Rabbit Breeds

When discussing rabbit breeds we are only looking at those breeds preferred for their meat. For that reason there are a couple of criteria to keep in mind. The giant breeds like the Flemish Giants do produce large fryers with a lot of meat. However, they also have larger bones, so the meat to bone ratio is not as good as some of the smaller breeds.

The rabbit breeds most commonly raised for meat are the California and the New Zealand White. They are both known for high milk production, ability to be bred frequently, and for producing large litters.

The California is a meat rabbit developed in the United States. Typically they weigh about 9-10 pounds and have white fur with black nose, ears, feet and tail. They are usually rather plump but have fine bones. Continue...

Raising Rabbits

Raising rabbits is often proposed as a way of providing meat in the event of a post-SHTF world. When supermarkets are no longer the source for food, feeding one’s family will entail changing how one “shops”. There will be basically two choices: hunt for food or raise it, or some combination of these two.

If you are thinking about raising your own meat animals, two that are most often discussed for the small backyard farmer are chickens and rabbits. When comparing cost, efficiency and productivity of the two meat-producers, many prefer rabbits over chickens for the following reasons: Continue...