# How to convince my wife we need to get rabbits?



## JInSouthMS (Nov 3, 2009)

any suggestions on do's and don't would be greatly appreciated.


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## kapfarm (Nov 3, 2009)

In my case it was the other way around, my wife had to convince me. why doesn't she want rabbits? will you be keeping them in the house? or does she simply not like animals?


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## JInSouthMS (Nov 3, 2009)

they would be outside and she likes animals. she wants to get a few more bills paid off before we get more animals, i agree with her on this point. the other thing is i want meat rabbits but she has tried wild rabbit and didn't like it, are there any breeds that arn't so cute and taste like chicken?


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## Goatzilla (Nov 3, 2009)

If you can afford it, try to buy a trio of the best quality, pedigreed New Zealand Whites that you can afford. They are excellent, efficient, meat producers. You can sell offspring as breed animals for good money. As far as cute and cuddly, they are big, and it seems that the better quality lines are skittish, and not the most appealing pets.

I have a small rabbitry that even helps pay the bills. I keep the best quality offspring to sell as breeding stock and send the lesser quality offspring to freezer camp as soon as they make the weight I desire. I run an ad on Craigslist when I have breeding stock available and usually sell out the first or second day. I get 40 to 50 bucks per rabbit as breeders, and they sell fast. Here's a pic of my herd buck. This rabbit has made me some really nice side income in the last year.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





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## miss_thenorth (Nov 3, 2009)

It was the other way around here too, I wanted the meat rabbits, hubby didn't care for the idea. He had hunted rabbits and wasn't keen on cleaning them.  So i got the rabbits, i raise them, and I dispatch and clean them.  

While I like wild rabbit, --farm raised rabbit does taste different, milder, and becasue you control the age they go at, and how quickly they go) they will be tender.  They are very cost effective to raise, they will fill your freezer very quickly with wonderful meat, and I have been successful selling my surplus.  IMO, they will help you save money, b/c you won't need to buy as much meat.


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## JInSouthMS (Nov 4, 2009)

thanks for the replies so far! I really love the idea of saving money on meat. we have 2 hens that are laying and havent had to buy eggs in weeks! can pedegreed rabbits be show rabbits? or do they have to be registered like dogs? can NZs be show quality. i wouldnt want to show them but my thought was if they coulld be then they might be more sellable. xtra cash is always a plus. 

is rabbit manure good for worms?

there i go thinking about breeds and quality and worms and... 
thanks again for all your advice.


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## miss_thenorth (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm not sure about the whole pedigree thing.  I just have mine for meat.  I have two does that are 1/2 flemish giant, 1/2 new zealand.  I have one doe who is pure californian, and my buck is californian.  i simply raise for the meat.
Rabbit poo is desired by gardeners as it is a cold manure--you can add it directly to the garden without needing to compost it.  There are many who raise worms in the droppings also.  I use my droppings to fertilize my horse pasture, and garden.


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## Goatzilla (Nov 4, 2009)

Rabbit pedigrees are actually quite easy to manage. They are basically a record going back 3 or more generations. They are usually just hand written by the owner on a blank rabbit pedigree form. Pedigrees are not absolutley necesary to sell quality breeding stock, but keeping pedigrees helps to keep good records and many potential buyers of breeding stock prefer to have them. Bottom line though, it's still just a piece of paper, and anyone can write whatever they want to on one. The best proof of good genetics is the real, live rabbit sitting in front of you.

Also, New Zealand rabbits are often show rabbits, and I have seen many win Best In Show at very large shows. Another thing to remember is that it costs just as much to feed and maintain inferior rabbits as it does to raise excellent ones. A quality line of purebred meat rabbits can easily provide you with a great source of excellent freezer meat as well as put a few bucks in your pocket by selling good show and breeding stock. Good luck to you if you decide to take the plunge! 





			
				jacobcstroud said:
			
		

> thanks for the replies so far! I really love the idea of saving money on meat. we have 2 hens that are laying and havent had to buy eggs in weeks! can pedegreed rabbits be show rabbits? or do they have to be registered like dogs? can NZs be show quality. i wouldnt want to show them but my thought was if they coulld be then they might be more sellable. xtra cash is always a plus.
> 
> is rabbit manure good for worms?
> 
> ...


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## JInSouthMS (Nov 4, 2009)

I showed my wife the picture of the New Zealand white and she said they are too cute to raise for meat.  are there any ugly rabbits?


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## Fancypants4569 (Nov 4, 2009)

LOL...are there any ugly rabbits,ummm in my experience with rabbits I dont think Ive ever seen an ugly one unless it was sick, and I dont think you want those kinda rabbits  But on a wife's side of the story and this might be a great  arrangment for you and your wife. I feed and water and am caregiver for our rabbits but when its time to butcher my DH takes over from there. As long as its in the freezer and Im lookin for something to cook for dinner and its there and ready for me to make something yummy with, Im happy. Its just an idea, might work as well with you?
 Gaotzilla... that is an amazing looking New Zealand!!!! I actually drooled!!! Not because I want to eat him , but because he is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!Hehe!!!


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## JInSouthMS (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions but I think I'll have to give up on ever getting rabbits. My wife is just dead set against it. rabbits are too cute.


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## currycomb (Nov 7, 2009)

guess she has never been attacked by cute little rabbit. had one very aggressive doe. would attack anyone silly enough to put a hand in her cage. that rabbit wasn't cute!


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Nov 9, 2009)

Find some rabbit meat locally and cook her a nice meal. You might be able to convince her like that.


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## dipence71 (Jun 24, 2010)

Wow, I use to be like that many yrs ago. But now I am the one who had to convince DH I was getting chickens last yr. 
Then this yr he says he wants *A* pet rabbit. I said NO.... If we get rabbits we will get some that will bread so I can have meet rabbits and he looks at me like I am insane. (use to I wouldn't even eat deer meat. I have become quit a "farm" girl over the yrs lol. Now I am raising 9 meet chickens, 12 layers, 1 rooster, I have 6 adult rabbits and 4 babies at present. I have a bunch of eggs in the incubator and more on the way to go in the incubator. 

I am the one who has to take care of all the critters and I have come to the point if I feed them they better feed me LOL... Unlike our 2 dogs he *had* to have that he doesn't take care of I do LOL.... You know where this is going *WE* get the critter and *I* take care of them .....

Don't give up things may change. 
? would you take care of the critters or would it fall to her?
Just one thing she may be thinking that if she has to take care of them it will be a hassle. 
Good Luck


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## freemotion (Jun 24, 2010)

When I was a teenager we raised rabbits for meat.  My dad hunted once or twice and we had wild rabbit and it was NASTY!  But the ones we raised were very much like white, lean chicken.

I didn't want to eat them at first, either.  I disobeyed and decided to make the does into pets...put my hand in the cage and got it sliced open by sharp rabbit teeth!  

I was happy to eat them after that.

My mother did NONE of the animal care chores except bottle feeding baby goats.  Nothing else.  And she stayed inside with the music blasting on slaughter day.  And the rabbit meat was not allowed into the house until it was cut up into pieces that no longer looked like a rabbit and were ready for the pan.  If it had been available, she probably would've required dad to bring it in on foam trays, shrink-wrapped and labeled! 

Whatever it took.  We ate quite well at our poorest....


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## Citylife (Jun 25, 2010)

I grew up in a big family whose parents made no money and it was in the 60's-80's as there were 6 of us.  Whether we liked it or not, we got quartered animals that originally came from my aunts farm.  Those animals were treated quite well compared to how our food is treated today.   I have a nice small set-up designed for two adult humans and 4 dogs.  Us humans in my house want to eat humanely treated  rabbits that have a very good life.  
Now, do not get me wrong........  my better 1/2 would not have rabbits if I was NOT around.  As I am the one who does the deed and butchering.  It sounds to me like the only part she will be involved in, is cooking them.  She does not have to go out with you to feed them.  She does not have to name them!  Or care for them...  she pretend, they are in styrophome and plastic wrap.
Show your wife how baby back ribs are treated before they come into your house.  She may appreciate raising some food after that.






Remember... pigs are more intellegent then ANY  dog out there.  I did not believe that until I rescued one and worked with it..........  wow!  I have also trained dogs for over 5 years.......... my partner over 10 years.  
Youtube unfortunately has EVERYTHING on it.  all I did was type in pig abuse...  chicken abuse is horrible, dairy cow abuse is discusting.... the bull calves are worth NOTHING!  

This clip is graphic, but this is one thing that makes me want to raise as much of my own food as I can.  I realize raising your own food is not for everyone.  But, I do believe we should not be blinded and not know where the food at the grocery store comes from.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKMhd9dTN9o



My meat rabbits have a great life.  They eat good, get excercise and have a lot of fresh air and enrichment.  They live a healthy life and they have one to two bad seconds EVER.  Much better then the styrophome meat we buy at Wal-Mart, Price Chopper, HyVee, Safeway, Albertsons and the list goes on.............  I know how my food lived and what it ate. 
To us........... it is similar to gardening, but I am the one who butchers and takes care of that end.  It is nice if you can come to an agreement on who does what.  And, if you want the benifit of low cholesterol meat, less fat, smaller portions as they fill you up better, and low cost to raise...........  we are talking less then 3-5 bucks a meal depending on what breed you're raising and the size of family you have.  
I understand being skiddish.....  no doubt and they are cute.  But, so are calves.  
It is also quite satisfying to know one doe can give me over 100 lbs of meat per year.
Yeah!

 good luck to you 

and go buy her some rabbit and cook it up for her so she knows how good it is........  that may help sway her.


the lady w/4 dogs, 4 city chickens, 4 meat rabbits, their kits and a lizard


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## PureSnowChic (Jul 11, 2010)

Just do what I did...


Introduce the idea of meat rabbits slowly over a month or two... so they can get used to the idea. (Bf was dead set against getting ANY MORE ANIMALS!) LoL


Show up one evening with 3 show quality meat rabbits and say they are the breeders, for selling the babies and making money, and if one or two babies happen to end up at freezer camp, eh... he didn't have to do it.


It helps that I 100% care for and pay for all the animals...


He wasn't too mad...


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## annanicole18 (Jul 11, 2010)

If it would help the San Juan rabbits are kinda normal rabbit looking.  So if you hunted it would look similar to the wild hunted ones.


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