Many people start with rabbits on their homestead. They are great to start with if that is what you want. We were not thrilled having rabbits, here is the down and dirty of our experience with rabbits. I know some of you will say they are great and for you, they may be but they were not for us.
We were planning on breeding rabbits for meat. Then quickly realized that for a family of seven it would take to many at one time to feed us all. They do breed fast but getting them to freezer camp weight took a while and lots of food. The food was about 27 dollars for a fifty-pound bag and we went through that in almost two weeks. I would not have been cost effective for us to raise rabbits. If you could use two rabbits for a meal it would have been great I believe but the four rabbits we had would almost feed us one meal.
The great thing I liked about rabbits is the fact that the manure could be used right away on the garden around the plants as it was cold fertilizer, not like chicken manure which has to compost down because it is considered hot fertilizer. We had 4 New Zealand rabbits and I believe it is the most common for homesteading. I am not saying they are not right for you, we will have to try them and figure that out for yourself. For us, they were not the right type of animal for our homestead. We are thinking of goats and/or sheep and maybe some pigs and a mini cow for milk and meat. For a new homesteader research your animals and learn what you can and then get some and see how they do for your homestead. Every animal is not for every homestead. You have to find the right fit for you and your homestead. Thanks, everyone and have a great night/day, whatever it is in your neck of the woods!
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