[colliewoman]

I have nothing against eating meat BUT
For me personally I wouldn't eat home reared rabbit because.....
The buck would have to be kept separately and having a bonded group of rabbits, I KNOW how much they need company of their own kind. Not just within sight, but snuggle up close mutual grooming company.
The doe would also usually be kept on her own apart from when kits are with her.
The minimum space for a pair of rabbits is a 6 foot hutch permanently attached to a 6 foot by 4 foot run.
Most meat producers do not provide this for their rabbits.
Other animals can be reared for meat whilst accommodating natural behaviour, this is generally not so for a rabbit.
Perhaps if you were to create a colony type free range unit where the bucks and does could live permanently then perhaps, but after all that is would just be easier to harvest wild rabbits.
The difference in Geoffrey rabbit's (freecycle bunny) behaviour since having been neutered and bonded is amazing.
If you do decide to go ahead (after all the above is only my opinion) please have a look at the 'A hutch is not enough' campaign by the RWA. Solitary confinement is possibly the worst a bunny can be asked to endure, millions do so every single day of their 8+ year lifespan.
If you work out a way, please do share it with the world!

edited to add, people nowadays wouldn't dream of keeping a single sheep or goat as it would pine and be miserable. We are just beginning to realise the same is true for our rabbits which are by nature probably even more sociable than sheep or goats

[Smalltime]

It wasn't nicely put, it was 'rash, narrow minded and personal' from people who claim to care about animals and through their actions show blatant disregard for their well-being. If you bothered reading through all my posts and following the conversation through that might help, in some cases a little knowledge on the subject matter wouldn't go amiss either.
Keeping a rabbit in solitary confinement for its entire life is cruel, whichever and whatever way you choose to do it. Its one of the most sociable animals known to man. They used to say you could tell a lot about a person by looking at the way he/she treats their animals. Still true. It is after all, as has been pointed out, a smallholding forum where you would think most members do care about animals.  Now 'Ben' has the facts he can decide for himself if it is for him. Others can carry on caging rabbits in solitary for their own profit and self-interest, doubtless simultaneously advising others on animal welfare and making sure their immediate friends are aware of how 'organic' their livestyles are...there's a lot of those in Surrey...and elsewhere. 

Why dont we all pop off to Europe and get stuck into a horse burger? When in Rome and all that........No? Why ever not? Point being there are personal choices and there is the broader concensus in society of what is and what is not deemed acceptable. I am glad I live in country where animal welfare is highly valued by the majority.

Olly398 -  Your veiled pretence of interest in how 'Ben' (note the use of first name) 'gets on' does little to disguise the fact that you have nothing to add of any relevance to this discussion. Try not to jump on the 'stereotypical automated response to sound reasonable and sensible and curry favour' posting bandwagon of internet trolls. Its very tiresome when trolls constantly try and hijack discussions.

[Sylvia]

Smalltime, I eat meat. To do this an animal has to die. I choose to eat meat that I have reared, fed, loved and has had a quick and stress free death. I choose NOT to eat dogs, cats or horses but respect that other cultures do. It's not the killing and eating of these animals that particularly distresses me but the way they are kept, treated and killed. I never found that my rabbits were in any way unhappy with the way they were kept.
I can't think your attack on Ben or Olly(see, we use proper names here ) was in any way justified. They eat meat, Ben was asking which was the best way to keep rabbits, Olly was putting forward a case for responsible husbandry.

[in the hills]

Yes, it is a matter of choice and what is deemed acceptable by an individual and the society they live in. It is maybe easier to give some animals a good life before their time comes than it is others. At the end of the day, if you eat meat you are still taking a life. There is no way of getting around that unless you become a strict vegan. My sheep, I believe are sociable and intelligent, as are my chickens. Is my rabbit more so? I am not sure. Does one species deserve life and another not?

Maybe if we are going to eat rabbit we should shoot wild ones. Their numbers often need controlling and at least they have led natural lives.

There is an actual rabbit thread on here. Have not read all posts carefully but think it says that wild rabbits are so cheap to buy that it may not be worth rearing them anyway. Or is there some difference in taste or something? Dont eat rabbit so I dont know.

[Hopewell]

There is an actual rabbit thread on here. Have not read all posts carefully but think it says that wild rabbits are so cheap to buy that it may not be worth rearing them anyway. Or is there some difference in taste or something? Dont eat rabbit so I dont know.

Yes they are different - wild rabbit has a stronger gamier flavour. I'd also expect to get more meat and less bone on a domestic rabbit.

[Hopewell]

Perhaps if you were to create a colony type free range unit where the bucks and does could live permanently then perhaps, but after all that is would just be easier to harvest wild rabbits.

We have managed to keep a pair of sisters together in a very large hutch and let them litter together, so it is possible to manage them in a colony. It's not without potential issues as 2 does frequently fight, especially if they don't really have enough space. It does cause issues as to identifying which youngsters came from which doe, which can be important for ongoing breeding.

I wouldn't want to keep a buck permanently with does as they would be breeding far too often, although I do appreciate that rabbits are social animals. We do sometimes leave a doe with a buck for a 2 or 3 weeks. That way they both have company for a while but are separated before the doe kindles and so before she can be mated again.

I think that the way we keep animals is often a compromise or balance, even between different aspects of animal welfare. Eg Keeping a buck and doe together improves the social behavioural aspect of welfare (one of the 5 freedoms) but if allowed to mate immediately each time a doe litters then this will inevitably impact on both the health and nutrition aspects of their welfare (also part of the 5 freedoms).

[redborneschoolfarm]

We did a cost benefit analysis and full business plan on keeping rabbits for meat having been a fan of consuming wild rabbit. We found that due to teh fact a butcher can import a rabbit from china for less than £1 and wild rabbit is more abundant. Not only will you save yourself a lot of money but also eat a better quality product if you get some wild rabbit. It will also help manage the wild population.

[benkt]

Yep, we came to a similar conclusion - and given the pressures on housing at this time of year, the rabbit hutch is now full of chicks so any thoughts of rabbit breeding have gone on the back burner for now.

[MAK]

We have just started keeping rabbits and have exactly the set up detailed by ohLaLa. We are using the concrete clapiers shown in her picture, and have built a large "mother to be " hutch. We also built a large run for the buck that we move about.
We took one doe to the buck for just an hour but then thought that she needed a rest - !!!.

We were given the buck by a neighbour and collected 2 does from a breeder but wire fencing is expensive here so we have made a fair investment so far.

Some good points about keeping rabbits for meat here so I will keep my eye on new posts that discuss just that. Our neighbours have all kept rabbits for food so we have plenty of advice on how to keep and cook them.

[OhLaLa]

Hope it all goes well for you mak. Your neighbours will be old hands and lots of knowledge to learn there (retain some, discard some, amend some).
We have more than one breeding doe, as our first wasn't particularly maternal (and hated going to the buck), plus, although they can 'breed like rabbits' I don't think it is fair to expect that of them so our girls have a  maximum of two litters each per year.
We have a couple of the cage roulants, and that seems to be a good balance.
Our breeding does don't go 'in the pot'. They get retired to a maiden life and the buck gets a new girlfriend or two.........

[MAK]

Can any of the above who have kept rabbits for meat share their preffered method of killing a table rabbit?   

[SteveHants]

I've never kept a rabbit for meat, but you can kill em either by stretching them or by a blow to the back of the head.

[Sylvia]

A sharp blow to the back of the head was the way we did it, you have to hit hard though and get the skull, not the neck. As always, better to hit too hard than not hard enough.

[MAK]

Thanks Sylvia - I will make it quick when the time comes.
 I have just been in with the 10 kittens, mum and her sister. They now have a micro enclosure within the duck range in case the ducks get agressive to the kittens. Tonight the kittens made their first venture out of their "welsh dresser hutch". great to see the all playing with mum and aunt looking over them.
I really do not want to debate the issues of keeping rabbits for food on this smallholding site. Others have adressed the issue of choice and responsibility very well.

[Olly398]

Haven't looked at this thread for months - thanks for the updates all.
 
I'm off to troll a few other threads now