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With concerns over food shortages and growing populations, why isn’t rabbit being promoted as a food source? Rabbits are easy to breed and there are many of them out there. Why are they not being marketed?
I raise meat rabbits, and meat goats on our permaculture farm. Both animals are very earth friendly forms of livestock.
Both rabbits and goats will produce more pounds of meat, with less food, less water, and less space than cattle can.
Rabbits can be raised, even in city apartments. Rabbits ARE actually being promoted as a good source of protien in some countries. Africa inparticular has been successful at getting people to accept the idea of eating rabbit meat.
Most Muslims will not eat rabbit meat. It is concidered to be a “dirty” meat by them. African Muslims WILL eat rabbit meat.
All of my business is “farmgate,” meaning my customers come directly to my farm, and butcher the animals here. I have customers from about 30 different countries (via the local University). That’s why I’ve learned so much about the likes, and dislikes of many ethnic groups.
Rabbits are not a mainstream market animal in the U.S.A. because of low demand for their meat. Where there is a pocket of higher demand, you will find rabbit meat in the grocery store.
The main reason main stream Americans do not eat rabbit is the “cute bunny syndrom.” How can you possibly eat that cute widdle bunny wabbit? Pigs, chickens, even beef cattle…not so cute. Even as adults rabbits are still “cute.”
Rabbits do NOT transport well. If you raise rabbits for the commercial market, your rabbitry needs to be very close to where the rabbits will be slaughtered. Even then, the rabbits must be transported in air conditioned splendor.
Cattle, pigs, sheep, chicken….you can load them onto semi trucks (chickens are in cages) and transport them over the road several days with minimal loss of life. If you tried that with rabbits, every one of them would be D.O.A. (dead on arrival).
My question for people who are worried about high food prices (especially meat) why they are not raising their OWN rabbits in their back yards?! Rabbit meat was nearly the only source of protien that people in the U.K. had during World War II. Nearly every family was raising some rabbits in their back yard back then.
As the economy gets worse, you will see more and more people turn to things like raising a few rabbits, chickens, and possibly a milk goat in their back yard.