This is an article a lot of Homesteaders may not like. The cute little bunnies that run around the homestead are relaxing to watch (just like a beautiful deer). But, those rabbits can also cause a lot of damage to your garden (just like deer).
This article is less about the varmint that eats my crops, but more about raising rabbits as a food source. Not everyone will agree, but not everyone agrees with eating bambi either – so let this article just be about information. The fact is … as adorable as they are – Rabbits Can Be a Good Food Source on The Homestead.
When it comes to animals you can raise for a meat source, nothing can serve your family as quickly as rabbits due to their fast reproduction habits. While they’re small, you can get up to 400-500 pounds of meat from just 2-3 rabbits each year from their offspring.
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Rabbits have a 30-day gestation period, and most litters have up to a dozen rabbits (kits) born to them. In just 12 weeks, you can harvest the animal for its meat. They’re great for small space survival farming, and can even be raised indoors to protect your livestock from theft or predators.
They’re also quiet animals, so you don’t have to worry about them drawing attention to your property in the event that you’re in a survival situation where being stealth is important.
To raise a rabbit, you’ll need to have a hutch that you can build or buy that protects them from predators and elements. You will be feeding them things like lettuce and carrots, so you can grow an abundance of those in your survival garden for them to feed on or give them grass, weeds and wildflowers.
Not only can rabbits be used for their meat to feed your family in a survival event where the food chain is compromised, but you can also use the fur and hide (pelt) for warm clothing if you need to make a coat or other item from it.
It’s not expensive to get started raising rabbits, and besides the hutch to keep them in, you just need a water bottle and feed bowl. Besides keeping them safe from predators and feeding them, you just need to clean up after them and they’ll be pretty self-sufficient.
The main breeds people raise for homesteading are the Californian and New Zealand White rabbits. But some choose to raise Rex rabbits, Florida Whites, Chinchillas or Flemish Giants. They typically don’t have many health problems that will spread to other rabbits.
