In addition to online resources like us here at meatrabbits.org, it’s always worthwhile to have a reliable, reputable library of meat rabbit resources.
Sometimes, you just need to be able to pull out an old, reliable book and look up some information or a solution to a pending problem. And for those times when internet access may be spotty or inaccessible, good books like these are something you know you can rely on.
In addition, not all of the information that is available in these books is found online, as they don’t all maintain a website or digital copy.
Jump to:
- My Top 5 Recommended Meat Rabbit Books -- Go To Resources and Recommended Reading
- VIDEO: My Top 5 Book Recommendations for Raising Meat Rabbits -- Must Haves!
- 1. Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, 5th Edition: Breeds, Care, Housing by Bob Bennett
- 2. Raising Rabbits for Meat by Eric and Callene Rapp
- 3. Rabbit Raising Problem Solver by Karen Patry
- 4. Beyond The Pellet: Feeding Rabbits Naturally by Boyd Craven, Jr. and Rick Worden
- 5. ARBA Standard of Perfection by the American Rabbit Breeders Association
- Choosing the Information that Works for You and Your Rabbitry
My Top 5 Recommended Meat Rabbit Books -- Go To Resources and Recommended Reading
I’m fairly picky about the books and resources that I will recommend. If I am recommending a book, it is one that I read, used, and would rely upon myself when I want more information, a treatment option, or to learn more about a topic or issue as it relates to raising meat rabbits.
People often ask what books are good and what resources a new (or even experienced) meat rabbit raiser can look to, especially as a foundational resource. The books on this list are those. They are the books that I would recommend investing in to have a library of solid resources to rely upon.
They are listed here in order of my top resources; this is the order I would recommend buying them in if you need to spread out your purchases over time.
VIDEO: My Top 5 Book Recommendations for Raising Meat Rabbits -- Must Haves!
1. Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, 5th Edition: Breeds, Care, Housing by Bob Bennett
Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett was the first rabbit book I bought, before I even bought rabbits. This book helped me prepare before I started raising meat rabbits. It included a lot of information about housing types, from indoor to outdoor setups, and with a variety of options.
As the name states, this book covers all the foundations of rabbit raising, and then some. It goes over different breeds and information to help you choose. Feeding, general needs, and husbandry are well covered as well.
This book will take you from basic care through breeding. It includes information on processing meat rabbits, has some nice recipes, and goes into topics like the finances of keeping rabbits, as well as possible income and sales avenues.
The Storey’s guide is not strictly for meat rabbit breeders and raisers; it is for all types of rabbit raisers, and would be as useful for a meat rabbit raiser as it would be for a pet rabbit owner. This is a book that anyone can rely on for solid rabbit husbandry, but that which you can also take just what you need away from it.
The most current version of Bob Bennett’s book is the fifth edition, published in 2018. It has been periodically updated throughout the years since it was first published in 1975 as Raising Rabbits the Modern Way. This makes Mr. Bennett a breeder who has the knowledge and wisdom of the older breeders, paired with continued learning, research, and updated information.
I own both the fourth and fifth editions, and see small differences between the two. The changes are few, and so if you own or are gifted one, you can still rely on it for solid rabbit raising information and don’t necessarily need to replace it.
One note: This book is not exclusively about meat rabbits; it is for all types of rabbits and breeders. However, there is solid information about raising, processing, and cooking meat rabbits, so it is an excellent resource for meat rabbit breeders.
2. Raising Rabbits for Meat by Eric and Callene Rapp
The Rapps have been raising heritage breed meat rabbits since the early 2000’s. Their book is expressly written for meat rabbit breeders and growers, which is nice because many of the rabbit resources out there do not specifically focus on meat rabbits.
This means that their criteria for selections and breeding are more strongly geared toward meat rabbit raisers. They cover all the topics, from breed selection to housing, equipment, diet and nutrition, breeding and kindling, conservation breeding, and all aspects of rabbit meat processing, storage, sales, cooking, recipes, and more.
One of the things I like about the Rapp’s book and their information is that it takes a realistic and conservative approach to raising meat rabbits, rabbit health, and management. This is real-world advice for large and small meat rabbit breeders, from the backyard breeder to the large production farm.
Though this book is listed second, it is practically on par with Bob Bennett’s book, and this would serve equally as well as a first guide and/or only resource for new or old meat rabbit growers.
If I had found this book before I’d found the Storey’s Guide, this would probably be number one on the list (that is how highly I hold both publications).
3. Rabbit Raising Problem Solver by Karen Patry
This is the newest book in my meat rabbit library. It is one that I found via the reading and resources listed at the end of Bob Bennett’s rabbit guide.
This book is just what it sounds like it would be -- an answer to questions and problems that meat rabbit breeders (any rabbit breeder) are bound to come up against. This covers the whole spectrum of rabbit raising questions, from the basic through to parasites, health problems, breeding issues, and much more.
This book has short, informative, and descriptive chapter overviews, but is primarily arranged in a question-and-answer format. This makes it easy to find the information you are looking for, and presents information in an understandable way that is easy to apply to real-life rabbit-raising situations.
As it is published by Storey’s Publishing (now an imprint of Workman Publishing and part of the Hachette publishing group), and as it is listed as recommended reading by Bob Bennett, this is a book I can easily be confident in. Storey’s has a long history of publishing practical, real-life farming, homesteading, and rural living guides. This book follows in that vein.
4. Beyond The Pellet: Feeding Rabbits Naturally by Boyd Craven, Jr. and Rick Worden
Beyond the Pellet was published in 2013 as part of the three-part series “The Urban Rabbit Project”. This is the book that will be recommended any time you ask a question to other rabbit breeders regarding making your own food, growing your own meat rabbit feed, or feeding meat rabbits sustainably for free. That is, in summary, what this book is for.
If you have an interest in learning about fresh forages, feeding your meat rabbits without buying pellets, supplementing your rabbits’ feed, having a resource on hand to be able to feed rabbits if the commercial feed systems break down or implode, this is a book you should buy.
Though I do feed pellets and do not attempt to feed my meat rabbits on forage (mostly because I know the work involved in keeping up with that!), this book and the author’s website at Rise and Shine Rabbitry are steady resources and references for me. Which is to say, you do not need to be feeding a pellet-free diet to your meat rabbits for this book to be useful to you. There is a lot of reference and information for supplementation and foraged feed additions, too.
5. ARBA Standard of Perfection by the American Rabbit Breeders Association
- Buy the ARBA Standard of Perfection here (via ARBA) or here (Amazon)
The ARBA Standard of Perfection is the go-to guide on what each purebred, recognized breed should be according to the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
While this pertains mostly to showing rabbits and what you need to breed toward to raise quality, competitive show rabbits, it is also a resource for backyard breeders, production breeders, and meat rabbit raisers. This is because those standards, for the meat breeds, are founded on the conformation and qualities that should translate into good meat production.
Even if you do not intend to show rabbits (I do not), this can be a good guide and standard to follow. If you have an interest in researching other breeds, this book should give you solid breed information from a knowledgeable, reliable source.
Many people who focus solely on meat rabbit breeding without an intent to show use this guide for that purpose, but then adjust and work the standards to fit their own breeding and production goals. For example, working towards a good body type, but also selecting with a heavier lean toward things like grow out rates, mothering, and litter size.
The ARBA Standard of Perfection is updated every five years. Often, the updates are for things like newly accepted, showable colors or the acceptance of a new breed into the standard and show qualifications. These are things that don’t matter as much to meat rabbit raisers. However, if you have a market that includes show-minded buyers, these may be things to consider.
Truthfully, the Standard is not a “must have”, but if you want one quick reference to help you to learn about things like posing, selection, body, and traits, or a reference to guide your breeding, this book is a smart choice. If you intend to breed show stock, whether for yourself or others, and you want to command higher prices or higher, more selective quality, then in that case, this book is a must-have.
Of the five on this list, this is surely my lowest priority, though I do like to have it around, especially when I start playing with new breeds!
Choosing the Information that Works for You and Your Rabbitry
I am a big fan of “your rabbitry, your rules”. Truth be told, there are things in each of these books that, while I would not call them false or inaccurate, are not exactly the way I choose to run my rabbitry. There are also differences among the authors, their methods, views, and information.
These are never major conflicts. More than anything, they highlight that there are some solid bases of animal and rabbit husbandry, and then there are variations on feeding and raising within that.
The moral of this story?
Use good, solid, reputable resources. Make humane meat rabbit raising, health, and hygiene the basis of everything you do. And then, take from this site and these books that which serves you and your rabbits.
Do that, and you will surely land on a system or systems that work for you, while maintaining strong standards and meeting the requirements of conscientious rabbit raising, meat production, and animal husbandry.
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