About our Rabbits:
Our 100% organic rabbits are Satins that have been carefully breed to be very large, meaty, hardy in heat and cold, and tame for safe handling. Rabbits are an excellent source of clean homegrown meat for any size homestead. The meat is lean like chicken at 3 months and becomes dark and rich by 5 months. They are quiet, don't require a lot of space, and produce an incredible amount of meat for the feed they consume. Our rabbits eat 100% organic pellets, grass, weeds, fruit, and homegrown veggies and herbs from the garden.
A Note on Feed, Pricing, and Profit:
Our rabbits are fed half organic pellets at $30/50lb bag ("Normal" Pesticide/GMO feed is $17/bag) and half grass, weeds, herbs, and veggies that I grow and water then cut by hand to bring to the rabbit cages. I am transitioning them to eat less pellets and more homegrown food using the book "Beyond the Pellet". The pricing covers cost of feed and puts a tiny dent in paying off the barn and cage set up. The pricing does not cover the time to cut grass, care for the rabbits, run the website, or customer communication. There is no profit made for our farm on selling rabbits. We run our rabbit operation to feed ourselves and offer breeders to others for their own food supply.
Starting Your Own Food Supply
How Many Should I Get?
For a 3-4 person family to eat a rabbit a week, at minimum one male and two proven females are needed. Each female can be breed 4-5 times a year Oct-April and proven females should give 6-12 kits/litter. This is not guaranteed. Females vary in mothering ability and stress decreases litter size and kits survival rate. I prefer to keep an extra male and 2 extra females for security of the food supply in case of an accident
How Do I Butcher?
Youtube and Practice. Search "dispatching a rabbit" and "butchering a rabbit". Join Facebook group "Backyard Meat Rabbits". When its time: set yourself up with everything you need, turn off emotions as best as possible, and give yourself patience and kindness. You are doing a wonderful thing by feeding your family the best food. This is what humans are supposed to eat and the process we are supposed to go through! Congratulations on your bravery in taking on this new adventure! Not many folks are willing to do this for their health and the health of their family.
How Do I Build Cages?
If you prefer to purchase cages, KWcages.com. Building your own cages saves so much money. Our cages are 3'x2' for each breeder and 3'x3' or 4'x3' for grow outs. We used 2"x1" wire for walls and ceilings and 1/2"x1" wire for floors. We connect walls and doors with J-Clips. We hang them double stacked with rebar and chain inside our barn and secure with hose clips. In between levels we lay corrugated plastic. Our feeders are J style 5-7'" and the waterers are soda bottle conversion kits both from KWcages.com with either Trader Joes or Crystal Geyser 42.3oz sparkling water bottles. Those are the only style I have found that don't crush under the pressure so they last longer. Our nesting boxes are 12x12x18 with 1/2x1/2 wire as the floor with a plastic lid laid below.
I Could Use More Help...
Please give us a call or email with any questions! But the internet is full of more creative, wise, and experienced folks! Google, Facebook, and Youtube are invaluable!