Did you know that in the 1700s through to the early 1900s, that most Americans were Raising Rabbits to eat? Rabbit meat was a staple of food for most Americans and Europeans. That changed when people started to think of rabbits not as food, but as pets. If you owned just 3 rabbits (2 females, 1 male), you would never need to buy meat again. Funnily enough, there’s a specific breed of rabbit that is referred to, as a meat rabbit.
The Case for Rabbit Meat: A Smart Choice for Mindful Consumers
For Health Enthusiasts:
Rabbit meat is a nutritional powerhouse—lean, low in fat and cholesterol, yet packed with the highest protein-to-calorie ratio of any meat. It’s nature’s perfect protein source for those prioritizing wellness.
For Eco-Conscious Eaters:
With sustainability in mind, rabbits are a game-changer. They require minimal resources, leave a tiny environmental footprint, and produce exceptional organic fertilizer. A single doe can yield 10 times her body weight in meat annually, far outpacing a cow’s 40% return on a 400-pound calf.
Reliable & Efficient:
Rabbits are prolific breeders, making them an ideal choice for a steady, sustainable meat supply. With proper care, they provide consistent yields—ensuring food security without waste or excess.
Embrace rabbit meat: the healthy, ethical, a nd planet-friendly protein of the future: and the past.
Rabbit Digestion: Unique and Efficient
Unlike cows or sheep, rabbits are monogastric herbivores, meaning they have a single-chambered stomach. While this makes digesting tough, fibrous plants like grass difficult, rabbits have evolved a clever adaptation: coprophagy.
- First Pass: After initial digestion, rabbits produce soft, nutrient-rich fecal pellets (rarely seen) and re-ingest them.
- Second Pass: The familiar dry, round pellets found in their enclosure are the final waste product.
This process allows rabbits to extract maximum nutrition from their food, making them highly efficient foragers—and ideal for sustainable meat production.
Nevertheless, Rabbits offer a rewarding and efficient way to raise your own food.
Selecting Rabbit Stock
When choosing rabbits for your stock, always pick the healthiest, highest-quality animals you can find.
Start by getting a copy of the breed standard so you know exactly what to look for in your chosen breed. Healthy rabbits should have bright, clear eyes, properly aligned teeth, and alert, active behavior with smooth, well-groomed coats. Be sure to check for signs of illness like runny noses or matted fur around the front paws—these could mean the rabbit has “snuffles,” a serious respiratory infection that spreads easily.
While buying just-weaned baby rabbits might seem easier and cheaper, it’s harder to predict how they’ll turn out as adults. Most of their traits, good or bad, become clearer between 12 and 16 weeks old. At that age, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re getting, plus the rabbit will already be past the stressful weaning stage and closer to breeding age.
Don’t hesitate to ask breeders for advice—most are happy to help beginners and will gladly answer your questions. If you plan to switch their food, ask the breeder for a small bag of their current feed to help your rabbits adjust. Start by feeding the original food for three days, then slowly mix in the new feed until they’re fully transitioned. Since water tastes different in new places, bringing home some of the breeder’s water can also help your rabbits settle in with less stress. The smoother their transition, the healthier and happier your rabbits will be.
Housing your Meat Rabbits
Rabbit housing can range from a simple row of cages tucked under your home’s eves to a sophisticated building equipped with concrete floors, automatic waterers, and advanced ventilation systems. Regardless of your chosen setup, it’s essential to provide your rabbits with protection from the elements and potential predators.
Cages should be made from smooth wire, ideally 1/2 inch by 1-inch (1.27 cm by 2.54 cm) for the flooring, with double galvanized 14-gauge material being the best option. Avoid using hardware cloth or chicken wire for cage floors; hardware cloth can be rough enough to injure the rabbits’ hocks, and it doesn’t allow fecal pellets to pass through easily. Chicken wire is too fine and cannot support the rabbits’ weight, plus it has openings large enough for rabbits to get their legs stuck or for kits (baby rabbits) to fall through.
For larger breeds, a minimum space of at least 30 (76.2 cm) by 36 inches (91.44 cm) is recommended. This size gives the rabbits a comfortable 7.5 square feet (0.7 m²) to move around, accommodating the doe, her nest box, and her growing litter. You can either buy ready-made cages or build your own to suit your needs. You may be able to find some for sale — check FB marketplace and Craigslist. Otherwise, check out your favorite farm store.
Rabbits thrive best at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.56 °C). When temperatures climb above 80 degrees, they may start to experience heat stress, so it’s crucial to monitor them closely especially if you are Raising Rabbits to Eat. To combat heat stress, consider using fans, frozen plastic water bottles, mister systems, and refreshing cool water. However, the most effective approach is to choose rabbit breeds suited to your local climate. For instance, many heritage breeds like the American have large, flaring ears that act as natural radiators for body heat. Breeds like the Lilac, with shorter ears and dense coats, may not fare well in hot weather without added accommodations.
If you are raising rabbits to eat in hotter areas, ensure that you have them indoors. For example, if you have them living in the SW United States, it is a good idea to bring them into your home or to have an outbuilding with air-conditioning. In either case, you will want to collect their poop so it doesn’t meld with your carpets.
Pro Tip: Don’t throw away the rabbit poop when Raising Rabbits to Eat. You might be able to sell it, or better yet, use it for your garden. Rabbit poop makes excellent fertilizer. Don’t be surprised if your neighbors will want to know your secret to gardening.
While rabbits can generally tolerate cold temperatures if shielded from direct drafts, it’s vital to ensure they have access to clean, unfrozen water regularly.
Don’t forget that predators also see rabbits as a tasty meal. When planning your rabbit lair layout, consider how to keep stray dogs, raccoons, skunks, snakes, and other potential threats at bay.
Breeding
When thinking of Raising Rabbits to Eat, remember that Rabbits can start breeding between 4 and 9 months old, depending on their breed. Typically, smaller breeds mature faster, while larger breeds take more time. For example, heritage meat breeds like the American and American Chinchilla are usually ready to breed around 6 months of age, or when they weigh about 7 to 8 pounds (3.63 kg). You can tell a doe (female rabbit) is ready to mate when her vulva turns a deep pink color.
Always bring the doe to the buck’s (male rabbit) cage for mating. Does are often very territorial, and this helps keep the buck focused instead of distracted by new smells in an unfamiliar space. Remember, rabbits are induced ovulators, so the doe only ovulates after mating occurs. Stay close during the mating process to ensure everything goes smoothly and to prevent any squabbling. Don’t leave them together longer than necessary, since the mating is typically quick. If you’re uncertain whether mating was successful, you can try again later that same day.
The average gestation period for rabbits is about 32 days. Around day 14, you can check if the doe is pregnant by gently feeling her abdomen. If you press firmly, you should be able to feel small, marble-sized fetuses along the sides of her belly. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right at first; it takes practice to become accurate at palpating.
You can test mate the doe two weeks later, but be aware that some does might still accept the buck even if they are pregnant. It’s a good idea to place the nest box in around day 28, as it can be surprising to find a litter of kits (baby rabbits) scattered throughout the cage.
Make sure the nest box is spacious enough for the doe. You can purchase commercial nest boxes or create your own. Just keep in mind that wood can be chewed and may harbor germs, so it’s essential to disinfect boxes between different litters.
Kindling
Kindling refers to a rabbit giving birth. The process typically takes only a few minutes per kit, but preparation can start at any point in the pregnancy. At kindling, the doe should make a nest in the box out of her own fur and whatever bedding you choose. Straw is cheap and usually readily available, but can harbor mites and retain dampness. Pine shavings are a good choice, but sawdust can irritate kits’ eyes and cause respiratory problems.
If the doe fails to pull hair to line her nest, as some first-time mothers do, you can pull some yourself from the dewlap under her chin. This will not hurt her, as this hair will loosen closer to kindling, and often can trigger her to do the rest of the job.
Rabbit milk is very rich, and does will only feed their kits once or twice a day. Don’t be alarmed if the doe doesn’t seem to be attentive; if the kits are warm and plump, she’s doing her job.
Raising Rabbits to Eat
After successfully raising a litter, the question becomes what to do with the offspring. Hopefully you have planned for this situation before making your first mating. We suggest expanding your stock after your first kindling, so that if times become leaner, you have more to share, eat, or sell. Assuming you have bred these rabbits with the idea of having meat, now it’s time to process. This can be done quickly, compassionately and humanely. You will be rewarded with quality meat for the table, and thank us for learning how to begin raising rabbits to eat.
