Anyone keeping rabbits for the table?

[Dean]

As a long time bowyer I have usually kept the freezer full of some type of game. Goats most often bunnies and boar with a couple of fallows a year coming in also.

recently I got the kids some pet bunnies and thaught it may be nice to get back into keeping bunnies for the table. I have access to Flemish giants locally and they seem the best bang for the buck. They are the same bunnies dad kept for the table.

do any of you guys keep them and are there any pitfalls to watch out for while breeding the heavy breeds. I would prefer chooks and or ducks as I have a lot of experiance with them but wifey won't deal with the noise and smell anymore. I might be able to sneak in a few quails if she isn't looking though.

the bigest factor prompting me to bunnies is the shit. It's a cold shit that can be used straight away and pasture bales here are basically free, so feeding is a $50 a year issue for a few big guys.

any and all info apreciated

cheers

Dean.

 

[NRustica]

I raise rabbits. I raise commercial size rabbits, American Blue, American Chinchilla and New Zealand white. These are on size smaller than FG but their meat ratio is better. They have finer bones than the FG. I butcher mine 8-13 weeks as they get to 4.5-5#. I suggest one of these types personally.

I would suggest getting some worms from Uncle Jim's to put under the cages to deal with the poop. It will keep the smell down some. Over all the biggest concern for the FG is cage space. While a buck of a class 6 needs only 4 sq ft a FG is going to need like 6. And while a doe with grow out capacity of a class 6 is 6 sq ft. you're probably going to want 8 for the FG. Also make sure they have something to sit on. They have plastic squares that have holes for poop to go through but will help with the feet.

 

[Dean]

Some great food for thaught, I have seen NZ and the chinchilla

you have helped perfectly, thankyou. Bone to meat ratio is key as is killing time. Can I say that here? Grow out rates are more the issue and the FG take time. I know they get big but is it worth the time and effort to get them up of there is a better option? Have you kept FG to put against your bunnies? Are the other breeds quicker to table?

cheers.....apreciated.

 

[Dean]

Classes of bunnies has me beat, a class 6? Bloody big maybe?

we have a few introduced diseases here like mixo and calise sp? Both kill bunnies wild ones are rife. I can provide a large run cage of 12x50ft and smaller cages for the adults I'd need to breed I was hoping 2 bucks would be enough to hold a line and multiple fems in the outside run. Sectioned off for growing out. Adults. And fems.

 

[NRustica]

Class 6 rabbits are 9-12lbs at maturity. FG are sometimes classified as class 6 but they really are bigger. I think you'd be happy with grow-out times for the NZW, Californians, Am. Chinchillas and the like. If you go to www.arba.net they have a whole listing of rabbits and their classes. The class 6 rabbits are generally developed to be commercial rabbits and are raise for quick grow out times i.e. 8-12 weeks reaching 4.5-5#. You really only need one buck but it's good to have two in case one checks out. You want to keep the bucks apart. You can do colony raising but you have to watch them to make sure one mom doesn't attack the other one's kits. I prefer to keep mine above ground in separate cages. Keeps control of disease and helps you to keep track of who is who and who is doing what to who.

Figure on one cup of pellets/rabbit/day to maintain weight. You want to be able to free feed does who are lactating and grow outs.

 

[Dean]

Ok I'm with you. The garçon is good. So look for the better bunnies and harvest earlier with nzw which I can get. To me atm they are a little like a pet the dwarfs have no meat so the kids can have them, they are happy.

So if I make runs for two bucks and leave an area for does to hang and only let the boys out once a month I should breed? If there is a better way talk to me. I don't want small quarters, 8x4x4 high per trio in individual hutches. These are Netherlands dwarfs atm. The big bunnies should be ok in pairs in the same quarters to start with. Then held with does adjacent.

I am am thinking like the dwarfs but allowed to breed. With all. I'm not really looking for a colour or ear traight so big to big would be best?

 

[NRustica]

Dwarfs would be like eating conrnish hens or quail. You always bring the doe to the bucks cage otherwise the doe may attack him.

 

[Markw]

I have looked into this before and what I have found is that NZ Californians crossed are the best for meat return. I hope you like rabbit pie, I simply love it and with their breeding rates it makes it better than breeding Chickens, People say that the cost of feeding them is far less inexpensive.

 

[Knucklehead]

We used to raise NZ Whites for restaurants. We had a good sized barn full of them. Haven't raised any in a good number of years though. Love the taste. We also raised Red Wiggler worms in the manure for sale to fishermen. The two were made for each other.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I was wanting to raise nzw's or California's for meat as they are most efficient meat producers that I read about, but the wife is dead set against it. Too cute apparently.

I'm allowed to raise hogs, but I think that's only because she thinks I won't actually do it... Annoying parts of married life. I gotta start building that hog pen.

 

[Knucklehead]

Under a hog pen is a good place for a still. Maybe you could raise your rabbits under there so your wife won't see them. lol

 

[NRustica]

Just butchered 12 rabbits in a record hr.

 

[Dean]

No love on the NZ whites, although we are a 2 hour plane ride from the source of the said bunnies. I'm still looking. There are plenty of American breeds here and some with recent US additions to the blood line, most seem to be toy types.

 

[Mad Oshea]

Just butchered 12 rabbits in a record hr.

I bet You had some fuzzy fingers when You were finnished? Pretty fast......

 

[NRustica]

Really any class 6 bunnies ought to do for meat breeds. The only really good thing about any white rabbits is when you butcher them, the stray white hair here and there are hard to see.

Any of these will do:

• American
• Giant Angora (largest)
  
• Beveren
• Blanc de Hotot
• Californian (smallest)
  
• Champagne d' Argent
• American Chinchilla
  
• Cinnamon
• Creme d' Argent
• English Lop
• New Zealand
• Palomino
• Satin
• Silver Fox

 

[Dean]

I have found them best to hang them for a few hours to bleed out and the fuzzy fingers isn't such an issue once the blood is set. Cut the throat and hang.

 

[NRustica]

I bet You had some fuzzy fingers when You were finnished? Pretty fast......

I put a pellet in the back of the head and they bleed out pretty quickly and then I decapitate. If you do it right you don't lose a lot of hair off the hares. But I also have a hose to keep them, the knives and my hands clean during butchering.

 

[Dean]

NRustica, thankyou for the short list lol. I will now look for them by name, I have seen chinchillas but nothing else except cinnamons. They were a days drive away. I now have a ball park to play in and some more information up my sleeve. It turns out the bunnies sold at most of the local butchers are NZ whites but none of the farmers I have contacted will supply live. I suppose it is their livelihood but hell if the hobby growers don't have them it's a shame on the industry. And heaven forbid a disease outbreak occurred and they needed new stock...

 

[Mad Oshea]

Any month with an "R" in it is butcher time here. I thump em on the back of the head and a cut around the crotch peel the skin over the head and off with it chicken style. 2 min a hair. Then unzip the insides. I will be finnished planting all My baccy today and think I will get a few to celibrate. Great list. I prefer NZ and Satins.

 

[Dean]

I will eat wild rabbit but we have diseases brought here like mixomotosis and Calese virus spelling to be corrected please.

we don't have clean kills in the field. I have been advised since I got the kids bunnies that calese or kalese virus was re released in my area. Spread by mosquito, I have the kids hutches pulled up tighter than a frogs a s s. ,y large area I want to use is all screened with wire fly screen, for some reAson I have a lot of it spare from previous projects, it's now 20 dollars a merer.