03/01/2025
“OMG, nakita mo na ba ang presyo ng karne ngayon?” Many people are saying this. Maybe you too. And it’s causing people to consider growing their own meat. Kapag ikaw mismo ang nagpalaki/nag-alaga alam mo na mas fresh ito at walang preservatives ang kakainin mo.
Unang naiisip ng karamihan ay ang pag-aalaga ng Manok. Oo, mabilis lumaki ang mga 45 days or Broiler Chicken, pero napaka matrabaho at maamoy dahil panay poop sila. Na-consider mo na ba ang rabbit? Maybe not. Madalas kasi, iniisip natin ang rabbit ay for pet only. Ang rabbits po ay may dalawang klase may Fancy Type (Small Breeds) and Commercial Breed Type (Meat Breeds). If you guys noticed my last post, the comments got pretty heated. Many people were arguing about whether rabbits meant for meat or just pets. Many don’t think of them as meat, but for families looking to grow their own food, they are a great source.
Let’s talk about the PROS and CON. That’s right, I said CON, since I can only think of one.
Pro #1: Very sustainable and rabbits have faster reproduction than chickens. Tuloy-tuloy ang supply ng karne.
Pro #2: A lot of Meat. Rabbits can be bred every 6 weeks as long they are in good condition. Imagine 7 times a year, na may average na 4-10 kits per litter. Pwede kang makakuha ng 210 pounds of meat every year in one doe.
Pro #3: Mabilis i-process. Once sanay ka na, more or less 10 minutes lang ang kailangan para mag-process ng isang rabbit.
Pro #4: Very versatile. You can use rabbit meat in any dish that you’d use in chicken.
Pro #5: Mas efficient alagaan. Rabbit ang may pinaka-mababang feed conversion ratio o FCR sa lahat ng livestock, the lower the number the better.
Pro #6: Kahit forages lang mabubuhay na (napier grass, banana leaves, hay etc) pero syempre need natin bigyan parin ng commercial pellets para maprovide yung tamang nutrition na kailangan nila.
Pro #7: Doesn’t require much space. Kahit sa garahe, shed, o gilid ng bahay, pwedeng pwede.
You probably guessed the CON. Yep, they’re rabbits. They’re cute and fluffy. And if you’re going to eat them, you need to dispatch them. It’s psychologically difficult or even impossible for many people. But to eat meat, something has to die.
Raising rabbits for meat isn’t for everyone. But high prices are here to stay. It’s either accept the high prices or eat less meat. Kung nagtitipid ka and you want to raise your own food might consider rabbit meat. 🐇
