Raising meat rabbits pdf

So you can see why they may be hesitant to welcome you in. They can be confined to hutches, and can be raised in urban as well as rural areas. They can be home grown as pets and for meat in backyard, farm house, and terrace. The history of the domestic rabbit information on breeding, housing, and harvesting tools to help you.

Whether youre interested in raising rabbits for show, meat, fur, or as pets, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to keep your animals healthy and productive. During world war ii civilians were encouraged to include rabbits as a component of their victory gardens. Raising, breeding and processing meat rabbits l ets face it, during the beginning process of adding meat rabbits to our homestead, i wasnt the happiest girl in the world. You need good housing for your commercial rabbit farming business. The benefits of raising meat rabbits raising meat rabbits is one of the most space efficient means of growing livestock for meat. These animals are grown for many reasons such as pets, meat, pets and laboratory purposes. The following topics are discussed in this publication. Mar 11, 2020 whether you live on a full blown many acre homestead, or on a town lot in the burbs, rabbits are a viable option in your selfsufficiency and survival planning. Mating two different breeds of rabbits, such as a california. Jun 22, 2017 have you been wanting to learn how to raise rabbits for meat.

This is why we researched the nonpelleted needs of rabbits at length, and put all the information into an easy to use pdf format for your benefit. It was a long winter here on the homestead, but finally all our comfrey beds are open and ready to dig. Rabbits are small animals in size that they need less space, feed, and care. Raising meat rabbit facts rabbits are very fast and heavy breeders. How to raise rabbits for meat raise, feed, house, butcher.

Am i really comfortable with the idea of raising rabbits solely to harvest their meat. It will help you decide if raising meat rabbits is right for you, and how to manage every aspect of husbandry involved, including feeding, breeding, health, processing, and selling. Not all rabbits can be raised for meat because some are just fancy breeds. Wellorganized and detailed, raising rabbits for meat is an excellent resource for anyone considering meat rabbits as a family food source or farm enterprise. Jan 17, 2019 welcome heather from the homesteading hippy today as she shares her best advice for raising meat on a small homestead. But for many folks around the globe who raise rabbits for hobby, show and meat rabbits in the back yard, the idea is worth serious consideration. Methods for raising meat rabbits the green acre homestead. Raising rabbits for profit all you need to know about. I was ready to write up a post on raising rabbits on wire floors, but shiny satins rabbitry has a few great posts on this subject and i could not agree more with what they have written. They are a great source of protein, are relatively easy keepers, and they breed like, well, like rabbits. A simple cage like this works well to start out with. Raising rabbits for meat learn how to get started raising.

She lives on only 15 of an acre, yet does an amazing job of growing her own food. Where you should start choosing the breed you want to raise. Many breeders do not have websites and are not registered anywhere so finding them is not always easy. I have 20 bucks that i still need to process this year and i havent decided which does to keep and which to eat yet hard to do i already sold and processed quite a few. A complete handbook on backy ard and commercial rabbit. Not only do they require little attention, but they also provide a. In the summer, it is wise to place frozen water bottles in the hutches with the rabbits to help keep them cool.

I personally raise rabbits for a couple of reasons. If youre consider starting your own rabbitry, a great source is a book called raising rabbits 101 that has nearly every piece of information you could ever want to know on the subject. The commercial farming of domesticated rabbits, however, has occurred only recently. In addition, raising meat rabbits is a low cost way to provide food for your. The farming of domesticated meat rabbits is not a traditional agricultural activity in texas, compared to beef cattle, goat, poultry, and swine production. I suggest you and your family try some rabbit meat, and determine if its something youd like to do. Offering expert advice on breed selection, housing, feeding, humane handling, routine medical care, and dealing with diseases, bob bennett also provides tips on. Many children across the united states participate in 4h and ffa. If you are looking to raise a reliable meat source, then look no further than rabbits.

Scroll down to skip all the chitchat and get straight to the free downloads. Breeding meat rabbits 101 the imperfectly happy home. Im using this book myself, and i thoroughly recommend that you look into it as well. Whether you live on a full blown many acre homestead, or on a town lot in the burbs, rabbits are a viable option in your selfsufficiency and survival planning. Plus, raising meat rabbits is relatively easy, and if you shop around for bargains, the materials needed for raising meat rabbits can be inexpensive to purchase. Pdf backyard rabbit farming can be a great idea for having healthy meat and an. Homesteading animals includes rabbit, duck and game recipes for the slow cooker. I have noticed several breeders even insist that you meet.

Restaurants, wholesalers, custom meat stores, and individual buyers are the main purchasers of rabbit meat. Most of the breeds are suitable for growing to agroclimatic conditions in our country. Guide to raising rabbits for meat rural living today. Before we can even think about breeding our rabbits we must have a good foundation stock. A few words about this list as much as i would like to include every rabbit breeder in the country or even the world on this list, that is outside the grasp of my resources. The blog raising rabbits for meat was created to help people educate themselves about the ease and importance of raising meat rabbits. Raising rabbits is a very rewarding adventure, but its not one to take lightly and not something you can easily accomplish in a collapse scenario.

When raising rabbits for meat there are many options for food. For more information on raising rabbits for meat, contact your local osu extension service agent or the american. Raising rabbits for profit backwoods home magazine. For us, it was just a natural addition to our selfreliance goals. May 05, 2018 meat rabbits what you need to know about raising rabbits for meat. Raising meat on a small homestead the prairie homestead. Raising rabbits can potentially bring in extra income if you sell the offspring or the meat you have left over. Types of rabbit production fanciers pets, breeding stock, and show animals laboratory furhair angora rex meat largest rabbit market. Raising rabbits for meat rabbits battle rabbits from rabbits to chaos ferrets, rabbits, and rodents clinical medicine and surgery one mans meat one mans meat e. Raising meat rabbits homegrown self reliance reasons. I raise flemish giantnew zealand cross rabbits never eat a full blood fg too much bone not enough meat. At the same time, a 4h rabbit project can provide an important life skill learning experience. Youll just need help from an urban farm or community garden. Raising meat rabbits can be a challenging but fun addition to any small homestead.

You watched them from day 1, and they are now 15 weeks, which is when we process around here for the best meat and hide quality. Many people look to raising their own food source for a more sustainable lifestyle. Two does and a buck is known as a trio, and is a good starting point. You can obtain names of buyers from a rabbit magazine. The meat of the rabbit is high in protein and low in calories, fat and cholesterol relatively when compared with other livestock meat. Average breeding parameters of four breeds raised at the irapuato.

Our breeding trio supplies a good portion of the meat our family eats each year. How to start a profitable rabbit farming business pdf guide. Smallscale sustainable rabbit production attra ncat. There are many species in the rabbit family but all domesticated rabbits are believed to have descended from a single species known as the european rabbit. Basic rabbit care is pretty much the same regardless of how they are housed. These breeds are presented as best choices if youre interested in raising rabbits for their meat. You can house them individually in hutches, or you can raise them in a group. If youre just starting out, id recommend starting with a trio 2 does and 1 buck. A backyard meat rabbit operation can be a great idea for someone interested in producing their own healthful, drugfree meat. Rise and shine rabbitry raising meat rabbits to save the. Meat and fur breeders also get harassed frequently by animal rights organizations and one phone call could cause all of the breeders rabbits to be confiscated. When raising rabbits for meat, you must consider the availability of slaughtering facilities, type of packaging required, transportation cost, and potential buyers. Free rabbitry record sheets to download and print rabbit. The same characteristics that make rabbits good backyard pets also make them good to raise for meat.

A primer on backyard meat rabbit raising practices. The rabbits usually dont have any room to hop and they never touch the earth. In ordinary times many of the small rabbit raisers dont bother to save the skins, but they do have some value. What records should you keep to raise rabbits successfully. Everything we know we learned by trial and error, the internet, and books.

It is very easy to start breeding rabbits for meat. Raising rabbits for meat and fur is a good way to make money but only if you do it on a large scale, and it should be done as supplementary income only. Here we are at the end of our 15 week raising meat rabbits series. A beginners guide to raising rabbits mother earth news. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat mother. In comparison to red meat, rabbits do not take a long time to reach slaughter weight, you dont need acreage to raise them on, and you get a higher amount of meat from the carcass. A complete handbook on backyard and commercial rabbit production 11 overview whether you raise rabbits for meat and fur, wool, or laboratory uses, select the breeds best adapted to the purpose. Commercial rabbit production mississippi state poultry science. You can even sell the manure for fertilizer to other gardeners. Meat rabbits what you need to know about raising rabbits. If your hometown doesnt allow you to complete the rabbitrearing lifecycle on your homestead, dont despair.

How to start rabbit farming business raise rabbits for meat and the rabbit farming business plan pdf, word and excel financial statements. The best breeds of rabbit for meat are those that grow large. Colony raising rabbits isnt hard, but there are a few considerations that can make setting up a rabbit colony go more smoothly. Raising rabbits for meat is a lucrative business, providing income for millions of people, but there are some essential things you need to do before you venture into the rabbit farming business. May 5, 2018 by debra ahrens leave a comment this post may contain affiliate links which wont change your price but will share some commission. They may seem small, but because they reproduce so quickly one rabbit can give anywhere from 125 pounds to 250 pounds of meat per year depending on how frequently the doe is bred and how many kits per litter. For meat rabbits, each cage should be about 3 feet square and 2 feet high to give the animals plenty of room to move around. Canadian dorwan giant rabbit are reared for meat purposes.

But after these distinctions, every breed has something different to offer, most notably colors, as exemplified in the creme dargent above. Rabbit project reference manual chad wootton r aising rabbits is fun. Meat rabbits what you need to know about raising rabbits for meat. Whether you raise rabbits for meat and fur, wool, or laboratory uses, select the. The ultimate list of rabbit breeders amazon web services. Raising rabbits for meat provides a solid foundation for success in raising rabbits and is ideal for anyone interested in starting a small rabbitry for home use or to market rabbit meat as a business opportunity. The best material for cages is doublegalvanized 14gauge welded wire. I learned, the hard way, that breeders dont generally sell a doe that is producing well. The standard way for a rabbitry to be set up is to have row after row of 36. A complete handbook on backy ard and commercial rabbit production.

Jul 30, 2015 we also had no one to turn to when problems arose. If rabbit meat is something you plan to rely on, start now. I hope you guys have learned a little bit about raising rabbits. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat. The initial costs in settingup is small, rabbits breed quickly and frequently, they have large litters and grow to a good marketable size in a very short time. Raising rabbits can be a cost effective way to raise livestock. Dec 11, 2019 here we are at the end of our 15 week raising meat rabbits series. Before you start raising rabbits for meat, you need to have a large enough area to erect. A popular breed among raisers is new zealand white because they grow large like a cat and their fur is worth some money too. You watched them from day 1, and they are now 15 weeks, which is when we process around here for the best meat. New zealand white fryers are typically 4 12 to 5 pounds live weight market weight by 8 weeks of age the new zealand white, however, is not the only breed of meat rabbit, especially if youre planning to raise rabbits in your backyard on a small scale for the needs of your family.

Rabbits were a staple of the diet of anatomically modern humans, the phoenicians too consumed rabbit meat, and traded rabbits across the mediterranean spano giammellaro, 1999. I want to go over the two methods, mainly, that we used. A primer on backyard meat rabbit raising practices rudolphs. Beyond the planning requirements, financial costs, and daytoday supervision that even the most modest backyard rabbit farm entails, rabbitry forces farmers to ask themselves some uncomfortable questions. You can still raise rabbits for meat without using a thirdparty processor to humanely kill and process them. Some minifarmers and homesteaders ive found also choose to raise meat rabbits using this method. Cost of raising meat rabbits full price breakdown youtube. When i brought home our american chinchilla breeding trio, i had researched raising meat rabbits extensively. Raising rabbits for meat at home a beginners guide. Have you been wanting to learn how to raise rabbits for meat. You need to start a profitable rabbit farming business to boost your income. Domestic rabbits are very cheap to raise as a domestic animal and. If your stock is commercial grade, your feed is good and your husbandry practices are on the mark as per these basics, your commercial rabbit production enterprise should have no problems producing 5pound rabbits in 8 weeks. Rabbits are extremely hot natured so it is important to place their shelter in a shaded area.

Raising rabbits for meat osu extension catalog oregon state. A small backyard rabbitry may consisting of about four breeding females. Pdf rabbits are members of the leporidae family, indigenous throughout most parts of the world, and raised in smallholder and largescale, commercial. How to start a profitable rabbit farming business pdf. Today they are raised for meat, research, pets, show, and pelts. Aug 09, 2019 the guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat raising rabbits is one of the simplest things you can do on your homestead. A beginners guide to raising rabbits, including a rabbit barn, pens, feeders and waterers, breeding stock, care and feeding, breeding, butchering, and meat sales. Some people find it difficult to slaughter rabbits for consumption because they considered them as pets rather than meat. Table 11 lists common rabbit breeds and their predominant color, weight, and uses. Are you already raising rabbits but believe, like us, that there is always more to learn. Apart from meat supply, rabbit still play an important.