Raising Meat Rabbits?

[EvaKelly]

Hello! This is my first post on here (and its not even about chickens, go figure!

). I have been thinking about getting a few meat rabbits and breeding them for meat for my family. I would get probably one or two does and a buck. I would sell any extra babies and the money from them would go towards food and supplies for my breeders. I am not looking to make any profit from the babies, but if I can make a few bucks(no pun intended) to help pay for the food then that would be great!

 

[LindsayB]

You should go to backyardherds.com! They have a whole section on meat rabbits, the link is at the very bottom of the page. You might find more info there

 

[Oregon Blues]

Rabbits are an excellent source of food for the family. They are even better suited to raise inside the city. They are very quiet and easy to keep clean. Nobody needs to know they are there. The meat is absolutely delicious.

There is a rabbit section at Backyard Herds. There is a meat rabbit section at Rabbit Talk, and there is a rabbit section on Homesteading Today that is primarily about meat rabbits. Occasionally, a rabbit question gets asked in the meat section here on Backyard Chickens. That's about poultry, but nobody gets upset about killing Thumper, so you can get your questions answered.

A buck and 2 does is a good number to start with and you won't ever need more than that if it is just for your own family. Those 3 rabbits will produce a lot of meat.

I raise rabbits partially for my own family and partially as meat for my dogs. People get the prime cuts, dogs get the rest.

 

[AZ Heat]

Rabbits are definitely a great meat source. We've raised rabbits for 3 generations (nearly 4 generations... as the kids learn the ropes).

Like it's been said, 1 buck and 2 does (a trio) is a great way to start. If you eat lots of meat, 2 buck and 3 does is better. The reason for the extra buck is for better security. If your first buck doesn't breed well, gets sick or something else, you could be done breeding while you wait for a new buck to mature. This may take up to 6 months or no litters. If you have 2 bucks and only 1 is performing, you can be raising up a jr without any negative effects on your production. And once you have 2 sr bucks, you can breed replacement breeders to continually improve your stock. But if you just want to keep it simple, a trio is good.

Either way, good luck and have fun!

 

[Glenmar]

I am getting ready to start this too. I just found some used hutches. Now all I need are the right rabbits.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I started in spring of this year raising rabbits for meat. I started out with a trio: Satin buck, Champagne d'Argent doe and a NZ white doe. Since then my original three are all eaten. My Satin buck was growth stunted and my NZ doe was a weird tempermament and so I ate them. My Champage had two litters for me and I was very satisfied with her, but she died this summer of heat stroke (she had shade and water so I'm not sure if was completely heat stroke death or not)

I now have one of her daugthers who is from her first litter. A purebred Champagne and she is due in about three weeks with her first litter. And I am picking up another Champagne doe from a breeder tomorrow night. Our buck is a broken-red NZ and he is fabulous and produces very nice, fast growing and large babies with the Champagne does.

I have a link to my thread if you'd like to take a look: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=477444

 

[kuntrygirl]

I raise meat rabbits to eat. I love the taste!