Kapampangan farmer develops rabbit tocino and sisig as value-added products (2023)

FAQs

What are the products of rabbit farming? ›

Rabbits are used for meat, wool (fur), and skins, as pets, and even as laboratory animals for research.

Rabbit farming is a popular and profitable industry in the Philippines. The country has a long history of raising rabbits for their meat, and fur. Today, rabbit farming is still one of the most common agricultural activities in the Philippines.

Rabbits are basically reared for meat, fur and wool. They have great potential to convert the absolute feed into quality products for human beings. Advantages of rabbit for farming are: Rabbits can be fed with high forage, low grain diet that is largely non-competitive with human food.

When not produced under Food Safety and Inspection Service's voluntary inspection, rabbit is subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection. The FDA has jurisdiction over the shipment of rabbit meat in interstate commerce. Some states permit the sale of rabbit only if it is inspected under their state laws.

Referred to as “fryers,” these baby rabbits weigh only 1.5 – 3.5 pounds. A small percentage are slaughtered at 8 months old or 4 pounds; they are known in the industry as “roasters.” The does commonly birth 5 to 8 litters per year.

While the Animal Welfare Act (Republic Act 8485, as amended by RA 10631) allows for the humane slaughter of certain animals used for food, rabbits are not considered a regular source of meat for consumption in the Philippines and are classified- at best – “exotic meat”.

And as per Philippine law, rabbits are categorized as livestock and poultry just like pork, chicken, and beef. There are also certain breeds of rabbits that can be used as meat like Californian, New Zealand, Palomino, Chinchilla unlike the ones as pets which are the fancy rabbits.

It is very low in cholesterol and the meat fibers are highly digestible,” says DA agriculturist Aranas. Rabbit meat is also eyed as an alternative protein for Filipinos due to the prevalence of diseases endangering traditional protein sources such as African Swine Fever and Avian Influenza.

Simply put: Rabbits produce a lot of manure. One doe and her offspring can produce an entire ton of manure in a single year—and beyond adding nutrients for your own farm, this could be marketed and sold as a value-added product. Rabbits are also a great source of nutrition.

It also discusses the rabbit rearing, integration, its population and production and its role in poverty alleviation. Hence, it is concluded that the developing rabbit farming is the more practical solution to overcome the food crisis in future and to make a country nutritious.

What are three advantages of rabbit production? ›

They produce great compost. Have rapid growth rate. They are cheap to farm. They eat a wide variety of plants.

Rabbit and hare meat are excellent sources of protein. Protein also keeps us healthy by building and repairing our muscles, skin and blood. Rabbit and hare meat are excellent sources of iron. Iron helps make healthy blood that flows through our bodies, giving us energy to be active and to grow strong.

Rabbit meat is difficult to produce rapidly as rabbits are prone to disease. Their immune systems are not as strong as other captive-bred animals used for meat. The rabbits therefore need lots of antibiotics to protect them from disease. This can cause a rise in antibiotic resistance.

Rabbits have never had a purpose as farm animals, meaning they did not have the same opportunity to become a popular meat in American households. Since rabbits never became a popular meat from the agricultural industry, a stigma was attached to the meat itself.

The Italians and French eat rabbit the way Americans eat chicken, which is to say, quite often. Rabbit meat is tender, lean, delicious and as versatile as chicken, to which it can also be compared in taste.

The country with the largest volume of rabbit meat consumption was China (925K tonnes), comprising approximately 62% of the total consumption. Moreover, rabbit meat consumption in China exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second-largest consumer, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (154K tonnes), sixfold.

Rabbit Breeders make the most in San Francisco, CA at $45,726, averaging total compensation 20% greater than the US average.

Let's begin the New Zealand rabbits. This breed is available in many colors and are the most popular meat rabbit breed to raise. The NZ rabbit weighs between 9 to 12 pounds and matures quickly. Butchering time for New Zealand rabbits is as early as 8 weeks of age.

New Zealand and Californian

The most popular meat rabbit breed is the New Zealand White. These rabbits easily produce multiple litters per year. They reach 9-12 pounds in weight.

Like other lean meat, poultry, and fish, rabbit meat is a good source of high quality protein. The meat is fine grained and mild flavored. Rabbits sold in the United States for food are commonly crosses between New Zealand and Belgian varieties, imported Chinese rabbits, or Scottish hares.

How much is rabbit meat cost in Philippines? ›

There's huge potential for rabbit meat, but farmers noted that the Philippines has a long way to go for it to be widely available and acceptable. Chucks Dizon, a rabbit farmer in Pampanga, told Rappler that rabbit is still quite pricey, retailing at around P400 per kilo, since there are very few rabbit farmers.

Rabbits were brought by the US Peace Corps and missionary groups to the Philippines after the Second World War, which aims to alleviate the food scarcity due to the devastations of the war [5]. However, the majority of Filipino households normally considered rabbits as pets [6].

In the 1990's IWCT worked tirelessly with police and government agencies to enforce some laws around this barbaric behaviour. Fortunately, the slaughter of dogs for human consumption is now illegal in the Philippines, under the 1998 Animal Welfare Act.

Although France, Italy and Spain have a long tradition in rabbit meat production and consumption, a decreasing trend can be detected in these Mediterranean countries.

Dog meat trading is illegal in the country.

The term rabbit starvation originates from the fact that rabbit meat is very lean, with almost all of its caloric content from protein rather than fat, and therefore a food which, if consumed exclusively, would cause protein poisoning.

The general consensus is that rabbit tastes similar to chicken. This is not entirely true, mostly because rabbit has a gamier and more intense flavour. The texture is different too, rabbit being more on the dry side. Some types of rabbit with great taste include Californian rabbit, silver fox, and Cinnamon rabbit.

Despite the low amount of fat, rabbit is still rich in healthy fats like polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Domesticated rabbit meat also has fewer calories than chicken and has less cholesterol than any other commonly consumed meats, like beef, pork, and chicken.

Rabbits can be produced for many different markets: for breeding stock, as medical and educational lab animals, for pet food, as pet and show animals, and for their wool and skin. While these may be pursued as a secondary market for rabbit farmers, the focus of this article is on meat production.

Today, rabbits are bred for food, research, fur, and skins, and as companion animals. Some products from rabbits, such as Angora wool, are becoming increasingly popular and have great commercial value.

Why were the rabbits so successful? ›

Besides their lack of natural predators on the continent, their success is aided by quick breeding: They can birth more than four litters a year with as many as five kits (baby rabbits) each.

“Once upon a time a Tortoise and a Rabbit had an argument about who was faster. soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The rabbit woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.” The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.

Conclusion to Rabbits

Rabbits are mammals, which are warm blooded animals with backbones. They like to live in groups and dig tunnels under the ground to protect themselves. They are prey and have many predators that like to eat them. Rabbits are herbivores, which means they like to eat only plants.

The rabbits are of great economic importance to the mankind because they are both useful and harmful. Their enemies are snakes (pythons), owl, hawks, buzzards (predatory birds) and mammals such as foxes, wolves, cats, etc. Man uses its for the manufacture of purses, gloves, caps, etc.

Humane handling of rabbits, availability of water and feed are components of animal welfare. Visitations and assistance from veterinarians from time to time is advisable and ensures the smooth running of rabbit production. Confinement in cages is discouraged, as rabbits need to freely move in rabbitries.

In general rabbits need appropriate housing, exercise, socialisation and a specific diet for good welfare. Some breeds of rabbits, particularly the longer haired rabbits, may require daily grooming. It is important that you understand all the requirements for caring for a rabbit before you buy one.

It's unsafe to eat wild rabbits or hares before the first hard frost of the year. If you eat a wild rabbit sooner, the meat will have parasites. The exact source is unknown, but this a commonly held belief that goes back several generations.

Rabbit is a lean protein, which means that it's good for your heart and won't contribute to high cholesterol or heart disease.

The first opinion, it is haram to eat the flesh and drink the milk of their milk for they are considered najis. This is the opinion of Abu Ishaq al-Marwazi, al-Qaffal, Imam al-Ghazali and al-Baghawi. Second opinion, it is makruh tanzih.

Healthiest options: turkey and chicken

When it comes to the healthiest meats that pack the biggest nutritional punch, turkey and chicken should be at the top of your (grocery) list, says Schiff. Both are about equal in terms of nutrition, with turkey tending to be leaner than chicken.

What is the disease from eating too much rabbit? ›

A. Tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” is a disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.

Rabbit meat is good for those with diabetes

This is because rabbit meat contains low cholesterol and low-fat content. In addition to that, the presence of conjugated linoleic fatty acid, a molecule found in rabbit meat, may help prevent obesity as well as lessen the effects of diabetes.

During the First World War, an “eat no meat” campaign in 1917 discouraged eating sheep that were needed for wool. The mature sheep slaughtered during wartime meat shortages didn't help sheep's reputation — they had a strong flavor and a tough texture. Americans' aversion to lamb and mutton persisted.

You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you.

Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their meat, fur, or wool. Cuniculture is also employed by rabbit fanciers and hobbyists in the development and betterment of rabbit breeds and the exhibition of those efforts.

The fur and skin are used to make expensive coats, shoes, sandals, headgear, and bags.

Rabbit hides can be crafted into hats, gloves, blankets and bedspreads, toys, pillow covers, baby booties, and more. It's an exceptionally warm garment lining for people who spend long periods in intense cold, such as hunters, farmers, ranchers, and construction workers.

Instead of the entire tanned hide, rabbit fur is sheared, or hand-plucked, from long-haired rabbits, such as the Angora Rabbit. If you want to make a profit from rabbits, but don't have the heart to use them for meat, you could start shearing your pet Angora rabbits and make a few bucks on this luxury fiber.

Although most farmed rabbits are raised for meat, these gentle creatures are used for other products too and are generally kept in the same environment. Contrary to popular belief that fur is just a by-product of meat, raising rabbits for their fur is an industry in and of itself because the two use different breeds.

One might ask, is it cool to do rabbit farming? The answer is yes. Rabbits are lovely farm animals to look after, they are very prolific and starting capital required is not very high and hence your investment can earn returns in just one year.

Are rabbits farmed for meat? ›

Rabbits bred for meat are generally housed in wire mesh cages that are suspended above the floor.

Hay: The staple of a rabbit's diet

You'll want to feed your rabbit grass hays. Good types of grass hay for bunnies are timothy, orchard grass, brome and oat hay. You can feed your bunnies either one type or a mixture of different grass hays.

Rabbits are most often used in the production and research of antibodies. The animals are genetically altered in order to produce antibodies that that can be used in humans or to study human disease.

Angora wool is a fluffy fibre that comes from the soft, thick coats of angora rabbits. It is considered a 'luxury' fibre, along with other wool such as cashmere, mohair and Alpaca.

Uses of Rabbit hair fibre –

Angora rabbit hair is used primarily for items such as sweaters , mittens , baby clothes , and millinery . It is also used in apparel such as sweaters and suitings and in knitting yarn .

Angora wool is a very fluffy and luxurious fabric that comes from Angora rabbits. Angora is considered a luxury fiber alongside mohair and cashmere, and it is a popular wool for spinners and knitters alike.

Simply put: Rabbits produce a lot of manure. One doe and her offspring can produce an entire ton of manure in a single year—and beyond adding nutrients for your own farm, this could be marketed and sold as a value-added product. Rabbits are also a great source of nutrition.