# Difference between fryers and roasters



## trinityoaks

What exactly is the difference in the MEAT between fryers and roasters? If I'm raising just for my own family (and maybe some to share with friends), would I be unhappy with the results (meat taste, texture, etc.) if I allowed the rabbits to get to roaster size/age before butchering?

The reason I ask is that I would also like to have some more mature pelts for my own use, and as I understand it, fryer pelts aren't very durable.

I don't know that I would do this with all of my rabbits, but I'm considering it for at least some.


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## MaggieJ

Some people only like fryers. They seem to find roasters a bit tougher and stronger. Fryers *are* very tender and very mild. They are definitely preferred if you eat your rabbit fried. 

Personally, I prefer roasters. Not only do you get a larger carcass, the meat has more substance to it. It is *not* strong, tough, or even _chewy_, but it is more solid. Roast turkey instead of fried chicken, sirloin steak instead of veal.

I suggest you grow out the fryers with the nicest colours and see how you like them as roasters. In France (and the French do know food!) rabbit means roaster. 

With winter coming on, I suggest oven roasting rabbit as a way to try the older ones. I put them on a bed of fall vegetables, pour over a half and half mix of apple juice and water, and either cover with bacon or, if you are avoiding bacon for health reasons, drizzle lightly with vegetable oil, dust with herbs, black pepper and allspice and cover loosely with foil until the last ten minutes of cooking. Rabbit meat needs a bit of moisture because it is so lean and dense.


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## Bonnie L

Oh - that sounds delicious! Mom usually pressure cooked rabbit - we ate a lot growing up. I remember once slow-cooking a rabbit in one of those plastic bags that go in the oven. It was wonderful & very tender. So I think slow cooking in a crock pot would work, too. 

Now I have to admit how many brain cells I've lost over the years - how much does a fryer weigh & how much does a roaster weigh? I'll be breeding my new bunnies in the spring - I think I'm starting to drool already!


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## MaggieJ

A fryer, ready to cook, would be about 2.5 - 3 pounds. A roaster, I'd say, more like 3 - 4.5 pounds. But, of course, it depends on what kind of rabbit it is. 

Slow cooking works well for soups and stews... great for older rabbits (stewers) and I would think the results would be similar to your bunny-in-a-bag.


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## Bernadette

I look at it a bit differently. Prime fryers are between 10-12 weeks of age. After that they start to mature sexually, and often become active. They aren't exacty roasters, but they are past prime for fryers as hormones have some effect on the tenderness of the meat. Does that have had a litter (so of course older than 6 months) and bucks of comparable age are definitely roasters. Old animals are stew and pot pie.


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## trinityoaks

Bernadette said:


> Prime fryers are between 10-12 weeks of age. After that they start to mature sexually, and often become active. They aren't exacty roasters, but they are past prime for fryers as hormones have some effect on the tenderness of the meat.


Do breeding and hormones have any effect on the pelts?


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## MaggieJ

Bernadette said:


> I look at it a bit differently. Prime fryers are between 10-12 weeks of age. After that they start to mature sexually, and often become active. They aren't exacty roasters, but they are past prime for fryers as hormones have some effect on the tenderness of the meat. Does that have had a litter (so of course older than 6 months) and bucks of comparable age are definitely roasters. Old animals are stew and pot pie.


I agree with you, Bernadette... As far as definitions go, age is a more reliable indicator than weight... but but was trying to answer Bonnie L.'s question "how much does a fryer weigh & how much does a roaster weigh?" I was assuming she was asking for typical dress-out weights.

This business of hormones and meat quality is very much one of personal taste and it is subtle. I would advise any new rabbit keeper to try rabbits at different stages to see which they prefer for their own use. 

As to the furs... time of year and climate are going to affect the quality as well as the age of the rabbit. It should be easy enough to learn more by googling some keywords such as *prime rabbit fur* or *rabbit fur quality*.


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