So how many of you raise meat rabbits also?

[Oceanseve]

Glad you posted this, mind if I add a few Q's?

A guy at the feed store told me you don't want to buy breeding stock unless they came from a litter of 10+ which I have very rarely heard of, but I'm not around rabbits a heck of a lot. As a kid I think we did once have a little over 10 (which could be a mistake, it may have been two litters, I can't remember), but most were around 6-8. So what in your opinions should I be looking for in breeding stock?

 

[Garden Gal]

We will be doing both rabbits and chickens. I haven't ordered the chicks yet, but as soon as they get settled we will start on the rabbits.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
If you want meat rabbits you want large litters. More meat per litter. One thing to remember is as the doe ages the numbers in the litter goes down, usually. Plus the size of the kits is a factor, I would rather have 8 large kits vs a dozen runts.


Steve in NC

 

[Oceanseve]

That's what I was thinking, if you have 10+ then aren't you just likely to have runts/deaths cause of lack of teets? That large litter we had as a kid, we had to raise, which was a pain, cute/fun as a kid, but I have my own kids to raise

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I think we average about 8 to 10 per litter, Sharon is in charge of rabbit breeding and records. lol They are actually not hard to raise at all, we have the hutches in the chicken pens so we are in there everyday. it only takes a few minutes to feed and water them.

Steve in NC

 

[miss_thenorth]

RE: breeding stock--I'd be more interested in the size of the breeding buck and doe, as opposed to the # of babies, although they should have litters more than 6. I think more than 10 is pushing it.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I prefer wild rabbit over raised rabbit, but that is just me. This thread is making me want rabbit stew!

 

[redhen]

okay...what DOES rabbit taste like?? i've heard chicken..but...is it gamey tasting? or is it dark meat?? like chicken dark meat??

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I love rabbit meat. I just bought 2 does and am hoping for our first litter in about 18 days now. I already had a buck. He was so sweet I just couldn't bring myself to butcher him when we did all the others. So he was turned into our breeder. I plan to keep 2 does and 1 buck as a breeder as all their offspring will be raised for meat and also to sale some as pet or meat rabbits to others.

 

[ssledoux]

That's what I'm planning - 2 does and a buck. I think that should give me enough offspring. If I find that enough people want meat, I may go to 3 or 4 does, but that'll be a while.