbit is a good meat animal for home production. The meat, as jacyjones said, is low in fat, and requires a bit more care (basting, etc) to keep it from drying out when cooking.

I haven't butchered a rabbit or chicken for a couple of decades now, but when I did, I could do 4 or 5 rabbits in half the time it took me to do a chicken. (Granted I always made a complete mess of the poor bird and eventually decided the mess wasn't worth the trouble.)

Rabbits require a bit more care than chickens and since they are generally raised in separate hutches or cages, they do well with more human contact than a chicken seems to require. Startup costs will be higher for rabbits than for chickens, for housing them and also for acquiring breeding stock.

If you shop for breeders, be sure to visit the rabbitry before handing over any money. You will be looking for clean and alert bunnies, housed in clean conditions. You will generally know the minute you walk into the rabbitry if the bunnies are well cared for by the condition of their surroundings. If the place stinks and is filthy, don't even look at the poor bunnies as their surroundings will reflect the care they've received (or didn't receive.)

I'll be adding a small rabbitry to my mini-homestead soon, mainly because I miss having bunnies around. (I haven't eaten meat for around 10 years.) The poop is great for the garden and it is often used directly in the garden without composting, though there are many who will argue that no manure is safe to use without completely composting it first.

Wayne
 
Last edited:
I raise rabbits for meat.
Medium sized breeds(New Zealands,Rexes,etc) are better then larger breeds(Flemish giants,etc)
Once you get past the startup cost, it doesnt cost alot of money to raise them.
On average a 6 pound rabbit will eat 1 cup of food a day,but the amount can average.
A pregnant and nursing doe eats more then that though.
Rabbit poo is great for gardens, you dont have to wait for it to age.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom