Let's talk meat rabbits.
For my Grandparents, the meat rabbit was a primary source of protein.
They ate corn meal mush, canned vegetables, and rabbit during lean winter months.
They were very thankful for this easy to keep food producer.
The rabbit was especially valuable in the not too distant past when refrigerators and freezers weren't available.
The rabbit may save some wise families in the future if any disruption to the power grid should occur.
The New Zealand White, Florida White, and Californian are the only breeds worth considering.
These breeds of rabbits will produce a 3 lb processed carcass in 9 weeks.
The domesticated rabbit is a healthy all white meat, low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol, and high in protein.
It's like an all white meat chicken leg. Similar to chicken but more dense.
Use any chicken recipe to cook rabbit.
Buy the best stock you can find.
Rabbits breed all year.
Only breed does that at least 5-6 months old. Alternate bucks and breed them to the odd numbered does one month, and to the even does the next breeding.
This way you can sell unrelated stock to other farms.
Use all wire cages suspended in the barn.
I place them so that the cages are not in direct sunlight and protected from wind and rain. I've included pictures.
I hang the cages at shoulder level for easy maintenance.
Keep weed mats under the cages to catch droppings, but allow urine to pass.
The manure is AWESOME for your garden and does not have to be composted.
This is the healthiest way to keep rabbit in my opinion.
Rabbits stay nice and dry- and you get easy access to the black gold fertilizer they produce!
Breeding is simple.
Take the doe to the buck.
They will breed fairly quickly.
A typical buck can breed 3 does a day with rest in between.
With 2 bucks, my bucks can breed all six does in a day.
28 days after breeding place a nest box in each doe's cage.
She will have kits within 3 days.
A heat lamp is needed only in extreme cold.
Fill each box with pine shavings and a little straw.
I wait 28 days to put in the box to keep does from sleeping and pooping/ peeing in the box. They won't do this in a box when nesting.
4 weeks after delivery, breed the does again and move baby rabbits to a grow out cage.
The baby rabbits are ready to process at 9 weeks old.
If you do this right, you will have kits born when the previous litter is ready to process.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
You will have a stuffed freezer, plenty of rabbits to sell, and a never ending meat source.
8 rabbits can produce more meat than a steer in a year!
Average was 50 rabbits every breeding cycle. Some does are not good moms- cull and replace them
Processing rabbit is a skill you will quickly master.
Watch a few YouTube videos.
I recommend a product call 'The Rabbit Wringer and butcher station'/ google search and buy.
It is WORTH THE COST.
I can kill, skin, and quarter a rabbit in 10 minutes.
I keep a cooler with ice to place processed rabbit, then freeze.
Feed your rabbits a quality rabbit pellet and supplement with hay.
Always give them fresh water.
In cold months, buy two water bottles per cage. Replace frozen water with fresh morning and afternoon.
As always, I enjoy responding to questions and reading your comments.
Babies ready to head to grow out of cage
Babies earing in hay grow out of cage
These are already to process
They start openning their eys and jumoing out the box.
Babies are orn naked and are kept by moms fur.
Mom and babies.
Hopefully itl help you develop and taking care of your rabbits/farm.
Thanks for reading my posts.
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