rabbits for meat and fur

[Bobbie]

Rabbits are some of the best animals for growing meat in small area and produce the most meat for the amount of food they eat as well. They are also very fast growing and reach sexual maturity quickly. There are many types of rabbits but the 2 best for raising as preppers are the New Zealand Whites and the Californian These are both Medium sized and fast growing. Also they can me used as fur rabbits as the white fur is easy to dye.

New Zealand come in White, red, and black and are musular. They reach full weight 0f 4-5 pounds live by 8 weeks old.The age of sexual maturiy is 5-6 months of age. It take 28-45 days for rabbits to kit.

Californian are much the same as New zealand but with black ears,tail,and nose.
Florida whites are a bit smaller weighing in a 4 pounds but good as well.

CHAMPAGNE D, ARGENT is the oldest breed. Born black it matures to silver. Good meat and fur rabbit.

The giant breeds are heavier getting to mature weight of around 15 pounds but they grow slow and mature sexually at 12 months old. The amount of meat for the return is much lower.

rabbits are best for breeding from 6 months to 3 years of age though they live to be 6-8 years old.

Feed commercial pellets with some hay. Do not feed young rabbits any thing else as they have sensitive stomachs and will get diahreah and will be smaller at butcher time. For adults feed treats sparingly. Lettuce feed the least. They love it but it gives them the runs.

Rabbit poo is great for composting.

If you want a rabbit for fur the most valuable is the rex. With its velvet plush coat it makes a excellent fur rabbit.

[survivalguy]

I've heard that eating too much Rabbit gives you a vitamin deficiency not sure what type was talking to a few guys and the topic came up and really didn't pay attention

[Bobbie]

if all you eat is rabbit and only rabbit with no other food then yes you would. Just make sure you eat veggies and fruit. Bean sprouts etc... As for eating rabitt as the only meat it may get boring but will not hurt you.

[Skyowl's Wife]

I would love a steady source of meat, but living in town, can't have a cow. Enjoyed your post on beef cattle, too.

If I'm putting it in soup, people can't tell what kind of meat it is, anyway!

We considered guinea pigs as a meat source, but they eat a lot and are too darned cute to kill. Rabbits. Hmmm. I have a side of the house that is not very useful next to a block wall....

If you take a 4-5 pound rabbit, and clean it, how much meat do you get?

Must talk to SkyOwl.

[Bobbie]

they will dress out at 2-3 pounds each. Just think 1 doe rabbit has 4-6 babies in 8 weeks you butcher them and have 8-18 pounds per litter. 1 doe can produce doe can produce 50 pounds of meat from babies per year. Rabbits do not take much room especially if you have stacked cages.

[Skyowl's Wife]

Thanks for the info!

[Big Guy]

Is there a "domesticated" Rabbit that will thrive if taken to a remote BOL lets say,.... in Tennessee and just set free?

[Bobbie]

doubtful cause it wont have a home it will just wander around till eaten. If it is tennessee and wooded just trap the wild rabbits. You could trap wild rabbits try to keep them alive and relocate them but if you are bolting that would be hard to do. Also if you are traveling carring a couple of rabbits would be very hard.

[MGF]

I've heard that eating too much Rabbit gives you a vitamin deficiency not sure what type was talking to a few guys and the topic came up and really didn't pay attention

Your body can only handle so much protein and you need fat and carbs. people live on little other than blubbery animals with no problems.

If you have to survive on lean animals for any length of time, (as I understand it anyway) you want to eat everything...internal organs, bone marrow and all.

[Renee]

Bobbie, great post! There is a lot of good info here~ I have been taking steps to get "back to my roots", as I abandoned them for the sparkly city life years ago. Reading this brought back memories and added another line to my list of things to do in the next few months.

My father kept New Zealand white's for years. My mother fried them just like she made her fried chicken.

As a kid I hated feeding them after school~ when I got close to the cages and did not pay attention, I would spook them and then get sprayed with pee!! lol They do have nice fur too. lol, I remember using some of the little, leftover scraps, my father had tanned, on a school project.

And... my dad used the poo in his gardens too, but sparingly. It seemed to get too hot and would burn the plants. He always preached to me about using the chicken poo.

[blkhawk21]

My father in law raised rabbits for years as food and profit. Growing up we ate rabbit a lot when the were in season they taste great.

[Levi]

Rabbits are considered as the ultimate survivalist meat. They are very easy to care for and breed like .. well like rabbits. One of the biggest draw backs to rabbits, however, is their lack of body fat. You need the fat of animals to maintain a healthy life. The fat contains the minerals and most of the vitamins we would get from protein. What I am doing is wrapping my rabbit in bacon. It seals the rabbit meat making juicy and it adds the fat my body needs. With some greens, and root veggies I have a healthy delicious meal.

[Omegaman]

We raised meat rabbits when I was young and I think this year once we get our ckicken flock settled we will bring meat rabbits into the mix and then sheep or goats.

[Morgan101]

Wendy Brown's book, "Surviving the Apocolypse in the Suburbs" has an entire chapter devoted to raising rabbits. Very informative. I would consider it, but I have a sneaking suspicion my significant other would become far to attached. We would probably end up with a thousand rabbits, all with names, to go with the four rescued dogs.

[Chefsimms]

Last time I raised rabbits...my wife made pets out of all of them, I still see a white rabbit from time to time running around the area.