# Lionheads as meat rabbits?



## Tara Brown (Jan 10, 2011)

Does anyone have lionhead rabbits for meat? There seem to be a lot i my area.
They seem pretty small...


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

They are very small and are not particularly muscular for their size. Not economical as a meat rabbit for human consumption.

They could be bonked and used as whole food for carnivores though.

Have a good day!


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## Ladyhen (Aug 28, 2004)

Makes me think of eating a cornish game hen... Not worth the fight for the meat!


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## Huntinfamily (Aug 14, 2010)

We breed lionheads to sell as pets. They definitely don't get big enough to make a decent meal out of.  Had one break a leg once after I butchered it there wasn't enough meat for my Son to have for lunch. The best meat rabbits we have found are flemish giants. We find people on craigslist sometimes giving away rex rabbits. Get a male and female and use the offspring for food. They don't get as big but also don't eat as much.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

Lion heads would be fine for pet food, if you feed your dogs cats or snakes raw diets, but thats about it, they really dont have much in the way of meat for humans to eat,


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## HTG_zoo (Apr 18, 2011)

What is the average litter size for a lion head? Do you have to worry about peanuts? I'm just curious, but I think it might be better to use something with a large litter size and butcher earlier if you're just raising pet carnivore food.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

pure lion head stock generally only have around 4 maybe 6 kits per litter, some of the really small ones can have peanuts but not often like other dwarfs, i had a medium size doe that produced four normal kits when bred to a lop buck, they grew fast and thanks to the lop were a little meatyer than the straight lion head but still not much,


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## jkmlad (Jun 18, 2009)

If you are committed to breeding LHs, I'll give you the same advice I give to N. Dwarf breeders. All rabbits are edible... with the small ones you just have to throw a couple more in the pot to make a meal! However, if you are looking for meat production, and want a smaller breed to handle I would reccommend F. Whites or Dutch. Both have a lot of meat on a smaller package.


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