5 Ways You Can Raise and Breed Rabbit Meat for Your Family

Rabbits are a wonderful species of animal that are suitable for people with limited facilities or space to accommodate larger animals.

They are particularly beneficial for persons and families that want to be self-sufficient at the same time provide a natural and healthy meat for themselves and their family.

I know that a lot of rabbit pet lovers will drag cold feet towards this idea of raising rabbits for meat for your family.

To be candid as long as raising rabbits is not against the norm of society, people should be allowed to pursue their desired goals, as regards raising rabbit meat for their family.

The joy of every family man is to provide natural healthy food, either vegetables or meat at an affordable and sustainable price.

Rabbit meat is super safe to eat, this meat is rich in various nutrients and is a healthy source of animal protein.

For you to raise rabbit meat for your family will be one of the best decisions you will make apart from cutting the cost of meat.

You will have meat that has a high percentage of digestible proteins compared to other meats while also having the lowest amount of fat.

Rabbit meat is known to be low in fat, although still rich in healthy fats like polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats.

Domesticated rabbit has lean meat with fewer calories than chicken meat and has less cholesterol than any other commonly consumed meats, from other domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, cow, and chicken.

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The following are a number of rabbits that you can select from among numerous others if you want to raise rabbit meat for your family:

Rex

Much like the New Zealand rabbits the Rex is a very popular breed to raise among those who raise rabbits for meat.

American Chinchilla

The American Chinchillas are kind and gentle and weigh between 9 to 12 pounds with an excellent meat-to-bone ratio.

Unlike the standard and giant Chinchilla breeds, the American Chinchilla is not so common.

Flemish Giants

This breed can weigh between 8 to 15 pounds. Although their growth and maturity rate is a little slower

Californians

This is one of the most popular breeds to raise for meat it can up to 12 pounds. 

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Cinnamon

A is a very hardy breed, the Cinnamon rabbits are a usually cross between the New Zealand Whites and the American Chinchillas. They usually weigh between 9 to 11 pounds.

Standard Chinchilla

Although these breeds are smaller but are suitable to raise in a limited space they weigh up to 7 pounds.

 Palomino

They weigh between 8 to 11 pounds and are extremely maternal. They are not susceptible to many health issues.

For you to raise rabbit meat for your family the following points should be taken seriously:

1. To raise rabbit  meat for your family you have to select the right breed
   

To raise rabbit meat for your family serious consideration needs to be put into the breed selection for optimal results.

There are various breeds of rabbits that are suitable for different purposes, your goal is to raise rabbit meat for your family.

You should familiarize yourself and research several breeds of rabbits to determine whether those meet the criteria you have for your rabbit project.

This implies that you select a very good rabbit breed suitable for meat production.

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2. To raise rabbits for meat for your family, feed them well-formulated pellets

Feeding your rabbits for meat I suggest you feed them with a well-formulated pellet as a complete rabbit ration.

There is no need to give them anything else, you may give them hay sparingly but it should never be the main feed.

Commercial pellets have on average 16-18% protein. While it might be tempting to substitute their feed with hay or other vegetables in your quest to cut the cost of feeding.

Do not make the mistake of diluting the amount of protein and all-around nutrition the rabbit needs for fast growth and weight gain.

Feeding your rabbits less rich feed will cause them to grow slower and not fill out as well, costing you more time and food to get them to butcher weight.

If you are to achieve the desired weight and growth within the shortest period of time feed them well-formulated feed.

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3. Water and Nutrition

To raise rabbit meat for your family, crude protein feed recommendations should be 16–18% for growing market rabbits.

The most important nutrient you can provide your rabbit is water.  You cannot raise rabbit meat for your family without access to fresh, clean water is necessary for rabbits to maintain proper growth rate and body condition.

Fresh, clean water is a must during the summer months because rabbits do not tolerate heat well and depend on water to cool their bodies.

Many people insist on feeding supplements to their rabbits. Commercially produced rabbit pellets provide a complete diet for rabbits.

Supplements should be used carefully or as an occasional treat for your rabbits in order to minimize their effect on the balanced diet.

4. Health/Vaccinations

Rabbits seldom have health challenges with proper care, they are typically low-maintenance animals when it comes to health and vaccinations.

There are no vaccinations that are recommended for rabbits, and just a few medications that are actually labelled for use on rabbits.

5. Housing for rabbits
   

Rabbits are very neat animals they love a clean and spacious environment, it is recommended that you provide a conducive environment for your rabbit to thrive.

Raising rabbits on the floor is not ideal and should be discouraged because it can easily cause disease and infection.

Rabbits need good ventilation and a lot of fresh air away from direct sunlight and heat. Make adequate provision for their nest.