Rabbit is one of the cheapest types of livestock to raise. What’s more, rabbit meat is one of the most nutritious meat, low in fat and cholesterol. So what are the best rabbit breeds for meat? If you desire to live a self-sufficient lifestyle that raises your food and provides your family with healthier meat sources, the answer might fascinate you.
The primary and most challenging decision to make in rabbit farming is choosing the breed to raise. To get a good source of rabbit meat, you cannot breed just any type of rabbit. Good rabbit meats are long and chunky. In this article, we will shed more light on:
- What Are The Qualities of Good Meat Rabbits?
- What Are The Best Rabbit Breeds For Meat?
- What Are The Largest Meat Rabbits?
- Can You Eat Any Type of Rabbit?
- Is it Legal to Breed Rabbits for Meat?
Let’s move on!
What Are The Qualities of Good Meat Rabbits?
When considering raising rabbits for meat, the first thing to look out for is good value for your money. Some of these breeds are often crossed together to get hybrids to accentuate some of their preferred qualities.
- Large muscular body size: Bulky rabbits more often than not give a high carcass weight
- Fast rate of growth: A good meat rabbit breed should be able to reach about 5pounds weight at 10-12weeks
- High ratio of meat to the bone: Essentially, a good meat rabbit should be fleshy
- Low maintenance: Standard meat rabbits are easy to care for, and the cost of the feeding is relatively low
- Ability to reproduce fast: The females should produce kits all year round and possess sharp maternal instincts.
- Disease resistance.
What Are The Best Rabbit Breeds For Meat?
There are numerous rabbit breeds. But by and large, these are the best rabbit breeds for meat. The ultimate mate choice boils down to the available space and the quantity of meat you produce.
1. New Zealand rabbit
This breed is virtually the most preferred rabbit for meat production. New Zealand rabbits are probably the result of crossbreeding Belgian hares and Flemish giants. The rabbit breed has a broad, muscular body with well-rounded haunches. The females have good mothering instincts.
New Zealand rabbits are one of the best rabbit breeds for meat because they grow fast. They are mature for slaughter 8-12 weeks. Furthermore, they have a high meat-to-bone ratio indicating that they are fleshy. Another good quality of this rabbit breed is that the pelt separates from the meat more quickly than other breeds. Thus processing meat is faster and easier.
2. California white
This breed is a descendant of New Zealand white, Chinchilla, and Himalayan rabbits. California rabbits are bulky, and the body is compact and well-rounded.
Though sometimes raised as pets and for the show, this breed of rabbits is valuable mainly for meat and fur production. They are muscular, with full shoulders, and deep and broad hindquarters. The females have a prolific breeding ability and are indeed good mothers. They can give birth to large litters of 8-12 kits.
3. Palomino
Although their fur is a unique brownish-orange color, Palomino bunnies are similar to New Zealand rabbits in their body type. They have broad hindquarters as well as a fleshy body. As a result, they are an excellent choice for meat rabbits farming.
In contrast to other meat rabbit breeds, they have a small bone structure. Consequently, the proportion of meat to bone is high, resulting in a high yield.
4. Flemish Giant
As the name implies, Flemish Giant is arguably the largest breed of domestic rabbit. While they are initially bred for their meat and fur, they are generally used as pets because of their docile nature.
In most cases, they are not favored as meat rabbits mainly because they are high-maintenance breeds. They need larger living quarters and more food to maintain their big size than other meat rabbits. Although they are fleshy, they equally have large bone structures. Instead, they are more suitable for crossbreeding with New Zealand white and California rabbits.
5. American Chinchilla
This rabbit breed is raised primarily for meat and is fit for commercial meat rabbit production. American Chinchilla rabbits possess many qualities of good meat rabbits.
They ARE good breeders. A doe can have an average of six to nine kits in her litter. Not only that, but they also grow fast to attain market weight. They are a meaty and resilient breed.
6. Champagne D’Argent
The makeup of Champagne D’Argent makes them one of the best rabbit breeds for meat production.
The middle part of their body is broad, strong, and fleshy, containing as much meat as possible on each side of the entire body. The bunnies waists are thick and are closely even out with their hips
These rabbits have a high meat-to-bone ratio because of their delicate bones structure. The pelt likewise has superb quality. No wonder they are suitable for commercial rabbits business.
7. Silver Fox
Some believe that the silver fox has the best taste and texture in comparison to other meat rabbits. Nevertheless, this is a dual-purpose breed loved not only for meat but for the pelt too.
It is hardly surprising that the silver fox can provide high-quality meat. Its ancestry can be traced to good meat rabbits like Champagne D’Argent, Checkered Giant(for size), and others.
Silver fox rabbits can, on many occasions, provide 65% of their live weight as meat. They are also prolific with large litters. Their milk production is excellent, and they are good mothers. Remarkably, the silver fox does are good foster mothers because of its docile nature.
8. Cinnamon
The pedigree of the Cinnamon rabbit gives it a high potential as one of the best rabbit breeds for meat. This breed results from crossing other good meat rabbits like the New Zealand, California, and Checkered Giant breeds.
It is a large breed with a body for commercial meat rabbits. Raising the Cinnamon rabbit is relatively easy; the only downside is that it requires considerable space to run around.
9. Standard Rex
Suppose you prefer a medium-sized breed with excellent pelts and good potential for meat production. In that case, the Standard Rex rabbit is the ideal choice. With a stocky build and fleshy body, this breed is also one of the best rabbit breeds for meat.
However, compared with other meat breeds, the Standard rex rabbit takes a little longer to reach harvest weight.
10. Florida White
This breed has a unique white color with red albino-like eyes. Although they are small, the Florida white is a good meat breed. Generally, they are easy to rear and do not get sick quickly.
Apart from the difference in their sizes, Florida White rabbits are closely similar to New Zealand rabbits in producing meat. Their meat-to-bone ratio is outstanding. Because of its compact, plump body and fine bone structure, little waste is generated after processing for meat.
Interestingly, it is easy to raise the Florida white rabbits because they require small living quarters. They are stout and docile, with a relatively long lifespan. The females can produce 6-8 kits per litter.
11. Satin
Satin rabbits are one of the best rabbit breeds for meat. This is not surprising since their ancestors are a mutation of the New Zealand species. It is possible to get a fryer weighing 5pounds at around ten weeks, and the meat to bone ratio is high.
This medium-large rabbit is a great breeder with between five to eleven kits per litter, and the does are great foster mothers. It is noteworthy that while New Zealand bunnies reach the fryer stage earlier than Satin, it takes less feed to raise Satin rabbits to the same age. So their feed conversion rate is high.
What Are The Largest Meat Rabbits?
Below is a list of some giant meat rabbit breeds and their average weight. Basically, their size does not make them efficient species for meat production.
- Flemish Giant rabbit: 20 pounds
- Continental Giant: 16 pounds
- Giant Chinchilla rabbit: 16 pounds
- Spanish Giant: 15 pounds
- Hungarian Giant rabbit: between 11 and 15 pounds.
- French Lop: 15 pounds and above.
- British Giant: between 11 and 15 pounds.
- Checkered Giant rabbit: 12 pounds
Do you want to know how to make your rabbit’s meat more nutritious? Then you read our article on how do you add enrichment to your rabbit?
Can You Eat Any Type of Rabbit?
The simple answer is yes. You can eat any type of rabbit breed, including wild ones roaming the backyard. While it is controversial in some places to eat pet rabbits, they are good sources of meat health-wise.
Be that as it may, there is necessary caution one need to take in eating rabbit meat. Firstly, the health of the rabbit is essential. For instance, Tularemia is a deadly disease of rabbits that can be transmitted to humans if one consumes the undercooked meat of an infected wild rabbit.
Secondly, the meat should be well cooked. It is suggested that rabbit meat be heated to high temperatures, usually above 165 degrees Fahrenheit, to kill any possible toxin.
Some signs that a rabbit is sick and unfit for consumption include inflamed feet, digestion problems, teeth misalignment, ticks, or moths on the rabbit’s skin.
Do you want to know the best way to process your rabbit for consumption? Then read our article on how do you process your rabbit for meat?
Is it Legal to Breed Rabbits for Meat?
It is legal to breed rabbits for meat. Summarily, You do not have to obtain a license to farm rabbits or register your rabbitry. However, Animal Welfare Act stipulates getting a permit if you supply more than $500 worth of rabbit to a wholesale buyer.
It is advisable to investigate local zoning laws that concern breeding rabbits. You may get such information from appropriate government agencies. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) can give you the necessary information.
Conclusions
All in all, Meat rabbit farming is a worthwhile and exciting venture. Still, choosing the right breed to raise will determine how successful you will be.
Of course, there are other things you should do to ensure a plentiful harvest from your rabbit. Notwithstanding, when you select one of the best rabbit breeds for meat, you will have bunnies that can convert their food to flesh faster in your homestead.