Meat v/s Fiber Rabbits
Are you considering raising rabbits?
You should! Rabbits are a great addition to any farm or homestead.
- Rabbits are an easy homestead animal that can be supported by mostly grass and hay.
- They can be kept in a very small area.
- They are a quiet animal that doesn’t make much mess.
- Their manure is some of the best around. It will create rich, healthy soil and can be placed directly into the garden because rabbit manure is never hot.
- They provide some of the healthiest (low fat) meat.
- If you are raising a fiber breed, you will be able to use (or sell) their fleece.
- On top of their ease, they are quite loveable, which is a nice perk.
My children love rabbits. We’ve been keeping rabbits for many years.
There are 2 Categories of Rabbits
- Meat – kept primarily for their meat (yup, they are dinner)
- Fiber – kept primarily for their fleece. These rabbits are not killed, the fleece is harvested by brushing or clipping. Fiber rabbits are usually friendly and docile due to their frequent handling.
BENEFITS OF FIBER RABBITS: Fiber rabbits are nice because you won’t ever need to butcher your rabbits. Fiber rabbits will provide a second income when you sell the fleece.
BENEFITS OF MEAT RABBITS: With meat rabbits, you won’t worry about your rabbit population getting too big, it is just more meat for the freezer (or to sell). Meat rabbits are also less work because you do not need to care for the fleece.
We started our rabbit experiences with an odd group of 3 rabbits that were given to us. We were told they were all females, so imagine the surprise when we saw our female rabbits attempting to reproduce.
4 weeks later it was confirmed that there was definitely a dude in the mix, we woke up one cool April day to snow flurries and naked, baby bunnies. We had 4 kits (baby bunnies) to prove that the 3 rabbits were indeed NOT all female.
Did you know that a female rabbit can get pregnant while she is pregnant?
Yeah, me neither.
But, it’s true.
As soon as the babies arrived we moved daddy into his own private apartment, but it was too late.
Not even 4 weeks after the first litter was born, we she had a second litter.
FUN FACT: Female rabbits can conceive up to 5 days before they give birth.
ANOTHER FUN FACT: Female rabbits also have the ability to CHOSE to abort their pregnancy. Which is totally crazy.
We found ourselves in a rabbit situation. There were too many of them. There were not enough cages. The babies were growing up and trying to make their own babies (with their siblings).
People have been enjoying rabbit meat for centuries, so we decided to join our ancestors and enjoy the other white meat.
Rabbit & Dumplings
The rabbit meat was great, it tasted like chicken and the kids couldn’t tell a difference. Which was infuriating to them.
One sad day, a loose dog destroyed our rabbit hutches and killed almost our entire rabbit population (grrrrr).
It was horrifying.
We cried. We were sad.
We talked about what to do next. As a family, we resolved that if we were going to raise rabbits for meat we may as well get our money’s worth out of the project. In order to take a more focused approach and got New Zealand Red and whites.
The New Zealand breed is great. They grow quickly and provide quite a bit of meat.
I have no idea how many rabbits have graced our farm. Literally dozens. Our best doe (Iggy) always had litters of 10 or more and she was an excellent mother. She rarely lost a kit.
This is exceptional because rabbits are notoriously terrible mothers. If you get a good one, she is gold.
Raising rabbits for meat was great. It is really a fantastic hobby. Breeding is easy. When the kits are born it is thrilling. Baby bunnies (kits) are the cutest things on earth. And they give you TONS of food per year for the cost of grass.
The only drawback is D-day. The day that we say goodbye to the rabbits and thank them for the food is a sad day. Somehow processing rabbits is sadder (for us) than some other animals.
After years of playing, “Mom, is this really chicken pot pie?” we decided to make a HUGE change.
My youngest daughter was presented with the opportunity to make a change to fiber rabbits and she was super excited about it.
It all started (as many homestead stories begin) with a free animal.
Many of us homesteaders do not choose the animals we end up with. The breed. The genus. The species. It is often determined by one thing –
Someone gave the animal to us.
This is how I came to own potbelly pigs, Tunis sheep and now a French Angora Buck. There was no research involved. I did not study, read or visit other farms to choose the breed or pedigree.
It was free and we took it.
His name is Percy and he is quite the stud. He was in terrible shape when he came to our farm. Not from neglect, his owner is my friend and she is precious. He was well cared for… just not well-groomed.
When you take the plunge with an animal that has 5-inch wool, he’s gonna need some upkeep.
So, Percy hadn’t been to the hairdresser…. ever.
His first week here he went from matted and tangled to completely bald.
There really was no other way.
Luckily, hares grow hair pretty quickly (especially Angoras) and he was sprouting his new gorgeous coat in no time.
We had no idea what we were getting into with a French Angora (frankly, we didn’t even know he was a French Angora until his fleece came back in and we could have him evaluated by an expert).
Turns out that the French Angora is one of the larger breeds and lower-maintenance of the Angora family.
Which is nice.
We had a free buck and the adventures of finding a doe began.
For a year we searched among family, friends, local shows and couldn’t find the right doe with the right price tag.
It took a while for my brain to register that I should just ask my readers (that’s you).
Duh.
Once I put a request out to social media, rabbit-lovers from far and wide were eager to help.
We found our girl. Arranged the pickup. And met at a gas station for the handoff.
Which was quite the adventure.
My new friend, whom I was purchasing the doe from, is thorough in her rabbit sales process. My sweet doe came with a giant bag of food, a perfectly groomed coat, certified papers, and an ear tattoo.
Not only did my rabbit come with a care-package, she also came with a 30-minute lesson in rabbit care. Angoras have gorgeous wool that reaches 5 inches long and this can become a 5-inch problem if not properly cared for.
So, Rabbit-Guru pulled out her carpeted, portable grooming table. Grabbed her blower & brushes and began to teach me the methods of navigating the Angora fleece.
We had a full-blown rabbit showing orientation in the parking lot of the Pilot Gas Station.
A crowd gathered to watch me get my lesson in rabbit grooming. Two people tried to purchase my rabbit.
And even the manager of the Pilot came out to see what was happening in front of his store attracting such a crowd.
No. It is not a poodle.
No. She is not for sale.
No. You can not try to buy her for a higher price.
It was an all-out war for MY rabbit.
If you ever have some extra angora rabbits to sell, I suggest setting up a table at the Pilot in New Castle.
My new Angora rabbit rode home in my lap (and relieved herself all over me).
Because she is registered, she came with a name: “Maisey Bell” but my daughter is calling her “Pearl.”
So we have Percy & Pearl.
Care of an Angora Fiber Rabbit-
Caring for a wool rabbit does involve a little more upkeep than meat. You need to care for their coats so you can sell the fiber.
- Regular brushing – We brush our angoras about once a week. We save all the fleece that comes out.
- Regular blowing (this is more important if you are showing rabbits)- If you do not have a blower you can use a hairdryer on the low (cool) setting. Blowing removes tangles and cleans the coat.
- Clipping 2-3 times per year. This is not “shearing” or “shaving” like we do with the sheep (thank goodness). Clippers are used to take off a few inches of the fleece. I have been told to never take the wool shorter than 2 inches. This actually makes clipping very easy. You are just giving him (or her) a haircut (not a crewcut) and there is no danger of accidentally clipping, cutting or injuring the animal.
- Toenail clipping – every 2 months or as needed (this is for any rabbit, not just fiber)
It may sound like a lot of work, but it’s really not.
What to feed your rabbit-
- We give our young rabbits unlimited pellets to eat and hay.
- Rabbits seven months to one year of age can be fed as much hay as they want and pellets can be rationed at this point. Feed rabbits 1/2 cup of pellets per 6 pounds of body weight per day.
- Vegetables can be fed to rabbits (1-2 cups per week)
- You can also feed them 2-4 ounces of fruit per week.
Rabbits are super easy to care for and they give you so much!
- Meat
- Fleece
- Manure
- Joy
- AND Baby rabbits!
XO,
Candi
