Backyard meat rabbits are nothing new. During both world wars the raising of backyard meat rabbits was encouraged (as were hens); as well as the Great Depression. Over the decades the rabbit became more of a pet than a common livestock but recently that has begun to change.
I’ve written about raising meat rabbits in other articles and I’ll share those at the end of this one.
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Can you make money with backyard meat rabbits? YES! Now I am not here to tell you that you’re going to be the next rabbit breeding millionaire but you can make enough money to cover your rabbit supplies and feed…and maybe a bit extra. How much you make will depend on the size of your rabbitry, your promotion of your product/s and how connected your are in your homesteading, prepping and rabbit community.
Before you get started with any business venture you need to consider legalities and insurance. Make sure to see what regulations there are in your area that cover selling animals and animal products. Then check with your insurance agent about your homeowner or rental insurance policies; you may need to have a rider to cover your business.
You may want to consider not allowing people in your rabbitry to protect your rabbits from outside disease and unneeded stress. Most people understand when you tell them that you have a close rabbitry. You can provide pictures if they want to see the breeders, cleanliness, etc.
Now lets talk about the 5 ways that you can make money with backyard meat rabbits!…
Baked rabbit recipe: this baked rabbi is quick and easy to make, but packed with flavor. If you’ve eaten rabbit before you may know that it has a mild flavor, much like chicken, with very little fat. Because of this the meat will absorb flavors well but we must keep it moist during cooking.
If you are looking for a great backyard livestock, rabbits should be high on your list. They are fairly easy to raise, make little noise and well they…multiple like rabbits. You can get more information on Getting Started with Meat Rabbits and the Top 10 Meat Rabbit Breeds right here on my blog. There is nothing quiet like knowing that you’re raising and bringing your own meat to the table.
Whether it is baked rabbit or my slow roasted rabbit in the Sun Oven – I think rosemary is just about the perfect herb for flavoring rabbit meat….
Breeding meat rabbits can’t be that hard, right? I mean, they are rabbits! That was me, just a few years ago when we started our meat rabbit journey. Breeding meat rabbits isn’t hard; but there are a few general tips I can offer for success and a strong herd. Ultimately we want to strive healthy breeding stock that produces good litters that grow.
Before we can even think about breeding our rabbits we must have a good foundation stock. If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend starting with a trio (2 does and 1 buck). I learned, the hard way, that breeders don’t generally sell a doe that is producing well. If you find someone selling an adult doe – go in with caution. Why would they be getting rid of her? An adult buck is more reasonable because you need fewer males to females; but a good doe is worth her weight in gold.
If you are just getting started I recommend you read my article Getting Started with Meat Rabbits.
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Rabbits in Colonies or Cages? That’s the question! There are pros and cons to both methods. Today I welcome Maat from Frugal Chicken – she’s going to share her personal experience in raising meat rabbits in colonies versus cages.
When it comes to keeping homestead rabbits, you have some choices regarding housing. Namely, you can either choose to keep your rabbits separate or you can keep them together, in colonies. Each has their advantages and disadvantages.
On our farm, we’ve kept rabbits both in colonies and cages, and although the colonies had their advantages, we found that cages worked better for us. Safety of all our animals is paramount, from the tiniest kit on up, and through trial and error, I found that the easiest way to avoid bloody ears and missed pregnancies was by strictly controlling their environment.
For full disclosure, we currently keep two does in the same large cage together who grew up together. In a separate cage, we keep two bucks who also grew up together, but still find keeping the remaining rabbits in separate living quarters is advantageous.
Over the winter, we are rebuilding housing for them so these two pairs of rabbits can have individual homes….