Top 10 Reasons to Raise Rabbits for Meat Instead of Other Small Animals

You may have been considering raising chickens, geese, ducks, goats, sheep, or other small livestock for meat, but once you learn how easy it is to raise rabbits, you’ll never consider another animal as your primary meat source.

1. Rabbits have an extremely high reproductive rate. A healthy, mature female can produce up to 1,000% of her body weight each year. Having just one female and one male can provide meat twice a week for a family of four.
2. Rabbits need very little space to live. Whether you live in a condo or in the country, you can always find space to raise a couple of rabbits. No grazing is required and they are rarely classified as livestock, allowing you to keep them virtually anywhere. How many apartment complexes would allow you to have a chicken or a goat in them?
3. Rabbits are low maintenance. Visit them every night to feed, water and do quick health checks, clean their cages once a month and keep a simple breeding journal – that’s all you need to do! The females care for the young by themselves and the only special tools you will need are nest boxes that you can even build yourself. No incubators or manual feeding required.
4. Rabbits are virtually silent roommates. Aside from the mating squeal, rabbits are extremely quiet animals. They will not reveal your location to anyone, even if you are traveling with them. Who knows what a chicken, goose or duck is likely to attract, not to mention a rooster. If the outdoor cages are well hidden and clean, the neighbors may not even know they are there.
5. A little rabbit food goes a long way. When the rabbits are being weaned (6-8 weeks old), they are large enough for consumption. This allows you to skip feeding most rabbits as you phase out the young, leaving only the adults to consume the expensive rabbit food.
6. Rabbits are the perfect size meal for a family of four. Rabbits are compact and are usually slaughtered in “fryer size” (3-5 pounds), so you don’t have to worry about storing or eating leftovers.
7. Rabbit manure will make your garden love you. Rabbit manure is an excellent fertilizer for your garden that will not burn your plants. Also, if you make vermicompost, your worms can feed on the droppings, which will make them love you too.
8. Rabbit meat is very high in protein and extremely low in fat and cholesterol. Very few other meats have nutritional values ​​like rabbits, and none of them can be raised in your living room. Doctors have been known to prescribe rabbit meat diets to overweight patients.
9. Rabbit fur will make an incredibly warm coat and is a great bartering item. On a cold winter night, snuggling up in a blanket made from rabbit fur will keep your family warm long after the fire is out. You can also make hats or other accessories, and children love to have a lucky rabbit’s foot.
10. Rabbits are relatively easy to euthanize and clean. Nobody likes to do it, but if you’re going to eat them, eventually the day will come. Someone with experience can get a rabbit from the cage to the freezer in 15 minutes or less. No plucking is needed and there is very little cleanup.