Raising Meat Rabbits

While not exactly a mainstream meat, meat rabbits are tasty and very nutritious.  See the article I have about preparing and cooking rabbit for those tips. We aren't currently raising our own rabbits for meat yet, rather my husband hunts them and we buy rabbits from our local country grocery store.  To me, they taste like chicken with a heartier base to them, in fact, you can use rabbit in any chicken recipe and vice versa.  They are very versatile, easy to cook (just use a slow cooker or cover in a layer of fat because they have so little fat that they'll dry out easily), and nutritious. 

Speaking about nutrition, rabbits on average have almost 23% protein, 44 calories per oz., just over 6% fat and 55mg cholesterol per oz. According to the USDA, domesticated rabbits are an all-white meat that is high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol.   For people with coronary problems, rabbit is a good choice of meat!

Starting to raise rabbit is relatively low cost, and the time it takes to care for rabbit is also very low.  Depending on how many rabbits you have, their care might take you 15 minutes a day!  Meat rabbits open the door for a whole lot of learning for children and adults, including responsibility, genetics, anatomy and physiology, animal behavior, growth and development, reproduction and birth, nutrition and more.  In addition, the manure from rabbits makes a great addition to your garden or compost pile.  Bait worms for fishing thrive in this, and they turn rabbit manure into an organic material.  Some rabbitries, in addition to selling rabbit meat and accessories made from rabbit fur, can also sell the organic material and breed worms for fishermen. 

From my research I've decided we'll likely start out with 4 or 5 does.  Each doe is capable of producing year-round (and should not sit idle for months on end as she may become overweight and less fertile).  She can produce 6-8 litters per year with 6-8 kits per litter.  This can add up to around 144-320 rabbits per year to add to my deep freezer or eat fresh.  Right now, with two adults and two of my children eating solid foods (the third is currently nursing full time), we can eat almost two rabbits.  This turns out to be to 72 - 160 meals a year. Considering we eat a LOT of chicken and rabbits taste like chicken (and can not currently raise our own chicken), this works out well.

You can start breeding rabbits around 5 months of age.  The act should not take longer than 5 minutes and the doe should always be brought to the buck.  A buck can breed 1-2 does every other day.  Apparently, only one buck is needed for every 30 does in a large operation but I have had it suggested on more than one occasion to have more than one buck. The pregnancies last 30-31 days.  When the does kits are 14-28 days old, the doe should be returned to the buck for breeding, unless the doe appears to be in poor body condition. 

Delivery of the newborns usually happens in early morning and is called 'kindling.'  A nest box should be provided to the doe around 28 days of pregnancy so she can start to prepare it.  First time doe is likely to need help arranging her nest and may need help getting her babies to the nest if necessary.  Does nurse their kits only once a day usually for about 4-5 minutes in the morning.

The litter can be weaned at about 4 weeks, because this is when the does milk production naturally drops off at this point.  Fryers can be dispatched at 8-12 weeks and are best cooked like chicken.  Roasters are over about 8 months of age and are best cooked with braising or in stews.

You don't want fancy show rabbits for your breeding stock.  In fact, the best breeds for meat rabbits are New Zealands or Californian X New Zealand crosses (though many breeders have other favorites too, but these two types see to have the best fertility, mothering instinct and milk production).  When purchasing your initial breeding stock, use a reputable breeder and avoid paying over $25 per rabbit.  Though your rabbits are not show type rabbits, you will want a pedigree and production trait information for each rabbit. 

You'll likely never have to buy any more breeding stock again, because you can save quality rabbits from your future breedings to take up the reins when your current stock are no longer capable for whatever reason.  Some breeders choose to only keep does actively breeding for a few years, then 'retire' them to a child and use their offspring to carry on, or they will dispatch and cook them once younger stock is in place.  Keep good records on your rabbits to determine your replacement stock selections.

Dispatching can be easy using a .22 or a pellet gun.  My biggest problem with meat rabbits was the physical way in which I thought you had to kill them - dislocating necks and the like.  When I learned I can use my husbands .22 I felt much better about the whole thing because there would be no struggle and no physical movement in which to kill on my end, other than pulling the trigger.  Once dead, hang the rabbit to bleed it out.  Then skin and clean the carcass, then package.  My husband does a great job at cleaning when he hunts wild rabbits near our home

I'll be adding more when we actually start breeding meat rabbits.