t started with a trip to the grocery store......$200 later and not enough food for the week for the four of us and I was upset. Many of us are experiencing financial difficulties. The last five years have had us tightening the belt. Along with this we have been trying to eat better. Fresh fruits and vegetables lean meat and unprocessed food is more expensive than ever. I have friends that have gone all organic and others that only eat local. I would love to do it, but without a raise in years and cuts always on the horizon we cannot afford to.
My solution came after reading that rabbit meat was one of the leanest meats available . The problem is it is $32 for one fryer at the local meat market. I think lobster is cheaper. I also have a friend that has chickens. But I honestly don't want to clean a chicken. I kept reading and found that rabbits were a very nice solution. They are quiet, they really don't smell bad, they don't need much room and their poop is good for plants. What more can you ask. Oh and they have beautiful fur!
My husband sealed the deal when he arranged with a local fisherman/hunter to meat swap throughout the year. Can't beat that. Now I can practically wipe out the meat portion of my grocery bill and eat better.

How I got into bunnies
I caught my first bunny when I was 6 or 7, my parents had moved us onto a 7 acre lot and the previous renters had this rabbit, decided to release it rather then take it wih them.
Took me a few hours, I can hardly remember what she was other then a medium sized brown rabbit, she was very nice bunny once she realized I just wanted to feed and cuddle her, she lived for 8 years after that.
I got into raising bunnies after living with my husband for 6 years, we got snakes and didn't want to keep rodents but wanted to breed our own snake food and some for ourself while were at it.
Hoping to get raise ducks and maybe quail and pheasants too in the future:D

I'm not sure what got the idea into my head originally, other than just wanting to raise cute, fluffy bunnies. Hubby had often commented he liked rabbit meat, but as others have said it's way too expensive to buy from the store. It took over a year of planning, but I never let go of the idea so hubby supported me. I like the meat well enough, but I mainly keep the bunnies because I enjoy taking care of them. I tease hubby we have to eat the buns in self defense. I keep breeding them to have a constant supply of popple cuteness, and we'd quickly be overrun if we didn't get them on the table.

I started raising rabbits in 4-H because i wanted a market animal and you had to be 10 to have a steer . I was only 8 so i started in rabbits then decided i like them better, they definitely smell better than a steer and you didn't have to walk them and wash them all the time.....lol .

We home school our children. Animal husbandry has provided great lessons in science, religion, history, agriculture, mathematics, and economics.

We believe application is a key component to learning and is severely deficient in public schooling.

From the feed store to the dinner plate, our children have been immersed in a high level of education that promotes a wide understanding of the successful processes within a human community.
It takes an understanding of Geometry, Trigonometry and basic Algebra to design and build a rabbit cage.
Economics to plan and pay for the supplies.
Religion in understanding one's self in the process of taking an animal's life for survival.
The use and care of rabbits and their role in human history.
An approach to rabbits scientifically to treat illness, improve genetics, and study sexual functionality.

Rabbits, like anything, can be made into an awesome experience.

This is why we raise rabbits.

I remember them being great pets.

I wanted a variety of meat for my dogs to eat. And in an urban setting, I can only have so many chickens. Rabbits are much quieter than chickens, make a solid cold-poop that people want. They like to be handled, chickens not so much. They are great for breeding experiments, can't quite do that with the dogs. I can use the whole animal by tanning fur.

Show the best, eat the rest.

I've been attracted to the idea of raising rabbits because I will be living in close quarters for the next few years, and I have been looking into something that would allow me to get back to what I love to do- raise and show my own animals. I love the relationship with my animals, the feeling of accomplishment that comes from raising something that really stands out from the crowd.

The meat part is quite nice as a side benefit, and it heartens me to know that there is a definite USE and job to be given to any animals I produce. If I show them, eat them, or sell them as breeding stock/meat animals, I have several outlets for what I produce to go to. That is important to me- I will not raise something just to have it languishing in people's backyards, or to eventually be euthanized because nobody wanted to take care of it- the problem many dogs, cats, and horses have today with overpopulation and their owners not being able to care for them.

I think people need to know where their food comes from, and treat it with respect. My father and stepmother volunteer with a major agricultural fair each year in Maryland in the Historical/Educational department, and people REALLY have zero idea where their food comes from! They think that bread, milk, and meat comes from the store. They complain about the farmer and his smelly cows and pigs, but then they complain when the price of pork, milk, and beef has gone up so much.

I haven't gotten MY rabbits yet, but I'm doing my research