Meat Rabbits

[axxell33]

I been seriously thinkin about raisin me some New Zealand or Californian meat rabbits.

I think I might get 3 does and 1 buck and build me a rabbit hutch for $40-50 bucks. They have 31 days gestation and once the rabbits are 8 weeks (about 5 lbs) they are ready to slaughter. Each doe can have 6-10 rabbits.

So, every 90 days or so I could have potentially 20-30 rabbits about 5 lbs a piece.

My Dad raised some when I was younger.. and all I remember is mom fryin them up, and man was that some good clean white juicy meat!

Any of ya'll ever raise meat rabbits?

[Strat HD]

Is this some trick to get us to google meat rabbits? Like tub girls, gay chickens and other Motive type stuff?

[B-Man]

Elmer Fudd used to try this!!!!:)

[vlade]

yea you'll have rabbits out the ass fore you know it, eatin rabbit morning noon and night.. it's great meat. but I jus cant get over eatin sweet little bunny wabbits , but I will and I have when hungry.

[Happy Hours]

They are great in POT PIE

[Crocodile56]

Rabbit Stew in a white wine sauce.................................yuuuuummmmmm mmmmmyyyyyyyyyy!!!

[glenalt]

Por wittle wabits. Don't do it. If you do the Easter wabit won't come to your House.

[Glyde]

Did someone say wabbits

[Mrs. Boss]

Uh oh! The girls from Canada are gonna be after you...

[gruss]

My neighbors raise rabbits in similar fashion, and use my freezer as storage on occasion.....They come up short on meat every so often...LOL !!

[MrMarty51]

OHHH YAAAAA,I like wabbit.a little old blind lady that lived across the street used to raise rabbits,She would have us kids slaughter and butcher and She would sell rabbit meat,along with Her huge gardens She made some good money and all tax free cash.

[Ironhead]

my grandpa raised rabbits for years. He always kept the bucks and does separated tho, cept on occassion put em together. I remember us kids (I was very young) were facinated by the baby rabbits.

[Bonsai]

Story time.

My Grandpa raised chickens for years. After retirement and because of demand he started raising meat rabbits in the chicken coops. My BIL and I were there visiting and he wanted to go hunting. My cousins dragged us around in the woods all day and saw nothing. We get back and that evening Fred (BIL) jumps up and grabs his shotgun, Gramps asked what he was doing and he said there was a big ole rabbit over there and it was gonna be dinner the next night and he was gonna stalk it.

Gramps told him there wouldn't be much sport in stalking that rabbit and if he shot that it he'd be paying cash for dinner...it was an escapee from the coop and pretty tame. Fred said "how much?" Gramps laughed and said go ahead and shoot the damn thing. LMAO

Fried rabbit the next evening for dinner!

[axxell33]

my grandpa raised rabbits for years. He always kept the bucks and does separated tho, cept on occassion put em together. I remember us kids (I was very young) were facinated by the baby rabbits.

Ya.. u gotta keep em seperated. that's where the phrase "f***ing like rabbits" comes from, lol.

I just think it's a cheap, renewable source of meat. I have a bunch of kids and it takes a lot to feed them all. I wouldn't have a problem slaughtering them.. it's no different than eating any other meat. Atleast I'll know that they were fed well, fed healthy natural foods, and that they died a fast and painless death. If I could raise and grow everything I eat, I would. I just don't have the place or the resources to do it. I also thought about gettin some hens.. and having fresh eggs all the time. But chickens have a tendency to smell a lot worse and make a lot more noise.

Here's a little info I found..

Looking at the benefits of this allwhite meat, we can make some comparisons with some of the more commonly accepted varieties of meat eaten in today's society-chicken, beef, pork, veal, turkey, lamb and yes, the domestic rabbit (being very popular in Europe). The USDA has provided a statistical breakdown of the nutritional value of the above mentioned meats.

Protein

Since we all know protein is important in our diet, let's consider the protein level per pound, beginning with the rabbit. Rabbit meat contains 20.8% while turkey follows with 20.1% and chicken with 20%. Medium-fat veal has 18.0% and a good grade of beef comes in at only 16.3%. A medium-fat lamb contains 15.7% and medium- fat pork slides in last at only 11.9% of protein per pound.

Fat

Domestically produced rabbit meat contains less fat than other meats. Again, beginning with the rabbit we see only 10.2% fat per pound compared with chicken at 11.0%, turkey at 20.2%, veal at 14.0%, good beef at 28.0%, lamb comes in at 27.7% and once again pork has a whopping 45.0% fat per pound.

Moisture

What about the natural moisture content found in meat? How much are we paying per pound for water when we purchase pre-packaged meats? (All meat has a natural moisture content and this offers no nutritional value.) Rabbit meat leads with a moisture content per pound of only 27.9%, with chicken at 67.6%, turkey with 58.3%, veal at 66.0%, lean beef showing 55.0% and lamb is close with 55.8%. But look what happens; pork is rabbit meat's closest competitor in moisture per pound with 42.0%. Too bad there is a high fat content in pork, but wait, there is more coming.

Calories

We have one more thing that is howling at us daily. Calories! Looking at the per pound measure again, rabbit is ahead of the race with only 795 calories, chicken runs a close second with 810, but turkey loses with 1,190 calories. Veal beats out turkey with 910 and lamb comes in with 1,420. But here comes beef sliding in at 1,440 calories per pound. Not too bad if you compare it to lamb, but where is pork? There it is, coming along at the end of the race with 2,050 calories per pound. (Oh, how I do love my pork chops and ham!)

Well, thinking about all the merits, it looks like it's thumbs- up for rabbit meat at our table. And add to the high protein, low calorie features of rabbit meat, it is also low in cholesterol.

[Motive]

You're gonna be eatin a shitload of rabbit...but saving loads of cash.

[Ironhead]

I never did eat rabbit, nor squirrel. just never did. thing is, if you are going to be raising them for food, don't let the kids get attached to them as pets

[axxell33]

I never did eat rabbit, nor squirrel. just never did. thing is, if you are going to be raising them for food, don't let the kids get attached to them as pets

it's good man.. really lean and even whiter and softer than chicken. It's real tender. Rabbit meat is NOTHING like squirrel. Squirrel is a rodent.. real dark meat, oily and greasy. It can be good in a stew though =)

and definitely teach the kids that the young rabbits are not pets and do not get names. They also wouldn't be holding them. I wouldn't mind them naming the does and the buck though. I think it's a good life lesson for them to understand where their food comes from!

[Ironhead]

good point.

how many chilluns you got?

[axxell33]

good point.

how many chilluns you got?

I have three of my own.. and I live with my girlfriend who also has three.

Mine stay with me 50% of the time and hers are gone on some holidays and during the summer. It's a crazy house sometimes!!! They range in age from 2 to 12. In the pic.. all of mine are the blond headed sun burned ones, lol. her three girls are in the middle..

[Bonsai]

it's good man.. really lean and even whiter and softer than chicken. It's real tender. Rabbit meat is NOTHING like squirrel. Squirrel is a rodent.. real dark meat, oily and greasy. It can be good in a stew though =)

and definitely teach the kids that the young rabbits are not pets and do not get names. They also wouldn't be holding them. I wouldn't mind them naming the does and the buck though. I think it's a good life lesson for them to understand where their food comes from!

Squirrels not bad the way Granny used to to it. According to her and I know it to be true soak them after skinning in buttermilk in the frig for two days. Draws out the oil and somehow helps to tenderize the meat. Of course that was back in the country so the next step was stew but usually fried...not so good anymore eating that much fried food but damn that was some good stuff back then! Especially since she only fried in pure lard.