Rabbits are fairly easy and inexpensive to raise, and really do breed as quickly as the rumors say, making them a good choice to raise for meat. Starting with one male and two female rabbits you can easily raise 40 to 50 rabbits a year. With about 3 pounds of meat per rabbit, you should have plenty for your family to eat or to take to a local farmer’s market.
Feeding your rabbits is fairly simple. A daily supply of fresh hay is necessary, preferably Timothy hay. Buckeye Rabbit Pellets are an economical alternative. Though it may seem like feeding your rabbits a type of hay with higher protein would help fatten them up, rabbits are designed to forage on low-nutrient food, and hays higher in protein, fat or calories, can upset their digestion. Fresh greens should be offered daily as well, about 2 cups for every 5 lb. of rabbit. If you keep this fresh diet going you will probably not need to feed rabbit pellets as well, but if you wish to ensure that the rabbits get all the proper vitamins and nutrients, a high-fiber, freshly milled green variety of pellet is recommended. And of course, keep plenty of fresh clean water available.
Rabbits should be housed under shelter in a large cage or hutch that gives them the freedom to move around, and still have plenty of space for their litter box. Avoid wire floors that can wear down or harm a rabbit’s feet. It’s also a good idea to provide things for your rabbits to chew or dig into, or they may begin to tear apart whatever they find around them. Cardboard, old phone books, or grass are a few examples of chewables that will keep rabbits occupied.
Most rabbits are eaten as fryers when they are between 7 to 12 weeks old. Once they are older than 12 weeks they become fertile, and should be kept in separate cages unless you intend for them to breed as well. When rabbits are 2 or 3 years old they can be made into a stew, and the fur becomes valuable as well. Be sure to purchase healthy, strong rabbits as your initial breeders. They don’t need to be show or pedigree, but you will want good health or the offspring will be small or sickly as well.
