# Eating Mini Rex



## nc_mtn (Nov 24, 2007)

I know that mini rex (and mixes) are smaller but if you had some culls or young rabbits not sold, what age would you look at butchering them? I've never grown any out to eat but thought since I have some 6weeks old, why not try. I'd also like to try to save the fur, again just to try it out. Since they're smaller, would you wait until 14-16 weeks or at the 8-10 week mark that works for larger breeds?


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

nc_mtn said:


> I know that mini rex (and mixes) are smaller but if you had some culls or young rabbits not sold, what age would you look at butchering them? I've never grown any out to eat but thought since I have some 6weeks old, why not try. I'd also like to try to save the fur, again just to try it out. Since they're smaller, would you wait until 14-16 weeks or at the 8-10 week mark that works for larger breeds?


To me---it would be according to what I was going to do with the meat. If you are going to fry it I would not wait to long----maybe around 8 weeks. If you are going to stew etc----I would wait till they got a decent size/weight---about 4 months if you feed them a good protein feed.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Fur harvesting is different than butchering for meat. You usually wait until 4-5 months of age for the first prime fur that is resilient enough for normal uses. Of course by this age they need individual cages to prevent fighting (which can ruin pelts) and breeding. Solid dividers can help keep them clean especially if they are males and are sprayers, but the sprayers themselves can get flyback urine stains from the urine flying and bouncing off of the barriers and back onto themselves. 

I had mini rex mutts very early on. The dang things were a waste of time to butcher at 16 weeks even, and grew slow as molasses. Not worth the cage space for meat production goals, IMO. If you're raising them anyways and expect to have some culls from a show program or something, then you might as well eat 'em... But you can also sell them for snake food, cull litters at birth for sports/poor markings etc - or even sell as pets if that's your prerogative.


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

I always wanted to try tanning? hair on? hair off etc. when I was younger. Now of days there are lots of products out there to make the process much easier!! do a couple searches on tanning rabbit hides. and look at all the new ways to make life easier!! then choose one follow instructions! and see how it turns out! No matter how the hides end up? It's the journey!! the experience! the learning and joy of doing it yourself that always inspired me!! Even if I messed up? which I have many times!! hehe!! but like dad always said if you aren't making any mistakes you aren't doing anything!!! So mistakes are acceptable!! and Learning experiences!! 
As far as the meat aspect of the mini breeds? if you raise them longer to insure a stronger better fur? then you might try a rabbit burrito meat? if you like that kind of thing?? I do! hehe!! I just throw an old rabbit in the pressure cooker, along with a tough piece of beef, and pork. Pressure cook them with an onion for flavor?? salt and pepper, until fall off the bone tender! pull all the meat off into a large bowl. Serve with all the extra doins!!! you can put everything on a tortilla? or pile it all on a plate together, kinda like carnitas? hehe and enjoy!! you can mix any kind of meat? deer, caribou, ****, Opossom, duck, goose, rabbit, anything ya have that might be on the tough side into the pressure. cooker and yum!! 
Opossom and goose India have the fat marbled inside the meat! unlike most meats where the fat is layered over the meat? so they tend to be more fatty?? in my opinion?? but still plenty edible!! if your hungery?? hehe I hope you enjoy the adventure with your rabbits!!! best wishes, ray


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## saritamae (Jun 2, 2012)

We had some mini Rex early on and I totally agree with everything Caprice Acres and Fire Man said. They grew so slowly that it almost wasn't worth the feed. We sold a lot for snake food because I had a friend with a snake. As Fire Man said, 8 weeks is when they are best. We waited until about 10 just to try and get a little more meat on them if we were going to fry them. After about 12 weeks they were better for roasters.


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## Jack Burton (Aug 11, 2013)

I have mini-satins and wait until about 12 weeks. They eat much less than a regular rabbit so that you are not losing as much to food costs.


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