Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits

Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits is as essential to the owner of pet rabbits as it is to the farmer raising rabbits for meat or fur. Breed selection, year-round care and feeding, safe housing, humane handling, and disease prevention and treatment are all addressed.

This is the classic, comprehensive, essential reference for all rabbit raisers.

I am a huge believer in rabbits as a sustainable livestock for small homesteads.  They have a good feed/meat conversion ratio, breed prolifically, can be kept in small spaces, are quiet, and their manure is wonderful fertilizer.

However, my own experience with rabbits suggests that they are not as easy to raise as some would have you believe.  I have had sickness, cannibalism, lots of dead babies, and other problems that it takes time (or great resources like this book) to solve.

If you are serious about raising your own meat source, then you should consider rabbits.  My Grandfather raised them commercially in large batches, and I have had some success raising rabbits in a subdivision.  Once you get the basics mastered, you can scale up or down depending on your needs.

I think that if you are going to raise rabbits, then you need to own this book.