10 Reasons Why You Should Eat Rabbit Meat
With the explosion of interest in small scale homesteading, the discussion usually turns livestock. Currently chickens are the rock stars of the backyard but rabbits deserve serious consideration and Rick of Rise and Shine Rabbitry is leading the charge and waving the flag for the rabbit contingent. Here are Rick’s 10 Reasons Why You Should Eat Rabbit Meat.
If you are interested in raising rabbits at home check out Backyard Meat Rabbits (The Urban Rabbit Project)
Back in the 1940s and 1950s rabbit meat was as common for dinner as chicken is today. It is the meat they got many people and their children through the lean times of the Depression. They lost their popularity after Big AGRA, who wanted to get maximum profits with the cheapest bottom line using the government endorse chemicals and handouts. Because of this rabbits didn’t make sense. So why even eat rabbit meat now? Below you will find a few reasons why you should consider adding rabbit meat to your diet. Raise some rabbits in your lots, yards, or pastures. Become closer to your food supply know what you eat!
Read the full article at:
http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/04/06/10-reasons-why-you-should-eat-rabbit-meat/
photo credit: AndyRobertsPhotos
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Oh yeah. Rabbits are great table fare and are super easy to raise. You can easily start with a buck and two does. Cages are easy to build. Keep them separate and when you want to breed them you put the does into the bucks cage. It won’t take long for the buck to do his job.Gestation is 31 days and they have some really cute babies. When they start to really put on the bulk of a regular adult, that’s the time to process them.
We’ve been raising rabbits for many years. We have had a little trouble fiding a way that DH likes them prepared, but have FINALLY hit on a winner I think. They are good barbequed and lately we made some sausage. Really a hit, and I think we’ll go that way next time too. The trouble with preparing them is that they have no fat. So they are just not what you are used to fixing. Good flavor though, higher protein and low fat. Can’t be beat !
I first read the book Charlotte’s Web when a young kid, over 50 years ago. I still, at age 65, identify with the little girl who did not want Wilbur to be slaughtered. I would not have made a good farm wife or daughter. I raised rabbits to sell to pet stores, they are precious. I would not want to eat one. I had a neighbor who raised meat rabbits and he had had more than he cared to keep so he had slaughtered some and stashed the bodies in the freezer. His wife told me everytime she opened the freezer she felt like she was looking at the bodies of skinned babies. She finally made him donate them to their church and most of the people there were as turned off about cooking them as his wife was and I would be.
To be honest, if it weren’t for the fact I detest most veggies more than I detest the idea of eating dead animals I would be a vegetarian. However, I am realistic enough to know you cannot survive on avocado sandwiches for life, so I eat beef, chicken and pork. I will not eat deer, rabbit, or the various little varmits that a lot of people have no problem eating. I can survive on peanut butter if I have to. I know you will probably think I’m a jerk, and say I will not survive in an emergency, but hey, I’m 65, not going to last that much longer anyhow, and am good with the Lord and not afraid of going home. If I have to starve I’ll just try to not complain about it.
Gena, Thanks for taking the time to comment! I really believe that you have the right to eat what you want without judgement from me 🙂 I’ll admit that I feel a twinge when I’m harvesting a deer or preparing a pig for the spit. I feel that as a committed (and unrepentant) meat eater it is my duty to see that an animal is treated with respect since it gave it’s life to nourish my family and I. My wife will cook all manner of things but has a hard time with whole animals so I’m careful to keep somethings out of her sight. So if you need to pile in a few cases of PB for the long haul you won’t get grief from me!
Oh, I do intend to get some hens at my new home I’m moving to soon, but basically for the eggs, not to eat the chickens if I would have to kill them myself. I cannot kill things. I’ve even rescued mice off sticky traps and thrown them out the door at peoples’ houses. About the only things I’ll kill are scorpions if they are in my house and black widow or brown recuse spiders if in my house or on my porch where the might harm my dogs. I have had encounters with rattlesnakes but never been in a position where I would have to kill one, I guess if it was me or the rattlesnake, I would kill it, or if it was likely to strike on of my dogs. I’m not totally wimpy, I served in the Army for 4 1/2 years during Vietnam, but women were not sent into combat zones for the most part back then. I was medically retired after messing up my back seriously skydiving. I have over a period of time gotten to where I can clean infected wounds on my dogs and give them subQ shots without getting sick to my stomach, but killing things and eating them is beyond my scope. And I think it would be very hard for me to gut a dead animal, don’t know if you can eat meat you have thrown up on. Why I decided against even trying to go for MD or DMV when I resumed my education after getting out of the Army.
Don’t want to sound like a jerk, but that is one of the things God made men for, should have never divorced. 🙂
I love rabbits, especially with a side of potatos. Kill, eat, repeat.
I would certainly NOT eat a rabbit. I would rather die from hunger than eat rabbit, deer, cat, dog or anything like that. I eat pork, beef, fish and chicken. But I would never be able to kill an animal exept spiders, scorpians, beetles and snakes. I would love to live on a farm. I love rabbits, they are my favourite animals. I would like to have one. As my old rabbit Snowy died from a fox :(. Please do not think of me as wimpy because I am not. I have been in 5 earthquakes and 20 storms and I am 10. I live in England, Friston. I have got 3 dogs and a cat. I used to have a cat called Couscous but he died of car crash 🙁 only in March. I hope you all understand me…
I’m with you on this one.
I find rabbit very good eating, yes they are cute and yes I have a heart, but feeding my family is my goal. Beef,pork,chicken,rabbit,duck really they are all good. will be raising chickens, ducks, and rabbits on my small piece of land.
I find it interesting that the people commenting would not eat rabbit meat. Why would you read an article on it? I think it is nice to know your meat and know it was cared for and killed properly. My dad showed rabbits when I was a kid and we ate the extras. I didn’t mind the meat but sure would have preferred to not eat the liver.
I’m from Southwestern VA, the Blue Ridge Mtns, and I was raised on rabbit, turkey, pheasant, deer, squirrel, turtle, fish, fresh water mussels, crawdads (crayfish), frog legs,raccoon, and even had ground hog a few times. I love rabbit, it’s one of my favorite foods, and it doesn’t bother me having it in my freezer. It usually sets right next to the deer, squirrels, turtle, fish, frog legs, pork we buy and process, along with one of our cows we slaughter. I can hunt and clean wild game and fish, or a chicken with no problem, but I just can’t go the tame rabbit route. If I was starving ,of course I would do what I had to,but I just can’t put tame rabbits in the same category as I do live stock and chickens. I know that may sound nuts to you guys but it’s true. I do agree it’s a very lean meat, but it’s so good. I love to use rabbit, squirrel, or mix them together for a casserole. I use a basic chicken casserole recipe, and do the rabbit/squirrel like I do my chicken and it turns out great. It also makes it go further for my family and is a nice change from fried or a soup/stew. I’ve been toying with the idea of trying it and/or squirrel in a white chili rather than chicken.
I have this last summer purchased a Doe and Buck Giant Flemish. Buck is a two months younger so our first breeding is late Spring. I am the farmer in town and we are young seniors. Rules they have an awesome life while with us I do most of the care. My husband does all the cuddles he wants. I harvest . He will eat. So to make life easier we have a friend in the country who will havest and a place he can leave on his 100 acres in bush the rest so there is no waste.In do laugh as a friend says their condo is a bit too much. I will never recoup my cost in material. Same with my chickens. Do you or any of your fallowers have a supper way to keep drinking water from freezing in the winter,I do keep it in with the feed in the closed in area with lots of straw but have a opening to run . Guess I should have insulated
In answer to lindamay.. Check out ” chicken cut c ” on the web. She has a water warmer you can make.
Linda Maya that is ” chicken chick “
My messages change when I post ???
Hope everyone who eats rabbit meat enjoys heart disease and cancer because that’s what your gotta get with eating meat.Eating meat has a number of health risks related to it. With cancer being the highest one, Plus who the fuck in their right mind would an animal just to eat it. Any one who eats rabbits can go fuck themselves or go vegan.If you don’t go vegan then I really dont care because your just going to die a miserable death in your mid 50s to 40s.
I approve stuff like this so everybody can get a feel for what whackos are out there! Sorry for the language!
I first had rabbit stew in France and was surprised. Couldn’t refuse as i was a guest for dinner. Then back in Montreal i mustered up the courage to buy and try horse meat ( i was in the equestrian club at University in France…). Of course that meat was nicely wrapped and displayed at the supermarket. As a buddhist, we say it is better to take the life of an animal that can feed several families. Even so, the pigs that are truck-hauled on the highway kinda disgusts me when i see them ( especially on days when i got their kin in my gut…). If it weren’t for the fur, i guess a dead rabbit is much like a dead fish. One day i hope to save a bundle of money by breeding and eating HARE every week. (there is a great French film called Jean de Fleurette showing early twentieth century techniques of breeding…)