Rabbits: Wild -v- Home Reared

lauren_1

Very intersted in how this thread goes, we are embarking on keeping chooks for the pot.

antenna

If you can....always buy or catch the "Humpty Back" rabbit............not only is it a tasty rabbit.........but when cooked in a pie the humpty back holds the top pastry crust out of the gravy...................delicious.........

npsmama

I want to breed bunnies for the pot too but I don't know where to get a breeding pair....

any ideas?

champys

Where we are in France many of the older people in the village breed rabbits for the pot as a matter of course. There is no shooting option, as we are on the clay so no rabbits around anywhere (only hare, and they are protected in our area, even during the shooting season).
In Britain rabbits were always cheap to buy at the butcher's, but here they are really expensive as they are a delicacy. We are currently working up to keeping chickens, both for eggs and for eating. But I really want to get some lessons first from a local old lady on how to kill them quickly and efficiently. I asked one lady about her method, but didn't like what she said at all! I don't want to go into detail here.
Anyway, once I have found the best solution for chickens and mastered the technique, I may well get on to rabbits. With the way food prices are going, home-grown protein may well be what's needed.

Lily-Lu

Welshwoofs wrote: »

Mardatha - were ferrets difficult to keep? I'm guessing you don't train them as such - natural instinct would be to whizz down the burrows. Is ferreting something you can do on your own or do you really need someone at each net to despatch the bunny?

Hi, I have ferrets, but have never worked them, so don't know much about ferreting on ones own. I do know some use dogs, or hawks along side the ferrets, though....And many do it in twos.

A few things that would need o be considered is the initial cost of housing the ferrets....A small hutch down the bottom of a garden is a no no. They need (at least) a decent sized hutch and run. Many owners have garden sheds with large runs attached for them to get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.
Another thing to consider is a 'locator collar' for when ferret decides to stay underground and needs to be located and dug out..The collars aren't cheap though....Somewhere close to £100 I think.

As for breeding rabbits, if I had a large garden, then it's something that I'd definitely consider doing...Mind, I'd need to get someone else to cull them, as I really don't think I could do it myself.

Good luck with whatever route you decide to take

Patrick20

I think the wild route would be a good experience to have. You would be almost imitating the hunter gatherer society of our ancestors. You could pick some wild mushrooms and other edibles and not only would it be cheap but it would enrich your life.

I think the rearing option is good too. So my advice would be DO BOTH

check out about gun laws before setting off though. i think most (a few arent) .22 rifles are legal but there are many laws regarding the land so chex it all out.

Welshwoofs

Ooo interesting info people!

I've been having a think about this one. At the moment I'm kind of leaning towards either air rifle hunting or home breeding. Mr WW isn't too happy with the idea of me killing bunnies however...though he's said he's more than happy to eat it :rolleyes:

Which does bring me on to another topic. I've killed a fair few pheasant in my time, but only 3 bunnies which were either injured on the roads or which my Mum's Lab caught. I use the 'pull and twist' on pheasant but found that didn't work too well on the bunnies and I was left with screaming rabbits and me in a high panic looking for big, blunt object to finish the job.

So, those of you who kept rabbits - what was your method of killing? I've seen a number of methods, but none with a 'difficulty rating'.