Rabbits should not be bred until they are at least 6 months of age due to complications that may arise. The rabbit food and agriculture organization of the united nations. I know that storeys guide for raising rabbits recommended some sort of ratio for making your own feed. The initial costs in settingup is small, rabbits breed quickly and frequently, they have large litters and grow to a good marketable size in a very short time. Each of these breeds will reproduce well, but the meat breeds are the large litter breeds desired by most rabbitries. Raising and harvesting rabbits ethically is essential. Meat from rabbit is an all white meat product that is high in protein and low in fat, sodium and cholesterol.
Rabbit meat is popular among homesteaders because rabbits are easy to raise, and they breed easily and birth in less time than other traditional homestead livestock like sheep, goats, pigs, and cows. Backyard rabbit farming can be a great idea for having healthy meat and an additional source of income for the family without much involvement. I think that having a fresh supply of greens and such is good for rabbits and we do give them some stuff from around our yard on occasion. Feeding rates depend on rabbit weight and maturity. A good rule of thumb is to mate rabbits of the same breed to each other rather than cross breeding large and small breeds. Your buck will comfortably breed with up to 8 does just not in the same day. Are you already raising rabbits but believe, like us, that there is always more to learn. A complete handbook on backy ard and commercial rabbit. Slaughtering and processing of aquatics foods is permitted. Slaughtering, processing of fowl and rabbits is prohibited. However, a doe can be bred back to the buck who produced her, and the same goes for bucks and the does. Rabbits are raised for meat, angora wool, breeding stock, and sometimes, for laboratory use. This will be handled exclusively by the people choosing to eat rabbits so that respect is paid to the preferences of nonparticipation for vegans and vegetarians. A message to arents raising and marketing rabbits is an ideal project for young people.
We can provide 2 tier rabbit cage and 3 tier rabbit cage for commercial rabbit meat production. Raising rabbits in your backyard from start to plate. Based on these numbers, you can see that a relatively small complement of does can provide your family with a great deal of meat, and running a surplus is not out of the question on small scale operations. Mating two different breeds of rabbits, such as a california. The ohio state university extension 4h project guide. When raising rabbits for meat there are many options for food. They produce the most quantity of kits and the most meat per adult rabbit. Rabbit farming business plan pdf file comprehensive 97 pages. Many producers are selling breeding stock as well as rabbits for slaughter. Breeding bucks are the most important animals in your rabbitry. The breeding stock consists of male rabbits which are known as bucks, and female rabbits which are known as does. If you decide that raising rabbits is for you, keep this manual as a handy reference, and plan to use it from year to year. Raising rabbits for meat pdf sion to use the information in raising meat rabbits in. Providing basic care feed commercially produced rabbit feed is formulated to meet rabbits dietary requirements.
A complete handbook on backyard and commercial rabbit production replaces an earlier publication of the same name that was produced by the peace corps in 1982. Bucks male rabbits are usually ready around 6 months old if a small breed, 7 months if medium, and 9 months for a large breed. When i brought home our american chinchilla breeding trio, i had researched raising meat rabbits extensively. Kits baby rabbits mature to butchering size in about ten weeks. The nsw rabbit industry is still in the development stage, with an increasing number of smallscale producers. Meat rabbits are an excellent animal to teach you about a life of animal husbandry. Rabbits should have excellent meat producing qualities, emphasis should be. Raising rabbits for meat requires just a few basic supplies and routine care.
Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits iowa state university extension. Your rabbits should have some form of chewing option to file their teeth down. There is also a glossary of rabbit terms to help you with words you may not know. Every doe we have had has been a great firsttime mother. You cannot sell a pedigree rabbit that has mixed blood. Use the button below to download this publication as a pdf.
They breed and you keep their best offspring, culling the rest from breeding. Youth programs raise and use rabbits in projects and curricula. The majority of information found in that handbook was an adaptation and revision of commercial rabbit raising agriculture handbook no. After they mature, breed these offspring back to the parents and repeat again for the secondgeneration offspring back to the parents and grandparents, always selecting the strongest pairs and keeping only the best kits. We live in central florida so this assures that the rabbit will always have water in the heat of the summer. Smallscale sustainable rabbit production attra ncat. Commercial rabbit cages for rabbit farming hightop. The aim of this type of rabbit production is to sell rabbit meat for a profit. You may have been considering raising chickens, geese, ducks, goats, sheep or other small livestock for meat, but once you learn how easy it is to raise rabbits, youll never consider another animal for a primary meat. Pdf rabbits are members of the leporidae family, indigenous throughout most parts of the world, and raised in smallholder and largescale, commercial.
A strong, vigorous mature buck can be used two or three times a week for up to four weeks. Rabbit meat has been recommended for years by some physicians to their patients with coronary heart conditions. You want to start breeding does female rabbits when they are reaching maturity. Naturally feeding the meat rabbits the elliott homestead. The most popular breeds include the new zealand and the californian. In ordinary times many of the small rabbit raisers dont bother to save the skins, but they do have some value. Colony raising rabbits isnt hard, but there are a few considerations that can make setting up a rabbit colony go more smoothly. Our family of 6 is taking what we have learned farming our 1 acre in wa, and will be building a brand new homestead from the ground up in idaho. If you think youll want to keep some of your offspring to increase your breeding program then having more than one buck will be necessary. However, rabbit meat is growing in popularity among urban farmers, foodies, and chefs alike.
We also raise meat rabbits giving them a more natural feed is one of my hopes in the near future. To start raising rabbits for meat, you require breeding stock. This publication is part of the living on the land series. Methods for raising meat rabbits the green acre homestead. There are more than 40 different breeds recognized by the american rabbit breeders association, and your reason for raising rabbits will help determine what breed or breeds you choose. And never breed kits from the same kindling with each other. Average dressed weight for a fullgrown meat breed rabbit is 35 lbs, depending on the breed.
Have you been wanting to learn how to raise rabbits for meat. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat. According to the 2017 census of agriculture nass, more than 4,000 farms sold almost 500,000 rabbits nationally. For more information on raising rabbits for meat, contact your local osu extension service agent or the american rabbit breeders association. All of our rabbits have two water bottles with fresh water. Rabbits also produce lean, healthy meat thats low in fat, and is a culinary delicacy in many countries around the globe. It provides concise information on raising rabbits as a source of meat. Mixing your own feed is not recommended because it is difficult to get the right balance of essential nutrients. There are many other breeds of domestic rabbit that are raised for. Rabbits usually have four to five litters per year. You can obtain names of buyers from a rabbit magazine. Breeding, raising, and processing meat rabbits youtube.
Hightop is a professional rabbit cage manufacturer and supplier, our commercial rabbit cages can help meat rabbit breeders improve their centralized management and meat rabbit production. Or use the supplemental links below to listen to the. I do believe that tendency can be genetic and also on making sure your does are between 8 and 11 months old for the first breeding meat rabbits. Raising rabbits for profit all you need to know about. Possible tips for raising freerange meat rabbits i know it didnt work out that great for me in terms of having lots of rabbits to make food or money with, but i also know i did a few things that resulted in the rabbits producing more rabbits. Rabbits alternative farming systems information center. These pellets are filled with protein and will help add the necessary weight to your rabbits in a short amount of time. Meat rabbits what you need to know about raising rabbits.
Directory contact details for south african suppliers of feeds, equipment, breeding stock, contacts of rabbit farming training companies in south africa, contacts of rabbit farming organisations in south africa the rabbit farming business plan package consist of 4 files. Whether you raise rabbits for meat and fur, wool, or laboratory uses, select the. Open your file, type in the details for each rabbit and save your document as a new file name so that you can reuse this blank template in the future. Exceptions to this include breeding for meat, pets or genetic experimentation. Topics include choosing which breed to raise and selecting your initial breeding stock. Please feel free to copy and paste blank cards at the end if you need more, or delete unneeded cards. Raising rabbits for meat and fur is a good way to make money but only if you do it on a large scale, and it should be done as supplementary income only. Does have been known to kindle give birth up to 23 kits at one time. For properties zoned residential, raising of fowl, rabbits, and aquatic foods using an aquaponic system is permitted in accordance with chapter 32 restrictions on animals of the city code.
As a backyard animal rabbit is quiet, odorless and. Breeding meat rabbits 101 the imperfectly happy home. How regulatory reform will pull the meat rabbit out from welfare neglect by taylor budnick rabbits are most commonly perceived as soft, fuzzy, tender, loving, active household pets. The prewritten rabbit meat production business plan package consists of 4 files. Raising rabbits for meat osu extension catalog oregon state. The weights of the following breeds top out at 10 12 pounds or more. The all rabbit breeds page will give you a link to the breed s national breed club. For smallmedium breeds, they can be bred at 67 months old. Creme dargent at a rabbit show waiting for a judges opinion. Keep the following principles in mind when you want to breed your rabbits. Listen to the living on the land podcast series on itunesu. When you start with rabbits you should worry more about learning all you can about raising rabbits and not how many a year you can get, you will learn with your rabbits as they grow and go through their life cycles. While raising meat rabbits, they should have fresh water always. When choosing breeding stock for the rabbit farming business, you should be very careful of the health history of the rabbits.
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