When you think rabbit do you think sweet little lop eared baby bunny? Or a massive creature that can produce near as much meat as a cow per year? It's probably not the second one that comes to mind, but both are true! Rabbits are a great addition as well as a solid start to farming. They require little space, feed, and infrastructure while bringing in up to 200lbs of meat a year per doe.
For these reasons rabbits can be a very worth while investment if managed correctly.
Interested in what that looks like?
I'll break down this article into 5 parts.
Breeds
Breeding
Kindling
Caging
Butchering
Best Meat Bunny Breeds
There are dozens of breeds suitable for breeding stock, but the best of the best (arguably) comes down to 3. At the end of the summary for each breed I'll list the key points for each breed, for those of y'all who want to flip through and see the straight facts.
New Zealand
New Zealands are very productive and very beautiful. I've pictured the ones we own but they can be many colors. Red, blue, REW (red eyed white), black, broken blue, broken red, and broken black (broken meaning spotted). Their varying colors make them extremely attractive, especially if you plan on keeping rabbits for their hides/pelts. Their fur is "flyback" meaning if its brushed opposite of it's natural lay, it will flyback to it's normal state. They weigh 9-12lbs as adults and have a meat to bone ratio of 60%.
Beautiful Coats
9-12lbs adult weight
Flyback fur
60% meat to bone ratio
Silver Fox
Silver Foxes are a heritage breed who are the conservation list for endangered species. This status does not make them much more expense though, just a 5-10 dollar difference. If heritage breeds or conserving breeds is something you're passionate about then you should definitely consider Silver Foxes! They have a 65% meat to bone ratio and weigh 10-12lbs adult weight. They have 5 natural colors: lilac, blue, black, chocolate, and tortoise. But only black is recognized by the ARBA (American Rabbit Association) for showing. Silver Foxes have stand up fur which means if you pet against it, it will stay in that position instead of flying back.
Heritage Breed/Conservation List
10-12lb adult weight
Stand up fur
65% meat to bone
Californian
Californians are a very well rounded breed. They are one of the most common meat breeds, with their distinctive markings that don't change per rabbit near at all. They only have that one coat color pictured to the left. Weighing 9-12lbs with flyback fur. Their meat to bone ratio is 60%. You really can't go wrong when selecting a breed if you buy solid stock but there's 3 of the most common options!
Breeding Rabbits
Rabbits breed like rabbits!... Until they don't. Don't get me wrong, if you've ever had two rabbits you know that it's very easy to go from 2 to 100 in the blink of an eye. But there's more to it when you are planning for kits.
When you're breeding it's best to bring the doe to the buck's cage, because does are territorial and don't like new rabbits in their cages. When breeding you're looking for a "falloff" from the buck. This happens when the doe lifts her tail and the buck seizes up and falls to his side. He'll often make a noise like grunting or squealing. No matter how long your buck has been attempting to breed your doe, if he doesn't fall off, you won't have kits in 31 days. Sometimes you gave to reintroduce them a day after if you can't get a successful breeding. It's good to get 3-4 fall offs in 24hours.
Be careful breeding twice in multiple days is not wise, as does can be pregnant with multiple litters at once and it's not healthy.
Does can be bred year round because they go into heat as the buck is breeding them. They are pregnant for 30-31 days exactly. Very few times will they be off from their due date so it's easy to plan them around vacations and such.
Kindling
Kindling!! The most exciting part about raising rabbits, new babies. But it can sound a little overwhelming right? Well lemme break it down. Does will kindle 31 days after being bred but at 25 days you're gonna want to put your nest box in. The next box is a metal, wooden, or plastic box that the babies will be born in. I listed below our homemade version as well as one from tractor supply.
At 25 days you should fill it with hay or straw and put it in the expectant doe's cage for her to nest in. When the babies are born she'll pull fur and line the nest with it.
Good stock will nurse their babies and after the first litter or two, shouldn't lose more than 1 per litter depending on size. Don't worry if you never see her nurse them, as long as they are fat and don't have wrinkles.
Caging
One of the best parts about rabbits is the small amount of space needed for them! In a 2x9ft area you can keep 3 adult rabbits and, depending on your system, their babies as well! And from those 3 rabbits (2 does and 1 buck) you can get 600lbs of meat a year. Their are many options for caging.
In order of the pictures we have: wire cages, wood hutches, tractors, and colony systems. All of these are great options, but the best fit is different for everyone.
Wire Cages
Wire cages are the most common option. They are typically 2x2 feet and are for efficient, compact housing. These are commonly used in garages. They have trays to catch manure.
Hutches
Hutches are great for manure collection. They are basically cages that have a wooden structure, are typically outside, and can allow manure to fall straight to the ground with little smell and mess.
Tractors
Tractors are basically a hutch on wheels! They're designed for all weather, day and night, and to move. That way you rabbits can be safe, fed, watered, and pastured. This is a great option for grow outs.
Colonies
Colonies take the most space but are healthiest for the rabbits. Colonies are a fenced in area where all the rabbits live together. You can allow the bucks to stay and the does to breed on their own time and kindle in provided nest boxes or in the ground. Or you can take the does out for breeding and kindling. There are many variations depending on what works best for you!
Butchering
Here's where it all comes back around, butchering. One of the harder parts, but also where your hard work is rewarded. Solid stock will be 5lbs at 12 weeks and dress out at 2.5lbs of meat.
There are 2 ways to butcher we use on our farm.
Shooting
Pros: Quick and hands off
Cons: Graphic and bloody
2. Broomstick Method (Placing pole over rabbits neck, stepping on either side, grabbing back feet, and pulling)
Pros: No blood
Cons: 100% hands on/not for the faint of heart
Rabbits are very easy and quick to process. After butchering:
hang up rabbit by it's back feet
cut off head
cut skin around back ankles
cut a "U" between back legs to separate skin from meat
pull skin away from meat all the way down to shoulders and cut front legs
cut genitals and pull out intestines
rinse out cavity and meat
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