Raising rabbits...

[giles]

Anyone ever do this? I seen that Mike had some "farm raised" rabbit for dinner the other night and it got me thinking. I love me some rabbit! The reason I don't hunt them anymore is because they don't seem to be around. Looking into it, it seems a lot easier than chickens. I can't seem to find much on "wild/cottontail", most rabbit raising info online is about fancy breeds. I think it'd be pretty cool to have a few breeding pairs, eat some of them and release some of them.

 

[MK111]

Good luck as they are easy to raise. If you plan on releasing them just be sure to kill them first as they won't live very long being pen raised. They just don't know how to cope with the wild world.
My dad raised rabbits when I was a teenager in the 1950's and we ate rabbit 6 days a week for 4-5 years. Only thing that saved us on Friday was were Catholic and didn't eat meat on Fridays. I really don't care for rabbit but will eat a backstrap now and then.

After the rabbits dad raised chickens and yes you guessed it we ate chicken for 6 days a week for years. Only part of a chicken I like is the white meat well done. Plus I do like bufflo wings spicy hot. My mom never cooked chicken well done and it always had blood dripping out but the white meat was OK.

Not so side track the post but being raised dirt poor and a large family it was the best mom and dad could do for us kids as we never went hungry. We ate oatmeal for breakfast 7 days a week and strange it may seem I love oatmeal and eat it often.
Oh how I miss the old days. Any way have a merry Christmas and be greatful for what you and your family have to enjoy as someone else is doing without.

 

[Joel]

There is a guy around here that raises meat rabbits. We ate a few of them at a church function and they were awesome. About twice the size of a wild rabbit and more tender. I'm sure you could google what breed people are eating and then bound to be someone on Craigslist selling them. Good luck if you do it.

 

[giles]

Thanks Joel, you sparked a word I hadn't used in my searches "meat".

Finding some very good info now.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/breeding-rabbits-zmaz70mazglo.aspx

 

[MK111]

Oh I forgot to mention. That you must figure on taking care of the rabbits your self every day. Kids will last about 7-30 days then that's about it. Now 4-H kids with projects may last longer but don't plan on it.
There was a guy north of us who raised rabbits and had a sign out 'rabbits for sale- pets or frozen'. Funny as hell.

 

[dante322]

Cleaning g the rabbit hutches was my job when I was a kid. Hated it. Can be some truly foul nasty creatures. A lot of kids would be a little squeamish about killing and eating their "pets"... not me, I didn't mind a bit.
That being said, I plan to build a new shed this summer and intend to attach a rabbit hutch to it. I enjoy the taste of rabbit but there aren't many left around here to hunt.

 

[giles]

I was talking to my old man about the idea and it sounds like He'd be interested in helping with initial cost in trade of some meat.

 

[bigten05]

a friend of mine does this he has quite a few now. i thought about doing it also or maybe chickens but i dont think i want chickens running around all over

 

[giles]

That's my thought about chickens as well. Maybe some laying chickens down the road or something.

 

[Big_Holla]

We raised rabbits for meat as well while I was growing up. Started as a 4H project in the beginning. After having a few 'special breed' rabbits die soon after we got them we turned to our neighbor who had been raising rabbits for meat and my dad liked the idea. Soon we were up to several cages and pens of them and at one point had over 30. I absolutely hated cleaning the shit up but we made it easier by building the cages up off the ground plenty so you could get a pitch fork in there to do it. Getting up early for school was the only other thing I didn't care for, having to go out and feed and water them but we had chickens as well so it didn't really matter much as it all had to be done. We had them up until about high school and by then my mom had grown very tired of the 'farm' we had. Bout the last straw was when I pissed my sister off one night at dinner when I looked at the leg I was chewing and asked her 'you ever wonder if this is the black one or the white one?!' Yep, she went screaming and crying upstairs LOL, think that may have been our last dinner of them too.