Questions, :)

[Legacy Lane]

Hi, I am a newbie to this site but not to raising rabbits. I raised and bred them for almost ten years; I was in elementary school at the time. I done everything myself and paid for everything, I sold my babies at $15 and made a good profit. I ended up getting out of them when my pet and buck was stolen. I am now married and have a young son, and living in my parents basement. We have bought a property and a trailer. YAY! Anyways money will be tight when we move out. I raise goats, and plan to fatten 1-2 up for meat. I was joking with my mom about getting rabbits again, then decided it might be a good idea, so I started researching. And that had lead me here. I am interested in raising rabbits for our meat. Is raising rabbits cheaper then buying beef from a store ? I have all the cages, feeders, waters, and since I raise goats hay won't be in the price either. I would probably buy 2 does and a buck to start. So just pellets, which around here 50 pounds is ALWAYS under $15 a bag normally $10. So pretty much; is breeding rabbits solely for the purpose of feeding your family cheaper then buying beef from a store ? (I would still buy some beef).

Thanks so much!

Also: do you find that raising them on "pasture" (movable tractors) is better then in cages (for growth rate)?
What about having the does living together? verses every one has their own cage ?
How do you butcher ?

 

[AmysMacdog]

:welcome:

 

[Miss M]

:welcomewagon: Welcome to RabbitTalk, Legacy Lane!!

Is raising rabbits for meat cheaper than buying beef at the store?

YES. I count consumables only (food) for my rabbits, and don't count one-time investments like cages or even a shed to put them in.

At any rate, I calculated that, at $16 per 50-pound bag of feed, I spend about $1.25 per pound of skinned, cleaned rabbit (not deboned). My actual cost is a good bit lower, though, because I calculated it based on what my entire rabbitry was consuming at the time, and that included multiple litters. So in figuring the cost of raising that one litter, I included the feed for other litters. I probably pay more like $.75 per pound. And that's for meat mutts with slow growout. I'll need to recalculate sometime.

Even going with $1.25/pound of rabbit... the cheapest beef is $3/pound on sale at the grocery store.

I can get chicken for a little less than I pay for rabbit. Sometimes.

I used to be able to get a couple of pork cuts for a little less than I pay for rabbit, but I haven't been able to for a couple of years now.

Also: do you find that raising them on "pasture" (movable tractors) is better then in cages (for growth rate)?

I haven't tried pasture yet, but others will chime in on this, I'm sure.

What about having the does living together? verses every one has their own cage ?

This works sometimes. It depends on how large the living quarters are, and whether the does decide to get along with each other. They could also kill each other or each other's litters. Littermates, and mother-daughters, will have better chances of getting along than rabbits that were not raised together, though that can work too.

How do you butcher ?

We put each rabbit into a plastic milk crate with a couple of inches of hay and tasty weeds.

My son wields the pellet gun, shooting the rabbits in the back of the head, below the skull, as they investigate or munch.

My daughter and I skin the rabbits.

My husband guts and cleans.

My mom packs.

I clean the giblets.

 

[Legacy Lane]

Thanks!!

I have all the cages and everything already; I never sold any of my supplies just my rabbits.

YAY! I am so happy that it will be cheaper! I defiantly need a way to save money on meat. Does any one know how many carbs are in rabbit meat?

I have cages, and would have to build a pasture area, just wondering if on graze they grow faster/better.

I have read about several different way of killing them, just wondering which is the best and most humane.
thanks again


I think I am going to do a colony; it will be out side. Made out of cattle panels (https://www.google.com/search?q=cattle+ ... d=0CC0QsAQ ) These are what I am talking about <<)

I will tarp it, and make a gate in one end, completely block off the other end. The buck will be caged. I am also going to make my chicken coop like this! So excited!

 

[Zass]

http://buyrabbitmeat.co.za/?page_id=8
I don't think meat generally has any carbs (someone correct me if I'm wrong here)
I breed rabbits solely to feed my family.
we buy really expensive bunneh chow, still less expensive than quality beef.
I don't compare it to "store meat" though.
There is something to be said for knowing EXACTLY where you meat comes from and how the animals were treated along with what they were fed. For example, mine never get antibiotics, and I pretty sure many people's rabbits on here are 100% organic. That's a high price tag from a store. Too high for my local stores to even carry.

Pastured rabbits generally (but by no means always) grow more slowly than pellet fed buns.

Butchering is easy, rabbits die quickly and well, by a variety of methods, and the skin peels right off.
Make sure your buns can't reach any tarp or they will chew it all to pieces.

 

[Zab]

I breed in a colony and I think it's great
Just make sure it's rat and predator proof for when you have kits.
Welcoe to the forum!

(can't compare prices as I'm in sweden)

 

[Legacy Lane]

I have NEVER had to rely on store bought meat EVER! My parents (more my dad and I) raise beef steers, grain fed for two years, T-bone steaks bigger then plates kinda thing. I mean I won't even eat a steak out because ours are so much better. We feed pretty much organic. But when I move out, I won't be able to afford to pay the price, and although they will give me some meat, they can't feed my family for free.
I would love to raise my son the way I was raised, but I can't afford to raise steers lol.I was getting scared about having to feed my family meat filled with who knows what.

I am on the Atkins diet so no carbs for me btw this diet works !

Do you leave momma in the colony when she about ready to kit ? Or do you remove her from the colony while she raises her babies ? That seems like it would make it hard to re introduce her. Also in a colony do you want all does to kit together?

Would it be the same thing in steers; the closer to butcher the more movement you reduce ? Like our calves are turned out on pasture, for a year, spend their next 7-8 months in a run, and the rest they are locked up in a barn. So they don't "run off their fat"

If I wanted a quicker grow rate I could still have a colony outdoors, and when I wean the kids, make a doe and buck fryer pen in cages ? Then my grow rate would still be good, but my does don't have to spend their lives locked up. I would full feed both hay and pellets in a colony most likely.

Oh and predators, I have a guard dog But I will also make sure I am as predator proof as I can be
Thanks so much for the answers !

 

[Zab]

I leave my does in the colony whwn they're about to kindle, but I don't breed everyone at once as they can decide to use the same nest at the cost of kits (if 16 kits share a nest some may not get fed, even if both does go in to feed)

It's easier to get a couple of young does and let them grow up together than to buy adult ones and try to have them like each other. But people have had success with both methods

 

[Frecs]

Does any one know how many carbs are in rabbit meat?

Meat generally does not have carbs. Meat is a source of protein and fat as the macronutrients.

1 3oz serving of roasted rabbit meat has: 25g of protein, 7g fat (2g saturated<--do not fear this!)


It also is an excellent source of: Vitamin B6 and Phosphorus, Niacin, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.



Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/lam ... z2jP4MYmnc<br /><br />__________ Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:21 am __________<br /><br />

I am on the Atkins diet so no carbs for me btw this diet works !

As a nutritionist...it's got it's good points and it's bad points. Have you heard of Weston A Price? I'd encourage you to check out some of the many youtube videos from the Weston A Price Foundation.

Would it be the same thing in steers; the closer to butcher the more movement you reduce ? Like our calves are turned out on pasture, for a year, spend their next 7-8 months in a run, and the rest they are locked up in a barn. So they don't "run off their fat"

No. Not like that at all. You don't get marbling in rabbit muscle like you do in beef.