Food Production
Survival Food – Raising Rabbits for Meat | Plus Fur Project Ideas
Are you wondering what makes rabbits the ultimate sustainable food source? Learn the hows and whys here!
Rabbits: Sustainable Food Source?
Substitute for Expensive Food
Sustainable food provides a number of benefits to humans, the environment, and life as a whole. In a more specific context, it improves the important aspects of life, such as the economy, health, ecology, and survival.
In these times where the economy is unstable and money is scarce, growing and raising your own food can be a great alternative to expensive food such as the preserved and/or processed variety.
Apart from this, the nutritional value of homegrown food goes straight to the body and results in an improved physical state. Utilizing sustainable food also allows you to save on grocery bills by as much as 50%.
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Rabbits, The Ultimate Self-Sustaining Food Source
For a while, I debated which animal is best to breed for food. I considered chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese, and a few larger types like goats. After some research, I decided to go for rabbits for many reasons.
They’re very easy to feed, they breed and grow fast, and they don’t need very much space. Rabbit meat tastes very good, and rabbit fur has a lot of uses.
Growing rabbits for meat is a very productive enterprise. When our children were small, we lived in a small town on a small property and we decided to experiment with growing NZ White rabbits for meat.
It was a great way to put meat on the table for a relatively low cost. Not only is it reasonable in price, but homegrown rabbits are also delicious.
It isn’t gamey and most people say it tastes just like chicken. I think it is much nicer than chicken and a great idea for sustainable living.
This year, we decided we would get back into it. The search began for rabbits and all the accessories we need.
Sustainable Food Benefits
When it comes to environmental sustainability, the positive benefits of sustainable food practices are innumerable. The less you travel means less or zero fuel consumption, thereby freeing the air from pollution.
Growing a variety of vegetables and breeding animals promotes biodiversity as well as self-sufficiency. Filling containers with rainfall results in water conservation.
Creating your own compost pit stops soil degradation and you won’t need to buy fertilizers anymore.
Through gardening, sustainable vegetables and fruits are grown in an organic way which encourages the household members to eat chemical-free food products.
As a result, more nutrients enter the body to eliminate diseases and strengthen the immune system. In terms of physical activity, gardening is an opportunity for free exercise and fitness.
Here’s a video by Joe Robinson about inexpensive and healthy rabbit feed:
Rabbit Fur Projects
Rabbits are more than a sustainable food source for your homestead; you can utilize the entire animal by using its fur and pelt for a number of textiles.
Rabbit fur is well-known for being incredibly soft and warm. For these reasons, it is often used in clothing and bedding.
Rabbit hides and fur make a wonderful lining for coats, boots, and gloves. Rabbit fur muffs are both fashionable and warm in winter months. Shorn fur can be used to fill comforters and pillows. Hides can be sewn together to create blankets.
If you spin rabbit fur into fabric or yarn, you can weave sweaters and mittens. If you felt rabbit fur, you can create marketable hats and capes to earn extra money. Felting requires you to wet and mat shorn fur until it becomes a thick, sturdy cloth.
Rabbit fur is thickest in the winter months, but you will be limited in color choice to white. If you would like a different color, you can dye the fur. The highest quality fur is gathered from rabbits over five months old. Because rabbits are a smaller animal, you will often need multiple pelts to complete a project.
Rabbits for Multi-Use
Rabbits are an extremely useful animal to breed; they will supply you with meat on a regular basis, mate easily, and have fur with a multitude of uses.
On the survival aspect, raising livestock provides food for the family without depending on supermarkets for supplies. It is a comforting thought that when SHTF, you will have your very own food source.
Rabbits, in this case, do not need too much looking after and they are notoriously prolific. You also have the option to sell the vegetables and animals you have or trade them, depending on the things that you need.
Will you consider rabbits as a sustainable food source? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
Up Next:
- Raising Rabbits
- How To Butcher A Rabbit: A Vital Skill For Homesteaders
- Homesteading and Farming – The Ultimate Survival Lifestyle
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2015 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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Sabina Kowalczyk
January 31, 2018 at 12:13 PM
Cats do not need too much looking after and they are notoriously prolific. Why not breed and kill cats? Maybe because more than a few people would be outraged! Well there are millions of people that have pet rabbits, and would be outraged also!! You don’t need to eat meat, or promoting for people to be raising and killing animals.
Anonymous
January 31, 2018 at 2:42 PM
Cats don’t taste as good. However, cats are pretty decent filler for tamales.
Yvonne
January 31, 2018 at 4:12 PM
We don’t need to breed cats, we just trap them as there is an overabundance of them in most urban and suburban areas.
Anonymous
January 31, 2018 at 8:30 PM
Cats are delicious!
Anonymous
February 1, 2018 at 1:52 PM
Dear Sabina. For those of us that do choose to eat meat as a source of protein & fat, does it really matter what the meat is? We shouldn’t eat cute animals? Remember the big deal hypocrites made- “Don’t eat tuna because dolphins get caught in the nets”? What about the tuna? It’s okay to kill them as long as dolphins don’t die? Why, tuna aren’t cute? I understand that this article hit a nerve, but do you realize that people have cows, goats, pigs, chickens, etc. as pets also? In India the cow is a sacred animal. Do you see them outraged and complaining about beef slaughterhouses? Protein and fat is a necessity in diet. Some of us choose to attain it by more than nuts, beans, dairy, etc. TO EACH HIS OWN!
Andrew
January 31, 2018 at 2:37 PM
Rabbits may be sustainable, but lack certain amino acids that humans require. Not really an optimal food source. One could still starve eating rabbit.
Karl
June 11, 2019 at 9:07 AM
Very true Its called protein starvation. Its the fats we require that isn’t there. Same with venison. Although it will take longer.
Anonymous
January 31, 2018 at 8:57 PM
Just don’t eat rabbit every day. Rotate your days with other meats, fish & rice/vegetables.
Anonymous
January 31, 2018 at 11:13 PM
Rabbit meat is too lean to support human life. Eat only rabbit and most fish for a year and you will be dead long before the year has ended. there is much Bad info in your article.
Anonymous
January 31, 2018 at 11:20 PM
Here’s a better question, are Non-Vegan Humans a sustainable food source? I say hunt down you scum bags who are advocating for killing innocent creatures that pose no threat to you, and feed your carcasses to the sharks in the oceans!
Non-Vegan
February 1, 2018 at 2:05 PM
Oh, now I get it. It’s not okay to “kill innocent creatures that pose no threat to you” for dietary food supplement that sustains life. But it is okay to “hunt down scumbags” out of hatred just because they don’t have the same ideals as you! That’s genius. Please elaborate more Mr or Mrs Vegan
Sarcam And More
February 22, 2018 at 12:06 PM
Is it time for a little more sarcasm? 🙂 Shark meat isn’t to bad when flushed of the ammonia, this idea of yours, applied differently – such as to deal with mean spiteful/hateful people …maybe reduce prison populations… might just allow us to finally farm sharks like they do Atlantic salmon and other fish. Brilliant!! In addition shark skin can be use as sandpaper – in case you need to rub someone the wrong way…
Anonymous
June 11, 2019 at 9:11 AM
human tastes very bad…
brian s
February 1, 2018 at 7:03 AM
i see alot of demo/libtard responces. GO TRUMP !!!!
Patrick
November 13, 2018 at 12:17 PM
This is a great article… Don’t worry about the comments.. I guarantee that if there was no other options – everyone would eat meat to survive… This article is about sustainability and a better source of better food that is raised in the most humane way, vice food farms that keep animals in cages. Keep posting my friend. Respectfully, The Break Away Homesteader.
Anonymous
November 17, 2018 at 4:55 PM
Rabbits a very intelligent creatures, on par with cats and dogs. Most people never get to learn this because they keep their rabbits cooped up in a hutch and forget about them once the novelty of having a pet rabbit has worn off. They’re affectionate, playful and makes great house pets and they’re easily kitty litter trained. I really think they’re too smart to be food, they serve a much better status as companion pet so long as they live in the house with you or have a big run.
Lisa
November 18, 2018 at 6:19 PM
Yes, my rabbits have a personality, and the babies are cute. Have you seen my arms from a teenager? I got into meat rabbits when I was $20 away from not eating. Oh sure, I even had an accounts receivable in my business, but people were’t paying. Self sufficiency is very worthwhile. Of course you cannot live only on rabbit, but they are tastier than chickens without the hormones, antibiotics, etc. Before the bleeding heart liberals pop off, walk in another’s shoes; a lean refrigerator, no $$, the general population doesn’t CARE!!
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Steve
October 23, 2020 at 4:37 PM
Easy to be judgemental when you have a full belly. Guarantee that after 2 weeks without food, you will consider eating rat and cockroaches.
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Anonymous
November 5, 2020 at 7:40 PM
Exactly what Steve said.
Koz
January 7, 2021 at 12:48 PM
In arctic regions, many indigenous people kill and eat seals. I have been in countries where dog meat is acceptable as food (I have eaten it, because it was served to me and I found out after the fact what it was – I was ok with it – it was considered acceptable there).
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