Raising Meat Rabbits in North Carolina

[Chris100]

Hello,

I have recently gained an interest in raising rabbits for meat. I have done a considerable amount of research, but have several questions that are more pertinent to raising rabbits in NC, as well as a few general questions that I'm hoping others who have raised rabbits for meat purposes could answer.

I'll separate my questions into two categories, those that are specific to NC, and those that aren't.

Raising Rabbits in North Carolina:
-I live in Raleigh, NC. Is there anywhere nearby here that I can have rabbits processed for me?
I am not fully opposed to doing this myself, but depending on pricing, it may be easier for someone else to put them down than to do this myself.
-What breed of rabbit would do well in Eastern North Carolina, where we experience both warm summers and fairly cold winters.
-Does anyone have advice on where I can obtain meat rabbits that would do well in Raleigh?
-Does anyone know of somewhere I can have rabbit hides tanned for me?

General Rabbit Raising Questions:
-What uses have you found for rabbit pelts?
-How difficult is it to tan rabbit hides?
-How time consuming is raising rabbits? I currently raise chickens and garden quite a bit, but I'm curious how effortful raising meat rabbits would be.
-Important: How long could I leave home without having someone check in on the rabbits? I have 4 chickens and can easily leave enough water and food in their feeders/waterers to leave home for about a week without anyone needing to check in on them.

Outside of this, are there any tips or general advice you would give for someone looking to start raising rabbits for meat production?
Are there any challenges that I should consider before diving into this habit?

 

[Chris100]

Sorry for the length! Any advice at all would be great!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hi & welcome! BYC is an awesome place to drop your anchor but you might want to join me over at BYC's sister site-http://www.backyardherds.com/
I frequent the forum there and know that there are a lot of people with your same subject line. I can't tag their names here. Look me up over there and I will set you up.
BUT stick around here as well.. enjoy both sites! A lot of us have memberships on both sites.
One more time.. Welcome aboard!
-connie

 

[cassie]

I would suggest you get Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett. It will answer your questions. You can get it on amazon.com. There may be another book by Bob Bennett there too. The books are not expensive and have a lot of practical information, including processing. You would be better off processing your rabbits yourself. It isn't hard. It is a lot easier than processing a chicken. The key is not to think about it. Just do it. I think the agricultural extension in your state offers some good information on rabbits too. You might check that out.

 

[Chris100]

Hi & welcome! BYC is an awesome place to drop your anchor but you might want to join me over at BYC's sister site-http://www.backyardherds.com/
I frequent the forum there and know that there are a lot of people with your same subject line. I can't tag their names here. Look me up over there and I will set you up.
BUT stick around here as well.. enjoy both sites! A lot of us have memberships on both sites.
One more time.. Welcome aboard!
-connie

Super helpful, thanks!

 

[junebuggena]

New Zealand rabbits are the best breed for meat. You'll get more meat out of a New Zealand than any other breed. Check Craigslist for available stock in your area. Sometimes you can even find good deals on cages and other equipment.
Rabbits are easy to process yourself. A lot of slaughter houses and mobile butchers won't do rabbits, or require a large number of them to make it worth their while.
Hides are fairly easy to tan, but it is a learning process. The first few will likely end up full of holes. Ebay and Etsy are great places to offer tanned hides for sale.
Rabbits take about as much time as chickens. Food and water in the morning and again in the evening. The thing about rabbits is that you really shouldn't free feed. Rabbits will end up overweight if allowed to eat as much of their pellets as they want, and fat rabbits have fertility issues. Going out of town for a few days is not a good idea unless you've got someone that can come and check on their water and distribute their daily feedings. Hay and fresh water are essential at all times.
Rabbit poo is the absolute best fertilizer for the garden.

 

[Welshies]

Hey there!
Raising rabbits can be a fun and successful venture. Many people even keep them in with their chickens!
Rabbit pelts are quite in demand at farmer's markets, shoe makers, Natives use them to craft moccasins, etc. You'd either send them off for tanning or tan them yourself, which is quite the process. It takes months, as the hide must be cleaned, scraped, stretched, dried, cured, etc.

 

[balloonflower]

Hi!

I currently raise silver fox, which I love, but you'd need to find local opinions on how they fare in your climate. My dry summer heat is way different than yours.

You could look into Florida White rabbits. Small, but apparently very fast and consistent growth, and may be appropriate for climate.

 

[Welshies]

Hi!

I currently raise silver fox, which I love, but you'd need to find local opinions on how they fare in your climate. My dry summer heat is way different than yours.

You could look into Florida White rabbits. Small, but apparently very fast and consistent growth, and may be appropriate for climate.

Hey! How do you like foxes?

 

[cassie]

If I decide to get rabbits again I will get Florida Whites. They are a little smaller than New Zealands or Californians so you have to grow them out a little longer but they have an excellent yield. They look like New Zealands. Just smaller and very blocky.