A friend recently reminisced to me about her experience of living afield 20 yr ago . During that once - in - a - life-time risky venture , she recalled eating an amazing meal that still makes her mouth water just cerebrate of it : a rabbit smasher from in a eatery in a small Italian hamlet . Years later , she continues to explore out the best rabbit from her local butcher in parliamentary law to recreate that special meal .
In the United States , understanding rabbits as a shape of farm livestock is challenged by public opinion . More usually , people think of rabbits as fellow animals or pets . However , as one of the healthiest meat other than fish , lapin also act a commodity that Americans are beginning to learn more about .
“ Rabbits are efficient and want gloomy overhead , ” say Eric Stewart , executive film director of theAmerican Rabbit Breeders Association . “ They are economical to raise , offering in force feed conversion ratios than larger farm animal . But they are also sensitive to heat and have low-pitched design rates in the winter months . So there are good deal of things to consider before choosing to raise rabbit for kernel . ”
Do Your Homework
Zoning
Stewart explain that Farmer considering raise rabbits for sum necessitate to know the zoning in their arena . For a pocket-sized , urban or suburban farm , partition restrictions may be an issue . While rabbits do n’t smell out and are n’t as noisy as chickens , research zoning is the first whole tone .
Processing
The 2nd consideration is determine an outlet for processing and sell meat . Stewart tell that like other farm animal meats , rabbit centre that is raised for market must be processed and inspected in a USDA - licensed adeptness . Retail sales , in particular , require that the nub be sue according to USDA specifications . For personal phthisis , rabbit raisers can process the meat at home without a USDA license . These two variables will limit the sizing of your operation at the beginning .
“ My personal recommendation is to start small and grow as you go , ” Stewart says . Becoming a phallus of the ARBA is an excellent way to watch aboutmeat rabbitsbefore jump a herd . An investment of $ 20 for an adult membership will ply you with access to tons of info admit the organization’sDomestic Rabbitmagazine , along with theARBA Guide to Raising Better Rabbits & Cavies . This last resourcefulness render detailed data about hare care ranging from cage in and watering system to ventilating system diagrams , record safekeeping and butcher . A rank also offer a way to unite with rabbit breeding community of interests .
Marketing
Finally , after break off these prep items , Stewart suggests exploringhow you will market your product . Will you internet through a local CSA ? Will you sell specifically to a restaurant or will you be retail the kernel yourself ? These are factors that will help you determine the size of your operation at the commencement .
Grow Your Rabbit Farm
Ruth - Ann Bell of Skyward Bound Farms in Pennsylvania buzz off her start with meat rabbit as a 4 - H task when she was 8 years erstwhile . Today , she and her family raise gist coney on their farm , and everyone play a part in control the animals are run , have clean water and live in clean , temperate conditions .
“ Sanitation and public discussion are keys to raise inwardness rabbit , ” Bell says . “ Rabbits do well in all - conducting wire hutches in some sort of inclosure that protects them from the environs . ”
telegram hutches reserve barren products to spend through while keeping beast whole healthful , and wire side on the shanty keep airflow circulating through and disembarrass the cages of ammonia smells .
Five Furlongs/Flickr
Bell and Stewart urge keeping rabbit inindividual cages that are appropriate for their size . Female rabbits are very territorial , so private cages put up the safest strategy for like for does .
A female person ’s territoriality is also the understanding for put her in the dollar bill ’s cage for breeding : Stewart monitors the yoke until multiply is complete , travel the female back to her own John Cage for the safety of the buck . The female ’s ovulation is shake by the outgrowth of sexual union ; she does n’t come into oestrus like other mammals . This appendage of induced ovulation means that winter conception rates are typically low .
When a female is quick to deliver her bedding , she needs a larger batting cage : 30 - by-36 column inch . She remains with her offspring until they are weaned at 5 to 8 week of geezerhood and proceed into their own single cages . After weaning , rabbits are fed a 16 - percent - protein pellet plus leave with plenty of fresh water , which is a major factor in promoting wellness and produce firm flesh . It takes another two to four weeks for the animals to get hold of a weighting of about 5 hammer ; ready for processing . Seventy days of historic period is generally the optimum time for processing fryers ; waiting longer translates into a lesser gain for the feed provided and the marrow is not as tender .
New Zealand Whites and Californians are the best breeds for inwardness rabbits when it amount to growth and size . These two strain are well - known for commercial meat sales offering a logical , high - character flesh with right feed conversion efficiency .
Rabbit Herd Care Tips
Rabbits do n’t tolerate heat as well as they do insensate weather ; in fact , Bell says a buck can become uninventive in prolong temperature higher than 85 degree F. When it ’s too hot , Bell suggest adding rooter , swamp coolers and Mister to the rabbit barn . She also put glacial water bottles in coney cages to help the animals keep nerveless . Winter month are not so much of a challenge ; lapin seem to like the tank temperatures .
Bell adds that starting off with healthy fauna is key to maintaining a successful herd ; the work of raising the rabbits is more about cleanliness , deal and providing safe stipulation . Issues like diarrhoea ( which can communicate quickly and be annihilating to young animals ) or Pasteurella ( a respiratory condition that all rabbits harbour ) can be mitigated with proper sanitation and ventilation system through the rabbitry .
An initial rabbitry may host a small ruck — five does and a vaulting horse or two — for bring forth sufficient substance litters . This herd size will proffer a novel meat coney raiser an opportunity to understand the elements of responsible for rabbit care .
Joan/Flickr
Taking Rabbit Meat To Market
coney centre has the high protein content of all land meats . It hold 167.5 calories of protein and 6.8 grams of fat in a 3 - ounce serving . A beef do of the same sizing hold back 259 nutritionist’s calorie of protein and 18.3 gm of fat . raise rabbit also melt off the carbon footprint of the James Leonard Farmer over other meat fauna . Cows , fuzz and domestic fowl survive on grains while rabbits use up forages , making them more eco - friendly . Rabbits also call for a much smaller space than the other three species , helping to contribute to a lower impact on the environment overall .
Stewart raises Angora cony and goats . His rabbits are dual - purpose , first for their woollen , and then for their meat . Angora , Giants , Satins and French are all dual - purpose rabbit breeds that turn on the cultivator to harvest a fleece in addition to nitty-gritty . The pelts of New Zealand Whites and Californians are n’t as suitable to the fibre grocery . The U.S. has seen a meaning declension in the pelt industry , and pelts are generally compost after rendering .
Terry Grubb , chairperson of the commercial department of ARBA , is exemplary when it comes to considering meat rabbits as a revenue stream for hobby farmers .
jamjar/Flickr
“ Almost all substance raiser find a niche grocery for selling their products , ” Grubb says , intimate thoroughly exploring and identifying your ecological niche marketplace before begin if you want to move toward make a profit . “ kindle heart and soul rabbits is not a get - plenteous - quick proposal . I started with a lowly barn that was 40 - by-200 feet and added onto it 11 time [ as my business organization has grow ] . With a ecological niche , there are profit possibilities , but not like with other stock . ”
Grubb explains that on a small weighing machine , farmers canraise rabbitsto provide good for you , nutritious , homegrown inwardness for their phratry , as well as to sell to friends and neighbour . Although you could not sell from your deep-freeze , you could betray the live rabbit and volunteer to work it for your emptor . As you thrive your clientele , search ecological niche , which might admit specialty restaurants , butcher shops and the reptilian industriousness ( hare are fed to reptilian ) . The ARBA website has a page have the processing party across the country ; these are a special resourcefulness , so get hold one near you may be a challenge .
Humphries bring that vendors across the country purchase meat rabbits for human intake , but pricing vary . And if the rabbits have to be driven to another city to be processed , this wipe out into the rabbit - raiser ’s bottom line .
Susy Morris/Flickr
“ If someone wants to sell lapin , I commend they do research and outreach before beginning , ” Humphries say . “ Focus on what you will do with their pith , how much you will keep for your folk ’s consumption and who your likely markets are . notice out the local regulations for butchering or identify your skinny USDA facility in cash advance . ”
“ A good way to get connected [ to area resource ] is to serve a local show , ” Humphries suggests . “ There you will meet multitude who are raising rabbits for show and for kernel use . ”
While resurrect and sell rabbit meat can have its challenges , such as discover a niche for your product , there are rewards , too . On a diminished product farm , it can be rewarding to add rabbit gist as a rootage of protein for the family diet . erect your own lapin meat offer you cognition about the how the animal was raised , what it has consume to reach processing weight unit and where the meat come from .
This article originally appear in the November / December 2015 issue ofHobby Farms .
