The jobs seem to be non-stop this summer on the urban homestead! I have been so busy building the fence around the front yard garden, according to city regulations, that I have been neglecting other things. Now that the fence is almost done, I am busy making an exercise pen for the baby rabbits. I just used an existing fence as the background wall and used tee posts and chicken wire to create a pen. Leaving about a foot against the ground so that the rabbits won’t dig out is a good idea. Bailing wire or landscape ties can be used to keep it secure against the ground.

Letting those little guys out into their new pen felt good. They zoom. They zip. They jump straight up in the air just for fun. However watching their antics reminded me that I am going to kill them and eat them in a few weeks. Yikes! I found myself thinking, Why do I have these crazy ideas? What was I thinking? Then I realized these are good questions.

Seriously, why did I get these meat rabbits in the first place?

I remember watching a documentary about factory farms. It is not something I could easily forget.

Once you know the truth it is hard to turn a blind eye to what is really happening. Every time I eat meat I think about the life that animal lived and I am ashamed. I think we do vote with our forks, so every time I lift my fork to my mouth I am condoning factory method farming.

The living conditions animals have to endure are horrible. I could not stomach raising any animal that way, literally. That is why I chose meat rabbits. I want the animals I raise to be with their mother as long as they need to. I want them to zip and zoom and stretch out on the ground. I want them to feel the earth under their feet and the sunshine on their faces. While it will hurt my heart to kill them, I am secure in the knowledge that they lived a good life and I am thankful for the meat to feed my family. This is why I chose meat rabbits. Why did you? I would love to hear why others started on the journey of raising their own meat.