Rabbits

Rabbits here are raised in small groups and handled often, so they stay calm when they travel. Some leave as breeding stock: a doe and a buck you can start with. Others leave as grow-outs, young rabbits fed on toward meat weight.

A meat-type rabbit tends to be blocky through the hindquarters, which is where the meat is. A lop with long soft ears is a different look, often kept as a calm companion rabbit. Tell us if you want stock to breed, an animal to keep, or a rabbit for the pot. Those are different ages and different animals.

Rabbits are herbivores. Hay and grass keep the gut moving. Grain is a supplement, not the whole meal. They need water all the time, a dry bed, and room to hop. A crowded stack is a poor way to keep them, so groups stay small.

A doe carries for about 31 days. The kits are born with their eyes closed and almost no fur. She feeds them, and they wean over the following weeks. A calm, handled doe is easier to manage than a rabbit that has never been picked up.

Look for bright eyes, a clean coat, and a rabbit that is interested in food. Ask the age, and whether the animal is for breeding or for meat. Breeding stock should be old enough and fit. A grow-out should be the size you expect to finish.

If the rabbit is for the kitchen rather than the yard, the rabbit meat page explains the meat itself: lean, mild, and best cooked with a little moisture.