People won't try to steal what they don't know you have

by Anon

I believe strongly in keeping my preparedness assets hidden. One of the wonderful things about rabbits is that you can raise quite a few in a very small space. I know that it is so much easier to set up the rabbit hutch out in the open air so that ventilation is not a concern, but I believe that an eye must be kept towards the future. When (not "if") our economy drops into the tank, many people will devolve to a basic, predatory beast. This means that they will be willing to steal anything that they need and don't have. It is much easier to protect your assets when no one is trying to steal them. This is why I keep my rabbit herd hidden.


Sure, with them in the side of my garage, I have to worry about keeping the air clean, but box fans are cheap at Walmart and my neighbors don't know that I supply almost all of our meat needs from my own property.

When times get tough, and scum-bags start looking around to see what is available for them to steal, my property won't be a prime target.

Just my $.02...(actually, after inflation, it is only about $.00139).

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Sep 18, 2010
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by: Karen

Anon,
I admire your foresight.

You've made a very important point - hungry people lose their scruples in a hurry.

It is easy for me to hope, while my belly is full, that I would share my bounty with other hungry persons.

The only thing is, I want to CHOOSE who to share with, rather than being forced to relinquish all I have against my will.

What is the good of preparing for hard times, and then when the infrastructure collapses or hyperinflation drains your bank account, finding your food source robbed?

It's bound to happen, the 'robbed' part, anyway, when times get tough.

You've provided food for thought and an excellent suggestion toward keeping what's yours. Thank you.

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How many rabbits are sufficient?

by Keith
(Canton, OH)

If I were to build a survival bunker to house 30 people, how many rabbits do you think would be sufficient to eat and continue breeding to maintain the rabbit population?

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Nov 03, 2011
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by: Rae

For 30 people to each rabbit just 1 meal a week (plus possibly another night of rabbit stew) you would have to be kindling a new litter of at least 8 kits every week. That's 52 births a year and all are being eaten. Depending on how aggressive you are with the breeding schedule each doe will kindle 3-4 time a year. At the very least you would need 13 does just for the fryers in a perfect world. You'll have whole litters that are lost, sterile does and bucks, losses to sickness, heat and predators or even to people forgetting to close hutches properly. A single buck can handle up to 10 does, so at a minimum you'd need 2. Your breeders will only be producing between the ages of 6 months and 3 years typically. So you'll need at the very least 5 for replacement breeders every year. Inbreeding can/will reduce capability so you'll want enough extras each year to trade/sell for new blood lines.

*****Karen Sez*****
Thanks Rae. This assessment needs verification, however I'd say it is fairly accurate.

Commercial breeders manage a breeding schedule that is more like 5-6 litters per year. That many babies requires ideal feed. It is not an excessive breeding schedule, given that rabbits kindle more frequently than every 5 weeks in the wild, with a couple months of reprieve in the Fall.

However, given that feed may not be ideal in a survival situation, Rae may be closer to accurate than not.

Lastly, a rabbit meal, or two or three per week, is fine (Rae mentioned two meals), but one cannot live on rabbits alone (www.raising-rabbits.com/rabbit-starvation.html)--not enough essential fats. So an additional source of meat and fat calories will be essential for human survival.
K

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