Why do we raise rabbits? They are relatively easy to care for, don't make any noise, don't smell if properly housed, and they are easy to harvest for food. They could even be grown in a suburban backyard. Grazing only requires a sunny spot of grass about 20ft x 40ft.

Our most recent litter of 6 rabbits gave us 10 lbs of sausage, 4 quarts of bone broth, 6 pelts, and 50+ lbs of fertilizer for the garden.

Time Requirement:

30 days gestation

40 days with their mom

50 days on grass

= 120 days total

(I spent about 15 min a day on animal care plus 2 hours of butchering and another 4-6 hours deboning, grinding, and packaging.)

Inputs:

$40 for 40lbs of organic soy-free rabbit pellets $45 for 100lb bale of Timothy hay

$20 for 15 lbs of organic hard red wheat and a few lbs of clover to spread on the pasture

$10 for ice on butcher day

$17 for sausage casing

$5 for 2 lbs pasture raised pork

$5 for organic seasoning

$8 for vacuum seal bags

= $150 total, not including my time or existing infrastructure like cages, water bottles, and breeder rabbits.

#grownostr #homesteading