• Would you like to know exactly where the meat you are eating came from and what happened to it during its lifetime?
• Would you like to fully control the animal’s diet and whether it truly was fed organic feed and the best other foods possible, instead of just being pumped full of chemicals?
• Would you like to be certain that it lived in a cage or pen that was cleaned regularly, where it lived a content life and was culled humanely?
• Would you like to provide your family with warm clothing as well as put food on the table?
• Would you like to have meat, fur, rabbits and more to sell, trade or barter?

All that and more is possible if you begin raising your own rabbits for meat. Rabbits are quiet, clean and docile creatures which can even be raised in your home. Even most apartment dwellers can find enough space to raise a few rabbits and neighbors may never even know they are there.

People have been raising meat rabbits for centuries but breeding rabbits for meat and fur production didn’t become popular in the United States until the beginning of the 20th century. During the Great Depression, many families began raising rabbits for food to avoid starvation and provide a significant source of protein. Despite only feeding the rabbits table scraps and foraged greens, a family could still have decent rabbit meat production numbers although the rabbits were not at their ultimate protein levels.

The US Agricultural Department expects food prices to rise 3.5-4.5% in 2009, versus an increase of 5-6% in 2008. The average price of beef has increased almost 44% since 1996.  The price for a pound of chicken has increased 300% since 1998. Do you want to keep giving your money to big business or would you rather keep it at home where it belongs? There is no better time to take control of your own food supply chain and to being raising meat rabbits in addition to growing your own vegetables and fruits. Just a few minutes out of every evening are enough to keep your rabbitry running smoothly.

For those looking to start raising rabbits for profit, this is fantastic news. Most chefs are very happy to have a local source for their ingredients where they can be sure that they’re getting a quality product. And none of us can deny the increase of the phrase “eat local” all around us. In fact, demand is so great for rabbit meat right now, some places like Asheville are changing laws to make it easier for small scale producers to get their foot in the door. You may not be able to service all the restaurants in your city, but even one will give you a significant income which can be used to cover the costs of running your rabbitry.

Quality breeding stock is the key to producing great meat and some breeders will consider options in raising their rabbits organically as well. It’s a more expensive route, and may even require that you grow and harvest your own grains. But with all sorts of bacteria and diseases creeping into the food supply lately, having that extra piece of mind that your food source is clean is invaluable.

One local farmer, Nguyen Dinh Hoi, explains how the new system is working for him:

“My family consists of  my wife and four children; we earn a living mainly by raising chickens and pigs. However, we did not have enough money to raise many of them. We also do not know how to prevent disease or how to take care of these animals so that they can grow fast. Some months ago, I was selected to take part in the rabbit breeding model. The knowledge that I have gained from the meetings I share with my family as we all take care of the rabbits. So far, we have done well and been able to increase our family income.”

Forty households currently participate in the program which has been going on since February 2009. Each family in the program was given five rabbits of each sex and money for cages and vaccinations. Training courses have also been conducted to teach families about feeding and caring for the rabbits.

So far each household has earned an extra 2,000,000 Vietnam Dong ($112 or €79). In a place where most families live on about $1.50 (€1) a day, that’s a considerable amount of money in just a few months time. The extra income will be used to keep food on the families’ tables and send their children to school.

At the moment there is an incredibly high demand for rabbit meat and not nearly enough suppliers. More and more restaurants are adding it to their menus in an attempt to be more European, many supermarkets in America carry rabbit meat and Carnival Cruise Lines has been a large buyer of rabbit meat in the past. Hurricane Katrina put a damper on some of Carnival Cruise Lines’ purchasing power which forced many breeders out of business when demand suddenly dropped off, but there is still meat to be sold. Those willing to get a USDA certification will probably find themselves with more business than they can handle.

So with all this demand, why is it so hard to become rich off rabbits? One issue is that rabbit meat sales are often cyclical. And in the summer months, rabbits slow down their production and growth. This causes many breeders to try to increase their meat production by adding more breeding rabbits in the summer. But then they forget to decrease production or plan incorrectly and find themselves with way too much meat later in the year.

If you are hoping to become a millionaire off rabbits, try entering the market for rabbit serum, or blood which has been cleaned. It’s the animal blood closest to humans and therefore highly in demand for cancer research. It can be sold for $15,000-20,000 a gallon. But finding your way onto the list of  biomedical sellers is not easy.

In Alabama, there is a lot of initiative and encouragement being shown for rabbit meat breeders. The state has been allocating money to provide technical and marketing support. This has led to formation of Alabama A+ Marketing; coordination of better prices on rabbit feed; centralized pickup points to ship the product to the Kentucky processor; and even persuading a Birmingham culinary school and fine restaurants to develop more rabbit dishes.

If you’ve gotten this far and are still wondering what a “locavore” is, it’s someone who chooses to eat seasonal, locally-sourced foods rather than industrially-farmed meat and produce. Most of the time, “local” is within 100 miles of you although some prefer to set stricter limits. The concept is so trendy that Webster’s Dictionary even chose “locavore” as the word of the year in 2007.

The push to buy produce and meat at farmer’s markets has been on the rise for the last few years – but those with a little determination and perseverance will find raising their own fruits, vegetables and more very rewarding. Stick a few tomato seeds into pots on your patio and see how easy it can be to start growing your own produce. And the difference in taste is almost alarming.

But did you know you can also raise your own meat at home; even if you live in an apartment? When people think about raising their own meat, they generally think of chickens, cattle, goats, ducks and other livestock. But raising rabbits for meat and fur is an easy alternative for anyone who wants to become more self-sufficient. Rabbit is also very high in protein and low in fat and cholestrol so you’ll also be eating healthier while saving money. You only need 3-4 rabbits to get started and 1 young rabbit provides just the right amount of meat to feed a family of four. Rabbit meat has a neutral flavor, like chicken, and can be used in a wide variety of dishes without anyone noticing the difference.

What do you grow or buy local? Do you look for restaurants that also are pledging to get their produce and meat local? Isn’t it better to support your community directly instead of sending all that money overseas?

And that is why places in the UK are starting to offer rabbit on their menus. Restaurants of all shapes and sizes want their clientele to keep coming back for more so they are now offering rabbit, a less expensive meat with even more health benefits. Butchers are stocking skinned rabbits now as well for £3.00-3.50 per pound. Even fish and chip vendors are jumping on the bandwagon, offering rabbit and chips for those who dare to wander from the usual fish or chicken.

Almost everyone is currently looking for ways to pinch pennies but they don’t want their quality of life to suffer. Imagine how much money you could save if you not only switch to eating rabbit when you dine out, but if you actually started raising your own rabbits at home. You can completely control what they eat, how they live, if they’ve been sick and how they will die. Rabbits are easy to raise and far less work than most other small livestock. Plus they multiply like crazy so you really only need 3-4 producing rabbits to feed a family of  four year round.

I can’t possibly go into all the details here, but check out the ebook Raising Rabbits to Surive! for more information about how you can start becoming more self-sufficient today.

In the last 5 months, the family has lost about $1500 worth of rabbits. This last heist took the rabbits that the family was planning to sell in just 10 days. Those profits would have allowed the family to break even for the year. But now they’re just shutting their doors, disheartened about everything that has happened and wondering why. Read the full article here

What can we learn from all this?

• Unless you’re selling show rabbits or expecting to sell to the public, don’t let your rabbitry become too publicly known.
  The Byers had this rabbitry in operation since 1987 with no troubles at all. Why they were hit so many times in the past 5 months is anyone’s guess. And because rabbits are generally very quiet animals, you can even raise them in the middle of the city without being noticed. It sure seems that someone was keeping a close watch on what was going on in this particular rabbitry and they even have had experience raising rabbits themselves.
• Keep your rabbits in a secure area that not only deters predators but also thieves.
  The family mentioned that they didn’t even have a lock on the barn door where the rabbits were housed. Perhaps they felt it just wasn’t necessary since they’d never had problems before, but unfortunately people are just not as trustworthy as they used to be.

According to reports on the Internet and other news sources, it is becoming more prevelant for animal rights activists to target breeders of all kinds. They may vandalize, terrorize and otherwise threaten your operation with hopes of driving you out of business. Plus you never know who might decide they are more worthy of your rabbits and their income – or who are just desperate to put food on the table.