Introduction to rare meat rabbit breeds albc annual conference november 14, 2009. The meat of larger rabbits may be tougher so the best. People from various walks of life are recognizing that our consumerist lifestyle has a negative impact on the planet and on our quality of life. Unprocessed meat is consumed without such preservatives wyness et al. When it comes to meat proteins, rabbit meat is actually a rare delicacy. According to the statistical institute of jamaica statin, there has been no import of rabbit meat in jamaica during the period 201020. Rise and shine rabbitry raising meat rabbits to save the. The european rabbit, which has been introduced on every continent except. According to rabbit production cheeke, patton, lukefahr and mcnitt, 1987, pg 190, a weanling rabbit gains a pound for every 3 pounds of feed consumed.
Pdf advances in research on poultry and rabbit meat quality. The breed or breeds you choose may determine the success of your enterprise. When raising rabbits for meat there are many options for food. The rabbits usually dont have any room to hop and they never touch the earth. Is raising rabbits worth it part 2 5 gallon rabbit watering system why we dont pasture our rabbits anymore rabbit tractor repairs. Rise and shine rabbitry raising meat rabbits to save the world. The amount of capital required when raising rabbits for meat depends on the scale of the project. Fresh or frozen, rabbit meat is sold all year round. Some individuals buy quality meat rabbits for 4h, ffa, or private use. What follows is a graphic meat rabbit discussion, which might be uncomfortable for any who prefer to view rabbits as pets only, to the exclusion of biologic evidence of mankinds omnivore need to eat animalbased nutrition for longterm wellness. Specifically, the meat examined is low in fat and cholesterol, thus being ideal for people with cardiovascular diseases wood et al.
It can be used in most of the ways in which chicken is used. The three rabbits are judged on their meat quality and. The blog raising rabbits for meat was created to help people educate themselves about the ease and importance of raising meat rabbits. Even though farmed rabbit is mild it might not be to your liking. And generally speaking, you can expect the doe and her litter together to eat 3. Rabbits will grow well on food items that do not compete with food items grown for human food.
Meat rabbits what you need to know about raising rabbits. Raising and breeding rabbits for meat backwoods mama. Oct 28, 2014 raising rabbits for meat introduction to commercial rabbit production. What i have found once they reach 5lb is their weight gain slows down rapidly, but the feed costs only rise. Every year, rabbit producers around the world raise and kill 1. Basics of raising meat rabbits on the homestead part 1. Raising rabbits for meat is the howto guide to help y by eric rapp and callene rapp rabbits are one of the most sustainable, nutritious, and economic meat sources available. Humans have a long history of eating meat, including rabbits.
The standard way for a rabbitry to be set up is to have row after row of 36. Two does and one buck should produce 180 pounds of meat per year. Fortunately, rabbits are experiencing a renaissance on the small farm. Raw meat meat processing meat analysis franklin meat rfid meat how to cure meat 10 things vegetarians eat that have meat salt cured meat franklin meat manifesto bizerba meat. If you want to make a profit from rabbits, but dont have the heart to use them for meat, you could start shearing your pet angora rabbits and make a few bucks on this luxury fiber. But, before you begin this journey, there are some important rabbitry issues that you need to consider first.
Here is a sample rabbit farming business plan that just might help you chart a good course for your own business as you choose to start. Rabbits are small mammals in the family leporidae of the order lagomorpha along with the hare and the pika. Types of rabbit production fanciers pets, breeding stock, and show animals laboratory furhair angora rex meat largest rabbit market. For rabbit carcasses, the evaluation was mainly focused on meat percentage and muscularity, defined as the ratio between meat and bone lukefahr and ozimba, 1991. Whether you live on a full blown many acre homestead, or on a town lot in the burbs, rabbits are a viable option in your selfsufficiency and survival planning. These are good meat rabbit breeds for homestead and. We will continue this discussion about how exactly we have them setup, what we feed them, and all the nitty gritty of how we actually take the idea of raising a meat rabbit all the way to the dinner table. But there are several things you should consider before making the leap into raising rabbits for profit rather than as a hobby. A bunch of rabbits can be raised in a small sheltercage. Raising rabbits for meat purposes can be extremely rewarding when the grocery stores are no longer open. The dress percentage of rabbits range s between 4555% of live weight.
People have been raising rabbits for centuries but breeding rabbits for meat and fur production didnt become popular in the united states until the beginning of the 20th century. In the summer, it is wise to place frozen water bottles in the hutches with the rabbits to help keep them cool. If you want to raise your own meat, consider rabbits. Can i slaughter and process some rabbits without inspection. Raising rabbits for meat rabbits battle rabbits from rabbits to chaos ferrets, rabbits, and rodents clinical medicine and surgery one mans meat one mans meat e.
Information and resources for the processing and sale of. Whether youre raising your own rabbits for meat or buying your meat from somewhere else, there are nearly limitless ways to cook rabbit. Dont slaughter it yet until you can find some good buyer because rabbits meat only allow 2 to 3 days to be frozen. Rabbits sold in the united states for food are commonly crosses between new zealand. However, rabbit has yet to be widely adopted as a primary source of meat.
Mediumweight new zealand whites and californian rabbits are most suited for meat production. For years, some physicians have recommended rabbit meat to patients with coronary conditions. You can get a loan from the bank, or funding from investors, to use as capital to start your rabbit farming business. Buying rabbit commercially is very expensive so other use this meat in hamburger, so you should think the purpose of your meat. Rabbit meat was once a common commodity in sydney, australia, but declined after the myxomatosis virus was intentionally introduced to control the exploding population of feral rabbits in the area. Jan 19, 2012 rabbits will grow well on food items that do not compete with food items grown for human food. If you are interested in raising and breeding rabbits for meat there are a few things to consider before getting started. Jul 10, 20 raising meat pen rabbits by aaron webster. If you do enjoy the taste of rabbit next to consider is how much will it cost to start up a small rabbitry.
The language describes meat items commonly traded internationally and defines a coding system for communication and electronic trade. Sep 2, 2017 meat rabbits, raising meat rabbits, raising rabbits, rabbits, livestock, farm life, homesteading, animals on the farm. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. True, but some breeds are better suited for the table than others. We are an llc and have been for years but have not sold meat before. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat. Rabbit meat is extremely healthy, low in fat and cholesterol and high in protein. For young people, raising rabbits, ideally as a 4h or ffa club project, offers a wonderful learning experience in the life sciences.
Methods for raising meat rabbits the green acre homestead. Learn how to begin raising rabbits for 4h and ffa in this unique one of a kind meat pen rabbit guide. The best manure know to mankind,awesome pelts for blankets,hats, gloves and other crafts,ok that was 10 and i could. Rabbits have other byproducts good for the homestead. Rabbit from farm to table fresh or frozen, rabbit meat is sold all year round. Several reports have shown that muscularity or cutability. Domestic rabbits in brief origin breeds arba standardbred rabbits. This is one of the most common rabbit breed used for meat and tops the best rabbit meat in the usa, you may find a variety of signature dishes from this breeds,eat.
Never run out of meat again an introduction to raising. Raising meat rabbits is one of the most space efficient means of growing livestock for meat. View animal photos of rabbit carcasses to see the importance of meat rabbit breeds, hybrid vigor, and growth ratios on rabbit meat quality. From the group that provided the great slideshow on keyhole gardening, here is a great free pdf stepbystep guide on processing rabbits.
Having a breeding plan is pivotal in successfully breeding and weaning your kits as this will let you know how many cages you are going to need. Youll just need help from an urban farm or community garden. You can still raise rabbits for meat without using a thirdparty processor to humanely kill and process them. State requirements by market for products of animal origin 4 doortodoor farmers market vendors may be licensed by lhd used egg cartons may be used only if relabeled with name and address of supplier of eggs pack date and expiration date must appear on. Learn how to effectively raise and care for your meat pen bunnies to improve your show success.
Rabbits have excellent feed conversion rates, low startup costs, healthy meat and dont require much space. If you are thinking about raising them, then here are 10 best meat rabbit breeds list. And the best part is, you get abundant supply of genuine rabbit meat. Although rabbits are often thought of as pets, there is a growing number of people raising meat rabbits for profit as well as for their own personal needs. In the united kingdom, fresh rabbit is sold in butcher shops and markets, and some supermarkets sell frozen rabbit meat. Sylvilagus includes wild rabbit species, among them the seven types of cottontail. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat mother. If youve been raising rabbits for a while as a hobby, the thought may have occurred to you that you could make a little money raising them. Weight loss isnt the only reason to switch to rabbit meat as a source of protein. The definition of meat food product in the kansas meat and poultry inspection act includes domestic rabbits.
When mature, they may weigh around 8 to 10 pounds and may come in a variety of blue, amber and spotted patterns ion their color. We are a small farm in clackamas county looking to begin selling rabbit meat. Raising meat rabbits importance of your choice of rabbit. Dec 27, 2019 weight loss isnt the only reason to switch to rabbit meat as a source of protein. You will need money for constructing the rabbit hutches, buying the breeding stock, buying the feeds e. Mar 11, 2020 raising meat rabbits is one of the most space efficient means of growing livestock for meat. I was ready to write up a post on raising rabbits on wire floors, but shiny satins rabbitry has a few great posts on this subject and i could not agree more with what they have written. Are you considering raising rabbits for meat commercially. Raising meat rabbits importance of your choice of rabbit breed. One important thing to keep in mind though, is that slow or fast cooking is the preferred method with. Around the rabbit community, people joke that all rabbits are made of meat. The rex can give you some good meat and is perfect for homestead. Meat and poultry inspection rabbit exemption exempt rabbit slaughter and processing guidelines is rabbit considered meat.
In general, raising rabbits is a reasonably easy task for those interested in animal husbandry. Rabbit farming business is a very profitable business, and many people are making money all over the world by raising rabbits for meat. This business plan examines the development of innovative meat products and cold rabbit meat, in order to improve. May 05, 2018 if you want to raise your own meat, consider rabbits. Effect of diets on growth, digestibility, carcass and meat. Raising rabbits for meat introduction to commercial rabbit production. Search the internet and see what other state 4h programs are doing in rabbits ontact your county extension office for other local workshops, activities, and events participate in the 4h rabbit show standard red rabbits ommercial fancy market rabbits meat. After all, two rabbits will be 200 in a short amount of time. Loin and hindleg meat, liver and hair of control rabbits contained 93, 98, 521 and 267. State requirements by market for products of animal origin. These soft and plush rabbits were developed for the purpose of fur and meat.
Raising rabbits for meat pdf sion to use the information in raising meat rabbits in. This would be a great pdf to download and keep in your files. Domestic rabbits in brief origin breeds arba standardbred rabbits trends. Not only do you need to buy quality breeding rabbits but youll also need cages for each rabbit and extras. Throughout north america there is a movement to relearn the forgotten skills of selfsufficiency. Some minifarmers and homesteaders ive found also choose to raise meat rabbits using this method. Humans invariably develop a vitamin b12 deficiency if they eat a solely plant. Like other lean meat, poultry, and fish, rabbit meat is a good source of high quality protein. The benefits of raising meat rabbits raising meat rabbits is one of the most space efficient means of growing livestock for meat. Mar, 20 a bunch of rabbits can be raised in a small sheltercage.
Processed meat includes any meat transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation e. In rabbits, the ability to assess the fat content of the carcass is of little value because this species has only a small dissectible fat content pascual and pla, 2007. Weve had meat rabbits for our own use for almost a year now, but would like to begin selling them on. See more ideas about meat rabbits, raising rabbits and raising rabbits for meat. Propelled partly by a growing desire to feel more connected to where food comes from, partly by a desire for a healthy choice for meat, and partly by a desire to leave a more sustainable footprint on the environment, meat rabbits are proving to be a viable option on the farm. Rabbits are a inexpensive way to supply good healthy meat for your family. Well walk you through rabbit hutches, watering and feeding, best meat rabbit breeds, and basic care. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Rabbits are extremely hot natured so it is important to place their shelter in a shaded area. The thought may have even occurred to you that you can make a lot of money raising rabbits. If your hometown doesnt allow you to complete the rabbitrearing lifecycle on your homestead, dont despair. While the rest of the livestock industry has transitioned to massive factory farms, the rabbit industry has long been an exceptionmost rabbit meat producers and processors in the united states, for example, have been small, backyard operations.
These pellets are filled with protein and will help add the necessary weight to your rabbits in a short amount of time. Information and resources for the processing and sale of rabbit meat this document provides useful information to individuals interested in processing and selling rabbits for meat. Generally, three rabbits are required to constitute a meat pen. Search the internet and see what other state 4h programs are doing in rabbits ontact your county extension office for other local workshops, activities, and events participate in the 4h rabbit show standard red rabbits ommercial fancy market rabbits meat pen single fryer meat type roaster meat type. However, to build a successful, sustainable commercial rabbit farming business, you require sufficient knowledge of how to efficiently raise the rabbits, good management skills, and a good rabbit farming business plan. They can easily be raised in a variety of locations and climates, and require less space and infrastructure than many other species of livestock. An analysis of the most important poultry and rabbit meat quality traits and their major relationships with production factors genotype, feeding, housing, preslaughter handling, slaughtering.
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