Linebreeding Meat Rabbits For Food and Profit

Line-breeding is a form on inbreeding that is most often used by successful rabbitry's in order to maintain the desired genetic traits and characteristics of their foundation stock. Instead of mating brother and sister (inbreeding), linebreeding is the breeding of father to daughter and mother to son to maintain and improve the herd. The process of selectively breeding offspring to their respective parent has been performed for hundreds of years with cattle, goat, pigs, sheep, poultry, and rabbits by both farmers and ranchers. The goal is to produce enough offspring in your rabbitry that you can put meat in the freezer and sell quality livestock while maintaining a quality genetically stable bloodline.

So what does a genetically stable bloodline look like? Well with linebreeding the goal is to be able (after several generations) to produce a specific generation that still has 50% of each of the genome of the original parents used as your foundation stock. Sounds almost impossible right? Actually, it is pretty easy if you keep accurate records and are careful with your breeding program.

To be successful, your breeding must be kept on strict lines and within limits, and may be adopted for years without having to outcross any new rabbits into your bloodlines. To aid you in your endeavor, you will not only need to have a linebreeding chart, you will also need to know how to read it, and that is the goal of this article. The process will become clear once you understand how to use the linebreeding chart accompanying this article.

The Linebreeding Chart

To begin the process we need an unrelated breeding pair of rabbits (male and female), this pair will be known as your foundation stock or original male and female. They are represented at the top of the chart simply as 'Female' on the left and 'Male' on the right. Each dotted line represents a female (doe) and every solid line a male (buck). Where the two lines meet there is a circle with a letter depicted indicating what group the offspring of this breeding pair belong too. In addition, there is a fraction indicating the amount of genetic material (genes) that each parent has contributed to each offspring.

Getting Started

Once we have chosen a breeding pair to become our foundation stock, we begin the breeding process. All of the kits from this breeding will be labeled group A. Looking at the chart we see that all of the kits born in this litter will receive one-half (½ or 50%) of their genes from the original male, and one-half (½ or 50%) of their genes from the original female of this line.

Once the rabbits from group A reach breeding age (about 6 months), we will breed back one of the males from this group to our original female (mother to son), and one of the females from this group to our original male (father to daughter). These two breedings produce the rabbits in groups B and C, each of which possess three-fourths (¾ or 75%) of the genes of the parent and one-quarter (¼ or 25%) of the genes of the other parent. In this case, Group B carries three-fourths (¾ or 75%) of the genes from our original female, one one-quarter (¼ or 25%) of the genes from our original male, while group C carries three-fourths (¾ or 75%) of the genes from our original male and one-fourth (¼ or 25%) of the genes from our original female.

So, how did we arrive at these figures? Let's examine the kits produced in group C by the breeding our original male with a female from group A. Our original male carries 100% of his own genes and the female from group A carries one-half (½ or 50%) of our original male genes. Adding these two fractions together we get 1 ½. We then take 1 ½ and divide it by 2 (because the breeding takes two rabbits) and the result is that all the kits produced by this breeding (which will be labeled group C) will carry three-quarters (¾ or 75%) of the genes from our original male, and one-quarter (¼ or 25%) of the genes from our original female (1 + ½ = 1½ / 2 = ¾ male genes). This same principle is carried through out the chart with the number by the circle indicating the fraction or percentage of the genetic material that each parent has provided (left side of chart female, right side of chart male).

For the third generation we breed a male from group C to a female from group B. Each of which contains three-quarters (¾ or 75%) of the genes of the male and or female respectively. All of the kits from this breeding, labeled group E, will contain one-half (½ or 50%) of the genes from both our original male and female.

This is determined by adding three-quarters (¾, or 75%) of the females genes from from group B to the one-quarter (¼ or 25%) of the genes from the female from group C and divide by 2 (¾ + ¼ / 2 = ½ or 50%). Likewise we add three-quarters (¾ or 75%) the male genes from group C to one-quarter (¼ or 25%) of the males genes from group B and divide by 2 ( ¾ + ¼ / 2 = ½ or 50%). This is the objective of linebreeding, namely to come back to a point in which the rabbits in your herd contain one-half (50%) of the genetic material of both your original male and female foundation stock. As long as we do this we are not inbreeding, rather we are linebreeding. Therefore, each time we breed without going outside the bloodline, we are maintaining the genetic base of our original male and female rabbits.

Next, we breed a male from group B with our original female resulting in group D, whose kits posses seven-eights (7/8 or 87.5%) of the original females genes and one-eighth (1/8 or 12.5%) of our original males genes. We also breed a female from group C, to our original male, resulting in group F, whose kits possess seven-eights (7/8 or 87.5%) of the original males genes and one-eighth (1/8 or 12.5%) of the original female's genes. We will also breed a male from group F to a female from group D, resulting in group I, and again we come back to our genetic goal as all of the kits from this breeding contain 50% of the genes from both our original male and female.

The next generation will produce kits having one-half (½ or 50%) of their genes coming from our original male and female at group N by mating a male from group J and a female from group H. Offspring from groups G and K if bred together will also return us to our goal of producing kits that contain one-half (½ or 50%) of the genes of each of our original male and female foundation stock.

Following this form of linebreeding enables the breeder to keep several different males and females breeding that are genetically similar enough to retain and improve on their original breeding pair without causing any genetic anomalies or health issues.

The percentage of genes contributed from our original male and female for each group are listed below in what I consider is a little more concise and readable format.

1^st Generation (Group A)

Group A's Genetic Makeup: 50% original female, 50% original male.

• Breed a male from this group, to your original female to get group B, and breed a female from this group to your original male to get group C.

2^nd Generation (Groups B and C)

Group B's Genetic Makeup: 75% original female, 25% original male.

• Breed a male from this group to your original female to get group D, and breed a female from this group to a male from group C to get group E. Breed a female from this group to a male from group D to get group G.

Group C's Genetic Makeup: 25% original female, 75% original male.

• Breed a male from this group with a female from group B to get group E. Breed a female from this group to your original male to get group F. Breed a female from this group with a male from group F to get group K.

3^rd Generation (Groups D, E, and F)

Group D's Genetic Makeup: 87.5% original female, 12.5% original male.

• Breed a female from this group to a male from group E to get group H. Breed a female from this group to a male from group F to get group I. Breed a male from this group to a female from group B to get group G.

Group E's Genetic Makeup: 50% original female, 50% original male.

• Breed a male from this group to a female from group D to get group H. Breed a female from this group to a male from group F to get group J.

Group F's Genetic Makeup: 12.5% original female, 87.5% original male.

• Breed a male from this group to a female from group D to get group I. Breed a male from this group to a female from group E to group J. Breed a male from this group to a female from group C to get group K.

4^th Generation (Groups G, H, I, J, and K)

Group G's Genetic Makeup: 81.25% original female, 18.75% original male.

• Breed a male from this group to a female from group I to get group L. Breed a female from this group to a male from group J to get group M.

Group H's Genetic Makeup: 68.75% original female, 31.25% original male.

• Breed a female from this group to a male from group J to get group N. Breed a female from this group to a male from group K to get group O.

Group I's Genetic Makeup: 50% original female, 50% original male.

• Breed a female from this group to a male from group G to get group L. Breed a female from group to a male from group K to get group P.

Group J's Genetic Makeup: 31.25% original female, 68.75% original male.

• Breed a male from this group to a female from group G to get group M. Breed a male from this group to a female from group H to get group N.

Group K's Genetic Makeup: 18.75% original female, 81.25% original male.

• Breed a male from this group to a female from group H and you get group O. Breed a male from this group to a female from group I to get group P.

5^th Generation (Groups L, M, N, O, and P)

Group L's Genetic Makeup: 65.63% original female, 34.37% original male.

Group M's Genetic Makeup: 56.25% original female, 43.75% original male.

Group N's Genetic Makeup: 50% original female, 50% original male.

Group O's Genetic Makeup: 43.75% original female, 56.25% original male.

Group P's Genetic Makeup: 34.37% original female, 65.63% original male.

Conclusion

There are several prominent breeders of meat rabbits throughout the United States that have been successfully linebreeding for years. One of the more successful pseudo-commercial type organic rabbit meat breeders is Polyface Farms owned by the Salatin family who have a pretty substantial herd of rabbits. They have been linebreeding meat rabbits for more than 25 years with great success. So much so that they have developed their own strain or bloodline of meat rabbits. Through the process of linebreeding you can develop those traits you are looking for in a specific breed of animal and continue to enhance those characteristics to their full potential. This has been proven time and again by breeders of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs through specific lines of livestock that have been successfully breed for 50, to 100 years and more without any new genetic material being added to the herd.

Now most of us will never be breeding meat rabbits for that long, but it will probably take you 1 to 2 years for each generation to work your way through Fetch's chart that is listed in this article. That's 5 years in the most optimistic view, but more likely it will take you 7 to 10 years to produce a good quality herd while maintaining it's genetic diversity. I say this because of the following reasons. First, in my personal opinion you shouldn't start breeding your doe until she is 6 months old. Second, once your doe is ready to breed, you may have to cull a few litters before you get the best male and female from each group in order to breed for the next generation. Hey, but that's ok, placing rabbits in the freezer is the main reason most of us are raising meat rabbits. Finally, you have to consider that the climate in which you live and the type of housing you use for your rabbitry has a big impact on your breeding schedule. If you live in the south, you will generally be unable to breed between in the months of May, June, July, August, and most of September if you do not keep your bucks in an air conditioned barn. In East Texas were we live, that only leaves you with 6 to 7 months out of the year in which to breed before the temperature starts to get above 80 degrees.

So, by the time you get to the 3^rd generation you may have five breeding pairs with some males and females breeding to more than one generation all producing meat for your freezer and livestock for you to sell as you look for that next best rabbit(s) to continue your bloodline. Who knows, with proper herd management, maybe one day you can be successfully breeding your own bloodline for more than 20 years just as the Salatin's on Polyface Farm. As always, if you have enjoyed reading this article and find the information here valuable, we ask that you share it with your friends. Do not forget to send us a friend request on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+

Similar Articles On Our Blog:

Starting A Successful Breeding Program: It's all In The Family

 

New Zealand Rabbit Genetics Part 1: Dominant And Recessive Genes
New Zealand Rabbit Genetics Part 2: Coat Color, It's In The Genes

New Zealand Rabbit Genetics Part 3: Putting It All Together

References:

Inbreeding: Its Meaning, Uses and Effects on Farm Animals, University Of Missouri,1993

Comerford, Matt, Linebreeding For Better Livestock

Hartman, Morgan, Breeding Matters III – Inbreeding vs. Linebreeding. 2016

Bennet, Bob, Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits, North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2009

Patry, Karen, The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2014

Breeding For Success

 Up to this point I have written four articles about meat rabbit genetics and how to breed for color and specific color patterns (solids, charlies, and brokens), but I have never really tackled the specific subject of establishing a successful breeding program. Because selecting a specific breeding program and maintaining your herds health as well as genetic diversity is so important, I decided to write this article for those of you who are just getting started raising meat rabbits.

Whether you are breeding meat rabbits just to supply your family with a healthy nutritious source of meat, and/or you want to be able to sell extra livestock to off set your food costs; how you setup your breeding program after you have purchased your first rabbits will have a significant impact on your rabbitry's performance. The topics I am going to discuss in this article are: inbreeding, linebreeding, outcrossing (outsourcing) and crossbreeding. Before we get started, let's look at a few important terms.

Inbreeding – Inbreeding is the process of breeding closely related rabbits such as brother to sister. With this type of breeding program all the rabbits in your herd are closely related.

Linebreeding – Linebreeding is a specific form of inbreeding in which all of the rabbits in the herd are related to a specific ancestor or ancestors to maintain a specific trait. The genetic relationship of the rabbits in linebreeding is generally further apart than with straight inbreeding.

Outcrossing – Outcrossing or outsourcing is the method of breeding your livestock with that of another genetic line of the same breed. No matter how successful you are, eventually every breeder will look to add some new blood into their herd.

Crossbreeding – Crossbreeding is the method of breeding in which two different breeds of the same type of animal are bred to produce an offspring with traits from both breeds.

Inbreeding

If your are raising meat rabbits for the sole purpose of meat, then in theory you could follow a program of straight inbreeding. Rabbits raised using this process will be closely related and will have offspring that are not as genetically diverse. Because of this, inbreeding accentuates both good and bad existing characteristics and or traits. If you are not vigilant and do not cull your herd properly (removing rabbits with poor traits), you will soon find that you will begin to have substantial problems as the less desirable traits begin to increase exponentially in your herd.

Problems that arise with an inbreeding program include: malformed teeth, deformities, smaller litters, higher mortality, and less disease resistance. Keep in mind that if you later decide that you want to sell meat rabbits, then you need to adopt a program of linebreeding as opposed to straight inbreeding as no one will want to purchase your rabbits if they do not meet the standards of the breed due to abnormalities, or if the appear sickly.

Linebreeding

Line breeding is the selective process of breeding related animals, that have specific traits that you desire to have in your future off-spring. The goal of linebreeding, is to keep the amount that any one animal contributes to the DNA of it's offspring at or below 50%. Therefore, line breeding can be an effective way to improve the individual traits of the rabbits in your herd. The genetic relationship of the rabbits in linebreeding is generally further apart than with straight inbreeding. A good linebreeding program involves the use of relatives such as grandmother to grandson, grandfather to grandaughter, uncles to niece, mother to son, father to daughter etc… With linebreeding as opposed to straight inbreeding there is a little more genetic variation in your herd.

This is the type of breeding program that is followed by most successful rabbit breeders, whether they are breeding for meat or for show. While it is technically a form of inbreeding, by following a specific line breeding chart, you can maintain a wider genetic makeup in your herd without having to worry about the problems associated with straight inbreeding.

Outcrossing or Outsourceing (Bringing In New Stock)

No matter how successful you are, eventually every breeder will look to add some new blood into their herd. Outcrossing or outsourcing is the process in which you do this. Whether you are looking to improve a specific trait such as fuller hindquarters, or a more luxurious coat, or you simply believe your herd is becoming too inbred and losing vitality, then outcrossing may just be the way to go.

There are two specific was to outcross your rabbits. The first, and the one that most people will end up doing is simply purchasing a new buck for their herd. The second option is to take one of your does to another breeder to be mated with one of their bucks. Of the two, the first option injects the most new genetic material in your herd and has the most impact. By purchasing a new buck, as opposed to a doe, you can use him to mate with all the females in your herd adding his genetic makeup to your herd.

When outcrossing, only choose rabbits with the specific traits that you are looking for. If you are outsourcing using option one and are purchasing a new rabbit, then it is my advice to purchase a new buck that is pedigreed. A pedigree does not guarantee you that 'all' of the offspring that this rabbit will produce will have the specific traits and features you are looking for, rather it gives you a genetic road map of the potential of the animal. Remember, it is not necessary that the rabbits that you purchase come with a pedigree, rather they should come from a long line of rabbits that carry those same specific traits you desire. Personally, I would rather purchase a quality looking rabbit without a pedigree, then purchase a less looking desirable rabbit that has a pedigree. Yes, I have done this, and over time (generally three to four generations) you can develop your own specific pedigree.

If you have a friend or family member that is a fellow breeder, or you know of another breeder in your area that produces quality rabbits that has a genetically different line of rabbits, then option two may be a viable choice. This option is less desirable (because it has a lesser genetic impact on your herd), but it is also the cheapest (does not require the purchase of an animal). A variation of this theme is to trade or barter one of your good quality offspring for that of another breeders offspring. My friend Steve Coyne (owner of Texas Bunny Barn) and I often trade livestock, and or outcross our does. This has worked out well for both of us. While I originally purchased all my 'John Gillis' line of livestock from Steve, I have since added some Basgil/Borden bucks and does to our herd as well as a few from breeder Bonita Hunt (who raises meat rabbits of show quality, and wins a lot!) so we have different genetic lines.

The Good and Bad Of Outcrossing

If you have read any of my articles on rabbit genetics on our blog, then you know that all rabbits will carry some recessive genes (genes that carry traits not visible to the eye). Therefore, any new rabbit that is brought into your herd will carry some of these recessive genes that will be passed along to their offspring. So if the first generation of outcrossed offspring is not exactly what you hoped for, keep the offspring that have the traits you desire and cull the rest to the freezer. Then take those offspring that you saved and breed them back into your line. This technique will maximize the good traits that you desire, while eliminating the transmission of less desirable traits into your herd. By continuing to follow this process, you should then start to have good results rather quickly, and you can keep your freezer full of meat, which is my opinion is always a bonus.

Crossbreeding

Many of the rabbit breeds we have today are the result of crossbreeding two or more rabbits to create a unique breed. As mentioned, the process was historically performed by breeding two different breeds with the breeder keeping those offspring with the desired traits and culling the less desired offspring. Through the process of inbreeding they continued to refine those characteristics for multiple generations. Then changing to linebreeding they continued to selectively breed until they had a genetically different rabbit.

For the home meat breeder, crossbreeding usually means the breeding of two different breeds specifically for meat to put in the freezer. While we do raise two different breeds of meat rabbits here at TAP rabbitry (American Blues, and New Zealands). We currently do not crossbreed. My friend Steve Coyne of Texas Bunny Barn, raises the same breeds and has bred crosses many times for meat. I must say that the crosses of New Zealand and American Blue's that Steve has bred appear to be somewhat larger than the New Zealands themselves and this may be an avenue that we one day approach just to put meat in the freezer.

If you are wanting to sell meat rabbits to supplement your income, be careful of crossing breeds. If you are a sloppy record keeper, and do not keep your crosses separated you could soon find that your herd of pure bred rabbits all end up as hybrids. Now hybrids fine if you are just producing meat, but not a good thing if your are telling your customers that your rabbits are pure bred when they are not. Selling someone a rabbit you claim is a pure breed when it is not is not only a poor business practise, but it has a direct impact on both the reputation of the breed as well as your rabbitry.

Conclusion

In animal management whether you are raising cattle, sheep, goats, chickens or rabbits linebreeding is the most common method for procreating and expanding your herd. If you want to ensure long-term breeding success in your rabbitry, then linebreeding is your best bet. By consistently mating rabbits of similar backgrounds, you can keep the rabbits with good traits and cull the rabbits with bad ones to the freezer. This process will allow you to consistently produce good, healthy animals without having too many surprises in your litters, as well as keeping your freezer stocked with delicious and nutritious meat.

When the time comes that you need to outcross by purchasing new livestock for your herd, my recommendation is to purchase a good quality buck as it will have the greatest genetic impact on your herd. If you can outcross with a friend or fellow breeder for free that is even better. However, given the choice to outcross for free to an inferior rabbit versus purchasing a good quality buck should be avoided. No sense adding genetic crap to your herd just because it is free. Free crap is still...well crap. In my next article I will explain how to use Flech's linebreeding chart to help you implement a successful linebreeding program into your rabbitry. 

I hope this article has shed some light on some of the questions regarding breeding of rabbits for meat production. Yes, these same principles apply to all rabbit breeds whether you are breeding for meat or show. As always, if you find any information in this article useful, please share it with your friends. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook or Google+.

References:

Inbreeding: Its Meaning, Uses and Effects on Farm Animals, University Of Missouri,1993

Comerford, Matt, Linebreeding For Better Livestock

Hartman, Morgan, Breeding Matters III – Inbreeding vs. Linebreeding. 2016

Bennet, Bob, Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits, North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2009

Patry, Karen, The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2014

Fellow Breeders Mentioned In This Article:

Steve Coyne (Texas Bunny Barn) Terrel, Texas (972) 742-4922

Meat Breeds: New Zealand (Red and White), American Blues

Lines: John Gillis

Bonita Hunt (Baileywick Rabbitry) Dial, Texas (903) 946-4666

Meat Breeds: New Zealand (Red, White, Blue, and Black)

Lines: Basgil/Borden, Robatham's

Corned Rabbit

Today we are going to examine an alternative way to can and preserve your rabbit through the process of corning. So what exactly is corning? Before the advent of refrigeration, meats were often salt cured to preserve them, a process known as dry curing. 'Corning' is an Anglo-Saxon term for meats that were dry cured (preserved) by rubbing them with salt pellets that were similar in size to corn, hence the term 'corned'. Over time, this process was replaced by wet curing or brining, and the term 'corned' became synonymous with the wet curing or brining process.

When most Americans hear the term 'corned' they think of corned beef, a dish that is generally believed to be of Irish origin although it was also a common Jewish practice. For most of us here in the United States corned beef is most often served on St. Patrick's Day. On this day many Americans cook corned beef and cabbage, which is the unofficial dish of St. Patrick's Day.

The only commercially prepared meat I have seen corned here in the United States is beef, however, any type of meat can be corned. Traditionally corning meat is accomplished by placing the desired product (usually brisket) in a brine and left in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days. The brisket is then placed in a large stockpot and boiled and served with your sides of choice with cabbage being the most common on St. Patty's day.

In this article I am going to show you how we corn and pressure can our rabbit in one easy step. Simply allow it to sit in the jar once canned for at least a week and you will have some fantastic corned rabbit. I will be using a modified version of the raw pack method. What I mean by this is that the rabbit will be packed into heated jars raw, and then hot brine will be added to the jars before placing them in the pressure canner to be processed.

So where did I get the idea for corning rabbit? Well the credit must go to John Fugozzie who posted a recipe on corning rabbit on the 'Hostile Hare' Facebook page. While John prepared his rabbit in the traditional manner of brining it in the refrigerator and then cooking it, I decided to combine the techniques of canning and brining in one step.

Corned Rabbit

I like to use this recipe for old bucks and does as older rabbits are tougher rabbits, and the corning process makes them tender and juicy. Now I am not too anal retentive when I debone my rabbits as I boil the bones and then hand remove any meat leftover from the bones and then either use it right away or can it as well. Of course the broth is then reduced down to make rabbit stock. My point is that the amount of meat you get for corning when you debone a New Zealand meat rabbit may be more less than what I get, but I assure you nothing at our house goes to waste. The two bucks that I butchered weighed about 10lbs each, and I canned 4 pints of corned rabbit and an additional 2 pints of cooked rabbit meat for a total of 6 pints plus about 4 pints of rabbit stock. BTW, I used half of batch of the brine recipe.

The Recipe

6 to 8 lbs rabbit deboned (4 old rabbits)

1 recipe of brine (see below)

Now, I rough cut my rabbit into about 1-inch chunks and then place it in the refrigerator and boil all my bones and then allow them to cool so that I can pull off the meat and reduce the stock some. Why do I do this before corning my rabbit? Because I have a 23 quart pressure canner I have the capacity to can all of the rabbit meat and stock at the same time (even though the stock doesn't have to be processed this long). If you have a smaller canner, then just do the corned rabbit first.

The Brine

For my version of corned rabbit I used the basic brine recipe that John posted on Facebook. While I liked the final results, my friend Steve Coyne author of 'I Grow Vegetables' blog thought it could use an additional tablespoon of pickling spice. So like all recipes, I recommend trying it first as written and then adjust if the next time to suit your personal preferences.

1 gallon of water
2 cups of kosher or any non iodized salt
2 ½ teaspoons of pink curing salt (Prague powder No. 2)
3 tablespoons of pickling spice
½ cup of brown sugar.

Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive pan (stainless steel, enamel ware, Teflon coated etc...) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep the brine hot. Put the cut-up pieces of rabbit into your heated jars and cover them with the hot brine leaving 1 ¼-inch of headspace.

I place all my pickling spices in the brine and simply add the brine with the spices to my jars. If you do not wish to do this, then simply place the loose spices in a small cheesecloth sachet and toss it into the brine. When you are ready to add the brine to the jars simply remove the sachet.

Chef's Note: Do not confuse 'Pink Himalayan' salt with pink curing salt (Prague powder), they are not the same and cannot be used interchangeably.

Processing Your Rabbit

Now I mentioned that this was a modified process of the 'raw' pack method. Generally when you raw pack meats, you stuff the jars full and add salt if desired, but you add no liquid. For this recipe, I packed the jars with raw meat, but added my hot brine to the jars and then processed them as raw pack. I did this because I wanted the rabbit to corn in the jar allowing me to skip having to keep it in the refrigerator for 7 days before canning.

Once you have poured the brine into your hot jars, remove any air bubbles, and add your heated two piece rings and lids to the jar and screw them hand tight and place them in your pressure canner. If you have read any of my other articles you know that all meat and meat products (including poultry, turkey, and rabbit) must be canned in a pressure canner. You cannot safely can meat products in a water bath canner, I repeat, all meats must be pressure canned.

Chef's Note: To keep the jars hot I left them submerged in my water bath canner with the water at a slight simmer. If you were doing a large batch of rabbit or other meat, you could wash your jars in the dishwasher and remove and pack them when they are still hot.

Once you have all your jars placed in your pressure canner process per the USDA's Complete Guide To Home Canning Guide 5: Preparing and Canning Poultry, Red Meats, and Seafoods as follows:

Pints for 75 minutes at 10lbs in a weighted pressure canner, or 11lbs in a dial gauge pressure canner.

Quarts for 90 minutes at 10lbs in a weighted pressure canner, or 11lbs in a dial gauge pressure canner.

Once the rabbit is processed and the jars have cooled, store them in your pantry and in 7 days you will have some of the best corned rabbit you have ever tasted.

Serving Your Corned Rabbit

As I mentioned, this is a modififed version of a 'raw' pack and the results were quite amazing, that is if you like corned or pickled meats. I must admit that I have only eaten my corned rabbit in only a couple of ways since I canned it, mainly cold straight out of the jar and it is yummy! You can use this corned rabbit as a substitute for corned beef in any corned beef recipe but it is particularly good in corned rabbit and hash, and it makes an interestingly tangy version of rabbit (chicken) salad. I am going to let John have the final word on how he and his family likes to eat their corned rabbit “We love the stuff. It can be mixed with eggs for an omelet, cooked with cabbage etc. like traditional corned beef. By far, though, our favorite way to eat it is toasted, on rye bread, with swiss cheese and a little thousand island dressing. (Think Reuben without the sauerkraut).”

Conclusion

Much thanks to John Fugozzie for inspiring me to make a canned version of his traditional refrigerated corned rabbit recipe. If you are looking for a way to preserve older bucks and does that are no longer productive corning is an excellent option. Whether you choose to go the traditional route and corn your rabbit in the refrigerator like John, or can it using my modified canning process, the rabbit will always be tender, and flavorful. You can check out John's original recipe on Facebook by clicking on the link below. As always if you have enjoyed this article we ask that you share it with your friends, and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook or Google+ so that you will not miss out on our latest articles.

Similar Articles On Our 'CulinaryYou' Blog:

Canning Rabbit and Poultry

References:

USDA Complete Guide To Home Canning Guide 5: Preparing and Canning Poultry, Red Meats,and Seafood.

John Fugozzie's Corned Rabbit Recipe On Facebook.