Raising rabbits for an export market.

[aolsz]

My thought is that rabbits can be a better option for small farmers than pigs or poultry. But considering rabbits as an agribusiness, there are additional dimensions. Are there large buyers / brokers who will buy rabbit meat?

 

[aolsz]

My thought is that rabbits can be a better option for small farmers than pigs or poultry. But considering rabbits as an agribusiness, there are additional dimensions. Are there large buyers / brokers who will buy rabbit meat?

For the Sunni Moslem, eating rabbits is permitted, but the animals have to be slaughtered in an approved facility.
https://islamqa.org/hanafi/islamicportal/117904/is-it-permissible-to-eat-rabbits/

 

[aolsz]

Rabbit is popular in China, but that country is the world's largest producer.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0309174018302390

 

[aolsz]

My thought is that rabbits can be a better option for small farmers than pigs or poultry. But considering rabbits as an agribusiness, there are additional dimensions. Are there large buyers / brokers who will buy rabbit meat?

It's reported that in Nigeria and South Africa, rabbits are raised commercially. There's a South African meat rabbit breed: Phendula.

"...
Independent farmer Gavin Grgurin keeps 500 rabbits at his farm outside Johannesburg. He says he thinks it’s the meat of the future.

“As National Council, we've been saying for the last 12- to 15-odd years that rabbit is the potential of being the savior of Africa from a protein point of view. The reasons beyond that all are a multitude,” Grgurin said.

For one, he says, rabbit meat is high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol. They take up little space and don’t eat much.

They require less water than chickens, and put out less waste than cows. Rabbits, Grgurin says, may be the greenest meat.
..."

https://www.voanews.com/a/africa_africas-new-white-meat-rabbit/6177546.html

 

[aolsz]

My thought is that rabbits can be a better option for small farmers than pigs or poultry. But considering rabbits as an agribusiness, there are additional dimensions. Are there large buyers / brokers who will buy rabbit meat?

"...
Dr. Steven Lukefahr has been an avid advocate of rabbit-raising ever since his parents showed him how to raise them for the family dinner table as a young boy. He has spent his career touting rabbit as a solution for protein-energy malnutrition in the developing world. Rabbits, Lukefahr points out, are easy to raise, procreate, er, like rabbits , are relatively disease-free, more easily digestible than some other proteins, are low-fat and have a pleasant taste. While wild rabbits are a little gamier, domestic rabbits taste—okay–a lot like chicken and can be adapted to a wide variety of international culinary tastes.
..."

https://world.time.com/2012/12/14/how-rabbits-can-save-the-world-it-aint-pretty/

 

[jani]

Another thing to consider is quail. Even less commitment and overhead then rabbits.

 

[dlynn]

Another thing to consider is quail. Even less commitment and overhead then rabbits.

Yes! I raise both rabbits and quail. (Jumbo Coturnix) Quail will give both eggs and meat. They are more disease free than chickens. Take less space. However I enjoy the rabbits more. Heard one chef say he hated serving quail. People pick off the breast and waste the rest. Picky people don't want to pick thru the small bones for the meat. I portion my rabbits. I don't serve whole. Give someone a hind quarter, it looks familiar. Hubby and I love the rabbit ribs, very yummy but we save them for us for the same reason. It's a little work so we don't waste them on others. A daughter in law doesn't like meat on bones, she gets the back straps... Taste like chicken?? Makes it familiar but I think rabbit is so much better.. also rabbit manure is easier to deal with. It's safe to use in the garden without composting, boosts fertility and water retention.

 

[aolsz]

Another thing to consider is quail. Even less commitment and overhead then rabbits.

1) The topic is rabbits.
2) Quail have all the disadvantages of chickens and none of the advantages.