As our protein sources are being squeezed (and contaminated) with suspicious processing plants catching fire and millions of birds being culled because of “avian flu” now (a year later) some of us are thinking ahead to having to grow our own meat. Rabbits are practical and since they’re quiet, fast breeders and their pellets can be used for fertilizer. I’ve found a friend willing to kill them which was my biggest stumbling block. I figure if I get hungry enough I will eat them.
THE MANURE IS GREAT FOR GARDENING NO NEED TO WAIT TO DECOMPOSE CAN GO RIGHT ON GROUND NEXT TO PLANTS YOU CAN COVER THE MANURE WITH STRAW OR CRASS CLIPPING TO KEEP THE SMELLING OR DIG IT IN BEFORE YOU GROW
*TOTALLY* worth it. I'm near 2 years in and it's finally a free food source. Ditch the pellets, folks - grow your own. Get a scythe and learn to put up hay. Totally free. Totally sustainable.
"they're cute" is a con for me. i do agree that rabbits are the best but man, getting meat from them, i think i'd have an easier time dispatching a chicken
Hi Tom, rabbits are cute. They actually used to be a big staple meat in the USA (and still are in many other countries) but the cute factor does deter people. It can definitely be hard for some people.
@@angrydwarfofdoom Good question, we process our own so I am not sure but I would assume that it is highly dependent on your location. I suggest asking others in your area or reaching out to butchers
I grew up on rabbits growing up in Europe. Great fried, stewed or ground up in sausages. Mild tasting meat, pretty lean and cute. Easy for kids to get attached though. About the easiest animal i thought to raise. Good info.
Some things I you mentioned I would consider either a pro or con to pet rabbits. I would not raise meat rabbits indoors like an apartment because I would not want to bond with something I’m going to eat. Also why I don’t want to spend anymore time than necessary to feed and water them. I agree with the nail trimming. Only necessary for the breeders because the young won’t be around long. I’ve gotten scratched up pretty bad I’m the past
Thanks, Kenneth. I agree, ideally the rabbits wouldn't be inside but for urban homesteaders this could be the only option. Although I think it is the smell that would deter me haha
The pelts at 8-10 weeks are unfit for clothing since it is very weak. 6 months is a better age to get pelts to make stuff but the meat has got to be stewed at that age.
just got 3 new zealands for our home, wish more people did this i had to pay 50$ per rabbit! theres a serious market out there for jsut reselling as meat rabbit breeders.
Wondering if it's practical or possible to set things up to make enough feed and water available so you can leave them without daily care several days? We live in a very rural area without near-by friends or relatives to help out once in a while when we go out of state to visit grandkids for 4-5 days.
Water we have figured out but food is def harder because our rabbits are not great at pacing out their food. I’d love to hear if you know of anything for food!
What is the general lifespan of the meat rabbits? I had a rescue that I think was between 3 and 4 years and just died suddenly. I have been trying to look up this data and can not find it specifically for meat rabbits.
How do you kill your rabbits? We raised rabbits when I was growing up and we would have up to 200 at any given time . Dad always shot the ones we ate. Lots of rabbit poop which is great garden fertilizer.
isn't caging a rabbit and not letting them be on the ground the best way to keep them disease free? Is just looking at the liver the best way to tell if a rabbit is safe for eating?
I used a dog kennel for free range my rabbits that also help save money on feed and at night i put them back in their cage for safety and while they are in the cage i move the kennel to fresh grass for the next day ...
OH wow, good call Justin! With the winter brewing here I completely forgot but we are doing a whole new garden build and this is going to be perfect for it. I have also heard that a lot of people will even sell the poop for a profit which is such a great idea.
I think it's cool.. it shows they care for their meat.. life is a bitter/sweet balance... modern people are blind to this juxtaposition.. supermarkets do not help
One UA-camr described it as a good life and one bad day. I have been thinking about raising rabbits for food. I know that the grandkids will ask what their names are. I will point at three and say, Nuggets, Deep Fried and Sunday Roast. BTW Chubs looks like he may have been the breeding buck. That's not quite as bad as naming food. Maybe. 🙄
Lots of angry vegans in the comments. I think it’s great you handle and let them. At least in their life they are comforted and shown love before the purpose comes. I personally would do the same as I’m looking into meat rabbits for eating
I was hoping you wasn't going to say that they are prone to getting ill. I have chickens. Egg layers no problems but meat chickens are always getting ill (I'm in Thailand). I bet I lose 75% before they make it to the table. I was looking for some alternative.
Knowing where my food comes from and how it is raised is really important to me. But raising your own food can be added fear and stress for individuals. That being said, there are many places you can send your livestock to be butchered for you if it is a barrier to knowing more about your food sources.
I don't judge, but there's just something oddly depressing about slitting a rabbits throat over a chickens throat... maybe it's because I grew up watching bugs bunny cartoon
They are great! We prefer them as fryers and it is an all white meat animal. I suggest trying them out at a restaurant first to see if they you like the taste.
That's why I'm seriously thinking sheep for milk (cheese!) and wool. Once they start getting too old and arthritic, then maybe they can be mutton stew. then have chickens for eggs. Cows are big, and I'm thinking that cattle are where you really need more land, but my uncle does keep a few meat cows that he breeds for more meat cows, and he just has a big backyard. He says he doesn't buy extra hay or anything, just free range.
@@daniellesjoy Yeah… seems like it. For me there is no difference between dogs, cats, rabbits, cows… in my eyes all innocent and loving beings. Still your lifestyle seems healthy and in touch with nature. I hope everyone on your little farm lives a very happy life.
Its never worth it to slaughter terrified prey animals for your own benefit. Its slavery, these sentient creatures like so many, have no choice in their destiny. And isnt it adorable how the kids get to play with them then kill them? (Sarcasm, in case you dont know).
the more you do it, the easier it gets to butcher them. I wouldn't ever recommend having a pet rabbit if you do this unless you're a psychopath. It's better to raise meat rabbits as meat rabbits, and it's a terrible idea to obtain pet rabbits to use as meat rabbits. Especially if the pets aren't one of the typical meat breeds
I agree. We raise New Zealand and Californian rabbits which are made to grow out fast and produce a large amount of meat. With pet rabbits it is a completely different ball game. Great notes, thanks!
![Why We Broke Up Our Rabbit Colony [Lessons Learned and New Strategy]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hBRF12-dCGs/mqdefault.jpg)
As our protein sources are being squeezed (and contaminated) with suspicious processing plants catching fire and millions of birds being culled because of “avian flu” now (a year later) some of us are thinking ahead to having to grow our own meat. Rabbits are practical and since they’re quiet, fast breeders and their pellets can be used for fertilizer. I’ve found a friend willing to kill them which was my biggest stumbling block. I figure if I get hungry enough I will eat them.
Best of luck!
THE MANURE IS GREAT FOR GARDENING NO NEED TO WAIT TO DECOMPOSE CAN GO RIGHT ON GROUND NEXT TO PLANTS YOU CAN COVER THE MANURE WITH STRAW OR CRASS CLIPPING TO KEEP THE SMELLING OR DIG IT IN BEFORE YOU GROW
Adding grass clippings is a great idea, thank you for sharing!
Yes my wife loves it for her flower bed.
THANKS FOR THE INFO JOSHUA
How many poo pellets do you use per plant?
*TOTALLY* worth it. I'm near 2 years in and it's finally a free food source. Ditch the pellets, folks - grow your own. Get a scythe and learn to put up hay. Totally free. Totally sustainable.
Love this!!
Storey's guide to raising rabbits had some great suggestions for preventing diseases and illness. Prevention is easier than treating.
Great tip thanks!
"they're cute" is a con for me. i do agree that rabbits are the best but man, getting meat from them, i think i'd have an easier time dispatching a chicken
Hi Tom, rabbits are cute. They actually used to be a big staple meat in the USA (and still are in many other countries) but the cute factor does deter people. It can definitely be hard for some people.
@@daniellesjoy I'll just have to get over it someday if I don't have neighbors to get bacon and chicken from. Thanks for the reply.
Heck no! My chickens are super entertaining to watch and they all have different personalities! Plus they take twice as long to mature :/
@@daniellesjoy How much does it cost to hire someone to process for you? I’m allowed to keep pet rabbits but not to process them on my property.
@@angrydwarfofdoom Good question, we process our own so I am not sure but I would assume that it is highly dependent on your location. I suggest asking others in your area or reaching out to butchers
I grew up on rabbits growing up in Europe. Great fried, stewed or ground up in sausages. Mild tasting meat, pretty lean and cute. Easy for kids to get attached though. About the easiest animal i thought to raise. Good info.
All very true! Thanks for sharing!
Some things I you mentioned I would consider either a pro or con to pet rabbits. I would not raise meat rabbits indoors like an apartment because I would not want to bond with something I’m going to eat. Also why I don’t want to spend anymore time than necessary to feed and water them. I agree with the nail trimming. Only necessary for the breeders because the young won’t be around long. I’ve gotten scratched up pretty bad I’m the past
Thanks, Kenneth. I agree, ideally the rabbits wouldn't be inside but for urban homesteaders this could be the only option. Although I think it is the smell that would deter me haha
Another few pros is that you can harvest their fur to make clothing and their feces is great manure for gardens and lawns.
Very true!
The pelts at 8-10 weeks are unfit for clothing since it is very weak. 6 months is a better age to get pelts to make stuff but the meat has got to be stewed at that age.
I raise Silver Fox and get 3 1/2 pounds of meat in 13 weeks at a cost of $8.75. I live in town with no difficulty.
Oh wow Ron, that is a great grow rate as a wonderful price. The world of rabbitry is truly amazing isn't it!
Where did you learn all of this and aquire the original foxes?
@@LynnMTHA silver fox is a type of rabbit not fox.
Such lucky people. Beautiful successful couple on a shared path together. Maybe one day I will have that.
You can have anything you put your mind to :)
They don't get sick much if you keep them away from the amonia from chicken manure and keep fresh air but not direct air
Hi Terry, great tip thanks!
Smell or stench for ammonium. Scent is what roses, perfume, forests and infants have...Thanks for godd information, good luck!
just got 3 new zealands for our home, wish more people did this i had to pay 50$ per rabbit! theres a serious market out there for jsut reselling as meat rabbit breeders.
100% we sell ours and it is a really great profit!
Glad to hear about your Channel
Happy to hear that this was helpful Steve! Happy to have you joining in on the journey.
Wondering if it's practical or possible to set things up to make enough feed and water available so you can leave them without daily care several days? We live in a very rural area without near-by friends or relatives to help out once in a while when we go out of state to visit grandkids for 4-5 days.
Water we have figured out but food is def harder because our rabbits are not great at pacing out their food. I’d love to hear if you know of anything for food!
@@daniellesjoy multiple automatic dog feeders, cut the top off and attach a 5 gallon bucket.
I’m from Canada and winter can have minus 40 c which is same as Fahrenheit . They thrive in cold temperatures.
Love it
Aww the dogs playing in the background at 7:07
The best!
They are just too cute for me
And they can be totally regenerative.
Thanks!
What is the general lifespan of the meat rabbits?
I had a rescue that I think was between 3 and 4 years and just died suddenly.
I have been trying to look up this data and can not find it specifically for meat rabbits.
Good question, it can really be dependent on their lifestyle and how hard they were worked before. But they can live for ~10 years
10 years
This help a lot, thanks to you gays!
So happy to hear that this is helpful!
Did Chris catch wild rabbits for breeding?? Or "hunt" (look, sek) on markets?
I love the way you say "getting closer to your rabbits". I'd rather not be close to rabbits that I'm going to harvest for food.
Haha
:) @@daniellesjoy
How do you kill your rabbits? We raised rabbits when I was growing up and we would have up to 200 at any given time . Dad always shot the ones we ate. Lots of rabbit poop which is great garden fertilizer.
We actually just got a Hopper Popper and it has been a good method so far. Especially with the price of bullets these days going up!
You can use a pellet rifle.
isn't caging a rabbit and not letting them be on the ground the best way to keep them disease free? Is just looking at the liver the best way to tell if a rabbit is safe for eating?
There are a lot of different thoughts!
Thats a big cali, mine only seem to reach 9.5lbs
Yes we have some big ones for sure!
I used a dog kennel for free range my rabbits that also help save money on feed and at night i put them back in their cage for safety and while they are in the cage i move the kennel to fresh grass for the next day ...
Good tip!
Thanks. When you mentioned the yield, I wish you would have been more specific. How much freezer weight vs live weight?
Sorry we have been bad at weighting I’ll try to get a video on this scheduled for the future!
I got a cute baby rabbit today he is so cute he has one ear floppy and one ear pointing up I named him Harvey
Adorable!
You forgot a pro, the poop is like gold
OH wow, good call Justin! With the winter brewing here I completely forgot but we are doing a whole new garden build and this is going to be perfect for it. I have also heard that a lot of people will even sell the poop for a profit which is such a great idea.
@@daniellesjoy yes i have sold it but i most use it my self on my tress and house plants and garden so it never goes to wast.
Have you tried Bokashi to help with the smell and help make compost?
Nice Video and love to see your confidence stay blessed 😊😊😊
Thanks a lot
@@daniellesjoy welcome
Thank you
The Californian rabbit is cold hardy?!?! That's crazy!
They have been really hardy for us! I know the name doesnt sound like it haha
Do they require require vaccinations? If yes, every rabbit that will get harvested in a few weeks needs to be vaccinated?
We didn’t vaccinate ours
Great video thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
This man literally stood there for 4 minutes petting the rabbit and cuddling it in a video about rabbits for meat......savage.
Hahaha
I wish you don't ever need to eat your own dog, and believe me here where I come from people were sometimes forced to do so...
I think it's cool.. it shows they care for their meat.. life is a bitter/sweet balance... modern people are blind to this juxtaposition.. supermarkets do not help
One UA-camr described it as a good life and one bad day.
I have been thinking about raising rabbits for food. I know that the grandkids will ask what their names are. I will point at three and say, Nuggets, Deep Fried and Sunday Roast. BTW Chubs looks like he may have been the breeding buck. That's not quite as bad as naming food. Maybe. 🙄
Should he give it a slap? Wasn’t it a breeder anyway? They’re pets!
The only meat that man can digest 100%. Fresh veggies are good, and tagging there ears(a numbering system)
Numbering system is a good idea!
Lots of angry vegans in the comments. I think it’s great you handle and let them. At least in their life they are comforted and shown love before the purpose comes. I personally would do the same as I’m looking into meat rabbits for eating
Very niceeee
Thank you NZ!
Noticed the Aussie shirt! My aussie likes to catch wild rabbits and rip their heads off 😅
Oh my!
I was hoping you wasn't going to say that they are prone to getting ill. I have chickens. Egg layers no problems but meat chickens are always getting ill (I'm in Thailand). I bet I lose 75% before they make it to the table. I was looking for some alternative.
Oh wow, that is wild. Best of luck!
Why would you cut their nails? Put OSB plate inside their cage they wore out nails and tooth...
Good tip!
Any shots??
We do not give them shots but you can
But how can you kill them?
Knowing where my food comes from and how it is raised is really important to me. But raising your own food can be added fear and stress for individuals. That being said, there are many places you can send your livestock to be butchered for you if it is a barrier to knowing more about your food sources.
pin the neck under a broom handle and pull the legs back and up. Quick and painless when done swiftly.
I agree. Know where your food is coming from.
How? Grab the head with the left hand and the neck with the right and twist. Just like Grandad taught 50 years ago ...
I don't judge, but there's just something oddly depressing about slitting a rabbits throat over a chickens throat... maybe it's because I grew up watching bugs bunny cartoon
A lot of people feel the same way, def how society teaches us
Bunnies are delicious..
in what state are you ? thanks
We are in the North East of the US
How’s the meat????
Tastes good!
Are they tasty?
They are great! We prefer them as fryers and it is an all white meat animal. I suggest trying them out at a restaurant first to see if they you like the taste.
@@daniellesjoy great idea, except I have no idea what restaurants serve rabbit.
@@daniellesjoy do they taste like chicken lol. Why does everything that you eat for the first time taste like chicken lol
Wonder what they said the 1st time some ate chicken ? 🍗
You ever try to sell to pet stores and get more out of them than meat?
We haven’t but I haven’t heard of people doing it and having good luck!
Is Chubbs hiding his face because he’s sad you’re eating all of his friends?
"If I hide, maybe he won't at me"
Come a Zombie Apocalypse we will see who is laughing at who 😉
Haha very true!
Rabbit love,will get meat for famely
Very true!
Your dog 🐶 looks like a mini cow. 😊
So true! Haha
😂😂😂 hung is very funny
🐰
Thanks for the love!
@@daniellesjoy just discovered you wonderfuls last night,i look foward to looking back on ya clips and discovering your awsome advice.GO STRONG.
Would not suggest breeding anything out of an apartment bruh
You can breed from an apartment you will just want to have good air circulation and clean the cages out often cause it can get smelled
if the rabbits r getting sick a lot then ur probably feeding them a shitty diet.
Good and heat can def play a large role
Ya rabbits get sick all right. I’ve lost rabbits in 12 hrs. They go lethargic and die. Quick..
Sorry to hear about your losses but it is 100% a part of raising rabbits. Both the good and the bad.
For meat? They’re too cute :(. I would just want some cows for milk, chickens for some eggs, and lots of fruits and veggies
It is a hard transition at the beginning for sure
That's why I'm seriously thinking sheep for milk (cheese!) and wool. Once they start getting too old and arthritic, then maybe they can be mutton stew. then have chickens for eggs. Cows are big, and I'm thinking that cattle are where you really need more land, but my uncle does keep a few meat cows that he breeds for more meat cows, and he just has a big backyard. He says he doesn't buy extra hay or anything, just free range.
So first you cuddle them and then you kill- oh sorry- „harvest“ them? Wow… I could never do that. Would you consider eating your dogs aswell?
Sorry you feel this way. It’s sounds like homesteading with animals might not be the best option
@@daniellesjoy Yeah… seems like it. For me there is no difference between dogs, cats, rabbits, cows… in my eyes all innocent and loving beings. Still your lifestyle seems healthy and in touch with nature. I hope everyone on your little farm lives a very happy life.
that technical difficulties stunt you pulled there killed the video and any interest i coulve get to watch any of your videos, well done.
Thank you!
Its never worth it to slaughter terrified prey animals for your own benefit. Its slavery, these sentient creatures like so many, have no choice in their destiny. And isnt it adorable how the kids get to play with them then kill them? (Sarcasm, in case you dont know).
Sorry you feel this way, we are a homesteading channel
Hipsters trying their hand at farming! The smell comments are when I find a different content creator. These kids have no GRIT!
Trying to just live a more sustainable lifestyle!
Hey. Great job. You have a lot of videos I gotta watch.
Glad you like them!
the more you do it, the easier it gets to butcher them. I wouldn't ever recommend having a pet rabbit if you do this unless you're a psychopath. It's better to raise meat rabbits as meat rabbits, and it's a terrible idea to obtain pet rabbits to use as meat rabbits. Especially if the pets aren't one of the typical meat breeds
I agree. We raise New Zealand and Californian rabbits which are made to grow out fast and produce a large amount of meat. With pet rabbits it is a completely different ball game. Great notes, thanks!