This is a question that is asked very frequently. It’s asked not only here, but on forums and social media groups, too.
This is a question that a lot of new breeders and rabbit raisers ask. It’s one that is frequently asked by people who are researching and just starting to consider getting into meat rabbits.
Jump to:
- A Fair and Understandable Question
- People are more likely to ask for help when things are wrong than when things are right.
- The hive mind and its list of struggles
- A good place to go for veterinary-type care
- Rabbit Math and the Rabbit Numbers game
- So, Do things always go wrong with meat rabbits? Are meat rabbits hard to keep?
- Things usually go right with meat rabbits.
- In that case, are online meat rabbit groups and sites worth joining or researching?
A Fair and Understandable Question
This is a fair question to ask. It’s understandable how people come to this conclusion, too.
When it comes to meat rabbits, there are a few reasons why this can easily become the impression that newcomers get, especially if they’ve joined the groups and watched along on various sites, platforms, and social media.
People are more likely to ask for help when things are wrong than when things are right.
This is probably the biggest reason why one can come away with an impression that meat rabbits are hard to keep or that there is always some struggle going on in meat rabbitries.
This is true of all things, of course. People are much more likely to poll a group, ask for help, or even vent about a struggle.
Very simply, people are much more likely to seek out help when things are wrong than when things are right.
Frankly, you might not think to share when things are going well. Though certainly, there are celebratory posts and there are people who pop in every now and again with posts just to say “Hey! Let’s remember that things don’t always go wrong!”
The hive mind and its list of struggles
These groups exist first and foremost for the benefit of the “hive mind.” When an issue crops up for a breeder or a new illness, condition, or problem arises, they want to hear from others who have experienced that situation. You want to know from real people in real life. You want things in understandable terms. You want to explore your options with people who have been there before.
So, you come to the hive and explain your struggle. And often, the group looks like a list of struggles. But what it really is, is a list of resources and hundreds or thousands of other rabbit raisers who are willing to help.
For every one person presenting a problem on sites and groups, there are literally thousands who are not. It might not look like it, but the odds really are in your favor.
A good place to go for veterinary-type care
Seeking professional veterinary help for meat rabbits isn’t always an option, and even when it is, it’s not always the best course of action.
Why? For the simple fact that when a rabbit goes downhill, it’s often been hiding its condition for a long time. They are prey animals, and in nature, their instinct is to hide weakness or illness from predators. That carries into domestic rabbits, too.
When rabbits have issues, you generally need to act quickly. Even if you have decided to seek the help of a professional, you should start intervention probably immediately. With time of the essence, many of us will go to the groups for insight and assistance, sometimes while waiting for veterinary availability.
There are many common meat rabbit conditions that can easily be solved at home with some good, solid knowledge and support. Things like nest box eye and ear mites and even coccidiosis are what you’re most likely to deal with, and you don’t really need a vet for that. There just isn’t much -- if anything -- more than a vet can do that you can’t.
A lot of vets don’t have a lot of experience or knowledge about rabbits. They’re often considered exotic animals. Care for them can be scarce and expensive. Sometimes, inappropriate.
This is not to knock veterinarians. But it is to say that as a meat rabbit raiser, you’re going to find yourself in need of time-saving, economical, and affordable solutions, too. And that is one reason why it often appears as if meat rabbits are rife with problems, when in fact, the opposite is true -- just because people are looking for help and intervention advice.
Rabbit Math and the Rabbit Numbers game
This is another factor explaining why it can appear as if raising meat rabbits is hard, or as if there are constant problems.
We talk a lot about rabbit math. Usually, we’re talking about their explosive sustainability and the way three rabbits can quickly become a hundred or more in a year.
That’s a good thing! But it also means that there are more animals in a short period of time. So, the “issues” are sped up and consolidated, too.
Compare a single meat rabbit doe who is bred four or five times a year to a cow. A conservative estimate would be 30 to 50 offspring from just that one doe.
A cow, on the other hand, only has one calf per year (or maybe rarely twins or, very rarely, triplets). One pregnancy a year is all that a cow will have.
There is an old saying farmers will tell you: “If you have livestock, you have deadstock.”
It’s not a particularly nice thought, but it’s a fact of life. And the more livestock you have, well, the more of the other you will encounter, too.
So, Do things always go wrong with meat rabbits? Are meat rabbits hard to keep?
The short answer? No, they don’t.
In my experience growing up on a dairy farm, I’d even venture to say that, comparatively speaking, and despite the numbers game, things are more likely to go wrong with larger animals like cattle.
Things usually go right with meat rabbits.
In fact, the opposite is true. Things usually go right with meat rabbits. And when things go right, they can go right in a big way!
An awful lot of what goes wrong is preventable. Not always, but it if often is.
If you do your part to read, research, and gain a good, solid foundation of knowledge to provide good care for your rabbits, protect them, and give them the basic resources they need throughout the different stages of life and living, rabbits will typically do quite well.
Continue to learn and adjust and take confidence in the fact that most of the time, meat rabbits are quite easy, have few problems, and are manageable sources of sustainable meat for a small investment in time.
In that case, are online meat rabbit groups and sites worth joining or researching?
Given all of this, and considering that the impression that things always go wrong with meat rabbits stems largely from meat rabbit forums and social media groups, should you join these groups or watch these platforms?
Yes!
Do realize that there is a mix of information and some contributors will be better than others. Take what you read with a grain of salt and measure it against your own goals.
But don’t let the impression that everyone there has a problem be what keeps you away. Look at these resources as what they are -- resources!
And then, take confidence in the fact that with good resources, you have all you need to make meat rabbits work!
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