10 Reasons to Raise Rabbits

As the price of all products rise, many people are looking for something that they can do to help defray costs and still eat healthily. One solution is to try and produce your own meat at home. While many think this to be beyond their capabilities, there is one way that just about anyone can produce their own meat, even in limited space. Rabbits can be raised to produce meat, and several other products that can make them profitable and enjoyable. Here are 10 reasons for you to raise rabbits for yourself and your family.

1. Rabbits take less space than other livestock. Rabbits are solitary animals, and do very well in wire cages. You can put several cages in one small shed. You can maintain a healthy herd of rabbits in only 10 cages. Four does and one buck can keep you in enough rabbits to supply your family with meat, and have some rabbits left to sell.

2. Rabbits have multiple uses. You can raise rabbits for meat for your family, but they can also be used for other purposes. Many people are transitioning their dogs to a raw diet, and will purchase as many rabbits as you can produce for dog food. There is also a pet market for rabbits. They are usually docile animals which are easy to care for. You can advertise and sell live animals for pets, or for other producers who are trying to introduce new stock to their herds.

3. Rabbits hides can be tanned. Rabbit hides can be used for various crafts and garments. After being tanned, the rabbit hides can be used by fly tiers for flies or lures. The hides can also be used in crafts, or for sewing projects. Rabbit hides make great comforters. They can also be used in decorating, making good wall hangings, lamp or end table pads, or chair throws. For those who are really industrious, rabbit furs make good coats and stoles.

4. Rabbits are nutritious. Most people don't realize that rabbit meat is more nutritious than most other meat. In fact, the only meat that is even close to the nutritional value of rabbit is venison. Rabbit meat is tender, and easily digestible, which makes it a good choice for both kids and for older people. Because rabbit has a high protein content, a person does not need to eat as much to be filled up.

5. Rabbit manure is valuable. Rabbit manure is one of the greatest fertilizers available to those who want to grow an organic garden, and the manure will be plentiful! Rabbit manure does not have to age, or decompose (compost) before being put in a garden, directly around plants. The nutritive value of the manure to the garden is amazing, and will cause your garden to grow like Miracle Grow was put on it! The rabbits can also produce enough manure to sell some on the side, or use it to help out neighbors with their gardens!

6. Rabbits are easy to keep. It does not take much to raise rabbits. They do not need much more than to be fed once per day, and to make sure that they have fresh water. Feed is relatively inexpensive, compared with other livestock consumption. Even young kids can take part in the rabbit raising process, learning responsibility and perhaps more importantly, where their food really comes from. Also, rabbits are quiet to keep, and the smell is very minor compared to other livestock. A little lime sprinkled under the cages, along with good drainage will keep your rabbitry relatively odor free. Because of this, they can be kept in confined spaces, even in town, without disturbing neighbors.

7. Rabbits are easy to process. Rabbits can be processed at home, without having to pay for slaughtering and butchering. It is not an easy thing to learn to kill your own food, but it is a fiscally efficient way of developing your own meat. It only takes a few minutes to slaughter and butcher the rabbit, having it ready for supper. Rabbits don't have to age nearly as long as beef or other livestock. A couple of days in the refrigerator and the rabbit will be ready to cook and eat!

8. Rabbits have many varieties. It is easy to expand into other varieties, and specialize in breeds that may be in high demand in your area. If you want to raise some smaller breeds for pet supply, it doesn't take much space to add a couple of cages to work with the new breed.

9. Raising rabbits can be educational. Rabbits are a great object lesson for genetics classes for kids. Rabbits only have a 30 day gestation period, which means that you can see the effects of cross breeding, and line breeding very quickly. You can work to develop rabbits for increased size, for colors, or for any number of other characteristics. Rabbits can also be used as 4-H projects for your children, or as a market for selling rabbits to others.

10. Rabbits reproduce quickly. They reproduce like...well...rabbits. Because of this, you can have a steady supply of rabbits to process for meat or sell for pets. Most larger breeds will average about 8 kits per litter, and it is possible for a single doe to have five or more litters per year. If you keep just 4 does for breeding, you can produce in the neighborhood of 160 rabbits per year! Of course, most people will not try to raise more than they can use or sell, but if you can develop a market you can have a steady supply of rabbits.

There are a lot of good reasons to raise rabbits. They can be enjoyable, and profitable. They can produce income in many different ways. They also produce delicious and nutritious meat for the whole family. You can start out on a small scale, and then grow if you enjoy it!