Farmed Rabbits

[trout scout]

I have recently become interested in raising rabbits also. I am lucky enough to live in an area where it is legal to own/raise rabbits. I have been doing some research on breeds and I have narrowed it down to 2 for meat production; the New Zealand and the Florida White. Both are excellent meat producers and breed easily. I found a few for sale on my local Craigslist and was thinking of buying a pair, when I realized I had never eaten rabbit before! So for dinner this evening I had rabbit curry. It was delicious. My question to those who have raised rabbits is, "what is the maximum tolerable outside air temperature for rabbits?" The summers where I live get well above 35 degrees C/ 100 degrees F, is this to hot?

[GaryD]

Hi Trout Scout,

Rabbits are excellent livestock for micro-farmers.

Rabbits are susceptible to hot weather.......so keep this in mind when you construct their housing.

Avoid breeding your rabbits in the hottest months. Your bucks will be less fertile in very hot weather and it puts an unnecessary strain on your does, too.

Gary

[arachdog]

Maybe if I tasted Jan's rabbit I would feel differently Gary. I had it in a casserole with white wine which may have overwhelmed the flavor, but if that's the case the difference must be be pretty subtle. If anything I thought the texture was inferior to chicken, a little bit stringy. Still that was quite possibly because it was overcooked. I guess I should reserve final judgement till I've had a perfectly cooked one.

The other thing is, probably more important to me than the economics is rabbits are quite a bit more intelligent than chickens. On that basis I find the farming of them to be slightly less ethical. There's not much in it though, and if I found the rabbit tasted significantly different to the chicken then I would probably get over it.

[GaryD]

Hi Arachdog,

I had it in a casserole with white wine which may have overwhelmed the flavor, but if that's the case the difference must be be pretty subtle.

The stronger taste of bush rabbit probably lends itself more to casserole cooking than the farmed variety.

If anything I thought the texture was inferior to chicken, a little bit stringy. Still that was quite possibly because it was overcooked. I guess I should reserve final judgement till I've had a perfectly cooked one.

I can understand that. You've got to remember that the chicken that you buy in the supermarkets or chicken shops is more fat than anything else.

It's going to be tender because the meat has little muscle tone. Commercially reared chickens stand up long enough to eat and drink and then they have to sit down again.......often because the development of their legs hasn't kept pace with their growth.

Our broiler chickens are not as tender as the bought ones.....but the taste is far superior and they are much healthier food for the fact that they carry much less fat.......and none of the antibiotics and other chemicals that find their way into chicken meat.

The other thing is, probably more important to me than the economics is rabbits are quite a bit more intelligent than chickens. On that basis I find the farming of them to be slightly less ethical.

On that basis, you probably don't eat bacon, pork, ham, proscuitto and many other smallgoods made from pig meat.......because pigs are probably smarter than any other animal in the farmyard.....including the working dogs.

Gary

[arachdog]

On that basis, you probably don't eat bacon, pork, ham, proscuitto and many other smallgoods made from pig meat.......because pigs are probably smarter than any other animal in the farmyard.....including the working dogs.

Gary

I do agree pigs are really smart so I certainly don't eat much pork (I doubt I've eaten a whole pig yet). But as I said I'm not a fanatatic, and theres no denying the unique taste of pork products which is enough swing the balance for me. If there was a stupider, similar tasting animal then I would eat that instead.

BTW: I don't really agree with what they have done to chickens either in the quest for ridiculous growth rates. I do by the free range ones, but to be honest I'm not sure if they are from healthier stock or not.

[GaryD]

Hi ' dog,

I do by the free range ones, but to be honest I'm not sure if they are from healthier stock or not.

Unfortunately, there is no legally-binding definition of the term free range.

In some place, all that needs to be done to qualify for the claim is to allow the animals outside. The outside may be a tiny yard where the animal gets to stand shoulder to shoulder with its own kind....up to its armpits in mud and muck.

The only way you can be sure is to inspect the farm......not something that most agribusinesses would ever allow. While they would claim that they limit visitation on bio-security grounds (a valid enough notion in itself) the other reason is that they often don't want their definition of free range examined too closely.

Gary

[arachdog]

The only way you can be sure is to inspect the farm......not something that most agribusinesses would ever allow. While they would claim that they limit visitation on bio-security grounds (a valid enough notion in itself) the other reason is that they often don't want their definition of free range examined too closely.
Gary

Yeah I kinda suspected it didn't mean much. I like the FREPA standards, it would be nice if the government would legislate to make adhesion to those standards a requirement to earn the 'free range' label. At least then the consumer can make an informed choice.

[GaryD]

Hi 'dog,

....it would be nice if the government would legislate to make adhesion to those standards a requirement to earn the 'free range' label.

It would be even better if it adopted the 'pure food' outlook of places like Germany where makers of beer or sausages, for example, can only use specified ingredients.....none of which is a chemical or preservative. For more information on beer purity laws.....see here......and on what is regarded as the oldest food purity law in the world......here.

Gary

[Bindi Weed]

I've gotten interested in breeding rabbits and I was looking around youtube for some "How to" guides and this guy seems to have an interesting urban system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1sEpGxeTsg

From memory there's 5 videos in this series.

[Pugo]

Deciding what you will or will not eat by its intelligence in a new concept for me.. Every animal given the chance will fight to live, even my Tilapia.
If it is smart enough not to end up on my dinner plate, then I guess it should live But If my wife cooks it I am going to eat it as I have enough intelligence not to make her angry..