Rabbit
Pasture-Raised, Sustainable Meat
As pictured above, our rabbits are rotated on pastures in this nifty “rabbit tractor” inspired by Polyface Farm.
Rabbits, like all livestock, thrive when given access to fresh forage in addition to their supplements and feed. Unlike cattle and sheep, rabbits are not ruminant animals. The reason that matters to us is that, in the wild, rabbits have the freedom to chose a variety of forages such as grasses, flowers, seeds (grains), and fruits as they range. If they had quite that much freedom in a farm setting, we would lose many to predation and burrowing, and unsettle the natural rabbit population by essentially introducing an invasive species.
To do what is best by the rabbits, the environment, and the farm, we keep rabbits in these wire-bottom enclosures that are moved daily to give access to fresh forage.
As this “tractor” method doesn’t allow for complete freedom of foraging, we supplement our rabbits with free-choice Modesto Milling Organic Rabbit Feed, Redmond Salt, and organic kelp. Their feed is completely corn and soy free and balances their diet in a way that we cannot with forage alone. That being said, grazing makes up at least 50% of these guys’ diets; that’s how much they love it!
Rabbit meat is highly comparable to chicken, both in flavor and cooking method. Unlike chicken, it is a much more sustainable food, that takes lower outside input to raise. In comparison to rabbit’s 50/50 forage to feed ratio, chickens are closer to a 20/80, meaning chicken as a meat source takes much more outsourced grain to raise.
We love talking rabbit recipes with our customers! Send us an email or come by the farm to chat with us about different ways to cook this sustainable meat. The basics are pretty simple, for example, we like to slow-cook and shred the meat for things like tacos, or bake thighs just like you would chicken breasts. A recent farm-favorite is pulled rabbit sliders (think pulled pork).
Rabbit is a very lean meat, so we personally like to add some extra fat in while cooking, but that’s all preference.
Pricing and Availability
We’re taking a little pause with rabbits while we develop a new grazing strategy that gives them more room to roam while still keeping them safe from predation.
Join our newsletter for updates on rabbit availability.