Raising Rabbits

Rabbit meat is my husband's favorite small-animal meat. Rabbits and duck are the two most cost-efficient meats you can raise on small acreage. (Ducks need a bit more room than rabbits but are ready to butcher at 10 weeks. We'll talk more about them a bit later.) 

Young meat rabbit

Truly grass-fed rabbits require only alfalfa pellets, salt blocks and fresh grass/weeds (hay during the winter months). Yes, you can buy expensive rabbit-chow, but for meat production, your rabbits' nutritional needs are simple.  
Young rabbits are ready for butcher at about 12 weeks, and whether your take them to butcher or do it yourself, you can fill your freezer with nutritional, tasty meat. 

Rabbits can be raised out on pasture in wood-slatted-floor cages. You can put them out without the bottom, but there is a chance they will dig out. If you have neighborhood dogs that roam into your yard, you'll need to keep an eye out - some dogs will break into pens. We have our watch-dog, Jennie, who keeps our homestead critter and four-legged-visitor free....

If you keep your rabbits in cages, you can pick weeds and grass for them - they'll do well if this is 50% of their diet. 

Some value-added opportunities to compliment your meat rabbit venture:

• Compost the rabbit manure and bag it for sale - all natural compost for raised beds and patio gardeners.
  
  
• Time your breeding schedule just right and sell some rabbits as pets around Easter. Worried about irresponsible bunny ownership? Offer to take the bunnies back if they don't work out. (No refunds.)
  
  
• Have a handy husband (or teenager)? Ask him to build you some cute cages - and have them ready when you sell the Easter babies. (If you're handy yourself, there's no reason you can't power up your tools as well!)
  

Looking for a creative, farm-girl way to lower your grocery bill? Rabbits are a great place to start. Want to chat with other people about how to get started? Head over to the Reader Forum to join the conversation!

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Young meat rabbit