So, you want to raise meat rabbits? Meat rabbits can be a rewarding hobby and integral part of your homestead with a little know-how. If you find yourself struggling to sift through the myriad of conflicting information online, I want you to sit back, take a deep breath and know that you are in the right place.
This easy-to-read guide covers everything you need to know to start raising meat rabbits! 10 years of homesteading blood, sweat, and tears, distilled into simple, actionable instructions that you can put to use immediately. Learn the fundamental building blocks of a successful rabbit operation.
This info comes from real life experience not just reading books. It’s scalable from a backyard pair to a large commercial rabbitry. Follow the counsel in this guide to cut two years off your learning curve. Think of it as your fast-track to success.
Are you ready? Lets go…
Why Raise Meat Rabbits?
There are many reasons people decide to raise meat rabbits – food security, pet food, sideline hobby, and dietary concerns are just a few.
Benefits of raising meat rabbits:
- Productive & Sustainable – efficiently convert grass to meat
- Quiet – raise in suburbs, backyards, and garages
- All white meat – mild flavor like chicken breast. No gamey taste.
- High protein, easy to digest – rabbit fills you up faster than chicken
- Single meal portions – one rabbit feeds a family of 4-6
- Multi-purpose – provide companionship, meat, manure, and fur
- Small livestock – Fun for kids to raise and show
- Fur/Pelts – easy to tan and turn into warm garments
- Meat and parts – raw pet food. Great for pets with allergies or special diets
- Rabbit manure – world’s best fertilizer for the garden!
Rabbits are calm, quiet, and easy to care for. Unlike other livestock, you don’t need land. They can be raised in a garage, backyard, shed, or barn. Meat rabbits can produce 6 pounds of meat on the same amount of feed it takes to produce 1 pound of beef. They multiply quickly and the kits reach butcher weight in 3 months.
And don’t forget… when you raise meat rabbits there’s a constant stream of adorable baby bunnies to love!
3 Important Questions
Before you dive in, you need to ask yourself three very important questions…
#1. Why do I want to raise meat rabbits? Be very specific. Write down your goals. Once you get rabbits it’s easy to lose sight of the original reasons you wanted to raise them. Try to get a basic plan in place. The info in this guide will walk you through the process.
#2. Will my family eat rabbit? Unfortunately, many people jump into raising meat rabbits only to discover that no one will eat the meat they worked so hard to produce.Raising animals for food is a family endeavor. If your family is not on board, it’s usually not worth the journey. It’s OK if there is a little trepidation at the beginning – that can usually be overcome.
#3. Can I butcher a rabbit? If you’re new to raising animals for meat, the final question you need to answer is whether you can bring yourself to go through with butchering. From the outset, you must regard the rabbits and the entire enterprise for what it is – a food-growing operation. If possible, learn to butcher a rabbit before purchasing breeding stock. It’s easier to butcher an unknown fryer than kits you have raised from birth. Once you’ve processed one, it will give you the confidence to follow through with future litters.
Meat Rabbits & Kids
Raising animals for meat gives your children an understanding and appreciation for where their food comes from. Don’t try to sneak rabbit meat into meals to trick your family – it will only backfire. Be honest and up front with your kids. Get them on board.
I highly recommend that you process a fryer rabbit and feed it to your family before you start. Let your kids see the cleaned rabbit and compare/contrast it to a whole chicken. Prepare it using one of your favorite chicken recipes. Involve them in the cooking process. Once they taste how good rabbit is, they’re usually much more open to the idea. Our family loves rabbit fajitas!
Teach your children rabbit terminology. Don’t name dinner. Baby rabbits are called kits. Growing rabbits are called fryers or grow-outs. Our rabbits don’t get names unless they become a breeder. Many families choose to raise meat rabbit breeds that are all one color (such as Silver Fox or Californians). If all the bunnies look the same, it’s easier for children not to get attached to a specific kit. It’s much easier to eat a random fryer rabbit than Billy’s favorite bunny “Fluffles”.
Our kids love having babies to cuddle… but once fryers become scratchy hormonal teenagers, they completely ignore them. You may even find yourself thinking “good riddance” when it’s time to send them to freezer camp.
Meat Rabbits, Friends & Neighbors
Don’t sabotage your social life by announcing to the world that you’re going to start raising meat rabbits. All they hear is “murder cute bunnies” and will respond with the appropriate shock and horror.
If someone asks specific questions about your rabbits, tell them that you raise “meat rabbits” instead of raising rabbits to eat. Somehow people find it more acceptable to eat a “meat rabbit” than a generic bunny. It’s best to keep your operation quiet since a lack of understanding by friends and neighbors can cause unwanted drama. Keep a low profile and accept the fact that most people will nott understand your newfound passion for producing your own meat.
There are a few places you can openly talk about raising meat rabbits such as the Facebook groups “Backyard Meat Rabbits” or “Meat Rabbits – Backyard Homesteaders”. These are great places to share experiences and ask for help from fellow rabbit raisers. Just be sure to take any advice with a grain of salt since many people on those sites are just getting started themselves.
Know the Law
Research the laws for your state, county, and town before you begin raising meat rabbits. Whether you agree with the laws or not, you need to know they exist. Since I live in New York, I searched the internet for “NY state law rabbit” and “NY state law rabbit meat”.
New York meat rabbit laws:
• You can process rabbits at home for personal use.
• Rabbit meat must be processed at a USDA or 5-A facility to be resold.
• Rabbits can be sold live from the farm direct to the consumer or butchered on-farm by the consumer with the farmer’s permission. The farmer cannot actually do the slaughtering for an on-farm customer.
• No sales of rabbits under 8 weeks old, unless in a quantity of 6 or more.
Rabbits usually fall under the pet category, so you can easily raise a few in your backyard, garage, or shed without needing agricultural zoning or a license. Just make sure that there are no “animal cruelty” laws in your area that could land you in hot water.
You can also contactmeat rabbit breedersin your state. They may be able to clarify the local laws for you. If you plan to sell rabbits, this resource may be helpful:Rabbit sale laws in the US
Rabbit Terminology
If you don’t want to look like a complete newbie when talking to anyone with experience raising rabbits, become familiar with rabbit lingo. Give yourself an edge by committing the following terms to memory:
Meat Rabbit Lingo
- Doe- a female rabbit
- Buck- a male rabbit
- Kit- a baby rabbit
- Kindle/Kindling- female rabbit giving birth to baby rabbits
- Litter- batch of kits born to a doe (usually 6-9)
- Dewlap- the roll of skin under a does chin
- Junior- rabbits younger than 6 months
- Intermediate- rabbit 6-8 months old
- Senior- adult rabbit
- Sire- father of a rabbit
- Dam- mother of a rabbit
- Proven- rabbit that has successfully sired or given birth to a litter
- Fryers- young rabbits that will be butchered for meat at 5-6 pounds
- Grow outs- young rabbits being raised for meat until they reach butcher weight
- Cull- remove sub-par rabbits from the herd. Usually sold or eaten if they’re a meat breed.
- Pair- male and unrelated female rabbit for breeding
- Trio – male and 2 unrelated female rabbits for breeding
- Rabbitry – a place where domestic rabbits are kept
Meat Rabbit Breeds
All rabbits are edible. You can eat a 2 pound Polish or a 20 pound Flemish Giant. However, it pays to invest in quality meat rabbit breeding stock. Good meat rabbits have a large bodies with small-medium bone – so you get plump, meaty rabbits on minimal feed. Rabbits that weigh 9-11 pounds are ideal.
Beginner Mistake: “Buy big rabbits such as Flemish Giants for maximum meat.” In reality, Flemish and Flemish cross rabbits are a poor choice for meat production. Rabbits grow bone before they grow meat. Flemish kits may reach 5 pounds by 9 weeks, but you need to grow them for 4-5 months before they put any meat on their huge frames… and, they’ll eat you out of house and home in the process!
Commercial Meat Rabbit Breeds
New Zealand White and Californian rabbits are the most common meat rabbit breeds. They are often raised in large industrial facilities. Commercial breed rabbits are bred for large litters, plump bodies, and fast growth rates. They have white pelts and red or pink eyes.
TAMUK rabbits are a composite line developed by Texas A&M University Kingsville. They’ve been selectively bred for better heat tolerance, with thinner fur and larger ears to facilitate heat loss. Though TAMUK’s can handle higher temps and humidity than other breeds, they still have fur coats. And just like any furred rabbit, precautions should be taken to keep them as cool as possible. TAMUK’s can be any color but the red-eyed whites (REW) tend to grow the fastest.
Florida Whites are a smaller breed raised for lab testing and meat in compact spaces.
Backyard Meat Rabbit Breeds
You have many more options when it comes to backyard meat rabbits. Heritage breeds tend to fit better into homesteads where temperament, colorful pelts, and mothering skills are more important than huge litters. Some breeds are dual purpose, thus maximizing their value.
Champagne d’Argent (our personal favorite), Silver Fox, Satin, and American Chinchilla rabbits are considered dual-purpose because they produce meat and beautiful pelts. Champagnes are the oldest known breed of meat rabbit and change color from black to silver as they grow. Standard Rex rabbits are primarily a fur breed but still dress out nicely. Their gorgeous plush pelts come in a rainbow of colors. French Angora rabbits produce soft, warm fiber for spinning on a meaty body. Angora wool is gathered by shearing, combing, or plucking.
Purebred or Mixed Breed?
Purebred rabbitsusually sell for higher prices. You get more uniform growth and type, especially if you purchase good meat bloodlines. Purebred rabbits are a great choice if you want to preserve a heritage breed, show rabbits, or tan pelts. I highly recommend investing in purebred stock if you plan to sell offspring. Pick a breed that fits your goals and you can find locally.
Mixed breed rabbitsor “meat mutts” don’t have much value. However, they are an acceptable choice if you’re raising strictly for meat. Only buy crossbred rabbits from a breeder who keeps good records and selects for meaty body type, health, and fast growth. Familiarize yourself withwhat good meat rabbits look like. Be prepared to cull heavily to weed out bad traits.
Beginner Mistake: Buy cheap rabbits (aka. other people’s culls) – old fat does, poor temperament, genetic faults, sick, weak bloodlines, bad moms, slow growers, big bone, bad type, huge appetites… the list goes on and on. Shop around. Don’t buy the first rabbits you see. Cheap rabbits are rarely a bargain in the long run. Do your homework and purchase the best stock you can.
Buying Meat Rabbits
The best place to buy rabbits is from a local breeder. OurMeat Rabbit Breeder Directorylists rabbitries in the United States and Canada. Search by breed or state. You can also search for rabbits on Craigslist or the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) website. Find a breeder with goals similar to yours.
Most backyard rabbit raisers want calm, friendly rabbits with meaty body type, good mothering instincts, and fast growth rates. A beautiful purebred, show-quality rabbit may not be the best choice if it’s a bad mom or took 14 weeks to reach fryer weight. Rabbits from show lines are often slow growers. Be sure to ask the breeder about temperament and what their kits weigh at 8 weeks (4 pounds or more is ideal).
Commercial Meat Rabbit Growth Rates
Before purchase, inspect rabbits for signs of good health. Healthy rabbits have bright eyes, shiny fur, with nose and ears free of discharge or crustiness. Avoid rabbits that are raised in dirty conditions, have raspy breathing, are lethargic, flighty, or sneezing.
It’s helpful to bring someone experienced with rabbits with you to look over rabbits you intend to purchase.Always double-check gender and teeth before buying a rabbit. Have the breeder show you their sex and teeth (no malocclusion). If the breeder can’t do that, look elsewhere.
Rabbits are often sexed incorrectly. Occasionally, even a rabbit sexed by an experienced breeder turns out to be the opposite gender when it matures. Always double check gender before attempting to breed rabbits for the first time.
How many to start?
In most cases, start with an unrelated pair (buck & doe) or trio (buck & 2 does). Raise and harvest a few litters successfully before growing your herd.
If you rebreed 6-8 weeks postpartum (after kindling), one pair can produce about 30 fryer rabbits or 90 pounds of meat a year, which is plenty for 2-3 people. A trio can easily feed a family of 4-6, producing about 60 fryers a year or 180 pounds of meat.
Beginner Mistake:Run the numbers and decide you need 10-20 rabbits for your operation to be profitable. Then, buy lots of rabbits to start producing immediately. Don’t do this! First of all, it’s very hard to find that many good unrelated rabbits to start your herd. Second, too many rabbits, lack of experience, and unwillingness or inability to cull sick, mean, or unproductive rabbits is a recipe for disaster.
Rabbit Pedigrees
A pedigree is a written record of a rabbit’s ancestors. Pedigreed rabbits are not necessarily purebred. Any rabbit can have a pedigree. Every rabbit on the pedigree must be the same breed for a rabbit to be considered purebred.
Pedigreed rabbits usually have a tattoo in their left ear, which corresponds to the ear number on their pedigree.
If you decide to purchase pedigrees, get them in hand from the breeder at pick up. Many people pay good money for pedigreed stock only to find that the breeder never gets around to sending them pedigrees after the sale.
Bringing Rabbits Home
Transport rabbits in a carrier or medium box (12″x18″x12″H) with 1-2″ holes cut in the sides and top. Line with hay, straw, pine shavings (not cedar) or an old towel. Add a handful of hay or long grass for the rabbit to snack on. One rabbit per carrier unless they’re 8-10 week old babies that have been raised together. Don’t combine rabbits from different cages or they may fight.
When purchasing rabbits, ask for a small bag of the food to transition them to your feed. On the first day, feed the original food, then mix a little more of the new food in each day until fully switched over (7-10 days). Rabbits sometimes stop eating pelleted food for a day or two when acclimating to a new home. As long as they are eating hay and drinking, they will be fine.
Quarantine new rabbits in a separate area for 2-4 weeks before putting them near your other rabbits. Observe them carefully for sickness, parasites, or disease. Even healthy rabbits can get stressed and begin to show signs of Pasteurella (sneezing /white snot) when transitioning to a new place. Feed your main herd first, then care for any rabbits in quarantine.
New arrivals are going to be a bit nervous for the first few days. Minimize handling and keep their area as quiet as possible. Rabbits become more relaxed and confident over time with gentle words and petting.
Housing Meat Rabbits
It seems everything likes to eat rabbit.Just as you need to protect poultry from local wildlife, you must keep rabbits safe from raccoons, foxes, dogs, snakes, weasels, and rats. Other pests include bot flies, mites, coccidia, mosquitoes, and ants. Mites hide in wood. Coccidia are on the ground. And ants can pose a real problem in some parts of the country (put a layer of Vaseline on hutch legs to deter them).
Adult rabbits are territorial.That means if you have 2 rabbits, you need 2 cages. If you’ll be breeding them, you also need a grow-out cage for fryers. Keep an extra cage or two so you can separate or quarantine rabbits if necessary.
Beginner Mistake: Keep two rabbits in a cage for company, thinking rabbits are social creatures who’ll pine away without a friend. In reality, rabbits don’t need companionship of their kind. A few pats from you morning and night is all the attention they need. While young rabbits can be kept together for a time, they become aggressive at sexual maturity. Adult rabbits are territorial and will fight. Separate genders by 10-12 weeks. Each rabbit should be given it’s own cage by 4 months old. The only way two adult rabbits can be kept together safely in a cage/hutch is if they’ve both been spayed/neutered and have been gradually introduced.
House bucks and does away from each other.This reduces or stops bucks from spraying their pee. They don’t feel the need to send their “calling card” out to all the ladies in the area if they are at least 3 feet away. Does are also much happier without a smelly buck next door. Use solid dividers to separate bucks/does in row cages. TIP: If using stacked cages, put bucks on the bottom so urine hits your legs instead of your face!
Rabbit Housing Options
You can raise meat rabbits in cages, hutches, rabbit tractors, or colonies. Which is best for beginners? I’ve found that all-wire cages are the easiest to maintain, but you can use outdoor hutches if you live in a mild climate. Cages in a building or shed are preferred in areas that get extreme temps. Good ventilation is key to keep moist air and ammonia from building up.
Hanging cages provide better protection from rats, ants, and snakes which often climb the legs of hutches. I don’t recommend housing rabbits with chickens. Chickens poop everywhere, peck the toes of kits, and stir up dust that causes respiratory problems in rabbits. Chickens can be allowed to scratch under outdoor hutches but shouldn’t be housed in the same area.
When making cages or hutches, avoid using wood if at all possible. Rabbits love to chew and will quickly decimate your efforts. Wood absorbs urine and is hard to clean, resulting in smelly unsanitary conditions. If you must use wood, try minimize rabbits access to it as much as possible.
Rabbit tractors are large movable pens on the ground. They work well for grow-outs, assuming you use a good design (like this tractor). Tractors must be moved daily to prevent coccidiosis and can’t be used in extreme conditions or temps.
Colonies are rabbits raised together in groups, usually on the ground. They require lots of experience to work successfully. Unlike cages, there are infinite variables in a colony. For instance, rabbits fight, get parasites, dig out, get flooded, or are attacked by predators. It’s very easy to lose kits in a colony and if one rabbit gets sick, all are exposed. Hence, rabbit colonies are not recommended for beginners.
Beginner Mistake: Buy rabbits and put them in an enclosed area to start a colony. “Hey, I don’t have to buy cages and the bunnies will be happier together.” While colonies seem like an ideal set-up for beginners, they’re actually one of the worst ways to start raising rabbits. I strongly recommend that you start raising rabbits in cages or hutches. Once you have some experience and successful litters under your belt, then you can look into other options.
Meat Rabbit Cages
We use hanging all-wire rabbit cages in our barn. Wire rabbit cages are very easy to clean and maintain. They can be stacked on racks or hung in a barn or shed. Personally, I hate dumping pans, so I use angled dropping boards to divert manure in stacked cages (as shown above). Angled dropping boards be incorporated into cage racks/sheds to facilitate cleaning.
Clean trays weekly if using pans. After dumping, add a thin layer of pine shavings or sawdust to absorb urine. Never use cedar shavings. Cedar is toxic to rabbits and the strong scent irritates their lungs.
Good cages cost money. Think of them as an investment. You pay more up front, but will get many years of use from them. Purchase the largest cages possible. We recommend a minimum cage size of 24″x36″x18”H for each rabbit. Does with litters do best in 30”x36” or 24”x48” cages. Commercial rabbit cages come 24″ or 30″ deep. I prefer 24″ deep because my arms aren’t long enough to reach rabbits at the back of a 30″ cage.
Purchase quality cages or cage wire from Bass Equipment, Klubertanz, BunnyRabbit.com, Grandview Rabbitry, or KW Cages. Avoid pet-style cages and the cheap ones from Tractor Supply – they are flimsy and you’ll probably be replacing them within a year. To save money, build your own or buy quality used cages. Just clean them well and replace any rusty floor wire before using.
The sides and top of all-wire cages are usually constructed of 1”x2” welded wire (or baby-saver wire for doe cages). Wires are set closer together on the bottom 3″ of baby-saver wire to prevent newborn kits from crawling out of the cage.
Cage floors should be made of ½”x1” welded wire (14-16 gauge). Proper floor wire supports the rabbit’s feet and keeps them clean and dry, preventing sore hocks. Install wire floors “smooth side up” – with the wires closer together on top. I prefer 14 gauge floor wire for large breed rabbits since it’s sturdier and supports their weight better. It also lasts much longer. Add floor spreaders to cages with 16 gauge wire. Assemble cages with c-rings or J-clips every 3-4″ using corresponding pliers.
Put a slotted plastic resting mat in the center of each cage so rabbits have a place to sit off the wire. Resting mats work much better than boards since urine drains through instead of soaking in. Avoid placing mats in the corner where rabbits are more likely to pee/poo on them. Buy a few extra so you can easily swap them out for cleaning.
Beginner Mistake: “My rabbits will be miserable in a cage if I don’t let them out for for exercise!” Domestic rabbits have been raised for generations in all-wire cages and are well-suited to captivity. They don’t need to be let out for exercise if you follow the cage guidelines above. Our rabbits are perfectly content and get plenty of exercise running laps in their cages morning and night. That’s not to say that you can’t let them out, but realize rabbits risk picking up parasites every time you put them on the ground. To prevent boredom, offer toys, twigs, pinecones, hay, or fresh forage to munch.
Meat Rabbit Hutches
As tempting as it is to buy cheap hutches on Craigslist – don’t do it! Used hutches reek of urine and may harbor mites that will infest your stock. Trust me… you will be much happier purchasing a new hutch, building your own, or using all-wire cages.
Beginner Mistake: Most homemade cages and hutches have hardware cloth for the floor instead of 1/2″x1″ welded wire. Hardware cloth is very thin and will sag. The thin, sharp wires cut rabbit’s feet causing sore hocks. Be kind – never put your rabbits on hardware cloth!
Line hutch floors with 1/2”x1” welded wire, NOT hardware cloth. If possible, attach the floor wire below the frame so that manure can’t pile up along the edges. This also makes it easier to replace the floor if it gets rusty. Cover the sides with 1”x1” welded wire, 1/2″x1″ floor wire, or ½” hardware cloth to deter predators. Never use chicken wire on hutches. Rabbits and predators bite through it resulting in injury or death. Avoid solid wood floors, since they absorb urine and are very hard to clean.
Hot and Cold Temps
Keep rabbits in a cool, shady area in the summer. Heat stroke kills more domestic rabbits a year than any other ailment. Pregnant and nursing does are especially susceptible. During heat waves, a frozen soda bottle filled ¾ full of water or large ceramic tiles to stretch out on can help. Bucks can go sterile for up to a month if exposed to temps above 80F for a few days, resulting in missed litters. Keep bucks in a cool location and avoid breeding does during the hottest months of year. If the temps regularly rise above 85F, you need to find other ways to keep your rabbits cool such as fans, air conditioning, evaporative cooling, or a swamp cooler.
In winter, rabbits handle cold temps fine as long as they are protected from wind and wet. Move hutches into a sheltered location (garage/shed) or cover with tarps to stop drafts. Some breeders add hay or straw to cages on very cold nights for insulation. Just be sure to remove any soiled bedding promptly. Wet bedding leads to sore hocks and urine scald. Don’t use water bottles in freezing temps. Provide fresh water twice a day in bowls or crocks.
Beginner Mistake: “It’s cold out so I’ll give my rabbits a heat lamp to stay warm.” Please don’t put heat lamps on rabbits! They’re a fire hazard, cause does/kits to overheat, and make them to molt (shed their fur). Rabbits have thick fur coats. They handle cold temps fine as long as they’re protected from wind and moisture.
Feeding Meat Rabbits
Caged rabbits depend on you to provide a healthy balanced diet. A rabbit’s diet should consists of rabbit pellets and free-choice hay. Grass, weeds, twigs, and herbs are healthy additions. Just be sure to make any changes to their diet slowly. Salt licks and mineral spools are not needed if you feed pelleted food (which already contains plenty). Putting salt licks in cages just rusts them out faster.
Rabbits are browsers and shouldn’t be left without food or water for prolonged periods of time. This can lead to GI stasis or bloat. Put your rabbits on a schedule and feed them at the same time each day. We give our rabbits their pellets at night. Water and hay get topped off in the morning.
Beginner Mistake: Hover over your new rabbits and feed them lots of treats like carrots, veggies, and lettuce to get them to like you. This is the fastest way to kill a young rabbit. Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems. They can quickly succumb to bloat or enteritis if their diet is changed suddenly. Offer free-choice grass hay and keep new rabbits on the same diet they were raised on. Make any changes in feed gradually over the course of 1-2 weeks.
Never feed fruits, veggies, or iceberg lettuce to young rabbits. They can cause serious diarrhea and dehydration. In case of mild diarrhea, stop feeding all treats, reduce pellets, feed a tablespoon of rolled oats, and offer free-choice hay.
Pelleted Rabbit Feed
The best food for meat rabbits is quality 16-18% protein rabbit pellets purchased at a local feed mill or livestock feed store such as Tractor Supply or Agway. We have used and recommend the following brands: MannaPro PRO, Blue Seal 16% Rabbit Feed, Kalmbach 16% Rabbit, and Pen Pals Feed. Pelleted rabbit food contains all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals needed for reproduction and growth. Store rabbit feed in a clean dry location and use within 3 months. Never feed wet, moldy, or fermented rabbit food.
We feed all of our meat rabbits 16% protein pellets (bucks, nursing does, and grow-outs). Our Champagnes have been selectively bred to be thrifty, easy keepers. Our moms keep good condition and kits grow well without additional protein. Nursing does may need 18% protein pellets if they are being bred intensively or getting thin. Angora rabbits require 18% protein to maintain good fiber growth.
Young bunnies and nursing does should be allowed to eat all the pellets they want. Rabbits over 4 months should receive a daily ration of pellets. Feed 3/4 – 1 cup of pellets/day to an adult meat rabbit. Reduce the portion if there is still some left the next day.
Offer pellets in J-feeders or straight-sided crocks. We use Fine-X feeders from Bass with screen bottoms. They can be filled from outside the cage and efficiently sift out fines (pulverized feed that rabbits won’t eat). Here is a similar style sold on Amazon. Place feeders where they stay completely dry, never on the side of a hutch where rain can damage the feed.
Beginner Mistake: Buy rabbit food at the grocery or pet store. In addition to being overpriced, those brands are full of fillers and unhealthy additives. Avoid buying feed with “treats” such as dried fruit or corn mixed in. Corn makes rabbits fat and may harbor mycotoxins that are toxic to rabbits.
Hay
Feeding high-fiber grass hay keeps rabbit’s teeth worn down, relieves boredom, and prevents blockages (by pulling fur through the digestive tract). I consider it cheap health insurance for my rabbits. Offer hay in racks (like these) to keep it off the floor and minimize waste. Shake out any dust before feeding and take care to keep it clean and dry. Spent hay under the cages makes great mulch for the garden. Never feed wet or moldy hay.
Any grass, timothy, or orchard grass hay that is safe for horses can be fed to rabbits, as long as it is free of chemical residues. Some hay is sprayed with a preservative that is toxic to rabbits and horses.
Don’t buy alfalfa hay for rabbits. Pelleted rabbit feed is made from alfalfa and provides the proper amount of protein. Too much alfalfa is not good and can cause bloat, especially in young rabbits. Grass hay is important to feed especially at weaning to keep their digestive system moving. Nursing does and grow-outs can be fed a mix of timothy/alfalfa hay for extra protein, but never feed just alfalfa hay.
Fresh Forage
You can feed long grass, dandelion, plantain, and clover from your yard as long as it hasn’t been sprayed. Remember to make any changes to your rabbit’s diet slowly. You can also grow fodder from barley or wheat. Once greens are introduced, they should be fed on a regular basis so your rabbit’s digestive system stays accustomed to them. Never feed mowed grass clippings. Pulverized grass ferments quickly, leading to bloat and digestive upset.
Our rabbits’ favorite herbs are basil, fennel, oregano, mint, parsley, sage, cilantro, raspberry leaf, comfrey, mallow, and thyme. Branches, twigs, and leaves from safe trees such as willow, maple, ash, apple, and pear can also be fed. Leaves and twigs from stone fruits (cherry, peach, apricot) are toxic and should not be fed.
Beginner Mistake: Feed rabbits an “all-natural” diet of grass and weeds. “Hey, wild rabbits do just fine on it…” Yes, wild rabbits do live on such things but they also eat bark, roots, twigs, leaves, seeds, and a wide variety of minerals and vegetation. If a wild rabbit gets sick, it seeks the nutrients it needs. A caged rabbit does not have that option. They’re fully dependent on you. Meat rabbits also have much higher nutritional needs since they produce many fast-growing litters a year. Always feed quality rabbit pellets as a base to ensure your rabbits don’t develop malnutrition.
Treats
Rabbits enjoy healthy treats occasionally: old-fashioned rolled oats, black oil sunflower seeds (shells and all), plain cheerios, or mini shredded wheat biscuits are a good choice. Small chunks of carrot, banana, or apple can be fed to nursing does to give them extra calories. Don’t feed fruits or vegetables to rabbits under 4 months old. Avoid yogurt treats or other store-bought rabbit treats because they’re full of fat and sugar.
Black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) are a healthy source of fat and vitamin E. Mix with rolled oats and feed 1-2 T. occasionally to nursing does to boost milk production. You can also give 1T of BOSS to shedding rabbits to help them grow new fur faster. Sunflower seeds are a heating food. They can be fed during cold snaps to help rabbits stay warm. Avoid feeding BOSS during hot summer months. Feed treats sparingly to avoid fat rabbits.
Beginner Mistake: Mix treats such as rolled oats into your rabbit pellets. Rabbits quickly learn to dig out their feed in search of the elusive treats. This is an expensive, difficult habit to break. Always offer treats in a separate dish. Small Pyrex bowls work great. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Water
Clean water must be available to rabbits at all times. Use ball-valve water bottles or heavy crocks with straight sides. Avoid flip-top bottles with a pin in the nozzle and cheap bottles with skinny tubes.
Beginner Mistake: Give rabbits water in lightweight plastic bowls. Rabbits love to dump their bowls, resulting in wet unsanitary conditions and thirsty bunnies. Choose heavy straight-sided crocks, water bottles, or bowls that lock in place like these.
We use Lixit 32oz wide mouth water bottles. They work great! The wide mouth is easy to clean and ice cubes fit through the opening to keep the water cold on hot days. Refresh water daily and check that the level is going down to be sure rabbits are drinking. Provide multiple water bottles for cages of grow-outs. Clean water bottles with a bottle brush and hot soapy water at least once a month.
In winter, provide clean unfrozen water 2-3 times a day. Rabbits can’t get enough moisture by licking ice or snow. Use bowls or crocks they can’t dump. Get extra so you can swap them out to thaw or dip in warm water to remove ice. These stainless steel bowls with clamps work great. Never use water bottles in freezing temps. Think wet tongue on frozen flagpole… poor bunny!
Rabbit Behavior
Rabbits do some things that people don’t expect. Here’s an overview…
Rabbits are prey animals. They scare easily. Loud noises and quick movements may startle them. Scared rabbits either hunker down or run. A frightened rabbit is more likely to bat with its paws, nip, or bite. Learn to read a rabbit’s body language and reassure them with soothing words if they are frightened.
Get in the habit of cheerfully announcing your presence every time you approach, especially if you are carrying something. Always make sure your rabbits hear you before they can see you. Rabbits don’t have good eyesight, so a silent looming shape can be terrifying.
Never let a dog stare at your rabbits. This triggers the predator/prey instinct. The rabbit will freeze, then wildly tear around their cage in an attempt to escape, resulting in injury and possibly death.
Rabbits can be aggressive. Hormonal mood swings are common as rabbits reach sexual maturity. If a rabbit lunges or bites when you reach into the cage, it may be defending its space. This is common with pregnant does. Never hit an aggressive rabbit. It will only make the problem worse because you just showed the rabbit you’re there to fight. Avoid cages with doors that open in, since doors bumping into them can trigger territorial behavior.
If you have a “cage territorial” rabbit, reach your hand in the cage up high then quickly press down on the rabbit’s head and ears. The rabbit will naturally ball up and relax. This shows the rabbit that you are in charge. Keep your hand in place while servicing the cage with the other hand. Aggressive, nasty rabbits are prime candidates for “freezer camp”.
That being said, most rabbits are happy to welcome you to their cage, especially if you bring pats or food.
Handling Meat Rabbits
Rabbits are soft and furry on top, but they have sharp claws and powerful hind legs. Always wear long sleeves and soft gloves when handling rabbits to protect your arms and hands. Grabbing a rabbit suddenly triggers the fight or flight response. This doesn’t end well for either party.
Beginner Mistake: Pick rabbits up by the scruff because that’s what everyone does online. Never grab rabbits by the skin on their back/shoulders. This is a cruel way to handle them. Scruffing is painful and tears the skin away from the muscle. You can tell if a rabbit has been scruffed because you’ll feel scar tissue over the shoulders. Scruffed rabbits often become hand-shy and will cringe or flee when you reach in the cage.
I use towels to pick up my rabbits. I use a hand towel for fryers and a medium-sized towel for adult rabbits. Quietly reach in the cage and pet the rabbit firmly over the head and ears. This shows them that you are in charge and they will naturally ball up and relax. Keep your hand over their eyes with gentle pressure while covering with the towel. Then, just scoop them up.
After removing from the cage, place the rabbit on a padded surface such as a folded towel or carpet square to help it feel more secure.
Rabbit Health Care
Rabbits love to chew and their teeth grow continuously. You shouldn’t have any tooth problems as long as your rabbit has proper tooth alignment (top teeth overlap bottom teeth) and you offer free-choice hay. Rabbits also like pinecones, twigs, or untreated wood blocks to chew on.
Rabbit urine can range from clear to dark orange. All colors are normal.It’s very high in calcium, so don’t be surprised if it’s cloudy or leaves a chalky white residue.
Once a day, rabbits pass a soft sticky stool called cecotropes. These droppings resemble a moist cluster of grapes. They are usually consumed immediately by the rabbit directly from the anus. This is normal and helps re-introduce B-vitamins and beneficial bacteria into their digestive system.
Occasionally, you may see this soft cluster of droppings on their cage floor. Don’t confuse these with diarrhea. Cecotropes only occur once a day. Normal rabbit dropping are round and dry.
Trim your rabbit’s toenails periodically so they don’t get too long. Use nail clippers designed for cats. Long nails can lead to broken toes and sore hocks.
How to Trim Your Rabbit’s Nails
Rabbits shed their fur twice a year, usually in spring and fall. It’s best to brush loose fur from their coat a couple times a week when shedding to minimize fur the rabbit ingests while grooming. If a rabbit consumes too much fur, it can cause a blockage resulting in GI stasis (medical emergency). Flexible wire brushes or silicone brushes work great to remove dead hair. Hay is especially important to feed when shedding because the long strands help pull fur through the digestive system.
Rabbits don’t require any shots and do not carry any diseases transmissible to humans. Deworming isn’t necessary if they are raised in cages or hutches above the ground. Never give oral antibiotics to rabbits. It destroys their gut flora, resulting in an overgrowth of bad bacteria (which kills them fast).
Rabbit Records
Organization is the key to success. Keep good records and have a solid plan in place to keep track of breeding dates, nest boxes, weaning, etc. Assemble a rabbit records binder to keep your records organized.
Printable Rabbitry Records Binder
Beginner Mistake: Breed rabbits, scribble the date on a piece of paper, then promptly forget all about it. A month later, you’re heartbroken to find a cage full of cold, lifeless kits because you forgot to give mom a nest box. Record all breeding, nest box, and kindling dates immediately in a secure place such as a breeding board. Then set calendar triggers to remind you to do important tasks.
Breeding Meat Rabbits
This section contains a brief overview of breeding since the purpose of this guide is to help you get started. When you’re ready to breed your rabbits, get all the juicy details here: Breeding Meat Rabbits
Meat rabbits are old enough to breed at 5-6 months. They should be at least 80% of their adult weight (about 8 pounds). Does should have a small dewlap. Check that both testicl*s have descended on bucks. Don’t bother trying to breed a virgin doe over a year old. Adult does pack fat around the reproductive organs which can make them infertile or cause problems with delivery.
Select unrelated rabbits with complimentary characteristics. For example, pair a doe with weak shoulders and nice hindquarter to a buck with great shoulders. Don’t breed two rabbits with the same fault or you’ll concentrate it in the offspring. The rabbits can have some common ancestry, but there should be plenty of differences as well. Do not breed siblings together.
How to Breed Rabbits
Always bring the doe to the buck for breeding. Wear gloves and have a couple small towels to move rabbits. Put the doe in the buck’s cage. Close the cage. Take a step back and stand right there and watch. Look for 2-3 fall-offs then remove the doe.
Beginner Mistake: Put a pair of rabbits in a cage together for 1-7 days. Then, assume the doe is bred. Please don’t do this! Adult rabbits may fight and cause serious injury to each other. Angry does have been known to castrate bucks or make them unwilling to breed in the future. With this method, you also have no idea if the doe was bred or not. Never leave breeding rabbits unattended!
Record breeding, nest box, and due dates immediately after breeding. You will forget if you don’t write them down. Mark the breed date on the calendar. Then count down 4 weeks to mark the nest box date (day 28). Add a cage tag or calendar trigger to remind you to put in the nest box on day 28. The doe is due to kindle on day 31.
Nest Box
There are a number of nest box styles available- wood, metal, and wire. I prefer wooden boxes because they are warmer in the winter and are easy to make from scrap wood or plywood. All sides must be at least 6″ high to scrape off nursing kits when mom exits the nest. If the front of your box is too low, attach a kit scraper board across the front (pictured below).
Beginner Mistake: “Why buy a nest box? A cardboard box or dish pan will work fine.” Rabbits will quickly destroy a box. If the sides are too low, nursing kits will get dragged out of the nest. Also, nests must be heavy or wired to the side of the cage so mom can’t flip it. A proper nest box is key to successful litters. Be willing to invest for the sake of the babies.
Purchase or build sturdy nest boxes before attempting to breed, so you’ll be prepared when the time comes. 28 days pass quickly. Here’s the nest box design we use: Rabbit Nest Box Plans & Info
Weaning & Grow-out
We wean our kits at 6-7 weeks old. Move mom or the babies to a separate cage. I usually wean the whole litter at once, but you can leave a bunny with mom for another week if desired. Give newly weaned kits plenty of hay to prevent weaning enteritis. Don’t feed mom any treats right after weaning because it will boost her milk supply, possibly leading to mastitis. Feed her rationed pellets, sage, parsley, and mint to help dry up her milk.
Our kits get weighed, sexed, and tattooed at 8 weeks. All the boys go in one cage and all the girls go in another. We keep them in those cages (sorted by gender) until sale or butcher. You don’t need to separate genders if you butcher by 12 weeks.
You can combine litters up to 9 weeks old with little to no fighting. Don’t try to combine older litters or they will fight. Rabbits become territorial as they reach sexual maturity. Any rabbits kept for breeding should given their own cage by 4 months old.
Herd Maintenance
You don’t need tons of rabbits to provide meat for your family. Most backyard homesteaders are perfectly content with a pair or trio.
Beginner Mistake: Keep breeding poor quality rabbits, because you don’t have the heart to get rid of them. A bad rabbit eats the same amount of food and takes up the same space as a good one. If a doe is hard to breed, has tiny litters, a nasty temperament, or is a bad mom, either buy a new doe or replace her with a fast-growing girl from a successful doe’s litter. Most breeders use the “3 strikes you’re out” rule. There’s no point saving bad rabbits – they will just drag you down. Always cull poor quality rabbits.
Our does produce 4-5 litters/year and stay productive for 2-3 years. Bucks can be kept for 3-5 years until their fertility starts to drop. Hold back a replacement kit 6 months before retiring breeders for continuous production. Retired breeders become dinner. They have lots of meat on them and cook up nice and tender if the meat is handled correctly. Grind or cook low and slow with moist heat.
Butchering Meat Rabbits
Butchering an animalis the biggest hurdle you need to overcome to raise healthy meat for your family.
Unfortunately, chills run up your spine at the very thought of killing a rabbit. Your heart starts to race and anxious thoughts fill your mind… Can I really take a life? What if I do it wrong? Can I really kill an animal I have raised? You feel dizzy, nauseous, paralyzed – unable to move forward.
I’ve been there. As rational or irrational as these fears may seem, they are real. These feelings are perfectly normal and mean that you’re a caring, compassionate person.
Taking an animal’s life affects us on a physical and emotional level. However, when put in its proper perspective, these strong emotions awaken us to what it means to be human. Once you harvest an animal for food, your whole perspective shifts. It changes everything.
As strange as it sounds, butchering an animal humanely actually opens your heart to be a kinder, more thoughtful person. You are flooded with gratitude and respect for the beautiful creature that gave it’s life for your nourishment. You naturally become less wasteful and want to make sure nothing goes to waste as a way of honoring its life and sacrifice. You finally understand what it means to be part of the circle of life.
If you’ve never harvested a rabbit before, I highly recommend that you take our online Meat Rabbit Processing Course. I’ve taught rabbit processing workshops at our farm for years and recently created an online version so you can learn this valuable skill in the comfort of your own home.
Beginner Mistake: “Why pay for a processing course when I can learn online for free?” Realize that you can spend weeks or months learning online, yet miss thecrucial basics of humane dispatch. Sadly, about 80% of the butchering videos online don’t teach humane methods, and if they do, they fail to give enough info for a beginner to repeat humanely. Little to no info is given on handling the meatfor safety and maximum tenderness. They also don’t address butchering anxiety which stops many people in their tracks. If the thought of a rabbit suffering needlessly at your hand is unbearable, be willing to educate yourself for peace of mind and the health of your family.
There’s far more to butchering a rabbit than “broomsticking” or hitting it on the head (which are not a humane methods). Ignorance and inexperience cause unnecessary suffering, trauma, tough meat, and possibly food-borne illness.
Our Meat Rabbit Processing Course is the onlycompleterabbit butchering course in existence. Unlike many butchering videos, this course is taught from a place of compassion and respect. Rest assured that you will not be subjected to brutal or inhumane images that abound on other platforms. Our rabbits are treated with the utmost care and respect both on video and off. You don’t need to learn this important skill on your own. Enroll today…
Cooking Rabbit Meat
You can substitute rabbit meat for chicken in most recipes. Because rabbit is such a lean meat, cook it “low & slow” with a sauce or marinade. Freshly processed meat must be aged properly for maximum tenderness. Cook a whole rabbit in a Crockpot or Instant Pot or cut in parts to fry, grill, or bake. Cooking Rabbit 101 and a video on How to Cut up a Rabbit Fryer is included in our Meat Rabbit Processing Course.
Boneless Rabbit Meat – 3 ways
Rabbit Recipes
Pelts & Parts
Pelts from rabbits 14 weeks or older can be saved for tanning. At harvest, put fresh pelts in a bucket of cool water to take the heat out. Then, rinse the neck area, turn right side out and roll up. Raw pelts can be frozen up a year before tanning.
The pelts from younger rabbits are too thin to tan, but can be used for raw fed pets. Rabbit heads, feet, meat, and organs can also be fed to dogs. Learn to use all the parts of a rabbit in the following post:
What Do You Get From a Meat Rabbit?
Rabbit Manure
Rabbit manure is the world’s best fertilizer for your garden! Think of it as a pre-pelleted mix of peat moss & slow-release organic fertilizer. It’s a cool manure that doesn’t need to be aged before adding to the garden. Earthworms love rabbit manure and quickly break it down into rich humus. Mix some “bunny berries” into your soil and watch them work their magic!
Beginner Mistake: Dump cage trays full of rabbit manure straight on your garden. Rabbit manure is “cool” but rabbit urine is “hot” and can burn plants. Since manure and urine are mixed in cage pans, it should be composted before putting on the garden. Dry rabbit manure that hasn’t absorbed urine can used fresh.
Compost wet (urine-soaked) manure for a year before applying to the garden. All that nitrogen will really heat up your pile. You can also dilute rabbit urine with water in a 1:10 ratio and use it to fertilize plants (like Miracle-Gro), treat powdery mildew, and repel aphids.
You can do this!
Whew, that was a lot of info… but I hope you are excited to raise meat rabbits. The counsel in this guide has given you a solid foundation.
Get out a pen and paper. Write down a basic plan if you haven’t already. Decide how many rabbits you want to start with, how often you’ll breed, and what age you plan to process fryers. Will you put all the kits in the freezer, sell the best ones, or occasionally keep one for breeding?
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You can now review the sections above and click the links to learn more about topics of interest. It’s time to take action. Identify your next steps and begin your journey!
Homestead Rabbits is a labor of love in hopes of helping others learn to raise happy, healthy rabbits and produce wholesome meat for their family. As an amazon affiliate, I may earn a small commission on items purchased through the links on this website. If you found this guide helpful, please share it with like-minded friends. I appreciate your support!
Related Posts:
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What Do You Get From a Meat Rabbit?
The Best Rabbit Tractor for Homesteaders
Did we miss something? Comment below with any thoughts or questions you have…
