Raising Rabbits

[CA2TX2TN]

I'm seeking information on where to buy rabbits in the Houston, Texas general area. When I was younger, I was a member of the 4-H and raised Rex and Silver Martin rabbits for show and fur. In additional, we raised French Lop/New Zealand mixes strictly for meat. However recently, I started looking for breeding stock to establish my new herd. I've found that rabbits are simple and relatively clean to raise, yet provide a good volume of meat for the feed used. Plus, the furs can be sold for additional profit. Any suggestions on where I can find a source?

[Sarge47]

Intro 1st, info 2nd, fair enough?

[nell67]

CA2TX2TN,

I buy rabbits and other small animals at livestock auction barns on the cheap,like right now,the going rate for rabbits,and chickens is from $1-$3 each,some I keep for meat,most I turn around and sell for $10 per rabbit and $8-$9 for laying hens,roosters are pretty worthless and can be bought sometimes for a quarter,and you generally only get $4-$5 each for them,still not bad if are only feeding them for a couple of days.

If you buy from a breeder you are going to pay breeder prices for your rabbits,not bad if you are buying to start breeding yourself,although some of them will charge $25 and up for their rabbits,so you have to watch,call ahead and ask their prices.


check your local papers ads for rabbits,sometimes they can go pretty cheap there,because people don't want to mess with them over the winter.

If you find an auction barn that sells the small animals,get there early and check over the animals well before you bid on them,do not bid on any rabbit that looks sick,or is dirty,a sign that they may have been loose in a ground pen,which means they could have been in contact with wild animals,and could have worms or any number of diseases that wild animals carry.

Hutch kept rabbits are generally free from those diseases.

If you want to cross rabbits for meat producion,try the Flemmish Giant and the New Zealands or the Californians,I did that and had a litter of 15 off one of my does I saved and raised all of them,they grow fast.I did move some of her kits over to a mini lop does who had kidled the day before and she raised them as her own ( you have to be careful when you do this as some does will abandon their kits as well as the new ones,the new ones must be covered in her scent before they are placed in her nest box).

Another thing,some of your farm supply stores sell rabbits,and if you can become a supplier for them,usually they offer a store credit for each rabbit you bring to them ,here about $2 per rabbit. Do not offer to sell to pet stores,those bunnies usually end up turned loose after a few months by people who buy them then get bored with them.

[CA2TX2TN]

Sarge,
Understood, I'm new to the chat world.

Nell,
Thanks for the great information. Different states, many years since I raised rabbits, and living in an area where 4-H isn't really present. I had not thought of seeking small animals at the Livestock Auctions. I'll look into that. Again, thanks for an informative answer.

Introduction wise,

Basically, I'm trying to have options if we're faced with a slide towards TEOTWAWKI. Having seen how fast grocery stores fall apart when a hurricane is threatening, and how dependent most folks are on infrastructure, tend to live a more independent existence. I'm seeking to plan out my options for meeting our food needs when grocery stores can't provide for the folks in the neighborhood. I've raised rabbits and chickens in a suburban location in the past and my wife and I are avid organic gardeners. We've got a plan to expand the gardening areas and to establish chicken coops and rabbit hutches in the backyard. We've just got to worry about the Home Owners Assoc. They can be a bit of a problem, but since we provide the many of our neighbors with fresh vegetables and herbs, we're hoping they won't mind the idea of critters.

Still working on the multi-acre retirement property where we can live a more sustainable life, but the economic mess just shows everyone how dependent we've become on the "village" and how we've lost our independence.

Thanks for allowing me to chat with you'all!

[wareagle69]

hey nell do you have any problems bonding your rabbitts my doe gets along with my bucks but...... my bucks will fight to the death, also a suggestion is to but the rabbit pellets(turds)in with the babbies they will get great nutrition out of it

[Rick]

Bucks fight but get along with does? A great deal like this forum then isn't it?

[wareagle69]

Bucks fight but get along with does? A great deal like this forum then isn't it?

have you ever seen two rabbits fight? it is to the death

[Rick]

Yea. Sort of like this forum.

[nell67]

hey nell do you have any problems bonding your rabbitts my doe gets along with my bucks but...... my bucks will fight to the death, also a suggestion is to but the rabbit pellets(turds)in with the babbies they will get great nutrition out of it

Yup WE,the bucks need to be at least seperated by a pen with a doe between them,if their pens are side by side,they will fight and they will destroy wire cages,another option is to seperate with wood,instead of having wire between them have wood,although I have had them chew through the wood to get to each other.

And rabbits actually have 2 colors of poo,green and brown,the brown is fully digested food,and the green is undigested,and yep they eat the green ones.

[nell67]

Oh yea WE,I have also had does that absolutely did not like certain bucks,have actually had one doe kill a buck,because she didn't like him

[crashdive123]

Hmmm....sounds like this girl I knew back in....ah nevermind

[Rick]

Oh yea. Just like this forum. See?

[Sourdough]

Yea. Sort of like this forum.

You got a problem with that......you....you....you....."Moderator you".... How you like them apples you....you....moderator.....

[wareagle69]

was the does name carla? you have to be canadian to understand that joke

[buttercup]

we raise rabbits. Have about 60 counting both adult and young at the moment but that changes as new litters come or we butcher or sell some. Usually we have around that number most of the time though.
We raise meat rabbits for our freezer (and to sell as fryers) and we raise 'wild' type rabbits that we sell to guys with starting pens to train beagle dogs. We sell both live and dressed rabbits.
Good eating. When the adults are too old, we butcher them to add to the freezer for stew or hasenffer (don't know if that's spelled right.)
Our pens are above ground, with legs, and we have both inside and outdoor pens. The young are raised inside and moved out as they grow and are weaned from mom. The buck's pens are out.
Easy to take care of for the most part.

[wareagle69]

hasenffer?
we feed martins pellets and mostly hay left over from the horses when the dandelions are gree and grass is long we cut alot of that up also this year i left an area grow long and we made "hay" out of the grass dried it out for the winter

[nell67]

we raise rabbits. Have about 60 counting both adult and young at the moment but that changes as new litters come or we butcher or sell some. Usually we have around that number most of the time though.
We raise meat rabbits for our freezer (and to sell as fryers) and we raise 'wild' type rabbits that we sell to guys with starting pens to train beagle dogs. We sell both live and dressed rabbits.
Good eating. When the adults are too old, we butcher them to add to the freezer for stew or hasenffer (don't know if that's spelled right.)
Our pens are above ground, with legs, and we have both inside and outdoor pens. The young are raised inside and moved out as they grow and are weaned from mom. The buck's pens are out.
Easy to take care of for the most part.

What do you get for your San Juan (wild type) rabbits buttercup? Around here,they will pay $40 or better for those rabbits,just to train their dogs,depending on the time of year.

I have never been big on feeding hay or placing straw into my rabbit cages,since the rabbits tend to get ear mites more often when I did.

[wareagle69]

really? i have not heard of that must be something in your hay i'll have to ask the boss about that

[Rick]

I like apples a lot, Hopeak. Eat at least one every day.

[buttercup]

found the spelling on the recipe card. It is hasenpfeffer. It tenderizes older rabbits that might be tougher meat but is also very good eating.

Hasenpfeffer (German dish) recipe - from my German MIL (her maiden name was Utzinger) - is:

1 large onion, sliced
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
1 tablespoon pickling spice
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
8 whole cloves
1 (2 1/2 pound) rabbit, skinned, cut into serving-size pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS
In a large nonmetallic bowl, combine onion, vinegar, water and seasonings. Add rabbit pieces; cover and refrigerate for 48 hours, turning occasionally. Remove meat; strain and reserve marinade.
Dry meat well; coat lightly with flour. In a skillet, melt butter; brown meat well.
Gradually add 2 to 2-1/2 cups reserved marinade. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove meat to a warm platter.
Add sour cream to pan juices; stir just until heated through. Spoon over the meat and serve immediately.



Our wild rabbits are San Juan crossed with Smokey Mt, Belgian Hare and couple other combos so they don't bring what the pure San Juan does but sell well anyway to trainers. They are good to eat but the meat is darker (since they are wild bred) instead of the tame rabbit meat which is a whiter meat.