Basic Info – The Best Way to Raise Meat Rabbits for Profit
Supplying high quality meat for the family is easy by raising bunny rabbits. And it’s not hard to see why since successfully raising other kinds of meat such as chicken, pork, and beef involve more room and more labor. In addition, home-grown domestic rabbit is an all-white meat high in quality, low in fat, and easy to digest. And a lot of physicians suggest rabbit meat for people with intestinal or digestive troubles.
Everyone knows that bunnies can multiply very rapidly and with simply a solitary pair of breeding rabbits it’s possible to produce over 100 pounds of all-white meat every year. One doe can generate ten times her own body weight each year. And the incredible thing is that she can produce it in a space less than 100 square feet. Rabbits can even be raised in a tiny apartment house or garage. It only takes a few pairs to raise enough high quality meat to supply a small family and have enough left over for the neighbors. Chickens are another great way to raise your own animal protein, but they require more space and effort.
With a correctly made bunny cage about the only work that is normally necessary is to inspect their food and water every day, perform a visual health examination, and keep a journal of breeding results. Cleaning the hutches every so often is also a great idea. Rabbits are very healthy animals and will normally maintain good health and productivity if housed in a clean cage.
Contrasting many other animals, infant bunny rabbits are completely taken care of by their mother. Until they are weaned at about a month and a half to two months of age, which is also the age they reach fryer size, the doe will take care of her litter with no help from you. A doe’s milk is very rich and nutritious and is all a tiny bunny rabbit will require.
Another advantage of growing bunnies is that the meat is low in cholesterol and fat, high in protein, and a lot easier for a person to assimilate than chicken, pork, and beef. In addition, there is no plucking required. After a little practice you’ll become skillful at pulling the hide off very quickly and have your meat in the freezer in just 10 or 15 minutes. And if you enjoy growing your own fruits or vegetables you’ll be happy to know that bunny droppings make some of the finest manure. Fertilizer from a lot of farm animals will burn your garden vegetables, but bunny fertilizer won’t.
The finest type of rabbit for meat production is perhaps the white New Zealand. These animals are exceptionally large and will grow to around 13 pounds at maturity. The majority of producers don’t let them reach this size and will slaughter them as fryers at about 8 weeks of age. The average fryer weight is 4 to 5 pounds and the average litter size for New Zealand rabbits is from 8 to 10 bunnies.
Another notable breed of meat rabbit is the white Californian. They grow to about 10 pounds at full maturity which is smaller than the New Zealand. Californian females also have fewer babies in a litter than New Zealands which is about 6 to 8 babies. Sometimes breeders will cross breed New Zealands and Californians since they can generate exceptionally hearty offspring. Growing rabbits for meat can be an enjoyable and gratifying undertaking if done properly.
Get helpful information on the subject of facts about rabbits for kids along with a number of other fun facts about rabbits.
