Raising meat rabbits as a small backyard operation could be a positive experience for a family that wants healthy, drug-free meat. Such a project can involve all members of the family and provide them with an exceptional quality of meat / protein compared to what is found in the grocery store. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this practice.
Pros
* Rabbits are good for rural or urban areas. They are very calm animals and are not considered livestock such as chickens, turkeys or ducks. So they are allowed when those other animals are not.
* They don’t require a large initial money investment to set up and you can start with just a couple of rabbits. You can build a large pen to let them roam freely outside the cages and let them eat grass.
* Rabbits are fairly easy to breed, no special equipment is needed, and they multiply very, very fast. In addition, its meat is low in cholesterol and fat and high in protein.
Cons
* It will cost as much money to produce a pound of rabbit meat than to buy any meat in the supermarket.
* Very few veterinarians have good knowledge of rabbits. So if a health issue arises among your bunnies, it could be difficult to get help. Also be aware that many predators will chase your rabbits.
* Many people, especially in the United States, are considering rabbits as pets. Pets are considered part of the family, people would never eat their dog or cat, or their rabbit as a pet.
* Rabbits are very sensitive to overheating. The hot summer months could be fatal to their lives. Therefore, do not set up such an operation in a hot climate area.
People who want to go into the breeding of meat rabbits should obtain a lot of documentation on this practice before beginning. The advice that is heard in the mouth is never enough to acquire all the essential knowledge and should be considered with caution.
Since rabbits can multiply very quickly, some people woke up with far more animals than they could bear physically and financially. As a result, the rabbits were neglected and lived in miserable conditions, and the animal shelters were overwhelmed.
