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OT / anyone raise animals for meat?

secret's picture

DH came home with a rabbit the other day - he skinned in, cleaned it, and I cooked it. While DH and I have both had rabbit often, the kids had never had any... anyway one conversation led to another, and the kids mentioned that we should get some and breed them for meat.

DH and I are looking into this... obviously being in a big city, our options are limited... but I do have quite a large yard, and it's very private.

Legally, we cannot have chickens.
Legally, we can own up to 5 rabbits, as pets.

Has anyone raised rabbits (or something else) for meat?

Comments

secret's picture

I don't mind dealing with carcasses...I'll skin them, gut them, no problem. Cycle of life etc... give thanks to nature etc...

Except fish. I will gag all night long if I have to touch anything that hasn't already been cleaned, gutted, filleted, and even then.... oddly enough, I love sashimi.

My older daughter is like you. When she saw the rabbit, she sobbed...bawled... like, huge tears.... for like 10 minutes.... she wanted nothing to do with it... until we started talking about meat in stores etc, and this is just how it works... no different than rabbit meat at the store... which is how we got to the topic of raising meat rabbits...

my younger one was so intrigued, she went to help dh skin it, then carried the pelt around for a while... and insisted on carrying the kidneys and heart to show her already freaked out sister. She's a bit psychotic, methinks.

secret's picture

no more than chicken, I suppose. Tastes very much like it, I find, maybe a little sweeter. Or the dark meat on turkey.

Teas83's picture

I grew up on a cattle ranch and everyone in my family hunts, other than my mom. When you grow up with it, it's just normal to you.

I don't know that I could raise rabbits in my house and then eat them though. I feel like they would become too much like pets.

secret's picture

The idea is that the main breeding pair would be the pets.... and we would just butcher the young once they were old enough / big enough

SonOfABrisketMaker's picture

Right? I was thinking the same thing about treating them like pets then killing them off.

My dad always had a few head of beef cattle and I never had a problem eating them. Honestly, I hated them anyhow. I felt like we were forever out in the rain or snow or freezing cold at midnight giving them antibiotics.

We never ate the laying hens. I've been wanting a dairy cow for a few years and imagine id raise her steer calves as food for us. The heifers I'd sell for dairy cow replacement.

Willow2010's picture

I really wish I could. Trying to be more self-sufficient but but end the end I would have 100 rabbit pets, with names and no meat. Lol

I really want a farm….but I only want producing animals. Chickens, milk cows, sheep. Something that I don’t have to kill after I name it and love it for years. Haha.

secret's picture

one reason we're looking at rabbits (other than that they're legal... lol) is that one breeding doe can give anywhere between 150 - 250 lbs of meat a year, from her litters....

and feeding the kits is pretty much free..... hay / grass / kitchen scraps.... use the poop in your compost or as fertilizer...

only takes a month from breeding to babies... and 6-8 weeks from babies to dinner plate....

20$ for the rabbit and 10$ a month for hay.... for up to 250 lbs of meat... I'll just have to call them "fried" "baked" "roasted" "stew" and "braised"..... lol

classyNJ's picture

I personally do not but a friend of mine does raise rabbits for meat. He said the same as Blonde - they are very high maintenance. They were moving them in and out of the basement depending on the weather and finally just put heat in the detached garage.

I fed fried rabbit to the boys once. SS19 was 14 at the time and loved it. He knew what it was when I was cooking it because it was my brothers recipe and I had him on speaker. SS15 was 9. We didn't tell him. He took about 5 bites, put it down and said "dad, I don't like this chicken, its weird" Smile Smile

We told him he didn't have to eat it and didn't tell him until last year when I was making rabbit stew. He didn't eat it but he did find out that he had tried it and didn't like it. }:)

moving_on_again's picture

OSD is 20 now but she was probably 14 when we fed her a deer roast. She claimed she "didn't like deer."

I totally forgot it was deer and she took a big bite and said, "This is the best beef I've ever had!"

It probably helps that BM doesn't know how to cook.

secret's picture

We have an insulated garage, as well as a shed.

We also have a 2nd living room in the back of the house, with patio doors, that opens onto the deck and back yard.

There's not much in there right now... bar, dart board, couch, bookcases.... it's mostly used as the place ydd goes to sketch.

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

I have done rabbits and cows. Rabbits aren't so bad if you have the right set up. I kept them on my uncles farm, so they were in a barn in elevated cages with a big thing underneath to catch all the nasties. Cleaned that out 1-2 times a week, they were fairly big cages so they had plenty of space. Foxes like rabbits, so If you do get them you need to be sure they're in an area where the beasties won't get them... We left the barn open once and lost a rabbit...

I named one cow once, never made that mistake again... I was DEVASTATED when it had to go... The key for me was to avoid naming them... Because the second I did I no longer wanted to kill it... And I really like rabbit... If you can deal with it... Rabbits can actually be litter box trained, I had a friend who did it (hers was a pet). and that thing never had an accident, had food and water bowls in the kitchen, etc. Idk if I could do that with something I was going to kill... I normally make the divide of "this rabbit is for food, so it'll stay in a barn/hutch." LOL

Rabbits also have the benefit of an easy slaughter, if you do it right they don't even scream at all... Just one whack to the back of the head while holding its hind legs.

secret's picture

I think that's the way we would go about it, too. Keep the main pair as pets... yet not roaming free... and the others in hutches until it's time to deal with them.

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

I just suggest elevated with something that'll slide out from underneath, you'll still have to pray out the hutch occasionally, but not quite so often that way!

Also exactly... I can't treat them as pets... They have to be treated as food or they're going to become pets...

Thumper's picture

Poor fluffy bunny.

I am not opposed to eating meat or poultry at all. We enjoy both. I just don't want it looking at me the day before. OR hopping and playing in the back yard.

Peridwen's picture

Just be wary - DH and I also want to raise meat rabbits, but our county laws explicitly state that any animal raised for meat is classified and regulated under livestock (rabbits are the specifically mentioned example) and thereby prohibited unless you have 5+ acres. This does vary from place to place, obviously. And I know one of SS's friend's parents have 'pet' rabbits that have gotten out of control that they butcher for meat within the city. They are operating under the 'if no one notices it's not illegal' principle.

My grandma suggests New Zealand whites, btw. That's what her family raised for meat when she was growing up. They had one cow for milk, chickens for eggs, rabbits for meat, and ermine for fur.

secret's picture

Our bylaws are we can have 5 rabbits.... as pets.

The part where we raise the babies to later eat would be on the down low.

notasm3's picture

My husband says that we have about 100 squirrels in our 1/3 acre yard that he is ready to eliminate. I ate squirrel once about 45 years ago and was grossed out when the skull was in my dish of squirrel stew.

Dovina's picture

:sick: Oh my.

Just1question's picture

I was moved by someone who was honest with me and didn’t try to sugar coat the mistreatment of animals. Asking the difference between a dog or pig isn’t going from 0-100. I never said, “you meat eaters are assholes and the worst pieces of shit on this planet” etc etc. I gave questions that would compel someone to think for themselves. We’ve been lied to for so long that a majority just take the lie and keep it near to them. But when you see animals for more than just meat, fur, and milk-then it ignites a desire to stick up for them. I don’t think I’m better than any of you because I don’t eat meat, but I do think taking an animal’s life for ones own pleasure is pretty terrible. A kid who kills a cat is a sociopath, but rabbits, deer, chicken-ahh, who cares about those animals- you get a prize for that.

secret's picture

That's just it.... we HAVE thought for ourselves.

Raising your own meat is a decision to get AWAY from the mass produced/ mass slaughtering of poorly treated animals.

You're lumping this in with the meat industry as a whole, but it's not even close to the same thing.

The difference between a dog and a pig? One became pet, the other became food.

Dogs are eaten in other parts if the world, just as cows are sacred in others.

Taking a life when it comes to hunting is not a waste. Taking a life purely for the satisfaction of taking it, is not the same thing.

To use your analogy... big difference between having a 3rd trimester abortion for medical reasons and having one just for fun.

The kid killing a cat is a sociopath, because the kill is literally for his pleasure... the cat is wasted. Same kid killing a cat cleaning it, eating it, using the fur... not wasted. Gross, but not wasted. Some countries find cats and dogs totally acceptable sources of meat, but not the Americas.

You can stick up for animals all you want... but if you want people to think for themselves you need to stop shoving your opinions down their throats, because they're ALREADY thinking for themselves. You shouldn't assume they haven't, because although you're not "saying" they're stupid, you're certainly inferring it by relentlessly providing arguments they've already clearly told you they think is BS, over and over, in an attempt to get them to jump on your meat free bandwagon as if they haven't already decided what's best for themselves.

Just1question's picture

I see what you’re saying-I still think killing animals is jacked up, but I can see your point.

secret's picture

I see it too - meat processing plants are horrifying, as are the conditions for most of the animals.

I totally agree with that.

This isn't about that, though. This is about providing a good quality of life to the animals destined for dinner rather than buying it at a grocery store, full of pumped in crapola, giving my money to the people who are ultimately responsible for the poor treatment of those animals.

I grow veggies too... because I prefer my homegrown tomatoes than those genetically modified and covered in pesticides.

Just1question's picture

If I had to eat animals for survival I would. I think we live in a day and age where most don’t have to live that way, but I suppose some do. The thought of killing an animal, even in a humane way just makes me sad. I realize not everyone feels this way, Sorry for coming off a little strong- I can see why you guys think I’m trying to be self righteous and that-I’m not trying to be. I was not raised in a hunters life, but I can also see how taking one animal and storing the contents for months is more effective to lively hood than the mass meat markets.

secret's picture

Don't get me wrong... the thought of killing an animal for meat makes me sad, too... but providing for the family, being able to count on ourselves, teaching the kids the importance of holding value to an animal's life by not killing for fun but rather for life...for sustenance...for a purpose... to use the animal in its entirety and not just bits and pieces... not to waste... and how it fits in in the cycle of life, makes the sadness less heartbreaking.

I'm less sad about killing an animal I've taken good care of, than I am about eating that same animal, knowing what a crap life it had.

Don't get the wrong idea - I'm not talking about mass breeding and storing rabbits in the freezer for months... that falls into exploitation. No more than what's needed. If you're storing meat for months... you have too much.

You're right in that we don't HAVE to live this way... it is a choice. There are options. Some just aren't feasible for us.

ESMOD's picture

Humans have evolved to be omnivores. The way our teeth are made, the fact that we need B-12 (in addition to protein) to thrive.. it's just how we are made. It's not that it's impossible to completely replace the use of meat in our diets, but it is easy to miss vital nutrients if you are not very careful.

As far as the human vs animal morality. We are higher on the food chain. In the ocean, perhaps a great white would be higher than me and I would be HIS food source. In nature, other animals eat other animals. It is not unnatural, it is a biological fact. Being wasteful, cruel and wanton in obtaining our food is a problem and those that seek to bring that closer into their own realm of influence are doing better than those that just get everything in a Styrofoam pack.

I have raised animals for food. I have participated in the processing of them as well. I think it would be good for everyone who eats meat to do this at least once to gain an appreciation that in order to eat that hamburger, another animal did lose it's life. Now, it's also a fact that if you didn't create a market for that burger, the animal would likely not have ever existed too... had zero opportunity to live. My experience has made me more aware of waste and using what I have with respect. I also do try to balance my diet with less meat than I might if I wasn't so aware of the balance and trade off that exists.

bananaseedo's picture

Let me correct something. Ask any homesteader and majority will tell you the processing/slaughter day is a sad day for them too. It was for the Native Americans who thanked their buffalo and used every last bit for sustenance. Meat, hide, etc.

The 'act' is done in a very humane/quick way and there is sadness that goes with it but also they are grateful to the animals. I've seen a woman handling a chicken in such a beautiful way even as she was killing it. Spoke to it, calmed it, did moves to help relax the chicken- Most homesteaders have a DEEP passion and love for their livestock and deep respect all the way till the end as they take the life to feed their families. I'll tell you this much-people that work the land and homes requires a LOT of hard work, energy-and simple kale won't give them the strength/protein levels they need to manage their homestead.

Watch Food Inc...there are MANY of us now that want to move away from the way we consume meat today, go back to a simpler time where animals are cared for in a way that is humane and safe to eat.

secret's picture

You do understand that "inferring something" means that you are reading between the lines... whereas implying something means you're laying out the lines for people to read between?

Saying that she's not implying that people are stupid, but rather that she's inferring they are... not the same thing.

You can replace inferring with perceiving.

As in... she's not implying they're stupid... but she's perceiving they are, because she keeps throwing info at them as if they are.

Anyway, moot point.

ESMOD's picture

Ok.. I absolutely cannot STAND rabbits. We raised some and the dang things are cannibals which I think is much more UN-natural than humans eating meat because they are omnivores.

I mean bunnies are "cute" but after seeing the babies with their ears and legs bitten off... I have a whole different viewpoint..lol.

secret's picture

Nope... posted because I knew there were some here on the self-sustaining path...that I might get some feedback on their experience.

It's never been a secret that that's a lifestyle I love and that I'm heading towards a fully self sustainable lifestyle in the duture. I've had other blogs about gardening, knitting etc...

I hardly think 1 or 2 people being opposed makes it "highly controversial"....and even then, it's been pretty civil...so...not really sure what you mean by your post.

Dovina's picture

Secret I find this post very interesting and not controversial at all. Its actually educating.

bananaseedo's picture

I thank you Secret, you and I and some others can help eachother on this road. I am in research stage, we plan to buy property to homestead on in a few years. Any bit of advise is good. There is nothing controversial IMO about homesteading or processing our meat in humane ways and living off the land.

I'm done w/the rat race, the commercializing aspect of CHristmas, people that are wasteful and luxury buyers....IMO that is waste. There are plenty of ways that non meat eaters waste and harm the environment also.

secret's picture

Totally agree with you. Many ppl complain about money and the lack of it... because they can't buy stuff...

We don't need "stuff". Can't survive on stuff. Stuff is nice... I like stuff... but I'd rather do my part to try and preserve our environment than buy stuff made by young kids with tiny fingers who don't get fed and are beaten if they don't meet their quota.

WTF...REALLY's picture

My ex-husband raises on his own. Mostly lambs cows and chickens and pigs.

They have donkeys but I don’t think they eat them. I never asked. Huge garden. They produce about 90 percent of their own food and only buy spices and little things here and there from the grocery store. When my son visits, he helps Butcher. He does not kill, he gladly let’s his dad to that part. He gets close to the animals he visits so it it’s a little weird for him to eat them later. but he’s a deep respect as do I know what his dad dose. The animals have a good life before being eaten....as do the vegetables for that matter before being plucked from the earth.

It’s not something I personally do not want to do. I know me too well.... I wouldn’t be able to butcher and kill the animals I raised. It’s a lifestyle he always wanted. It works great for him.

ESMOD's picture

Actually, I think the point is that us human's that are Omnivores already sleep fine. It's people that try to claim some higher moral ground by being vegan that in the end really can't be alive unless their life involves the deaths of other living beings.

Now, that doesn't mean that a vegan may not be making an attempt at FEWER animals meeting an early demise and suffering by eating the way they do, BUT so does the homestead farmer. Their attempts to be more self sufficient means fewer animals suffer in mega-farming situations. It means that generally fewer animals will die due to less wastage. It means that the ones that DO die are likely to have a nicer life and more merciful death.

So, you can be vegan, but don't ignore the fact that much of the crops grown around the world do at the expense of animals that would otherwise have enjoyed that space. At the expense of insects, birds, bees, rodents that are killed to maximize crops via pesticides, herbicides(roundup ready crops yep...bad for water supplies) and fertilizers (often made from fish meal...so there ya go millions of fishies). How about the animals harmed in the process that is used to manufacture farming equipment (mining of minerals and ores).. factory polution and the gas and oil industry impacts.

Oh.. and virtually all your clothing is going to have some byproduct impact on the world and it's species.

So, I know it's sad, but the only way to prevent this is to not exist. Or we can accept that in order for us to live, there is going to be some impact on the earth and it's animals. Quite frankly, the difference in impact between the vegan and the homestead farmer may not be all that different.

bananaseedo's picture

"So, you can be vegan, but don't ignore the fact that much of the crops grown around the world do at the expense of animals that would otherwise have enjoyed that space. At the expense of insects, birds, bees, rodents that are killed to maximize crops via pesticides, herbicides(roundup ready crops yep...bad for water supplies) and fertilizers (often made from fish meal...so there ya go millions of fishies). How about the animals harmed in the process that is used to manufacture farming equipment (mining of minerals and ores).. factory polution and the gas and oil industry impacts."

Exactly- another thing vegans don't consider- imagine the amount of land to plant soy to feed the masses if they all were vegans. It would destroy our land and as you mentioned above. It is NOT possible to sustain. But then again, if you're PETA- they think humans should cease to exist and just animals roam the earth. ALso, don't be fooled, this organizations goal is to eliminate pets from the worlds households. REgardless of measures taken -yes they murder animals by the boatload.

notsobad's picture

I was just reading an article about vegan leather. Yes, it's a thing.

It's really just plastic made to look like leather. The problem is that the process is not environmentally friendly and plastic breaks down into bits that never go away.

Whereas most leather for clothing and footwear come from old dairy cows. Leather will also eventually decompose and so is much more earth friendly.

Myss.Tique D'Off's picture

There is middle ground in this vegan / vegetarian / meat eaters debate. I am vegetarian, but I dont go around slamming meat eaters or vegans. It is this slamming of people - especially by vegans - that tends to annoy people.
I got slammed by a vegan recently for having the audacity to cook with an egg - and it didnt endear her to me. It is people on the extremes that rub me the wrong way - although I do have a lot of admiration for vegans who are so for ethical reasons. Animal care is an issue very dear to my heart.

Yes, there are horrific farming conditions that need to be improved - concentrate on humane or free range farming rather than slamming meat eaters.

If you really want to get extreme, dont drink water! Doing so wrecks a fish's house! Think of all those homeless little fishies every time you knock back a glass of H2O, you darn homewrecker!!

secret's picture

Ehhhh I think the 'extremists' portion of the thread is done. Both sides have points... some valid to all, some valid to themselves. I think the slamming is over with.

Just1question's picture

Anyhow-thanks for letting me be that annoying vegan on this thread! I’m gonna stop posting so you guys can enjoy your conversation without the adversity. But hey-I tend to come off a little abrasive, but I do hear your guys’ side of it all. I may not agree, but I hear you. Anyhow, hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your roast.....ed potatoes. Wink But seriously- Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays (whichever you prefer) p.s-SEE for tolerant I am Wink

secret's picture

Keep posting... it's interesting to discuss. I was kinda digging the beginnings of the conversation about how vegans also contribute to animal cruelty by essentially mass murdering animals in their natural habitat in favor of veggie fields and as curious as to your thoughts on that.

All this can totally be discussed civilly, without claiming "right or wrong". I'm genuinely curious as to how you, yourself, justify your choices and how you believe it impacts the animal kingdom, or doesnt

secret's picture

If I understand correctly, your stance on it is that the animals who perish in fields etc from agriculture are lost in the "least harmful overall" way.

Can we maybe agree that homesteaders and people conscious about meat consumption who make efforts to reduce their personal footprint on the meat market demands that drive mass production... and vegans...both in their own way, are working towards the same ultimate goal - which is to cause the least harm?

Vegans don't use animal by products... ok...but that's not entirely accurate. The gas they use in their vehicles... fossilized animals. The clothes they wear...made by fibers that ultimately came from animals, one way or the other... be it directly, like fur, hides, secretions (silk, for example), or fibers harvested from plants like cotton, which again, same as the fields, sacrifice many in the process...

Vegetarians do use by products like eggs and dairy, but not the meat, right? They still use the other stuff... like gas and clothing...

Homesteaders...use all of it, yes... and of all of what is used, none of it is sacrificed. A rabbit might be raised for meat... but is fed well, from leftover garden scraps, grass... probably better than in the wild... is kept comfortable, temperature wise... might even come to feel safe... their pelt can be used for good - they're dead anyway, might as well, rather than thrown in the trash... line boots, hats, gloves, coats... keeps people warm... the bones can be used for stock..if you really want to get into it, used to make gelatin... used to make tools, jewelry, decorations that you'd never guess we're bones... their poop used as fertilizer... which in turns helps your garden... and the cycle continues... there's no waste...

the eco system is not affected in the sense that mass amounts of rabbits aren't trapped and discarded, only what is needed is bred to use, no more... they're responsibly kept apart to avoid mass population like is common in many parts of the world for various animals... too many animals is just as harmful to the environment/ecosystem as not enough...

In our respective ways, we both strive to have the most impact against animal cruelty. Can we agree on that?

Just1question's picture

I definitely agree that homesteaders are very resourceful and while I still think animals have the right to live their full natural life, I can appreciate people who try to make their life more beneficial and less traumatic if they raise them for meat. That definitely provides a different atmosphere than mass meat/dairy/egg factories. And I will say, the difference between a person who raises and/or kills their own meat knows the expense of the life he/she took. People who shop In grocery stores for their meat very seldom make a connection between their lump of meat and the life that animal once lived. So, I may be a little extreme in some cases, but I think if meat must be eaten homesteaders provide a better life for the animal.

secret's picture

It really is something special to know exactly where your food comes from...I think it really is a step in the right direction to fight the "meat industry".

I've seen YouTube clips of people not knowing bacon was pork... LOL

notsobad's picture

I just watched an old episode of the Twilight Zone today.
Aliens come to earth, they give us cheap energy, additives to make the soil better and end world hunger, protection from each other and a way to have world peace among other wonderful things.

People start going to their planet for vacations, most stay long term or even permanently.

We don't really know anything about the aliens but there is a book. The cryptographers decipher the title "To Serve Man" but can't decipher the contents.
As the main character, a cryptographer, is getting on the spaceship, his coworker yells "Don't Go! The book! It's a COOKBOOK!"

It made me think of this thread. If we could live in happiness, peace and contentment would it be ok to be killed for some other species food?

I'm not a vegan or vegetarian. I eat meat and I enjoy it. I don't hunt or raise animals for food but I'm not opposed to it. I do feel that humans are omnivorous who need both a meat and a plant based diet.

Livingoutloud's picture

Nothing is wrong with raising animals for food. Farmers do it all the time. I mean it’s pretty obvious someone has to raise animals in order to make them into meat.

I have no issue with people raising rabbits for food but I wouldn’t do it in your situation because it is illegal. It’s legal to keep five rabbits as pets, but if you are eating them, then you violating the law and essentially eating your pets.

I believe you have minor kids at home. I’d hesitate to do anything illegal around children. It sends them the message that breaking the law is ok. If it’s illegal then it’s illegal.

Now of course if you are starving, by no means you should find the way to feed your kids. So I totally understand breaking laws in order to feed your starving children. But if you aren’t starving, why not just do stuff that is legal? Like if you want to raise animals for food, you could move to the country? Or if you can buy your meet from those farmers who you know don’t abuse animals? I understand your sentiment but I just don’t condone doing things as you said it “on a down low” or something especially if kids are becoming part of this