How Long To Raise Rabbits For Meat

They dont take up much space and they dont stink if they are managed properly. Rabbits may potentially begin breeding before three months of age.

Why You Should Raise Rabbits Modern Farmer

However if the rabbit is not of a decent size at eight weeks you need to choose another breed to raise.

How long to raise rabbits for meat. Small operations need only one buck male and two does females to get started. Beef - 35lbs beef 5lbs chicken rabbits none The US. Rabbit meat is a true bargain in todays economy and food market for.

Even after several apparently successful breeding. The rate of breeding makes rabbits one of the best sustainable meat sources you can raise. Department of Agriculture has stated.

A good California White or New Zealand White two of the best breeds for meat production can produce 6 litters per year with 6-10 kits per litter. Breeding Meat Rabbits Rabbits have a 30 day gestation cycle and become mature at seven months. Raising rabbits is simple and economical.

A single female has on average about 8 babies or kits per litter and rabbits have a gestational period of 28-31 days so it is feasible for your rabbit to have one litter per month but more likely a little less. Younger rabbits almost always cost less than mature rabbits since theyre smaller meaning less meat and face higher mortality risk. If you raise rabbits in the typical hanging cages or hutches you bring the doe you wish to breed to the bucks cage after doing a pre-breeding health check on both.

They are capable of getting pregnant again right after kindling giving birth. You dont need a large complement of breeders to provide your family with a steady supply of fresh meat. This doesnt include water per pound of meat.

But you would be surprised. The perfect butchering age is around 8 weeks of age. So week ten is the optimal time to slaughter a rabbit.

You need to take note though that a rabbits meat gets tougher as they get older so they need to be butchered at around eight weeks. It is important to know that when raising rabbits for meat that the older the rabbit gets the tougher the meat becomes. After about seven weeks the rabbits are grown enough to butcher and are called fryers.

For example rabbits take 3 -. You can buy rabbits as young as four weeks just a few days after theyre weaned. Kits baby rabbits mature to butchering size in about ten weeks.

Smaller breeds non meat type genetics and alternatively feed rabbits will take longer. They multiply rapidly and can in the end herald up to 200 pounds of meat a year depending on your herd and the amount you breed. If you prefer to raise them for a larger carcass and do not separate them you will undoubtedly find some surprise pregnancies either at slaughter or with unexpected litters.

We would routinely butcher by. Meat rabbits are raised to 10 weeks of age and five pounds of weight before processing. If you start with three rabbits 2 females and one male you could have well over a hundred rabbits in the first year.

Rabbits reach breeding age by about 6 months and their gestation period is only 30 days. Rabbits dont exactly breed like rabbits. Selling rabbits for meat or for breeding is a creative way to make some extra money when living off the grid.

Rabbits are a great choice for a meat animal for the small homestead. Between 4-6 weeks they become fully weaned and should be held and handled to increase their tameness. Rabbitry meat is becoming more popular.

It takes little space and time as well as being one the most inexpensive types of livestock to raise for food production. Even if youre just raising meat for personal consumption and never plan to sell poor rabbits produce really expensive meat. They can be gently handled at that time.

This means you will need a larger breed so it will be a decent size by the 8-week mark. Where its 2500 gallons for beef 600 gallons for chicken. Rabbits are easy to raise and can be a rewarding project for the homesteader.

Not only do they require little attention but they also provide a great amount of meat. Smaller breeds non meat type genetics and alternatively feed rabbits will take longer. Even with the startup and feeding costs included raising rabbits keeps its spot as one of the cheapest meats to raise on a homestead.

You can breed the same doe once every 90 days. In comparison to red meat rabbits do not take a long time to reach slaughter weight you dont need acreage to raise them on and you get a higher amount of meat from the carcass. The reason people raise California and New Zealand rabbits for meat is that they are very good at growing to five pounds in 10-11 weeks.

At 2 weeks the baby rabbits will start venturing outside the nesting box.

Raising Rabbits For Meat Cost Legalities How To Start Farming