Me and my big mouth!!!

[Tegan]

So it was finally nice enough out today to let the kids outside to play. My kid is playing with the neighbor girls and their mom comes over to talk. Did I mention that I live in a REALLY nice subdivision....like...one filled with laywers and bankers and such. City folk....like city city folk. Anyway..... We get on the subject of spring planting/cleaning and I say.

"Yeah, we're gonna put the garden in behind the third garage, and I'm moving the rabbits outside......"

And she looks at me...with that look.....you know...the one where my head might be spinning around and pea soup may be pouring out of my ears.

"Rabbits?" she says, "What do you do with them? Sell them for pets or just keep them as pets?"

I waited for almost a full two minutes before answering her.....to the point it was kinda awkward.....then finally said...

"Well....to be dead honest....we eat them. They are for us and for dog food. It's all humane and they are well taken care of, but I would be lying to your face if I said they were pets."

She gives me a bit of an odd look then says, "Oh...ok!"

I promised her that even with them outside that I would never process where her or the kids could see it....so no worries there. She seemed to take it fairly well....but I still worry a bit. It helps that she comes from a family that her father and brothers hunted...but it still leaves me edgy. I don't THINK she'd cause issues...but you just never know. We chatted for a bit longer, lent her a movie, then headed in for dinner.

Others on the block know I have rabbits (because my kid talks to their kids), but they've never asked any questions about them.....

I'd offer to make them a nice rabbit dinner....but so far everyone I've offered that to around here has turned their nose up at it.

 

[DumansArk]

It's sad that one has to be a little worried about a situation as innocent as this.
It isn't like you are doing anything wrong; but boy we all know what this is like.

I know I am not alone in hoping that nothing bad comes of it.

***Edited to fix some some hideous sentence structure.

And MamaSheepDog; so very true. She could be a thinks-outside-the-box type gal or talks to someone else that will be.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

To loosely quote Bob Bennet (author of Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits and other rabbit related books), when the economy is good, rabbits are looked on as pets. When the economy is poor, they are viewed as meat.

You just might have a convert in the making.

 

[Miss M]

I did this exact same thing.

Same kind of neighborhood. My grandparents bought well in 1970. This is where the doctors, lawyers, mayors, designers, etc. all live. When one of the ALL VERY NICE houses built in the 50s or 60s sells, it is usually razed and replaced with a mansion.

We moved in with my uncle three years ago, meat rabbits and all. The next-door neighbor? Board member of the local dog rescue. Her daughter? Chairman or something of the local animal shelter or Humane Society or something.

She came over to talk to my uncle shortly after we move in, and my kids excitedly brought her around to show her the rabbits. GAH!!! Nobody was supposed to know about the rabbits! To top things off, the rabbitry was in progress, so they were living in cramped, makeshift quarters that looked terrible and were very hard to keep clean.

I quickly pulled her around farther to show her the nice, spacious (in comparison) rabbitry that was in progress. I hoped that would be enough to satisfy any horror she had felt at the conditions they were in.

I lived on pins and needles after that, but nothing ever happened.

Then I saw her American Elm trees being trimmed. I approached her and asked her if I could take some of the branches for the rabbits, who love elm. "Oh, sure, take as much as you want!" And then... "What do you do with the rabbits, anyway? I mean, did you sell those babies for pets or something?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! WHY did I have to come over and mention the rabbits? What had come over me?

I told her the truth, which momentarily shocked her. Then she seemed to come to uneasy terms with the thought. By the time I left, she had expressed a willingness to try a rabbit dish sometime. :shock:

I never took one over, though, because I didn't want to bring the subject back up. Now that I've moved, maybe I will.

 

[curlysue]

I live in the country and still people view rabbits as pets not food.

 

[mystang89]

I understand it all too well and have told my kids not too mention it to anyone we live near;to let me be the one who ciphers out the information. Works well until your wife opens her gossiping mouth to every Tom, Dick and Harry around. She is far more trusting than I am.

 

[tailwagging]

I tell them the truth. I have them mainly for their poo. oh what wonderful veggies you can get!!! and then say sorta jokingly "and they could (not can or do but could) make a good stew". they may ask "have eaten them before?" I'll say "I have" will not say that "I do."
then if they are interested they will ask "how does it taste?" like chicken. that maybe the end of it or if they seem to take it very well I may offer them one "the next time I have to you... know harvest" then always give it to them in parts not just "skinned cat look"

 

[Frecs]

I understand it all too well and have told my kids not too mention it to anyone we live near;to let me be the one who ciphers out the information. Works well until your wife opens her gossiping mouth to every Tom, Dick and Harry around. She is far more trusting than I am.

My problem is my mother. I've explained to her several times that AR folks could try to cause me problems even though we are in the country and have no animal restrictions other than "nothing as big as a cow". She says she understands but still, if someone asks, she'll tell them all about it. :x

 

[jollysrabbits]

I tell them the truth. I have them mainly for their poo. oh what wonderful veggies you can get!!! and then say sorta jokingly "and they could (not can or do but could) make a good stew". they may ask "have eaten them before?" I'll say "I have" will not say that "I do."
then if they are interested they will ask "how does it taste?" like chicken. that maybe the end of it or if they seem to take it very well I may offer them one "the next time I have to you... know harvest" then always give it to them in parts not just "skinned cat look"

I really like that approach, very smooth transition into the conversation.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I understand it all too well and have told my kids not too mention it to anyone we live near;to let me be the one who ciphers out the information. Works well until your wife opens her gossiping mouth to every Tom, Dick and Harry around. She is far more trusting than I am.

Hey! I resemble that remark! :lol:

I live in the country and still people view rabbits as pets not food.

I live in the country, too... but I have found much more favorable reactions. Within a month of me getting my starter stock, one of my friends here got some Calis for her own meat herd. She and I processed eight of my rabbits and three of hers recently.

Another friend, who used to raise Angoras for their wool and had the occasional one to dispatch (she would sometimes eat the meat depending on age, but always used the skins as wall hangings and in one instance made a muff), has been helping me process rabbits lately. She has trouble digesting beef, pork, and chicken, so has been a lacto-ovo and sometimes fish eating vegetarian for about eight years.

I gave her a young processed rabbit, and she was able to digest the meat! So I gave her two bred does, and am going to give her a buck as well, so she is well on her way to having her own meat rabbits.

I now have two girlfriends to process rabbits with, and we plan on having butchering days where we will all work together and "git 'er done"!!!

I also share the rabbit meat with one of my neighbors that has recently started raising Kobe beef, and he is going to give me beef in trade. I also already traded some rabbits to some friends from church, and got some home-raised beef and wild caught tuna in trade. Both of them are considering raising some rabbit of their own.

Today I have some people who I had met in K-Mart while Christmas shopping coming to buy a couple goats, and I of course told them all about my meat rabbits at the time. They are "pet" people, but when I spoke to the lady yesterday, she asked about the rabbits because a friend of theirs wants to start raising them... so I may have another sale of a trio or quad in the near future.

Last week I sold two processed rabbits to a fellow who is in our handgun classes, and another student wants us to bring some cooked rabbit for him to try. If he likes it, he wants to start raising them too.

I am thinking of making this for the entire class:

rabbit-in-white-wine-cream-sauce-t11814.html

We have had it three times now- we just had it the night before last with my Cali-raising friend. They had tried it here at my house, and she begged for the recipe, and invited us over to share it when she made it. I think that recipe would convert anyone to eating rabbit! :lol:

I guess it all depends on how you present the idea. I always go on and on (and on and on and ON!) about how much I love my rabbits and what a joy they are to raise. I tell people how wonderful it is to have litters of adorable baby bunnies to play with, and stress that they have a great life until the day they are put on the bus to freezer camp. The idea of humanely raised, antibiotic and hormone free meat is appealing to many people, even if they may be doubtful that they would be able to process them themselves.

 

[mystang89]

I am thinking of making this for the entire class:

rabbit-in-white-wine-cream-sauce-t11814.html

I think thats a great idea. It lets people who are sort of on the ropes about raising rabbits or even haven't thought about it see the good and tasty side to it and not just the pet side to it.

 

[skysthelimit]

I live in the city, but I live in a Hispanic neighborhood, pretty much everything is fair game. Still, I just don't want them to know my business. Good way to get robbed.

 

[Heritage Homestead]

I hope your they don't cause any trouble for you.

We live in a pretty nice area for that kinda stuff. A lot of people around here raise animals for their food. I don't know of any rabbits, but everyone is pretty open to that sort of thing.
I don't go around telling people about it (unless someone asks). Our neighbors know (they've taken care of our animals while we have been away) and some of my friends (the same friends that just came out and helped us butcher our ram ) and it is nice not to have to worry too much about it.

Hope all continues to go well.

 

[Dood]

Good way to get robbed

That is my main concern.

We back onto public trails and when we first moved in lost hikers would jump the gate and walk down to the road. Even with 'No Trespassing' signs and a laminated map posted on the gate giving directions to the road we still get at least one intruder a year. Thankfully our 800 pound boar loves people and will jog up to meet the new comers in the hope of getting a belly rub - most people promptly leave. :rotfl:

 

[skysthelimit]

LOL.

The chickens would occasionall get spooked from the neighbors wayward cats. The folks to the left ofd me are from the old country, so I told them, any chicken that crosses in your yard is fair game.

 

[Whipple]

My one neighbor is sketchy. Constantly getting packages in the mail and leaving the house at odd hours. Plus seems to have a fair bit of spare change for renos. So I'm thinking she will stay out of my business.
The ones on the other side, they have kids. So I plan on having nothing to do with them. I'm not a fan of too many mini humans but my own.

 

[AnnClaire]

Yeah, my rabbits are "under the radar" too, but if someone asks, I am up front and sort of blunt about the fact that I will eat them. Some folks' response is just downright funny! LOL Oh, the horror of eating a fuzzy wittle bunny wabbit!

I did have a guy ask me yesterday if I was the lady with the rabbits. I said, "No, the city doesn't allow rabbits. I raise tribbles!" I think my angoras might qualify as tribbles :laugh2:

 

[Miss M]

"No, the city doesn't allow rabbits. I raise tribbles!"

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[skysthelimit]

You know the trouble with tribbles?

They keep multiplying.

At some point, someone will know what's up here, because I keep building little sheds...

 

[AnnClaire]

Here too, Sky, that is why I am putting up privacy fencing later this summer

So, tribbles multiply?? That MUST be why I have 9 cages full of white angora bucklings right now :laugh2: