# Hypothetical Question Meat Rabbits



## Nyboy (Feb 2, 2017)

Hi I am visiting from TEG, I have a Californian named Harvey for producing fertilizer. My nephew who I call Doom and Gloom believes this country is headed for disaster. I have Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that are like children to me.   My nephew asked what my plan for feeding them would be if dog food became unavailable. This had me thinking, 1 adult size rabbit would feed my dogs for a day.  How many breeding rabbits would I need to keep and feed to produce 25 - 30 offspring a month. Thank You


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## Pastor Dave (Feb 2, 2017)

You can get 6 to 8 kits from each doe per kindle. 28-31days gestation, and then abt 10 weeks to get a 5lb. juvenile bunny.
So in all probability, you need 8 does and 2 or 3 bucks to get those numbers.
If you only use the 4 that will get you the 24-32 bunnies, it takes longer than what you're wanting, so alternate 4 does apart from 4 others so you are having 4 new litters, harvesting 4 litters, and rebreeding every single month.
Unfortunately the odds of stuff not going right will be high, so may want to increase your odds by having 10 does. 5 and 5 on opposite rotations. Man, you're making my brain have to work on my day off! Haha 
Hope this helps some.


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## Nyboy (Feb 2, 2017)

Thank you Dave 10 rabbits does not seem insane.


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## DutchBunny03 (Feb 2, 2017)

Rabbits are possibly the easiest type of livestock animal to keep. If you can't find dog food, chances are rabbit food is also unavailable. Rabbits can eat almost anything, so that isn't really a big problem. If you want to feed yourself, too, another breeding pair or trio would do the trick.


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## Pastor Dave (Feb 2, 2017)

Very true.
I was kinda taken back a little considering how many it would take to feed dogs for a month because I hadn't thought about it before. I wasn't even considering human consumption.
After being away from raising rabbits or any farm life for that matter for twenty years, I had considered picking back up with it for a while. But what really made me dive back in was contemplating another Great Depression or some major economical hardship occurring here in the US again. If there is no money and very little groceries available like the 1920's-30's, I want my meat source at home. I don't need refrigeration because my family could consume a rabbit when I butcher it. Like during the Depression, meat is not necessary nightly; possibly one a week as long as other protein can be found. Beans, eggs, peanut butter, etc. If things got bad, I would till up a garden again, and get some chickens. As it is now, I do not have the extra time. I am not a prepper like some of my neighbors, but having been a Boy Scout as a kid, I try to be prepared for things the world throws at us.


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## Baymule (Feb 2, 2017)

Hey @Nyboy! So you are going into the rabbit raising? Get your hanging wire cages....don't you have a garage? It would look so much better full of rabbits! So.....are you going to butcher them????? I bet not, but your nephew would jump in there and help.

You know, if you hang out on BYH for very long, we'll soon have you convinced you need goats, sheep, alpacas, MORE rabbits, chickens, bee hives to pollinate all those fruit and nut trees and toss in a donkey or two. Then you'll have to raise even MORE rabbits to feed your new Livestock Guard Dogs!!!


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## Baymule (Feb 2, 2017)

Nyboy said:


> Thank you Dave 10 rabbits does not seem insane.


And we can say......"I knew Nyboy BEFORE he went insane!"


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## Latestarter (Feb 3, 2017)

Personally, I'd be wondering why I'm spending all this time and energy feeding a dog (or two +) that wasn't providing some very necessary service... like LGD work or home defense work. When the zombie apocalypse happens, worrying over a house pet is going to be wasted worry...   I understand!!! I love my pets too! Justsayin... me or the dog? sorry, I eat first.


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## Bunnylady (Feb 3, 2017)

While we are thinking about hypothetical situations, one "real world" thing to bear in mind is that rabbit meat is extremely lean. A bit too lean, actually - if you fed your dogs only rabbit meat, they'd be badly malnourished in a fairly short time. Baymule is right; you need all those other kinds of animals to provide your dogs with a balanced diet!


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## Bossroo (Feb 3, 2017)

Nyboy said:


> Thank you Dave 10 rabbits does not seem insane.


ONLY 10 ???  Why not count the 6-8 offspring of each of the 8-9 female rabbits until butcher time too and see how many rabbits you will have to house and feed !!!


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## Latestarter (Feb 3, 2017)

No different than feeding a large flock of chickens, and they take much longer to grow out to edible size.


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## Nyboy (Feb 4, 2017)

Thanks guys this is all in my head at this time of life.


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## Pastor Dave (Feb 4, 2017)

In previous times of crisis, Americans have figured out how to make due.
Civil War Era soldiers need protein, but worried abt meat spoiling, voila peanut butter.
Great Depression hits: Some folks saw the need to urbanize, and some saw the need to go rural and get back to basics. Gardens, beans and rice, hunting, rabbit raising was real popular, etc etc.
We will survive tough times, but we do it better with community, dancing, beer, and when necessary--getting churched. Haha


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## Nyboy (Feb 5, 2017)

Very interesting about peanut butter. learn something new every day


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## Hopalong Causually (Feb 7, 2017)

"learn something new every day"

I've heard that said many times, but I swear, there are some people who don't learn anything for weeks at a time.  That becomes painfully clear when you try to teach.


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## mygoldendoe (Feb 8, 2017)

We have 4 females and two males. We breed in pairs at a time incase we need to foster.. it's plenty of growouts to feed our family of 3 (4 when the baby gets more than 3 teeth in). We also hunt deer, hog &turkey. Wev got neighbors to trade for chicken should we want it. And an uncle who raises cattle. We have a human grade weed&herb garden for rabbits here at our house. Plus a huge 3family garden at husbands grandparents house that we all help care for.
Should something happen I like knowing the rabbits are plenty for us and that we have other resources to buy or trade with


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