Raising rabbits in the city for meat.

[fishduck]

I hunt, but I am still expanding my game (first deer this year, ducks before that). Eventually I'll work to a point I can hunt enough for a whole year. I'm trying to work away from store bought meat. My grandfather would raise rabbits for eating years ago. I live in the city now but I think I could make a few cages and have a couple rabbits at a time.

Been reading about it. Quite a "Green" meat. Requires like a 1/4 of the feed per pound of meat vs beef. I could raise it locally in my yard. What are your thoughts as an addition to wild game? Anyone done it in the city?

Ninja EDIT: I have a backyard and garage. Its not like I would be raising them in the house.

[philintheblank]

i believe the city wont allow meat rabbits as they are considered livestock. but i had chickens for 2 years when i lived in beverly and no one ever knew until i started giving out eggs to the neighbours. got rid of them when i moved out of edmonton

whats the differnece between a white pet store rabbit and a plump white meat rabbit.

[oldjeda]

I'd do it in a heartbeat if I didn't have grandkids coming over and naming them all. I ate lots of rabbit at my grandparents when I was younger. We have a resident cottontail I'd love to eat but again the grandkids have renamed it Judy Hops. They didn't appreciate my name for it. STEW.

They are easy to raise and breed like,well, rabbits. I used to just feed them green grass in the summer and some hay in the winter. Stay away from feeding them any cabbage type greenery.

Check out local bylaws

[Junglefisher]

Jap quail are another great option. They only take 6 weeks to reach eating / laying size and lay close to an egg a day.

[pat brennan]

Raising meat rabbits should be easy to do without the neighbours even knowing about it. I'd be discreet on where/when I butchered, but other than that there should be no problems. Rabbit manure is fabulous for the garden, btw.
Raised them as a kid and then when my kids were home for several years! If we did not like to travel I'd think about doing it again.

[Sooner]

Grew up with some Italian neighbors. They had a rabbit house and meat rabbits. All went to the freezer in the fall but that was a different time. I would say if you know your neighbors well and you keep it discreet, should be no issue.

[6.5swedeforelk]

Originally Posted by fishduck

... raise rabbits for eating years ago. I live in the city now but I think I could make a few cages and have a couple rabbits at a time...

Just don't put it like that.

If pressed, simply say that your pet rabbits have a startlingly hi mortality rate!

[fishduck]

Originally Posted by pat brennan

Raising meat rabbits should be easy to do without the neighbours even knowing about it. I'd be discreet on where/when I butchered, but other than that there should be no problems. Rabbit manure is fabulous for the garden, btw.
Raised them as a kid and then when my kids were home for several years! If we did not like to travel I'd think about doing it again.

There won't be any issues with me butchering. I clean duck in the back yard all the time and I did the deer in the garage.

[The Cook]

Take a drive to Canmore, Bring a decent size landing net tied to a 10 ft pole and your freezer will be full in no time. Just wear hi-vis and a hard hat and tell inquisitive people you work for the Govt.

[ex811]

Rabbit meat is awesome, they tend to be easy (and not to expensive) to raise and simple to butcher. Also not much in the way of waste. Did it for years when I was a youngster.

Can't have them in Calgary right now cause they are considered Livestock (silly Bylaw which I hope will change), but I like the 'pet' idea.

[masalma]

What can you do to stop them from digging? If you go by the Ford dealership on St Albert trail there are close to a hundred of them there. They have the whole place dug out.

[knacker]

We raised New Zealand rabbits till around 4 months ago when I took a new job and we had to relocate. We sold everything; the cages and the breeders.

An insulated craftsmen style lean-to shed attached to garage with a 10" vent fan was our "rabbitry". 8 of these cages http://grandviewrabbitry.com/store/p...%252d-Rose-Red with 3 home built grow out pens inside. The shed was 10' x 22', with a max ceiling height of 7' since we had a floor.

We purchased hay from friends (you want timothy or timothy mix), and our rabbit rations were purchased at Country Junction Co-op in Wetaskiwin.

You may want to check Edmonton by-laws because unless things have changed in the past couple months, rabbits are considered "pets". Chickens, geese, ducks, goats, ect. are livestock.

We had fun with the rabbits, and still have 40lbs in the freezer but with the change in our lives we are glad to not be married to our rabbits anymore. It is a worthwhile commitment though.

[kinwahkly]

When I was a kid we raised Rabbits for meat.We had a long segmented cage with dividers in a heated garage for winter and out side we had home made enclosures for the rabbits. Great table fare.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by fishduck

I hunt, but I am still expanding my game (first deer this year, ducks before that). Eventually I'll work to a point I can hunt enough for a whole year. I'm trying to work away from store bought meat. My grandfather would raise rabbits for eating years ago. I live in the city now but I think I could make a few cages and have a couple rabbits at a time.

Been reading about it. Quite a "Green" meat. Requires like a 1/4 of the feed per pound of meat vs beef. I could raise it locally in my yard. What are your thoughts as an addition to wild game? Anyone done it in the city?

Ninja EDIT: I have a backyard and garage. Its not like I would be raising them in the house.

Guinea pigs are the best.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...ng-guinea-pigs

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by The Cook

Take a drive to Canmore, Bring a decent size landing net tied to a 10 ft pole and your freezer will be full in no time. Just wear hi-vis and a hard hat and tell inquisitive people you work for the Govt.

Amazing how their sterilization plan worked out.

Grizz

[schmedlap]

Originally Posted by The Cook

Take a drive to Canmore, Bring a decent size landing net tied to a 10 ft pole and your freezer will be full in no time. Just wear hi-vis and a hard hat and tell inquisitive people you work for the Govt.

you live in Edmonton just bring your long-handled net to my hood and fill your cages in short order. We are overrun with feral domestic rabbits, and even the local coyotes haven't put much of a dent in them. They are semi-tame and very easy to catch. If accosted by the few local "they're so cute" people, just tell them you are capturing them as pets or to liberate them to the wilds.

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by fishduck

I hunt, but I am still expanding my game (first deer this year, ducks before that). Eventually I'll work to a point I can hunt enough for a whole year. I'm trying to work away from store bought meat. My grandfather would raise rabbits for eating years ago. I live in the city now but I think I could make a few cages and have a couple rabbits at a time.

Been reading about it. Quite a "Green" meat. Requires like a 1/4 of the feed per pound of meat vs beef. I could raise it locally in my yard. What are your thoughts as an addition to wild game? Anyone done it in the city?

Ninja EDIT: I have a backyard and garage. Its not like I would be raising them in the house.

Just read OP's post. I know from experiance that raising even 2 rabbits in the city is much more complicated then simply putting them in some cages and feeding them.

I did notice at the bottom of OP's post it say's "NINJA EDIT". Whats up with that?

[WatermelonBoy]

Originally Posted by masalma

What can you do to stop them from digging? If you go by the Ford dealership on St Albert trail there are close to a hundred of them there. They have the whole place dug out.

Use chicken wire for the floor. Grass can still grow through but the bunnies can't
dig out lol

[From The Hip]

All I can say is dont try to raise rabbits in Calgary.All it takes is one NIMBY to get his/her nose out of joint of the smallest thing and suddenly you have bylaw officers hitting you with tickets.The only way you would be ahead of the deal is if you were raising Kobe Veal in your back yard.

My brother raised rabbits in Calgary in Bowness in the very early 1980's....way before the year over year tax increases hit Calgary as well as the draconian bylaws we have now.

FTH