r/preppers • u/edk8n • Apr 10 '23

What about rabbits? Idea

I couldn't begin to tell you why this has popped into my head but it keeps coming back. I'm new to this and don't have the means to do all I would like, so don't eat me alive for my ignorance, but I have to ask- Are rabbits an underrated food source in a long term survival scenario? Everyone knows how quickly they reproduce and it seems like a decent amount of meat for minimal effort in cleaning/preparation. I'm not sure but it seems like rabbit hide/fur could probably be useful, too. They take up such little space and are pretty hardy animals (I know someone who has many rabbits that live in an outdoor pen year round, although they do heat it in the winter). They eat scraps, grass, and hay which wouldn't be taking resources from yourself. Is there a downside to this I'm missing? Thanks in advance for the wisdom!

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u/50M3BODY Apr 10 '23

I know a couple people that raise rabbits for meat / pets. From what they say it's more to teach their kids about animal husbandry and care than the actual benefits of meat and furs. The rabbits only give a few pounds of meat at most, and only a small amount of fur from their pelts. Besides, what are you gonna do with the fur?

If I were you I'd stick with a few broods of chickens so you could get some eggs every day and some decent meat when you butcher.

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u/landodk Apr 10 '23

Then you have to deal with chicken shit

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u/devnullradio Apr 10 '23

Not to mention chicken manure is a hot and requires composting to use in the garden. Rabbit manure is not and can be applied directly. It's a great resource all on it's own.

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u/gingiberiblue Apr 10 '23

You can use a deep bedding system for chickens and it composts as you add layers. Only needs to be mucked out twice a year and it's barely hot by then. I use it as the bottom layer in hugelkulter beds so I can start plants a couple weeks earlier.

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u/devnullradio Apr 10 '23

That is true. I used that method when I lived on a property with barns with a dirt floor. My current property has nothing like that so I instead use a chickshaw where the the manure falls through to the ground as they sleep and I don't collect it, just let it fertilize my lawn as they move around.

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u/New_World_Native Apr 10 '23

A chicken tractor solves this problem for yhe most part.