Breeding rabbits for the table- your thoughts please?

Kevhog1988

tattycat wrote: »

Seems to be they don't alway breed like rabbits, we had same problem but retired the girl nd doing ok now. Got Californian's, nd Rex's for the pet shops, anything not sold gets eaten. Lovely food!!
Home Economics should never have been cut from schools, you should learn to cook from a young age, nd convenience foods should be taxed to the max!

. Do you sell young californians??

ford2600

morebabies wrote: »

I am in awe of you and dreadfully ashamed of the slop I have been serving up.

OP typically the cheapest cuts of lamb and beef are the tastiest, if cooked right. Slow cooked neck and shoulder of lamb twice this year, 12hrs at 90C and utterly fantastic. Leave the fat in for taste.
Shin beef also. Ask butcher what his cheapest cuts are.

Had a barbecued rabbit on bone on Thursday, really good eating. Shoot or snare your rabbits, stew or roast depending on age.

tattycat

Certainty do!
If your interested give us a look in about 6 weeks. Cheers.

aonb

Surely anything we raise ourselves for the table - or wild - is better quality than mass produced commercial foods?
Mass produced chicken (they are kept in cages with no space to move-ugh) is slaughtered SIX WEEKS after its born - how can there be any goodness in that meat? (I buy chicken still-keep hens for eggs, couldnt bear to slaughter them)
Ive heard commercially produced milk is our next worry

Wild rabbits, home reared turkeys - all well worth the effort surely?

tattycat

Defo!!

endacl

Just remember, man cannot live on rabbit alone!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Kevhog1988

thats why a varied diet of meat, fish & eggs is ideal. Hope to eventually live from everything i either rear, grow or hunt.

tattycat

Oh no..you need honey, mustard, few apples nd carrots,onion nd celery. Oh nd cider!!

runawaybishop

aonb wrote: »

Surely anything we raise ourselves for the table - or wild - is better quality than mass produced commercial foods?

Not necessarily. There are a lot of health and safety standards, including disease prevention, that would be missing from home reared stock. There is also the issue of slaughter - you need a license to even send many animals to get slaughtered professionally and slaughtering them yourself is illegal.

MayoSalmon

runawaybishop wrote: »

Not necessarily. There are a lot of health and safety standards, including disease prevention, that would be missing from home reared stock. There is also the issue of slaughter - you need a license to even send many animals to get slaughtered professionally and slaughtering them yourself is illegal.

Disease prevention missing from what??? Oh you mean there not pumped full of antibiotics and vaccinations? Mmm tasty

:rolleyes::rolleyes: The air you breathe will soon be taxed

runawaybishop

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Disease prevention missing from what??? Oh you mean there not pumped full of antibiotics and vaccinations? Mmm tasty

:rolleyes::rolleyes: The air you breathe will soon be taxed

Missing from breeders unaware of issues that arise in the breeding of animals without experience and expertise.

Nothing to do with tax and everything to do with the humane slaughter of animals and validation that they are fit for human consumption.

Ah no, I'm only messing. Its all about the guberment out to put the smallholder down :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Was that enough rolleyes?

MayoSalmon

runawaybishop wrote: »

Missing from breeders unaware of issues that arise in the breeding of animals without experience and expertise.

Nothing to do with tax and everything to do with the humane slaughter of animals and validation that they are fit for human consumption.

Ah no, I'm only messing. Its all about the guberment out to put the smallholder down :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Was that enough rolleyes?

Humane slaughter of animals? Stun gun first is it or a slash of the jugular, or maybe a halal prayer before the animal is killed. This humane slaughter jargon...its all down to ones of perspective.

Not being allowed to slaughter your own meat is pure guberment and fully intended to put the smallholder down. Laughable that its illegal for me to slaughter my own chickens in my backyard or cut my own turf to heat my home during the winter but the government can put a huge pylon straight through my land or better yet bore a gas pipeline straight over it. There are not enough rolleyes for the way this country is going.

runawaybishop

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Humane slaughter of animals? Stun gun first is it or a slash of the jugular, or maybe a halal prayer before the animal is killed. This humane slaughter jargon...its all down to ones of perspective.

Not being allowed to slaughter your own meat is pure guberment and fully intended to put the smallholder down. Laughable that its illegal for me to slaughter my own chickens in my backyard or cut my own turf to heat my home during the winter but the government can put a huge pylon straight through my land or better yet bore a gas pipeline straight over it. There are not enough rolleyes for the way this country is going.

It would be a stun gun first in the majority of cases, something the average smallholder wouldn't have. You seem to have a persecution complex. You should get that seen to.

laoch na mona

MayoSalmon wrote: »

cut my own turf to heat my home during the winter .

Would that be on the vital eco system that is raised bogs?? Some of the last in Europe

as for the animals its illegal because how can we be sure you wouldn't use a hammer or something equally stupid (I'm sure you wouldn't ) the law is a necessary preventative check

runawaybishop

laoch na mona wrote: »

Would that be on the vital eco system that is raised bogs?? Some of the last in Europe

as for the animals its illegal because how can we be sure you wouldn't use a hammer or something equally stupid (I'm sure you wouldn't ) the law is a necessary preventative check

Yes it would be that same raised bog, the type that is almost gone from Europe let alone Ireland. But its not like people were offered compensation like money, loads of turf or a new bog.

Oldtree

[MOD]

Move back to the thread topic please.

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aonb

OP, thought you might like this recipe we had for dinner tonight:

(called Shakshuka, from a vegetarian cookbook called "Plenty" Y. Ottolenghi)

I reckon it cost approx less than E5 total - to feed three very hungry adults. It was so yummy!

1 x Packet of "Cook at home" Panini from Supervalue (59c)
1 x Packet of (3) mixed peppers Lidl (1.29)
3 onions (a bag cost 69c at Lidl)
1 container of Passata (sieve tomatos) (79c Lidl)
6 eggs (free - have my own hens )
4 spoons brown sugar
Spices: cumin seeds, smoked paprika, chilli
(I have thyme/parsley and chives growing in the garden - chop and use lots if you have anything green/herby)

Toast the cumin seeds on dry pan for 2 mins. Add oil and sliced onions. Brown. Add peppers, sliced, sugar and spices. Brown on pan. Add the passata, some salt and pepper. Check the seasoning. This should be the consistancgy of pasta sauce - add water if necessary. When everything is well softened (the longer this sits/cooks the tastier) make a well in the sauce, and break the eggs to sit on top of the mixture. Cover with a lid to cook the eggs.
Serve 2 eggs with lots of the veg/sauce to each person accompanied by a nice hot pannini roll or any crusty white bread (the Lidl french stick 79c, is quite good ingredient-wise & tastes good) You could also boost this a bit by serving with pasta or rice.

Let me know if you try it - seriously loved it!

(For dessert - we dont have one very often - but had a bag of ready to eat Apricots - Tesco own brand - cost less than 1 euro - put in pan, covered with water, 'stew' gently til the apricots swelled up - about 10 mins - added few spoons of sugar. Leave to cool. Top with a blob of yogourt. (you could use icecream too) YUM! Cheap healthy dessert and the apricots are so sweet and tasty (high in fibre and vitamins too)

cambasque

I have kept meat rabbits before, there is a huge difference in flavour to wild rabbits, night and day really. Easy enough to look after, i used to pull loads of greens twice a day for them and give them a little grain if I had to. they are not 'cute' so to speak or fluffy, and as someone has already said make it clear to the kids they are for eating, not pets. i think it is a good lesson in life as well for the kids. The does won't be eaten so they could always 'name' them if they wanted. One buck is enough for 6 does. Keep the water fresh and clean every day, clean them out every 3 days, more if needed and that is about it. Make sure they have a bit of shade on hot sunny days. A doe needs a cage to herself really to have a litter.
you end up with good tasty organic meat !

morebabies

cambasque wrote: »

I have kept meat rabbits before, there is a huge difference in flavour to wild rabbits, night and day really. Easy enough to look after, i used to pull loads of greens twice a day for them and give them a little grain if I had to. they are not 'cute' so to speak or fluffy, and as someone has already said make it clear to the kids they are for eating, not pets. i think it is a good lesson in life as well for the kids. The does won't be eaten so they could always 'name' them if they wanted. One buck is enough for 6 does. Keep the water fresh and clean every day, clean them out every 3 days, more if needed and that is about it. Make sure they have a bit of shade on hot sunny days. A doe needs a cage to herself really to have a litter.
you end up with good tasty organic meat !

Thank you I didn't know that about the buck / doe ratio, not a clue, so thanks. What type of rabbits did you keep?

tattycat

With the meat you raise yourself you automaticaly have more respect for the animal and the taking of a life. All of mine are dispatched with a cuddle nd not stressed at all, as they're used to being handled.
You can't beat your own meat!

runawaybishop

tattycat wrote: »

You can't beat your own meat!

:pac::pac::pac:












I'll get my coat.

Oldtree

runawaybishop wrote: »

:pac::pac::pac:

I'll get my coat.

That'll be a whole decade of the rosary for you Bishop

popa smurf

interesting tread brings me back to my youth when we would be out snaring rabbits in the snow last time i ate rabbit was in a fancy dinner and cost me about 20 quid have you taught about goats for meat we used to keep them at home you could have your own milk and make yogurt and have kid meat which is very tasty they are easily prepared for the table.

tattycat

I was looking forward to having my billy this year..however I only got one boy, nd he's gone for stud...I do make cheese, and have recently got a Nubian goat to up my butterfat for butter/thick yougurt!

wiseoldelf

Very inspiring, the best thread I have read anywhere on the net regarding home produce, some fantastic recipes

meathstevie

OP I wonder how much land you have and how good you get along with neighbouring landowners. A shotgun licence is 80 euro for three years, a decent single barrel or side by side can be picked up for less than a set of tyres for the car and hunting insurance be around 50'ish and a box of 250 game cartridges is around 70 euro. From that you should expect to be picking up around 200 kills ranging from pigeons, rabbits, hares, ducks, pheasant and maybe the odd woodcock. Being brutally honest my shotgun and rifle have prevented quite a few very meager meals over the last couple of years. The additional advantage being that you don't need to look after the animals.

arse..biscuits

I got some rabbits for meat a few days ago. One buck and two does. They are a little young so won't be breeding for a few months.

brianiac

Ive seen youtube vids by a dude called joel salatin who raises rabbits. He puts them in smallish hutches which have chicken wire on the base too to prevent burrowing. Moves them to fresh grass frequently. mentioned that they had a high death rate starting out breeding but after a few generations of selective breeding they had bigger tougher stock. There are other vids re humane rabbit killing...certainly a swift crak of the neck is far more preferable to a snare.

arse..biscuits

I killed and ate two recently. Salted the hides and put them up on the wall. They are really cool looking

SCOL

I used to do a bit of shotting and looking at getting back into it any rabbits I shot
in the past I skinned and cooked for my father's dogs.

Do you need to hang rabbits for a few days ? or is it best eated fresh ?

Shey,