Rabbits

[Mitch Rapp]

Anyone have a sustainable food plan for if the crap hits the fan? I know we have canned goods, MRE's and that sort of stuff, but lately with everything going up in price I have been thinking of ways to cheaply supplement my families food supply. Well, being in the city, chickens, hogs, cows and goats are out. So whats left? Rabbits. Rabbits are actualy more nutritious than most people think. In WW2 the Navy switched from chicken to rabbit, because 8 ounces of rabbit had the same nutritional benefit as 12 ounces of chicken. New Zealand rabbits, as well as some other large breeds are ready to slaughter at 8 weeks, and the gestation is only about 27-31 days. They do well if fed things like Alfalfa, and when nursing and pregnant having pellets for them is nice, but not required. Worst case scenario you can feed them almost any grass or hay you find. Unlike a hog, or a cow, you wouldn't need to store large amounts of meat either. Slaughter what you are going to need, keep the rest on the hoof until needed.

Anyone have livestock of any kind as a backup plan?

 

[DutchWrangler]

Anyone have a sustainable food plan for if the crap hits the fan? I know we have canned goods, MRE's and that sort of stuff, but lately with everything going up in price I have been thinking of ways to cheaply supplement my families food supply. Well, being in the city, chickens, hogs, cows and goats are out. So whats left? Rabbits. Rabbits are actualy more nutritious than most people think. In WW2 the Navy switched from chicken to rabbit, because 8 ounces of rabbit had the same nutritional benefit as 12 ounces of chicken. New Zealand rabbits, as well as some other large breeds are ready to slaughter at 8 weeks, and the gestation is only about 27-31 days. They do well if fed things like Alfalfa, and when nursing and pregnant having pellets for them is nice, but not required. Worst case scenario you can feed them almost any grass or hay you find. Unlike a hog, or a cow, you wouldn't need to store large amounts of meat either. Slaughter what you are going to need, keep the rest on the hoof until needed.

Anyone have livestock of any kind as a backup plan?

My neighbors...

 

[Mitch Rapp]

LOL, any details you care to share?

 

[[email protected]]

My neighbors...

exactly. There is enough livestock within walking distance of my house I could keep my family fed well until the secret got out.
if the situation looked like it was going to last for an extended period then I would take the fam to our lake property where we could live indefinitely on fish and wild game. Security would be much easier there as well.

 

[steak]

i have already started to feed the neighborhood cats..... this should make them easier to snipe with blow darts so i don't tip anyone off why I am staying so fat while everyone else is withering away to nothing. >

 

[[email protected]]

I think I would starve before eating cat, but the golden retriever next door looks mighty tasty.

 

[steak]

What!?! You don't like Chinese food? I personally love the cat on a stick.

 

[backer]

Ever heard of Rabbit starvation? check it out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

 

[dennishoddy]

Ever heard of Rabbit starvation? check it out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

There is a lot of truth to that, as well as other lean meats such as squirrel,pheasant or quail, etc.
I'm a lifetime hunter/trapper, living in the country, so if the SHTF ever came about, I'd be pretty fat an happy taking all of the wild game I need to survive. Some animals have more fat than others.
Your right in your post that you need fat to survive. The body requires it in small amounts.
I've read that in WWII they told pilots that were shot down, and others that you could survive on coconuts for 15 days. After that, diarrhea, and other factors would result in death.
There are some sustainable fats that the body can use in fruits and veggies. Those that are total veggans know which ones are needed, and can sustain life without meat.
So, If your really going to get into the SHTF attitude, one needs to hit the Veggan forums and see what they need to do if meat is not available.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

Ever heard of Rabbit starvation? check it out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Yeah, thats why I also have a garden, and other ways to feed ourselves. Somehow I don't think I am going to be hurt by supplementing as I said in my first post the family diet with rabbit.

Starve to death on nothing, or starve to death by rabbit, I vote for rabbit. Plus in a truly bad scenario, they would be a nice form of barter.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

Just to clarify, if all you have to eat is rabbit (especialy wild rabbit in a lost in the woods scenario), you can starve to death. If you eat the WHOLE rabbit, eyes, morrow, guts etc, you will live much longer than the guy who just eats the meat. If you are eating tame rabbit along with other things, then you will be fine. Just remember that it is a VERY lean meat, and should be supplemented with other things.

 

[dennishoddy]

Yeah, thats why I also have a garden, and other ways to feed ourselves. Somehow I don't think I am going to be hurt by supplementing as I said in my first post the family diet with rabbit.

Starve to death on nothing, or starve to death by rabbit, I vote for rabbit. Plus in a truly bad scenario, they would be a nice form of barter.

Trust me, I've owned beagles in the past and have stocked many freezers with rabbit. Its really tasty if nobody has tried it

 

[Rick Means]

I have something better than rabbits. chickens. My twin girls raise chickens, and they are great. They will eat absolutely anything! Leftovers of any kind they wolf down. They'll even eat left over eggs or chicken meat (Cannibals.) They get very tame, and we even let them free range in the afternoon, and they return to their roost at dusk. The eggs are great tasting, and we are getting 10 eggs a day. The girls are going door to door on our street and selling them, learning about true capitalism. Even better, our idiot liberal neighbors pay more for the eggs because the chickens are "free range." I'm thinking about some goats too. We tried rabbits, but the males rape the chickens - not joking. This can cause problems in Sunday School when your boy is asked during class why he shot his rabbit. as for food, 500 lbs. of bulk rice and beans are hard to beat, easy to store, and cheap. Clean water is also an important issue.

 

[jandreski]

I eat rabbits as a regular food in winter. You have to be careful eating them because they have an insect inside of them in the summer months i refuse to eat them unless weve had a real cold frost. Squirrel has a lot of protein also and i eat them year round. I like them better than chicken plus they dont eat theyre own crap.

 

[twobravo]

We experimented with New Zealand white rabbits several years ago as a sustainable food supplement. I think it would have worked but with our children involved, they weren't keen on killing the rabbits. We ended up selling the rabbits and all of the junk we bought for them at a loss. At least we tried it.

 

[KeithCross]

We tried rabbits, but the males rape the chickens - not joking. This can cause problems in Sunday School when your boy is asked during class why he shot his rabbit.

I feel like there's a story here that needs telling!