rabbits for meat and fur

[wac220]

We raised, and I use the term lightly, meat rabbits when I was in high school. We never had a lot of them, but just enough for my dad to keep us reminded of where our food comes from. When we moved from that property back into town the rabbits were not quite fryer size yet. The garden was coming in pretty good and the new owners were not going to be moving into the house for several days. We turned 20 young rabbits and the 3 adults loose in the garden with the ducks so they would not starve. I kept in touch with some of my friends for a while and they said the whole neighborhood was overrun with rabbits. Looking back on it is kind of funny.

[Bue]

What you feed pen raised rabbits if things were such that a quick trip to the feed store were not possible?

[wac220]

What you feed pen raised rabbits if things were such that a quick trip to the feed store were not possible?

We fed ours from the garden. I don't what we would use in the winter now. I am sure you could come up with a winter crop or put something away from fall. With pen fed, you are trading green food for red food.

[dalewick]

We fed ours from the garden. I don't what we would use in the winter now. I am sure you could come up with a winter crop or put something away from fall. With pen fed, you are trading green food for red food.

Rabbits love alfalfa hay for winter forage, high in protien, easy to grow and easy to store. Might want to try some cool season crops under shelter for green feed. Rabbit feces makes great source material for methane and the waste is then good for the garden. Nice little circle.

Dale

[vinnie]

Thank you for the thumbnail education all. This is something I will probably pursue as an addition to fish and wild game.

[Applejack]

My husband used to hunt wild rabbits. They ran dogs when they did it. He can't do that now but we have cottontail rabbits running all over the neighborhood.
I guess we can shoot those for food.
AJ

[jezcruzen]

My husband used to hunt wild rabbits. They ran dogs when they did it. He can't do that now but we have cottontail rabbits running all over the neighborhood.
I guess we can shoot those for food.
AJ

Make a few box traps, Applejack. The good thing about traps is that they stay on the job 24/7, allowing you to be doing something else.

I rabbit hunted a lot some years ago. At one time I had 13 beagles out back. Still have the dog lot, and its still solid. This thread has be thinking how I could turn that old dog lot into a rabbit Hilton. I even have a small barn w/water and electric close to it. Ummmmm. Another "project"!

[mrduke]

i see, the key to surviving as being able to suppy most of your own needs, and not being dependent on the government or otheres, ive got 18 dwarf fruit and nut trees in planters, and 10 grape,8 bluebarry,2 current, and 100 strwbarry plants in planters as well, plues 6 laying hens, also 1 horse, i live in the country right now , but if im forced to move some day, even if it,s in town with a small back yard, ill still have my plants and chickens, i hope to add to this rabbits and maybe goats, and possibly someday bee,s, i guy could live pretty well, on the fruits,nuts and vegtables he could grow, and the chickens,rabbits,goats and bee,s he could raise,

[imro]

I live in the bush in northern Ont. Canada and been raising rabbits for 20 yrs.The easiest and cheapest animal to raise .To survive you have to eat everything but rabbit meat is very best .My wife makes fantastic rabbit soup with leaver dumplings,breaded fried rabbit,stew and so on.
To feed them all you need is lot of grass.Right now I have in the barn maybe 45 rabbits and just kill one whenever we need fresh meat.
Imro

[Applejack]

Make a few box traps, Applejack. The good thing about traps is that they stay on the job 24/7, allowing you to be doing something else.

I rabbit hunted a lot some years ago. At one time I had 13 beagles out back. Still have the dog lot, and its still solid. This thread has be thinking how I could turn that old dog lot into a rabbit Hilton. I even have a small barn w/water and electric close to it. Ummmmm. Another "project"!

Sounds like a good idea. making some traps should be easy enough. Beagles is what hubby had as well. good hunting dogs.
AJ

[Cedar]

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

No, and yes.

The easy answer is no. Not to mention that other things besides humans like the taste of rabbit.

A friend who is a well known ARBA judge, brought over some Dutch breed rabbits from Holland. They were gorgeous animals, but soon they and their kits looked horrible. Why? That line if rabbits had been landraced on to the only food in Holland being beet pulp soaked in water. Here in the States, 16-18% commercial rabbit pellets was something that line had not been bred and landraced to thrive on.

So the yes answer is... If you took the time and generations to breed a line that would survive on anything but commercial pellets, it is possible. My guess would be 3-4 generations at the minimum.

When I was running 80 head of American (white and blues), I was actually going to attempting branching off a line of my herd and trial it a couple years ago, including keeping all the criteria I would normally keep for the rest if my herd, but have not done it yet.

I had a couple six kits get out when someone did not latch their cage. After a few weeks I caught them with .22 pellet gun. I dressed them out for dinner as I got them....and I will not eat 'pasture raised" rabbit again unless under extreme circumstances. Compared to their litter mates on commercial 18% feed, the feral ones were tough and nasty tasting from what they had been eating.

So yes, it is possible. But not quickly or easily. And you might not like the taste of pasture raised rabbit.

Cedar

[Applejack]

So far the only rabbit we have had is what hubby used to catch. Wild rabbits is all we have ever had. I want to raise some for meat rabbits to have in a SHTF situation. Being a diabetic, protein could be a problem for anyone after a few months. The lands will be hunted to the point that hunting will be harder and harder for getting a meat source. Don't think deer will be around after several months in a SHTF situation. So for us at our age. would be chickens, ducks and rabbits at this point.

[Cedar]

Don't overlook goat meat either. And *ugh* wild rabbit. Huge difference between wild and domestic rabbit. Night and day in taste. I don't eat wild or feral rabbits.

Cedar

[Applejack]

We have no goats where we live. Only hunting would be bear, dear, rabbit. turkey and of course fishing. Would have to go into N. Carolina for wild boar.

[grumpygremlin]

we don't have the large animals here that you have in the USA, our largest animal is the Red Deer, plus Roe and Fallow deer, some muncjack deer but they haven't reached my area yet.
Wild Boar, Badger, Rabbits, Squirrels, Canada Geese in the Summer, Native Swans, Geese and Ducks, Pheasants, Partridge and Grouse.