Rabbits for Meat...What are major challenges?

[SIMPleChick]

Hi Ya'll!

My husband and I are moving on from chickens (ok...not moving on, just adding onto!) and are talking about rabbits!
We know that rabbit meat is great meat to eat, has great nutritional value, and is more easily digested than some other meats. We are still in the beginning phases of learning all we can and our main concerns are....

*What are the main challenges in raising meat rabbits?
*Are there diseases and conditions that occur in rabbits that can effect the consumption of their meat?
*What are some issues in city limits that others have encountered when it comes to killing, consuming and possibly letting others eat the rabbit meat also?

Are there any other little tid-bits of rabbit raising knowledge that you would like to pass on to us?!?!?!


Thanks everyone!

 

[skydancer28]

Hi SIMPleChick,

Meat rabbit major challenges--very good question!

Giving your rabbits the ideal set-up will be a challenge. Rabbits are not very heat tolerant, predator tolerant or fright tolerant, so, you need to address all these areas when creating their living space.

HEAT: No direct sun--and, even in shade, 80 F is about the limit before they become stressed and risk permanent physical damage. You can use frozen 2-liter soda bottles, adequate shade, fans or air conditioning to help them through the heat. Keep a thermometer at their location so that you can monitor and take action as needed. I used a shady location, tarps, soda bottles and a fan to keep mine healthy.

PREDATOR: City or country makes no difference--there are predators everywhere. Dogs, cats, raccoons, weasels, possums, coyotes, foxes, hawks, owls, bobcats, cougars--all of these regard rabbits as prey and will act accordingly if given the opportunity. Consider locating your bunnies in a secure building. If you do house them outdoors, make sure their enclosure is predator-proof. That means hardware cloth rather than chicken wire, and think in terms of gnawing, digging and scratching to get at those tender morsels!

FRIGHT: Many things that we may take in stride are frightening to a rabbit--including loud noises, a barking dog, slamming doors, a cat staring at the rabbit from inches away, hawk landing on the cage, and rough or clumsy handling. Breeding rabbits do best in a cool, quiet, shady environment removed from any disturbances--much like chickens. Yes, rabbits may survive in stressful surroundings--but they are less likely to breed or raise their young properly.

DISEASES: The one disease you will hear mentioned is tularemia, mostly a concern in wild populations. Other than that, there is always a concern with hygiene when you butcher any animal. Too much information to go into detail here, but check out resources on the Net for guidelines.

CITY LIMITS: First, check your city's laws on keeping livestock. You might be able to pass the rabbits off as "pets," depending on your area, your neighbors and your set-up. Here are a couple of threads on the topic on other forums:

http://www.permies.com/t/6753/rabbits/Rules-regulations-raising-rabbits

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/rabbits/351226-selling-rabbit-meat.html

Be very careful if you are going to get into raising rabbits to supply others with meat--as the second link above points out, now you are talking a whole different critter!

MISCELLANEOUS: Rabbit manure is wonderful and can be used directly on the garden--no composting necessary. However, there is an odor, and it does pile up rapidly. This may be an important consideration if you have nearby neighbors.

Consider a "hanging cage" system to aid in both predator-proofing and waste maintenance. I was very happy with Klubertanz:

http://www.klubertanz.com/

For butchering, look at the Rabbit Wringer:

http://www.therabbitwringer.com/

I now use a "wringer" made by my hubby for chickens as well. Used it for many, many rabbits and it was indeed a merciful way to do it.

Consider a water system other than the water bottles I used--seems like I was forever refilling, even with the 2-quart jumbo sizes!

Consider starting with a trio--that is, two does and a buck. Add does as you seek to expand--one buck can service several with no problem.

Are you discouraged or overwhelmed after reading all this? Don't be. Rabbits are enjoyable to raise, and fairly simple, once you meet their needs. I raised them for a couple of years and still have lots of good meat in the freezer. The only reason I stopped is that I have a full-time job, and having both rabbits and chickens (in addition to other animals) didn't allow me to enjoy them beyond meeting their basic needs.

 

[SIMPleChick]

Oh my gosh! Skydancer28, THANK YOU! What a GREAT post! I have a lot of research to do still, but now I feel like I can and will be educated before purchasing my first rabbits...

Thanks again!

 

[nayeli]

So far no MAJOR challenges, summer is coming up soon though.

Does often loose their first litter. If your patient you can find GREAT deals on cages, feeders, waterers, and rabbits! So wait, trust me good deals on rabbits don't make up for buying brand new cages or wire for cages.

If your doing meat rabbits just for your consumption I wouldn't worry about pedigrees etc.

Also breed does together, that way if one has a larger litter you can adopt some of the babies out.

 

[nayeli]

.. Oh yeah, and for meat rabbits NZ and Calis are two of the best breeds.

 

[cassie]

If you are just raising rabbits for home consumption you might look into Florida Whites too. They are smaller than the New Zealand and Californians, but they are blocky and have an excellent carcass yield.

 

[donrae]

I think I'm falling in love with that Wringer! We could set something like that up easily.

 

[conny63malies]

I got our set up on the north side of our home. This way they have shade most of the time. Each of our NZ whites has a 24x30 cage that is 16in high. 3 to a row. Two does and a buck. On the lower row will be two permanent cages to grow out the baby rabbits after they are weaned. Our one doe didn't take the first time so we bred her again and rebred her four days later. But the other one gave us 10 babies with her first litter and she didn't loose 10.
THe thing I learned is make sure BEFORE you build a kindling box that the measurements will fit through the door. I had to cut my doors larger...

. If you never had rabbits before don't buy freshly weaned rabbits. THey are still tiny and can get problems easily. We lost one buck this way. We discovered too late that he had constipation. Buy fully or or close to mature ones. Watch the ears, we had one doe that got mites, that was super icky.

 

[atevan1]

Hi. Just read your post and you mention using a wringer type device for poultry. I can't seem to find any information on this. I take it that the system works well? Have you tried it on ducks? Thanks!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

All of the wringers I've seen have been shaped like a very slender, long "V" (I hope that makes sense). I've seen some metal ones, but most I've seen have been made from two 2x2s or 4s attached to each other. The idea is you slip the animals neck into the "V" and go all the way down to the most narrow part (so the head doesn't slip through). Then you pull hard and break the animals neck. It seems like a very humane way to dispatch, quick and clean. I saw some videos on YouTube of a lady using one to dispatch rabbits and chickens, I'd imagine it would work just as well for ducks. I can't remember the YouTubers username, but you should be able to find some examples if you search for videos on how to butcher a rabbit.