Being a rookie rabbit raiser, I can't really answer your question, but the meatrabbit group on Yahoo is very active and has a lot of very helpful people.

Apparently, I can't post a yahoo groups URL here. e-mail me direct, if you can't find it with a search engine.

Thanks ALhunt. I'll definitely search for it. In the meantime, to fill in my question, I weighed 5 of the 8 youngsters, starting with our smallest. Should provide a fair sampling.

Our smallest weighs in at 3 lbs precisely. The rest were 4lbs, 4.5lbs or so, and two at 5lbs each. (Not sure what this converts to in Kilos, Maggie).

Maybe they're right on target for their age.

Thanks

LFRJ

Ha! you knew I'd be along sooner or later, didn't you? ;)

I kilo = 2.2 pounds, but I prefer pounds anyway. It's a sign of age.

Five pounds at eight weeks is what commercial producers work towards and that's when they butcher. For most backyard ventures, 5 pounds by 12 weeks is acceptable, especially if you are feeding green. So yours are a little under but not that much.

The commercial producer is interested in volume selling and because he buys feed in bulk he can still make a profit with the little buns eating like broiler chickens. Commercial rabbitries usually sell on the hoof to processors and receive so much a pound, so they tend not to care if the buns have fat as well as meat. It is the commercial norm.

There is no one right way to decide WHEN -- neither weight nor age are absolutes. Some people feel that rabbits much past 12 weeks may be a little tougher or stronger flavoured. They tend to butcher early because they want rabbit that tastes "just like chicken". Other people prefer to postpone butchering, liking the texture and flavour of a more mature meat. In Europe, many rabbits are raised to full size (several months old) and sold as "roasters". So it is entirely a matter of personal preferences. Some people prefer veal and others prefer beef, so to speak... although that's not a perfect analogy.

Why not try butchering a couple of the largest ones and weigh them both before and after dressing out? Compare what you get to what you saw in the store in terms of meatiness. Age them a couple of days in the fridge and then eat one. If it tastes just right - not too bland and not to strong or tough, it will be an indicator that you hit it just right for your taste. By trial and error, you will soon get a feel for what you prefer and can adjust your butchering schedule accordingly. There is no BAD, just GOOD, BETTER and BEST.

If you have never cooked rabbit before, there are a few tips that will help prevent disappointment. No time to get into that now, but I'll be glad to share my views on that too if you are interested.

Maggie,

"If you have never cooked rabbit before, there are a few tips that will help prevent disappointment. No time to get into that now, but I'll be glad to share my views on that too if you are interested"

I'm interested, if you have the time.

Thank you
Eric

Thanks Maggie. Yep! I figured you'd reply. YOu are, afterall, our inspiration for raising rabbits. This project moved along faster than we expected since we unwittingly purchased a pregnant doe, but we learned fast!

Since there is no harm in waiting, I think we'll let them achieve a bit more bulk and overall, be more worth the effort. I'm not looking forward to processing day, but am preparing mentally and have ordered a good book on the topic. In the meantime, if you can share recipes and/or cooking tips, etc, we'd appreciate - particularly since we'll likely wait for roasters. Our short term goal is to provide our entire Thanksgiving dinner menu. Our garden is looking good, so should be doable. Barring some travesty, we will actually have quite choice of entrees (we have ample geese and muscovies), and roast rabbit might be an option.

Sound's like we're doing okay raising these as well. (I don't waste a bit of that fertilizer either!) I think in the future though, I'd like to experiment with better stock. Maybe crossing with a Flemish giant. The sire is a solid fellow, but the doe is somewhat smaller. She's very docile though, and a good mom, so perfect for us beginners.

Thanks again, all.

LF

You are making me hungry, drewl, drewl.
Know if I only had rabbits. Two Dogs, 5 geese, 18 ducks and 2 pigs in the spring. Rabbits? Rabbits? I don't know!

Thanks Maggie
Eric

omg. there is a family not five minutes from me who sells rabbits. ai. i am not ready to proccess them myself, but maybe i could buy a finished one to taste. never had it before. the apple juice sounds like a good touch. i like cooking with that, too. especially greens.

Hey MAggie, our messages crossed, but thanks for the cooking tips. One question though - if you don't mind - you mentioned that rabbit has replaced chicken on your table, how many do you keep? How many hutches do you have? How often do you breed your doe(s)?

LFRJ

Up until last fall I had three does and two bucks. Now I just have a trio. We culled hard and just kept the best through the winter.

We average about eight rabbits a litter and about four litters per doe per year. Last year we had more than that and there is still rabbit in the freezer. This year we didn't get going on time, so we will have less rabbit to eat. :(

Our first litters are due in about a week (normally these would be second litters) and won't be ready to eat until early October. But we're back on track now, so let's look at what to expect from a good trio of breeders like the ones I have now.

Two does and a buck, eight kits each per litter, four litters a year = 64 fryers in the freezer. At two and a half pounds of dressed meat each (they are usually a bit bigger than that, but let's use it as a convenient number) that is 160 pounds of meat. There's only three of us here, so that amount goes quite a long way.

Please keep in mind that four litters a year is a leisurely breeding schedule. I don't like overworking my animals.

Now that I am feeding a mainly green and hay diet, feed costs will be minimal. If it works as well as I hope, that rabbit meat should cost us no more than $70 in purchased feed: hay and a bit of grain. That's less than fifty cents a pound. Last year, on pellets with some greens, the meat worked out to about $2.75 a pound, which still made it a good deal.

Yup, a trio of decent meat rabbits sure can put meat on the table. We were eating rabbit at least two nights a week and we sure didn't miss store-bought chicken. Most of the meat we bought was pork or beef.

In the course of researching my intended expansion of our meat rabbit operation I came across this thread, read it through, enjoyed it, joined your community, and thought you might enjoy my recent blog post called "Rabbit-Powered Lawn". Cheers.

http://smallbatchgarden.blogspot.com/2013/09/rabbit-powered-lawn.html

Here is a link that might be useful: small batch garden blog

As a rookie rabbit raiser, who just joined your forum, I would love to hear about that diet of green and hay. We've heard about foraging for feed but aren't sure what is good food for them. Any tips?

Fryers should be 5 lb 8 weeks old. Roasters 6-7 lb 10-12 weeks old. Stew rabbits are 12 weeks plus. Rabbits lose meat quality very quickly. Prime butcher age is 7-9 weeks for the best quality meat.

At 12 weeks your new Zealand's should be 7lb. Increase protien and energy to improve growth rate. Gain is 1/2 lb per week with some tapering off at 8 weeks. At that age they grow slower and consume significantly more. A good for can easily produce 8 litters per year on a relaxed breeding schedule. Heavy breeding doesn't hurt them at all as long as you keep them in good condition.