Meat rabbits

[CLW]

Hello everyone,

 

Stumbled upon a few YouTube videos from small scale farmers and homestead gardeners in the US who propose meat rabbits as the best way to raise animal protein for your own consumption. High productivity, low feed requirements and a good fertilizer were the main points.

 

I know that most Thais probably won't eat rabbit (unless you tell them it's chicken ????) so I'm just researching this at the moment.

 

Also it would only make sense with dedicated breeds of meat rabbits. Has anyone seen them in Thailand e.g. German giants or similar?

[Tayaout]

Not sufficiently fat to my taste. ????

 

I just checked my preferred online grocery and they import them from France. 

 

I saw some video on YouTube and I agree it looks very productive. 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Tayaout

[Lacessit]

Rabbit meat is so low in fat rural families in Australia during the Great Depression actually became fat-deficient.

I,ve seen rabbits here on the 118 in a view type coffee shop near Baan Narm Ron, and customers can buy pellets and grass to feed them. I don't know if they are there as pets, or for meat. Probably the former, as they're white and fluffy.

Rabbit does have the disadvantage of needing to be hung for a couple of days so the enzymes can break it down. Fresh, it's as tough as old boots.

Not sure one could ever get permission to farm rabbits here commercially.

[RJRS1301]

They can become pests, look at the devastation they have caused in AUstralia since introduction, they can burrow out, attract other pests, rats etc

One pair escapes, think of the devastation, and how you need to enclose and secure them

 

[Monomial]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Rabbit meat is so low in fat rural families in Australia during the Great Depression actually became fat-deficient.

I,ve seen rabbits here on the 118 in a view type coffee shop near Baan Narm Ron, and customers can buy pellets and grass to feed them. I don't know if they are there as pets, or for meat. Probably the former, as they're white and fluffy.

Rabbit does have the disadvantage of needing to be hung for a couple of days so the enzymes can break it down. Fresh, it's as tough as old boots.

Not sure one could ever get permission to farm rabbits here commercially.

 

Yep. It's called protein poisoning and it has been a known problem with eating rabbits for centuries. You always have to eat other animals as well in order to get enough fat in your diet. Incidentally, the same lack of fat is exactly what causes rabbit to be so tough. The same thing happens with steak if it isn't well marbled. The fat is what makes meat taste so good, and it also carries all the fat soluble vitamins we need to survive.

 

Still, in the modern age with easy access to every kind of vitamin and mineral, there is absolutely no reason to be worried about eating rabbits. I keep telling my children we are going to eat the 2 white furry ones we have. They're pretty old but just delivered a litter of kits. 1 male and 3 females. As rabbits have no problem with incest looks like we are going to have rabbits for the forseeable future. I thought we were almost finished with this. Impossible to keep the dogs from chasing them around the yard.

 

The things they have in Thailand aren't meat rabbits though. No idea where you would find those.

 

[khwaibah]

Sometime back in Chiang Mai a friend had a serious operation going. He was supplying 3 as I recall Rimping Supermarkets, had a restaurant out on the 118. His over stock was shipped and sold in Bangkok. His original WABBITS came from the Royal Farm and Chiang Mai University. This an area with serious farangs along with Bangkok. He closed out about 2013 on health reasons.  As for myself the wife overtime has picked up 3 does and one buck. Took some time but the group did produce 20 bunnies which she sold localy at 150 baht each. Now the same group has about 12 more which are booked. This being a Thai thing I am sure they will not be eaten. but the again you never know.

[khwaibah]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Not sure one could ever get permission to farm rabbits here commercially.

The above post. This individual had permission, permitted and license. He had about 10 rai with a serious commercial grade breeding hutch along with a commercial grade packing house. Yes it can  and has been done in Thailand.

[khwaibah]

23 minutes ago, Monomial said:

The things they have in Thailand aren't meat rabbits though. No idea where you would find those.

The Royal Farm and Chiang Mai University.

[Nobbie49]

On 3/14/2020 at 4:00 PM, Tayaout said:

Not sufficiently fat to my taste. ????

 

I just checked my preferred online grocery and they import them from France. 

 

I saw some video on YouTube and I agree it looks very productive. 

Thank for not naming the online grocery, really helpful.