Another newbie... : Welcome to RabbitTalk

Hey Guys,

Im new here but not new to rabbits. However I am considering starting to breed for meat, which I am completely new at!

A little bit about myself...my name is Brandy and I am in NB Canada. Ive kept rabbits ever since I was a little girl, here and there. Pet house rabbits. I am the Mom of 3 adorable boys who are now 14, 13 and 10. Roughly a year ago I left my relationship of 15 years...
Im now with a new man, amazing man and he has 2 children. So now we have 5...and we didn't want a dog or cat so rabbit is the best choice!!

And it had to be a flemmie, since they've always been my favorite. We found a breeder, we travelled 4 hours for our baby and stayed overnight in a hotel, he was amazing...but at around 4 mths he ended up breaking his back because he slipped on our hardwood floors when my Dads dog chased him (they were here visiting).

His breeder said we could have another...

So this past weekend we went and picked up Phoenix!! Hes a pure Flemish. But hes young (will be 6 weeks tomorrow). He came from a litter of 9 and Mom was refusing to nurse.

So without making you read anymore...Ill show off my adorable mamas boy!

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<a href="http://s601.photobucket.com/user/Momto3boys_03/media/untitled_zpsp07kilox.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt94/Momto3boys_03/untitled_zpsp07kilox.png" border="0" alt=" photo untitled_zpsp07kilox.png"/></a>

This is his absolute favorite place to hang out....the end table...LOL
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Heres his digs...don't mind the poop. I took the pic before I cleaned. We had to put the cubes up since he could walk right through the bars.
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__________Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:58 pm ___________

LOL well I cant seem to figure out how to upload from Photobucket. hmmmmm

__________Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:00 pm ___________

Ill just upload them from the computer

__________Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:02 pm ___________

My boyfriend couldn't leave this boy behind...
He is a Lionhead/Havana mix. We had him inside for one night but he now lives at his shop. Hes a shop bunny. His name is Finley.

Welcome! Those are some seriously cute rabbits.

Welcome!

Adorable buns you have.

Thanks.

We also have an orange mini lop female named Willow and a black male named Ben. They live outside, I'll try and get some pics of them as well

We do plan on breeding them in the future!

Welcome to the forum!

Many of our members here have pet rabbits as well as meat herds.

Since your prior experience is having rabbits as pets, I would suggest that you might want to start with a meat breed that doesn't really have any differentiating colors or markings to make it easier for you and your family to not form an attachment to a particular baby rabbit since they will be destined for meat.

I personally raise Rex, which come in a wide range of colors and patterns, and when we first started out (knowing that they were being raised for meat purposes) my daughter would have "favorites" that had unique coloring or patterns, so wanted to keep them... which we did, lol. But when deciding on who to keep as potential replacement stock, you should focus on body type rather than color and markings, so we no longer choose them based on the "cuteness factor."

Once your family is used to the idea of raising the rabbits for meat, then by all means branch out into more colorful rabbits if you like.

Butchering and processing takes getting used to emotionally- it is never fun- but the mechanics of it are very easy. You will find that our members here will be happy to talk you through all aspects of raising rabbits, and will be very supportive when the time comes to process your first litters.

Looking forward to helping you on your journey, and hearing about your first rabbit meal! They are delicious, and it is very fulfilling to raise your own meat.

Hi! Welcome! I am also new here:)
Those rabbits are super cute.......

MamaSheepdog...WOW. That makes so much sense, I never in a million years would have thought of that.

Definitely something to ponder.

I will be completely honest, I don't know how I will deal with processing the meat. I think that part might be left up to my boyfriend and my middle son. Im not against it. I eat meat, I love meat. I also love to go hunting BUT Ive always had rabbits as pets so Im struggling with the idea of eating them. Just for the simple reason Ive never considered them meat in my 33 years.

Im struggling BUT its also a little exciting.
Its a new journey.

And because of what you said, it looks like I should be shopping for new rabbits

You have to have some amount of emotional disconnect if you are going to be butchering for meat. In my case, I decided not to name the kits we will be eating. it just removes the emotional connection.

If you see them as livestock,rather then as pets.. its easier. But even i do not enjoy processing my livestock.. its just NOT a nice thing to do. But remind yourself that it is for the good of your children and its easier to handle. The animals under your care deserve a respectful life, full of good food, clean water and kindness. you can give your meat rabbits that without becoming to attached... at least I've been able to.

Adorable bunnies!

To link from Photobucket, copy the "direct link", come back to your post, click on the "Img" button above the posting area, and paste the link between the tags.

Thanks so much!!

Phoenix my flemmie baby is AMAZING. He is s complete sooky baby and has the best naps in my arms.

I really expected him to be more indepenant and playful like his brother was but nope he likes to hang out with me.
Cricket (his brother that passed) loved Rob, my boyfriend. But Phoenix is all about me <3