How Many Rabbits will Feed My Family?
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- čas přidán 18. 09. 2017
- A lot of people have been asking us how many rabbits they need in order to feed their family. Rabbits are a very important protein source on our homestead and in this video we will attempt to help you figure out how many rabbits you will need to raise for your own homestead.
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Now THAT’S information a girl can use... Thank you for answering real questions with USEFUL much-needed information and answers. By the way, your downloadable Rabbitry record sheet is a great tool too!
Thinking very seriously of raising rabbits. As a teen we had rabbit that we raised at least once a week and I loved all the different ways my mom cooked them. That was a long time ago, as I will be 60 in a few months, but I miss eating that delicious, proton packed meat. Will be watching more of your videos.
Love and blessings,
Jim
I used to raise rabbits when I lived in New Jersey many years ago. We used to have Flemish giants. We used them for food but didn't need too many as there was only the 3 of us.We sold quite a few to neighbours and nearby farmers. Their poo made excellent fertiliser and we always had a great vegetable garden.
How did you kill them with the rabbits being so big?
Thank you for sharing.
Nicly done and very appreciated.
@@janinedear-barlow dislocate neck in a Hopper popper
It’s always a good idea to have an extra Doe or two because of losing litters and you can keep more in the freezer
Sarah, I have watch all of your video's, thankyou for these videos.
I am 52 ,just got custody of 3 grandbabies .teaching me and my family to be self sufficient . With this responsible you and your family has been a true blessing . We are getting rabbits and chickens ,I also have been canning .
I don't think you realize just what a blessing you and Kevin are .ty again GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU AND YOURS IN GOD GRACE.
Kevin is a southpaw!!! Special people! I was ambidextrous, but in my day we were forced to be right handed. I had four children and one of them is a southpaw! Yea!
Very good video and info. Qne major point to consider, with a cow, after you butcher, you MUST either freeze or can the meat. This costs money regardless of the procedure you use. with rabbits you do not have these extra cost as you can butcher as you need which makers for a major cost savings.
Thanks for these videos! I will watching and learning from them all!
I've appreciated all the info you have presented in this series. This chart was especially helpful. Thanks!
I've never been really interested in rabbits. But I'm watching all your videos with such of interest and I'm learning tonnes. Thank you guys.
yall are a great team and i think raising your own food is superb, quality at the highest level, thanks for the information, God bless yall
I did research in college on rabbit as an alternative food source in the event of an economic collapse. I used a space constraint of a 2 car garage. Once factoring in gestation periods and mortality rates, the rabbit totally blew the chart off the wall after about 9 months. You find yourself basically comparing mathematical growth to exponential growth. I did this research in 1984--long before the internet existed. The numbers are solid. A fast economical way to feed a family is using rabbit. I haven't had a chance to watch all your videos yet but I hope you discuss how to build a hutch and placement from predators. Also I haven't seen yet how much fertilizer byproducts you produce.
I do admire the Kevin and Sarah work together. Individuals strengths are utilized and they learn together. I hope the same is true off camera as what is I'm observing in the videos
I love your youtube channel! Excellent quality and great information that is easy to understand.
Love your break down. I was just doing this today but with only 4 litters a year because I dont want to depend on too much hay and pellets for the winter.
You are both AMAZING !!! Thank you so much. Hugs from Spain💃💃💃
Kevin and Sarah, I'm a fairly new subscriber so I have many video's to catch up on. I not going to ask questions about How your rabbit setup is because you probably have a video on it already. I'm 55 and work full time so I won't have the energy to care for my own livestock. However, many of your viewers might be in my situation and be younger and have the energy to do so. I just wanted to stress the importance of your statement to them about checking with state , county and city regulations on not only selling but also raising any kind of livestock. You would be surprised how the regulations vary. I LOVED this video and I'm so glad to be a subscriber. Your video's always bring a big smile to my face. Thanks
We have 16 does and they are grass fed. I love your math chart and we eat rabbit for alot of our meals. We make taco soup, tamale pie, green chili enchiladas, fajitas, BBQ pizza and many more. By the way love your channel and just want to say you all are very informative.
Neghos Nadeau are you saying your rabbits eat grass only - zero relets-how long do they take to grow to 4 pounds live weight?
Harlo Condo So are you asking how much our rabbits weigh when I cull them or how long dose it take to get one of our rabbits to weigh 4lbs.
Harlo Condo we raise them organically. We have green crops for them that we grow. plus 5 different types of hay all they want and apple twigs, grape twigs and leaves, plus flours they like. To reach 4lbs they achieve at 3 to 4 months. The average is 3 months.
Do you give pellets at all?
Thank you. Setting up to raise rabbits. Am gathering as much info as possible, will be watching all you rabbit videos.
Great! I hope you find all the rabbit videos helpful!
Thanks a lot for downloading this information, i learn't a lot from you guys.
that cow analogy really nailed it for me....I think most ppl can relate to that. I definitely see the benefits of rabbits....so much easier to raise and deal with over a cow.
I agree. But the cow also gives milk. No way am I keeping a cow though.
Only if it’s a milk cow
I am now doing research trying to see the "up's and down's" of rabbits. I presently raise compost worms. (Red Wigglers) and it seems that these worms thrive in a rabbit manure rich environment. So I joined the ARBA, bought a book (the ARBA gave me a book as well) and I went to a Rabbit Convention. I spoke to many people there and learned a lot. It looks like it will cost "about" 35 cents a pound for food. I think that much of what I feed the rabbits will come out and be used to feed the worms. Most of what I feed them will be turned into Castings. When taking into consideration the fact that I will get meat it looks like the meat will be free. The castings have a market value of AT LEAST a dollar a pound. Since the feed and the amortization of the initial investment (cages etc.) over a few years will work out to about 50 cents a pound at the "rabbit level" it looks at this time that my initial observations seem realistic. Luckily a friend already raises rabbits and is MORE than happy to use me as a way to get rid of their manure. So I have no real investment right away. So far it looks good. I will keep you up to date on my progress.
I raise worms as well and I am not trying to discourage your plan, but rabbit manure is one of the best garden fertilizers there is along with castings. You could easily sell the manure as is as fertilizer and feed your worms other things like weeds and newspaper which would turn into as good of castings as you would get the other way.
They do great under rabbit cages, there are some tricks you will learn
@@abcxyz9643 I feed them most of the food scraps from my kitchen
Sounds like a well thought out plan. Even if it doesn't entirely work out to plan itll still yield good results.
Excellent.. factual and to the point.. thank you 😊
Ive just started breeding rabbits for meat and have a buck and a doe. That was super helpful info going forward, thanks.
I'll be getting my first rabbits soon. I have so much to learn. Thanks.
I always knew this, but never did the math in writing. This video is three years old, but if you guys see this, an excellent post.
Excellent info. Thank you so much.
Great information 🙏🏻 Im. Newbie at raising rabbits, I am in the process of researching all I can before I start
I have 2 does at the moment and one buck. One kindle 12 kits and the other will at the end of the month. I plan to buy 2 more does so I can grow the meet I need to feed my family. Thanks for the information. God's blessings!
Wow, thanks for the break down...
Awesome info ! You guys rock.. new favorite homestead channel
Great update.
Thanks for all the info
25 sept 2020 just saw your channel boy are you great . best farm channel I have ever seen your explaination is so simple . Hoping to move to Philipines to do that. God bless from Malaysia
Everytime I come across these videos I think a little more about how to manage this in a townhouse setting. To supplement our store purchases I figured 2 does and a buck, but they would have to be mostly housed in the basement with it being cold at least 1/3 of the year here and very little green space in the backyard. Don't have much say in a rental property.
Wow thank you for this information this really helps I love your channel I been learning so much from you God bless you 🌻🌻
Great work!!!
I know this is older vid. Love u emphasize the portion size of the meat.
Enjoy the show. I know ppl in MO have regional accents... but Kevin definitely has a Wisconsin accent & Sara's isnt a southern MO accent. My acct is hard to pin down, but definitely a MO accent.
Hi Sarah hi Kevin I really like you guys' videos on rabbits I actually used to raise them but I kind of forgot some stuff and you are really reminding me about everything and I'm raising rabbits again for me meet
Loving the 1970 tec. No batteries or chips required. Works every time. 👍🇬🇧
Loved the series. Learned alot from it. Here in a few months I'll be getting some meat rabbits. This was the perfect informative video series I've seen.
That's really cool did you manage to do it? I want to do it after our garden is sorted out.
Im sharing this on my facebook page great video
Great info! Thank you
Thanks for the great info. And God bless!!!!!
You guys are fantastic 🤗
my dad raised domestic cottontails back in the late sixties. dad passed 02/12/71 we did chores that evening for 1200 rabbits. adults, babies, and fryers. that's any rabbit that could eat pellets and hay. we kept them till spring butchered most turned about 150 loose on the farm. with dad gone the rabbit business was dead and ma couldn't afford the feed 1200 plus rabbits and raise 6 kids too. we ate lot of rabbit for a long time. I was 11 yrs old.
Bet you run fast when a dog barks...
@@mjuberian ha, ha ha, too funny!!!
THANK YOU IT HELPED .
A very helpful video!
Thank you, I was really curious about this after watching the series y'all did on raising rabbits.
Great video making it very clear how to calculate
We just need enough for my wife and myself. Amazing that I only need 1 buck and 2 females. Thank you for the info.
Glad we were able to help!
oh my goodness, that really emphasizes the term, breeding like rabbits!! wow...3 does and you have over 100 rabbits a year, crazy!! I was thinking of raising rabbits and chickens for me and my wife as well as two dogs (Akita and Husky). Three or four does is all we would need then. This is great stuff!
Awesome video thanks
Really considering getting meat rabbits... working on my wife is the toughest part. Really a great video and thank you for sharing what you have learned in a practical way!
Thanks so much! Keep encouraging your wife! We really love raising them!
@@LivingTraditionsHomestead sorry not every body knows the rule I love your fam o inspire to be off grid I want to be the best I can be.watever
Same here. My wife's parents fed her her pet rabbit for Christmas and denied it was it... Parents were brutal back then...
My mom has similar stories.
Not sure I'll get it through, so aiming for turkeys, and a big maybe pig, but I want rabbits.
Tell your wife she needs to be cool like Sarah ! 😂
thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this, you guys! Subscribed, looking forward to watching more about keeping rabbits.
Glad to have you along!
This is very informative thank you
This is fantastic information! Thank you. I will be getting rabbits this spring. I was only going to get 2 does and a buck... there are 5 of us and I plan on eating rabbit 3 days a week. You guys have fantastic information.
Did you do it? How many did you end up getting.
That is ok on the rabbit video I found it on your past videos. Thanks
+Gail Reese Great! I was going to give you the link to that video. 😊
Tues. our 3 does have their first litters:)! So exciting:)!
Great video, we have gotten to eat some rabbit when a friend gave us our start in meat rabbits, but we have yet to dispatch and clean yet, has been way to hot here in East Texas. I would say we can only really breed in the fall thru spring here, just too hot!
Amazing! Great information!
Boy have I missed you guys....and other channels I watched regularly pre-Irma. Just getting sketchy internet/cell service back, still no electric or (well) water after 9 days. Hope to be restored with time to finish cleaning so I can head to MO as scheduled. First post-Irma video and it did not disappoint. As always, a fabulous, informative video!! Hope to see y'all at the festival....
SO good to hear from you Debbie! I was just thinking earlier today that we hadn't heard from you in a while, I guess I didn't remember that you were in the pathway of Irma. Glad to hear you are safe and that the move is still on! Only a couple more weeks right? Can't wait to meet in person. We will continue praying that everything keeps progressing on time for you! - God Bless! - Kevin & Sarah
Living Traditions Homestead Unfortunately, this trip isn't "the move", but rather one of many visits to work on the property. Must admit, each trip north makes returning south harder. Can't wait for the last drive to MO 😌!
Thanks so much!
Good info! Thanks.
You guys deserve another subscriber.
I volunteer! 🙋🏻♂️🤠
Good information.......
In 1979/80 i raised pigs , rabbits , and turkeys . On my job was a crane opperator in passing it came out i had turkeys and rabbits . The operator kept rabbits and decided i needed one of his does to try in breeding some special breed 1/2 flemish giant 1/2 rex if memory serves me . He proposed to trade me one turkey for one rabbit . As i had lots of turkey i agreed and we swap . When i got home i put the big rabbit in with my does . Long story short it was a buck so i dnded up with a bunch of does with litters all at same time . I was so mad at him for telling me it was a doe and mad at myself for not checking . My does where the white ones . Everyone if my does had large litters and in short order i had biggest bunch of most tender rabbits you can imagine over two times the size of my normal ones and tender and succulent you wouldn't believe it . I have often planned on doing that again . My turkeys would go to roost and climb all over me under shade tree . I had best pork around everything was top shelf .
I love goat meat! Its as good as beef to me! Goat milk takes some getting use to but once you do that's yummy too. Unfortunately the cattle industry keeps it out of most stores along with emu meat which is another wonderful meat.
The more alfalfa (and the higher quality alfalfa) you feed them, the better the goat milk will taste. 😊
Wow, that's some pretty pans!
Great video!
Another fantastic series !!! You guys are awesome !!! You explain things so well leaving nothing out. I would like to ask about cost of raising as far as feed and how much do they typically eat from weaning to butcher ?
Tomorrows video will answer this question!
Do you keep the pelts and make anything like winter gloves? That would be something worth selling? I’d be interested!
As always, very informative...Will you make a video showing how to butcher rabbits? Love this series, love your channel. God bless
She is Cute and Adorable...she is what she eats.
This was a good video and informative. The BIG question is what breed of rabbit are you using??? Some breeds can weigh up to 20+lbs. Thus 1/2 a rabbit or less per meal. You need to adjust accordingly of actual rabbit meat weight VS weight eaten per person. I use Belgian giant blue and New Zealand mix rabbits, and mine average 19lbs (per kill weight). Thus in my house, eating rabbit once a week is about 1/2 a rabbit for 4 people. I keep my breeding down to manageable amounts. Thanks for another great video.
they raise Californian/ new Zealand cross I believe. Some of the bigger breeds have more bones.
I wonder what the feed to meat ratio difference would be as well
When I was a kid we had a lot of different breeds but our meat rabbits were Californians and New Zealands that we crossed with a Flemish Giant buck. We kept the female breeders pure though.
Check out the videos, they go through everything from breeding to harvesting them.
@@evelgreytarot8401 was a male giant rabbit or too big for the girl rabbits? Haw did you slaughter such big rabbits?
Just subscribed to your channel! wondering what to consider when selling our Cali white's? thanks from Castroville Texas
Awesome tips
Thanks so much!
If you have neighbors, you can also trade. Perhaps 200 lbs of beef for 200 lbs of rabbit, or some such ratio. I traded for a deer each year. I would buy the permit. He loved hunting and would shoot the deer. His brother owned a processing plant and would cut up the meat, add the pork fat for burger meat, make the jerky, and package it all. I would get a call, "Mike, come get your deer." They would last all year. One year we split an elk. I paid $600 for the permit. He paid all the hunting expenses and his brother did all the processing. I got 100 lbs. It was a treat and we still each got a deer that year, too. ($25 for permit for me.) (Btw, I traded by helping him occasionally as he was paralyzed from the neck down (sip & puff rifle) and we lived in the same apartment complex.) Trading is good!
This is an amazing breakdown! Do you have a video like this breaking down the costs of raising rabbits?
AND as soon as I posted this, I found the video :D Y'all are amazing!
I have three does and they all three average 8 to 12 kits in each litter
Makes sense.
Great video. Have you done any work concerning tracking the amount of rabbit manure you receive from your rabbits? If I got involved with rabbits the manure for fertilize would be a major part of my decision. I really enjoy the channel.
You guys say "You know" a lot like my mum :D
Your videos are my go to for raising rabbits, I think you’ve said before you keep breeding does for about 2 years, what do you do with them after.....( are they any good for eating after that???) I guess same question for non performing buck?? I’m in Australia and enjoy your channel.
Yes, we eat them. They are a little tougher, but cooking them on a low heat helps, cover with a sauce during cooking, and cover the baking dish with foil to lock in moisture. 👍
I appreciate all the knowledge you are sharing. When setting a price to charge for a live rabbit being sold to another breeder or 4-H or whatever, what things do you take into consideration? Also, I think one of your videos you said you retire does after 1-2 years. What about bucks?
great info..cost per fully raised rabbit? know ya love running numbers,,,,lol
Hello folks !! That some great maths !! And a very amazing topic !! Very interesting and informative video today !! So you get a litter every six weeks, how many weeks does it take to come to maturity and cull your first rabbit ?? Thanks for sharing
+50 shades of green We cull our rabbits at 11 weeks old. Thanks for watching!
Where live when the tide is out the table is set. Salmon ling cod deer elk razor clams. Fresh crab. We then barter with farmers for fruit and vegetables. Salmon sells for $5.00 per pound whole. Interested in your cost for equipment and feed for 1,000# so you have a barn freezer feed storage. then your manhours . have you considered selling shares of food in a paid co-o.o for your children to learn at business? Growing Xmas trees or craft market or online marketing.
Good video. Some other point's you didn't cover. Getting into rabbit's is much cheaper. There are no vet bills since the cost to replace a breeder is cheaper than an office call, you can't do that with a brood cow that you have a grand in. Lose a litter, you are out 28 days compared to a year on a still born calf. You don't need a truck and trailer to haul them to market and if you butcher yourself you don't need a cooler, grinder, meat saw,ETC.
When I raised meat rabbits, I generally averaged 7 kits per litter surviving. Those rabbits usually netted right at 3 lbs each, which resulted in about 21 lbs per litter. I bred my does 5 times a year. Rounding numbers, I came up for estimation purposes 100 lbs of meat per year per doe. Breeding more often can increase that yield. But I chose to not breed that hard because it can affect the life span of the doe. Yeah, she could be replaced. But when I had a doe with excellent mothering skills I wanted to pass on her genes to as many kits as I could. And the longer she lived the more litters she'd have in total.
I heard that rabbit produces the most amount of meat to amount of food you feed it compared to other live stock.
That's really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
It has been some time from when you made and posted this video. I am wondering if your production met your projected numbers? Growing up we only bred to does 3 to 4 times a year due to it straining the does too much to breed them more.
I'm going to get a couple does and 1 buck rabbit in January, I will just be raising our on meat for my home. .y question is how long is a buck good for breeding and can you save a buck from your litter but breed him 2 a doe that's not his mother and have a successful litter or is it best to get 2 bucks 2 does and make sure you don't cross breed their offspring. Hope I didn't confuse you with my question. Love y'alls videos, they have taught me a lot about gardening. Thanks
As I'm considering meat rabbits I'm learning a lot from you guys so thank you. I'm still trying to figure out how to start as my back yard is literal woods, and when we had pigs/chickens a bear attacked. So keeping them safe is a concern of mine. Plus here in western mass there's lots of cold and snow. I'm concerned about different ways to handle that.
You dispatch your grow outs at 11 weeks, at what age does there fur become worth keeping and at that age does it make the meat different?
Fur is best from adults in wintertime. The meat will be tougher and is best slow-cooked.
Thanks for the video :) I had a question about how many bucks per doe's do you recommend thanks :)
Another fantastic video. Thanks Kevin and Sarah. I was wondering if you could tell me what age you usually move your grow outs into your tractors? We keep our breeders in cages in an enclosed patio that's approximately 10' X 20'. Plenty of room for four adult cages but it gets a little crowded when we start adding cages for grow outs, not to mention a real challenge to keep the smell in check in an enclosed space. I would really like to move them to covered, hanging cages on the side of our barn/shed in the same space where we grow out our Cornish X chicks, but I'm not sure when they could best handle such a move.
+Julie in Vegas We move ours at 5 weeks when we wean them from Mom. Sounds like you have an awesome things going there! Congrats!
@@LivingTraditionsHomestead don't think as much x
Sorry but got to say Kevin's fam xx
In my homestead I'd be the butcher.
I have many questions for Kevin!
Does he have a video about how he goes about it and how his 1st time went? Did he need music to relax, was it stressful?
It's easy on the paper, but not so in real life. I raise two breeds, huge german breed and new zeelander, the first is big, at maturity about 18 pounds a buck, and 15 a doe, also, they might or might not breed well, a litter can have as little as 2 bunnies. The first litter might be sacrificial because not all does keep their first bunnies. I've had a terrible year for raising rabbits. Best breeda ar the ones that are local and mixed, so plenty of genetical material.