The Start ?

[bluemini]

Okay so some may know im used to breeding/selling pet/show rabbits .. Well anyways I have really been thinking about meat rabbits also because I am waiting to get a minirex at the moment to continue selling show/pet rabbits.


I want to start a SMALL meat rabbit project , because im not sure if it would work out . Around here if someone kills an animal(to eat) the neighbors all freak out . I just want to do this on the side since I have the mini rex's to look after also .


I have a big building that I use for my rabbitry for the winter and I have alot of cages . Just im not too fond of raising/killing because well im an animal lover ,but a person who lives right beside me hunts all the time and he would do it cause he wants some to eat also .


Am I the only one with this animal lover problem ? And could I just get 1 buck and one doe ? I usually get 2 does and a buck but with meat rabbits I wouldnt want alot of litters ?

 

[secuono]

I have 1 buck and 1 doe, my issue is getting the doe to freaking cooperate.
I had the animal lover mindset before I started my farm, now it's slowly changing. At least I wasn't crazy like the peta people are...lol.
Silver Fox are pretty to look at and the bucks easy to handle, might want to give them a try, or any of the prettier breeds.

 

[Legacy]

The reason the "animal lover mindset" as you refer to it is so common is because people in our society are so far removed from reality when it comes to our food. These days the work involved in eating means, driving to the store and picking out something that looks appetizing.

There are so many people today that don't have a clue what real food looks like and they don't have to either. A person could totally survive in this society today without ever seeing raw meat. Our lives have become so sanitized, it's not real anymore.

I have friends who are not against eating meat in anyway. They raise cows. They have them butchered by someone else and the woman WILL NOT EVER buy a whole fryer chicken in the store because she can't stand to be reminded that it was animal.

 

[currycomb]

i was that animal lover too. dad raised angus cattle, and a steer was raised for meat. also raised a hog or too for meat. never name the animal to be consumed. it bothered me to send an animal off to slaughter, especially one that trusted you, but as has been posted on here, at least they lived a safe and carefree life while they were here. hubby and i raise rabbits and goats for meat. he has no problem with the killing and cleaning. i will help decide who is next in line, and even take them to him, just cannot do "it" myself. i worked at a veterinarian clinic for 3 years. had to hold the animals that were euthanized. that bothered me, so much so, my health suffered, high blood pressure and heart trouble. never had it before working there. not everyone is cut out to raise animals for food. but if you have a neighbor who will do what needs to be done for a share of the proceeds, you might be able to work with that.

 

[Caprice_Acres]

Honestly, I think you're more of an animal lover if you raise and butcher your own. You know how it was handled and raised and that it was killed humanely. How many people that buy from the grocery store can say that with 100% certainty?

 

[Legacy]

Honestly, I think you're more of an animal lover if you raise and butcher your own. You know how it was handled and raised and that it was killed humanely. How many people that buy from the grocery store can say that with 100% certainty?

I agree. that's one reason I put "animal lover" in quotes. I hate the idea that someone "loves" animals so much they can't kill their own. They buy them from the store instead. It's not because they love animals so much, it's because they love for someone else to be accountable for the killing. They love protecting their emotions from the raw nature of killing for food.