diffrence from wild to raised rabbit meat ?

[fishbone]

hi,
i love the taste of wild rabbit, but can not hunt them anymore.
i was planning on raising rabbits to eat then.
but, i heard the raised rabbits are white meat, and taste like chicken.

i thought i would come to the experts.
is this true ?
if so, are all raised rabbits, white meat, or can i find anything thats
close to a wild rabbit ?

thx, alot. really appreciate your input.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hi Fishbone,

domestic rabbits are descended from European rabbits, and yes, they have white meat. I find them to be more flavorful than chicken. Mature rabbits also have a fuller flavor than young fryers.

You may be able to find some locally raised rabbits on Craigslist that you could buy and butcher to see if you like the meat.

 

[fishbone]

yeah, i'll just give one a try and see then, thx.

i cook all my wild rabbits in a crook pot for 8-10 hrs, and are very tender.
i tried to fry one in a frying pan and it was to tuff eat.

are you able to fry raised rabbits in pan, and get tender meat ?
if so, that would be a nice option...

 

[MamaSheepdog]

i tried to fry one in a frying pan and it was to tuff eat.

It was probably a mature rabbit, and if it was a buck it would be more tough than a doe.

are you able to fry raised rabbits in pan, and get tender meat ?

Young rabbits 5lbs. and under (live weight) are generally considered "fryers" and are tender when fried.

 

[Zass]

yeah, i'll just give one a try and see then, thx.

i cook all my wild rabbits in a crook pot for 8-10 hrs, and are very tender.
i tried to fry one in a frying pan and it was to tuff eat.

are you able to fry raised rabbits in pan, and get tender meat ?
if so, that would be a nice option...

There is a difference. Domestic rabbit doesn't TASTE like chicken, but it's color, appearance, and texture can be similar. Rabbit has more flavor, and is missing whatever quality it is about poultry that I dislike.

It has it's fine points too though. Young rabbits can be fried and are tender, and even old rabbits are never really too tough to stew up.

 

[MatSuAK]

I'm relatively new to rabbits, but I will add this tidbit.
Depends some on what you feed. Think grain fed beef versus free range, grass fed cattle. A rabbit on a pelleted diet will have a slightly different taste texture then one consistently fed forage & wild stuff :mrgreen:

That said my family eats a lot of game meats. Moose, venison, salmon, & previously snowshoe hare. My husband was doubtful he would like domestic rabbit, btw he refuses to eat chicken lol. Guess what? He enjoys the domestic rabbit Especially the amount of meat you get compared to wild rabbit.
Hope this helped.
Happy Turkey Day!

 

[fishbone]

thank you so much for all your great info.
that all sounds good, and i'm going to give it a try.
someone just offered me a couple of hutches i can i have. so i'm going to raise me some rabbits.
looking forward to it.

thx again,

 

[GBov]

Have fun, rabbits are great livestock!