How to Raise Backyard Rabbits

I don't understand why everyone is writing to complain about
this article, I would not write to your local vegetarian magizine
and complain that there are not enough meat articles. This magazine
was started years ago for people who wanted to live off the earth.
If you are a tree huggin, non animal eating type, why would you
even read this magazine. There are plenty out there for you. Leave
us our magazine and stop trying to make our lifestyle something
ugly.

If we're not supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out
of meat?

I think we all need to realize that each person will have pets
as hobbies or be true farmers and raise food. It all depends on
your economic need. Groceries stores overflow with food, but most
have been raised or farmed on the petro-chemicals. Not everyone has
space to raise their own beef or pork that is more acceptable as a
farm animal. This article provides options. Don't get all bent out
of shape that this is not your thing. I have adorible bunnies, but
if I had to feed my family because of economics, they would
suddenly become rabbits and be apart of our daily menu. What about
primates that are disappearing off this planet! Maybe if we
introduce quick breeding rabbits, the other species may make a
comeback because they are all becoming endangered species as they
feed the starving world.

We raised rabbits for years. When the kids were little they had
their pet 'bunnies' and their pet 'bunnies' had baby 'rabbits'. We
ate 'rabbit' meat, not 'bunny' meat. Some of you don't see the
difference between the two. Well, in all reality, there is no
difference. Other than the 'bunnies' had names and the 'rabbits'
were food. Just like the unnamed chickens, geese, turkeys, pigs and
cows. Oh and by the way we didn't name our vegies either.

For historical examples of gentle vegans visit this page and
click the many links.http://www.vegetariansareevil.com/manson.html
Sorry, the URL name is inflammatory, but the articles on Charles
Manson and Pol Pot are very interesting.

This article is appalling and horrific. In no way shape OR form
is breeding OR slaughtering rabbits good for the earth. Get a grip.
This is not an eco-saavy or eco-friendly magazine. The author of
this article & their chief editor must have not taken notice of
the environmental devastation that overpopulation of animals does
to the earth. What about the left behind by products of rabbit
slaughter? What about killing an innocent, loving, intelligent
animal? Have you ever owned a rabbit??More importantly, have you
ever interacted with one? They have the intelligence of a three
year old. Would you slaughter your 3 year old? In my opinion you
should take up a topic that youre familiar with. PLEASE. DO US A
FAVOR!Do you pick up a National Geographic and read about how
deforestation is good for the Earth? No!

To EVey. Abusing dogs, beating them, starving them, forcing them
to fight and suffer their wounds, shocking them with electric
probes and pumping them full of steroids is a FAR cry from caring
for, loving, feeding and eventually killing, in a quick suffer-free
method, rabbits. The only reason you people are getting so worked
up is because when you think of "rabbit" you think of cute tiny
little Thumper the bunny. I have a pet bunny rabbit, a Dutch named
Clover. I also have two pet chickens, a rooster and a hen. My
family raised goats for a time, we never milked them or used them
for meat. I do however eat chicken, and I eat rabbit when my dad
hunts for them. My family raised 3 pigs to eat too. There is a
difference between abusing an animal and eating one. And I applaud
those of you who choose a vegitarian lifestyle, but you should not
think y9ourself better than everyone else for it, it does not make
you the pinnice for holy morality, I know plenty of vegitarians and
one vegan. They are no better than anyone else I know, they still
cheated on tests in highschool, one still drank and drove, one
stole a 500 dollar ring from her mom once. Just because you eat or
don't eat something doesn't make you an Insta-saint.

Rabbits meat is lean and nutritious. Moreover, it takes much
less feed to produce a pound of rabbit meat than it does a pound of
beef. That's worth considering in a world that doesn't succeed in
feeding its hungry.I'm all for raising animals humanely (on
pasture). As for whether we eat them or not, both choices have
implications. For us to eat meat, an animal must die. But should we
eschew meat, a meat animal no longer has a reason for being born or
hatched in the first place. So is a short life better than none?
Maybe not on a factory farm, but perhaps on an intelligently,
humanely managed one.If we all become vegans, what happens to the
panoply of domesticated animal breeds raised for meat? Are they
important as polar bears are important, or black-footed ferrets?I'm
not judging anybody's choices; I just don't see the answers as
simple ones.

Oh Boy... The PETA(People Eating Tasy Animals) members are out,
aren't they?! Backyard rabit raising has been an intragal part of
homesteading for many years & I'm glad to see you publishing
such an article. This is the type of article that helped your
magazine thrive from it's 1st issue.Keep up the good
work!

I am amazed at the comments of some on this subject,you cannot
force others to think as you do Thank Goodness !! We have rights
and free will I raise rabbits and chickens for meat also lots of
vegetables.Humans are omnivores but if you wish to eat only
vegetables then that is your decision and I would not
interfere.

to joyce in florida;you could also place used coffee grounds
(free from starbucks) in your bin of rabbit droppings. i use coffee
grounds directly on/in ant piles to discourage them. it is also
good to mix w/compost. just don't use directly on plants, must be
mixed.

From the responses I have seen to the article about raising
rabbits, I must conclude that all of the people responding
negatively, must be vegatqrians. Because, if they are not
vegatarians then they have no right to talk about the wrongs of
killing animals for food. So, if you eat meat in any form please
refrain from making negative remarks about how some of us get our
meat. I myself raise several kinds of animals for meat and what I
don't raise I buy from a friend. The point of all this is if you
eat meat someone somewhere killed it.

you know i think its funny about how we think food just apears
on the self at the grocery store. Dont you think some one has to
raise it or grow it ??? ...Come on people wake up and smell the
bloody coffee with out the farmer i would say about a 1/3 of the
people would starve because they dont have the basic knowladge of
how to grow foods and to butcher animals. nevermind bites tounge
before i piss off the tree huggers who go to the store and buy the
socalled free food

O.K......one last post. I own a farm which were refer to as a
'barter farm'. There are several small farms (<10 acres) in our
area (Upper Peninsula of Michigan). A barter farm is a concept of
several small farms working together to specialize in one or two
particular crops and/or animals to 'barter' with the others. Some
are good at gardening, others good at raising beef, and others
raise hay and grains. I raise (for the group) rabbits, chickens and
turkeys. We keep milking goats for ourselves, but contribute the
others to the group. We (collectively) live a very good, healthy
life. We have no other common ties (religion etc) other than being
a small farm and sharing the fruits of our labor. I can choose
between a multitude of garden, fruit and meat varieties raised
locally by friends. If I choose to not eat rabbit, its my choice as
is if I choose not to eat green beans.If you dont like it, dont eat
it!!!! If you want more info on establishing a 'barter farm'
community, or info on small scale rabbit raising there are a bunch
of resources. Or, drop me a line, and I will be HAPPY to assist you
in anyway I can. askelfarm@yahoo.comBTW I raise about 100 rabbits
each year. Also 200-250 chickens (plus about 100 laying hens for
eggs and stock replenishment), 25 or so turkeys, and a variety of
water fowl. I get beef and pork plus a wide variety of produce in
trade.WE HAVE NEVER ISSUED A RECALL OF OUR FOOD!!! Eat healthy, eat
happy, and eat locally produced food. Dean
Chapmanaskelfarm@yahoo.com

Good Lord, look at the chaos this article stirred up ! I enjoy
reading Mother because i'm steering my life towards responsible
self sufficiency. I dont eat any commercially raised meat, but i do
eat wild game and chickens i raise myself and have thought several
times about rabbits. If you want quality meat, you either have to
hunt it or raise it. If you dont want meat, SKIP THE ARTICLE. It's
amazing to me how some folks freak out over the thought of eating
Organic Free Range Venison, but chomp right into a fatty grease
burger from Xdonalds. Sure... little bunnies are cute, but so are
guinnea pigs, and millions of guinnea pigs are eaten in
Peru.

Dear Readers and Comment(ers) -QUIT BEING IGNORANT!! There -
I've typed that out in plain view!!! Now, this is my last post to
this article because I'm just too hurt by the oppressive and
disheartening statements left by so many. So many of you are earth
friendly and creature friendly - okay - got that, but whatever
happened to people friendly? I'm not going to rehash everything
I've posted. But....*THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT ADVOCATE THE
"SLAUGHTERING" OF P E T ANIMALS!!! *THIS IS AN EDUCATIONAL
ARTICLE!!! *THIS ARTICLE ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON
RABBITS!!*READ WHAT IS WRITTEN NOT WHAT'S BETWEEN THE LINES AND
WHAT YOU THINK UP IN YOUR NARROW MINDS! Educate yourselves! The
universe does not exclusively revolve around you and your point of
view. This article is meant for diversity. Or have you "ETHICAL"
people forgot that??? I'm tired of being called "cruel" and
"inhumane". I ADORE my animals!! I always have but I have made the
DISTINCTION between what I find as a pet and what I find as
livestock. DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?? ARE YOU AWARE AND EDUCATED
TO THOSE DIFFERENCES?? I'm tired of those of you thinking that your
"pure" way of life is the ONLY way of life. Well, honeykins - Your
life isn't the only life out there.ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMUNITIES THAT
MAKE UP OUR WORLD - And quit being so oppressive. Ethical and kind,
my tail!Oh, and Mother Earth - I wouldn't trade your publication
for any other in the world. Thank you!~r

I was a vegan for 8 months. I lost my hair, it broke off in
chunks. It used to be down past my bottom, but broke off till it
was neck length. My skin got dry. I was not in the best health. Dr.
Weston Price studied the healthiest people all over the world and
he found no vegans in superb health. He found all heavy meat AND
FAT eaters in superb health. High cholesterol eaters. No heart
disease. See Know Your Fats by Mary Enig PhD. Grains are very hard
for humans to digest. They have a lot of antinutrients in them that
protect the seed from germinating at the wrong time. We have to
soak them and cook them to death to be able to get any good out of
them. our digestive tract is too short and lacks the organs to do
us much good. Veggies and fruts are great, but we can't digest the
cellulose. Vitamix is the way to go to get the goody out of
those.

Working for sustainability is like a journey toward peace and
harmony. I don't see how a person can live in peace and harmony
with Earth when they are killing another sentient being for
pleasure. Most Westerners do not *need* to eat other animals for
health and well-being. They really kill for taste pleasure and
greed, disguised in some moral argument about "the way it's
supposed to be," convinced that because Mom and Dad ate animals it
must be required.I think the reader who commented that raising
rabbits for meat kept him going when he did not have other work
summed it up well: he didn't even have to give up cable! I'm sure
the hundreds of rabbits he killed would have appreciated the noble
sacrifice they made. I challenge others to really evaluate how
"noble" your own reasons for killing animals are.BTW, rabbit
rescues frequently intervene with rabbits neglected and abandoned
by small backyard breeders, and many of the rabbits surrendered to
shelters by individuals also bear breeder tattoos.

For an excellent site on the health benefits of meat and milk,
organicallt raised www.westonaprice.org and
www.price-pottenger.org. For the Ploy of Soy same sites. Let these
vegans live on soy and destroy their fertility and create
osteoporosis. This will create a shorter life for them and prevent
them from having healthy children and being able to nurse them.
Their myopia will kill them off in a few generations and we won't
have to fuss with this anymore.

J Hare- I did not read anyone berating those who choose to keep
rabbits in humane and happy situations and refuse to eat them.The
only ones being attacked are those who choose to eat some meat with
their potatoes. M Manahan- Makes the Key statement - These are prey
animals to be eaten by fox , hawk ,(& human).How many hungry
children could be fed with the $100,000.00 you have spent on 200
prey animals.How many of you who hate the raising of pray animals
to kill them , support the right to kill human babies?MEN -I am
looking forward to reading your for food fishpond article
.