Rethinking this whole rabbit thing

My mind is a mess right now. I'm trying to figure out what the best route for me to go with this rabbit hobby.

Original plan: raise rabbits for our own consumption. Sell a few here and there for feed costs.

Setbacks: Haven't sold a single live rabbit (did sell 3 carcasses though).
Due to all the tiny bones, dh and I have decided that eating rabbit on a regular basis is a PITA.

I need a new plan. I desparately want to continue to have and breed rabbits. But what's the purpose of breeding if I don't have an outlet for the babies? Haven't tried it yet, but plan on trying to feed them to the dogs. Although better for the dogs, that will make my dog food bill much higher. I'm trying a litter of Easter bunnies this year, but I have my doubts on how well that will go. SOME of my rabbits are pedigreed and from decent show stock. Thought about trying to breed for that aspect and selling to 4-Hers and show people, but it's kinda hard to sell show-quality when you don't show yourself. I'm REALLY trying not to get bit by the show bug again. Too much time and money involved at a time and place where I'm not at right now. I've spent so much time and money these past 9 months on these rabbits that I hate for it to go to waste.

Suggestions or other ideas anyone?

How does feeding them to the dogs make the dog food bill higher? Cutting what the rabbits consume, and turning what they have already consumed into food for your dog is a great way to recoup some of your costs. And the dogs will eat mroe than just the meat-- making it all that much less wastefull.

I've done the math, and it costs me $1.87/pound to produce rabbit meat. I would NEVER pay someone that much for dog food!

Try this approach, Lyndsey. When you butcher rabbits, keep the best parts - legs and loin - for human consumption and feed the rest to the dogs. No little bones for you and a raw supplement for the dogs... might just work.

i agree with Maggie. Keep the meat that you want, and dog food the rest.

You might look into marketing bunny berries (do you have a local garden club?), figuring out what types of bunnies sell in your area and investing in a few of those - using them to supplement the bunnies that you really want to keep.

Have you looked into joining one of the yahoo raw dog lists? you can list your rabbits on that. Not sure what the going rate for raw food rabbits is in your area, but here, I sell for $2/lb. If it costs you 1.87 to raise a rabbit, I'd sell them for 2-2.50/lb. Keep the heads, the feet etc... they can be sold to the raw food crowd as well (for $1 for heads, 25cents/foot). If you can market your rabbits as drug free...dog food people will pick that up and love you for it.

Great Ideas Maggie and Ladysown!! Do you have any more pointers for supplying the raw food crowd?

be prepared to give them what they want.

some want the entire rabbit, some want without the head, some want the rabbit cleaned and skinned, some want only without the intestines/stomach, some want this/that/or the other thing.

For me: I offer
1. whole
2. cleaned and gutted (sometimes with the guts bagged)
3. Skinned (with out head and feet)

NOW...
I emphasize to my buyers that I do a rough clean ONLY. I CANNOT sell legally a butchered rabbit for human consumption. So any rabbit they get from me will be rough cleaned, that means I don't rinse off hairs, I don't worry about stray bits of hair and skin attached, fat deposits will be left behind, and the heart and lungs will be intact.

See that's the thing. This last time I cooked rabbit, I only cooked front and back legs. STILL found numerous small bones in it. Where are they coming from? I think my rabbits grow extra bones out of spite!

Interesting concept with the raw feeders out there. May have to look into that further.

STILL found numerous small bones in it. Where are they coming from? I think my rabbits grow extra bones out of spite!

Click to expand...

Kneecaps - chickens don't have 'em.

The other alternative is to roughly debone all the meat when you butcher and use it in casseroles, stir fries etc. Then toss all the bones with bits of meat attached into a big soup kettle with a few bay leaves, black pepper corns, allspice, herbs etc. and simmer for a few hours. Best soup stock you can hope for!

That's what I do with a lot of ours. DH doesn't like bones in any meat, so I debone, use the meat for a meal, and use the remainder of the carcass for stock. The only time I don't debone is when I'm making "fried" rabbit -- DH deals.

Nice you see you here, Tracy!

I find I am deboning rabbit more and more as time passes. I don't mind bones in my meat all that much, but I love the convenience of having the diced, deboned meat ready to go for quick meals. And we all think rabbit soup is just the best.

OOoooo. what a great idea! Mike's first comment on cutting into his rabbit was "it's like fish..all these little bones". I knew I was in trouble then.

And the stock I can use for gravies, pot pies, soups...OOOoo...rabbit and dumplings here I come!!

The nice thing is that you don't have to be wonderful at deboning, because the bits of meat left on the bone make the stock rich.

I'm glad to be here, Maggie. Our rabbit herd has been a source of joy and sustenance to us for a while now. I'm currently down to my breeding stock, which are all on vacation right now at a friend and fellow rabbit-enthusiast's barn, as we seem to have acquired a weasel family. They got one of my best does, and until I make sure I've gotten ALL of them and patched up the runs, they're elsewhere!

Rabbit and dumplings is DELICIOUS! I've also made "rabbit stuffing" -- not to stuff the rabbit, but a "stuffing" casserole with bits of sauteed rabbit meat added. It went over VERY well! Lots of fresh garlic and sauteed onions, fresh sage and tarragon, and a couple of cups of the stock, along with diced homemade bread cubes, and the diced rabbit meat which I had browned in with the onions and garlic. The boys LOVED this, and it was even better as leftovers.

Rabbit is such an amazingly versatile meat, but I share the "tiny bones" issue -- I hate them. Like Maggie said, just roughly debone, and the stock is that much richer -- with the added benefit of having the cooked bits of meat after straining the stock. I pull these off the bone, and mince with a bit of homemade mayo and seasonings, some diced celery or onion, or even jalapeno peppers, and use as a sandwich filling.

Ooohhhh... That rabbit stuffing casserole would go over big with my guys here! Have to make them some!

I also agre with Maggie, You guy's keep the peices you like to eat for yourselves & the rest for dog food. We Love the meat here. I very rarely buy chicken anymore, I use rabbit the same as I would chicken. I call it sweet chicken.