Editing Cuniculture (section)

===Meat rabbits===
Rabbits have been raised for meat production in a variety of settings around the world. Smallholder or backyard operations remain common in many countries, while large-scale commercial operations are centered in Europe and Asia. For the smaller enterprise, multiple local rabbit breeds may be easier to use.[[File:Preparing to skin some rabbits on a property in Queensland (3959915981).jpg|thumb|right|Butchering rabbits in [[Queensland]], Australia (1915)|400px]] Many local, "rustico", [[landrace]] or other heritage type breeds may be used only in a specific geographic area. Sub-par or "cull" animals from other breeding goals (laboratory, exhibition, show, wool, or pet) may also be used for meat, particularly in smallholder operations.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Counterintuitively, the giant rabbit breeds are rarely used for meat production, due to their extended growth rates (which lead to high feed costs) and their large bone size (which reduces the percentage of their weight that is usable meat). Dwarf breeds, too, are rarely used, due to the high production costs, slow growth, and low offspring rate.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In contrast to the multitude of breeds and types used in smaller operations, breeds such as the [[New Zealand rabbit|New Zealand]] and the [[Californian rabbit|Californian]], along with hybrids of these breeds, are most frequently utilized for meat in commercial rabbitries. The primary qualities of good meat-rabbit breeding stock are growth rate and size at slaughter, but also good mothering ability. Specific lines of commercial breeds have been developed that maximize these qualities – rabbits may be slaughtered as early as seven weeks and does of these strains routinely raise litters of 8 to 12 kits. Other breeds of rabbit developed for commercial meat production include the [[Florida White rabbit|Florida White]] and the [[Altex rabbit|Altex]].
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-1212-001, Betrieb Geflügelschlacht- und verarbeitung Schleusingen.jpg|thumb|left|A slaughtering facility in Germany (1985)|280px]]

Rabbit breeding stock raised in France is particularly popular with meat rabbit farmers internationally, some being purchased as far away as China in order to improve the local rabbit herd.<ref name=geng/>

Larger-scale operations attempt to maximize income by balancing land use, labor required, animal health, and investment in infrastructure. Specific infrastructure and strain qualities depend on the geographic area. An operation in an urban area may emphasize odor control and space utilization by stacking cages over each other with automatic cleaning systems that flush away faeces and urine. In rural [[sub-tropical]] and tropical areas, temperature control becomes more of an issue, and the use of air-conditioned buildings is common in many areas.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Breeding schedules for rabbits vary by individual operation. Prior to the development of modern balanced rabbit rations, rabbit breeding was limited by the nutrition available to the doe. Without adequate calories and protein, the doe would either not be fertile, would abort or [[fetal resorption|resorb]] the foetuses during pregnancy, or would deliver small numbers of weak kits. Under these conditions, a doe would be re-bred only after weaning her last litter when the kits reached the age of two months. This allowed for a maximum of four litters per year. Advances in nutrition, such as those published by the [[USDA]] Rabbit Research Station, resulted in greater health for breeding animals and the survival of young stock. Likewise, offering superior, balanced nutrition to growing kits allowed for better health and less illness among slaughter animals. Current practices include the option of re-breeding the doe within a few days of delivery (closely matching the behavior of wild rabbits during the spring and early summer, when [[forage]] availability is at its peak.) This can result in up to eight or more litters annually. A doe of ideal meat-stock genetics can produce five times her body weight in fryers a year. Criticism of the more intensive breeding schedules has been made on the grounds that re-breeding that closely is excessively stressful for the doe. Determination of health effects of breeding schedules is made more difficult by the domestic rabbit's [[reproductive physiology]] – in contrast to several other mammal species, rabbits are more likely to develop [[uterine cancer]] when not used for breeding than when bred frequently.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}
[[File:Rabbit meat.jpg|thumb|right|Commercially processed lean rabbit meat|180px]]

In efficient production systems, rabbits can turn 20 percent of the proteins they eat into edible meat, compared to 22 to 23 percent for [[broiler chickens]], 16 to 18 percent for pigs and 8 to 12 percent for beef; rabbit meat is more economical in terms of feed energy than beef.<ref name="fao.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690e/t1690e03.htm|title=FAO - The Rabbit - Husbandry, health and production|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423054344/http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690e/t1690e03.htm|archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref>

"Rabbit fryers" are rabbits that are between 70 and 90 days old, weighing {{convert|3|to(-)|5|lb|kg|order=flip|round=0.5}} in live weight. "Rabbit roasters" are rabbits from 90 days to 6&nbsp;months old, weighing {{convert|5|-|8|lb|kg|order=flip|round=0.5|abbr=on}} in live weight. "Rabbit stewers" are rabbits 6 months or older, weighing over {{convert|8|lb|kg|order=flip|round=0.5|abbr=on}}. "Dark fryers" (i.e., any color other than white) typically garner a lower price than "white fryers" (also called "albino fryers"), because of the slightly darker tinge to the meat. (Purely pink carcasses are preferred by most consumers.) Dark fryers are also harder to de-hide ([[skinning|skin]]) than white fryers.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In the United States, white fryers garner the highest prices per pound of live weight. In Europe, however, a sizable market remains for the dark fryers that come from older and larger rabbits. In the kitchen, dark fryers are typically prepared differently from white fryers.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

In 1990, the world's annual production of rabbit meat was estimated to be 1.5 million tonnes.<ref name=Lebas>{{cite book|last1=Lebas|first1=F.|last2=Coudert|first2=P.|last3=de Rochambeau|first3=H.|last4=Thébault|first4=R. G.|title=The Rabbit &ndash; Husbandry, Health and Production|date=1997|volume=21|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690e/t1690e03.htm|access-date=24 February 2018|series=FAO Animal Production and Health Series|isbn=92-5-103441-9|publisher=FAO &ndash; Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|location=Rome, Italy|issn=1010-9021|archive-date=23 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423054344/http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690e/t1690e03.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2014, the number was estimated at 2 million tonnes.<ref name=geng>{{cite news|first=Olivia|last=Geng|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/06/13/french-rabbit-heads-the-newest-delicacy-in-chinese-cuisine|title=French Rabbit Heads: The Newest Delicacy in Chinese Cuisine|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=12 June 2014}}</ref><!--The original text has 200 million tons for the world production, but this has to be a typo for 2 million in order for the China numbers given in the same article to match, as well as to be in line with other sources.--> China is among the world's largest producers and consumers of rabbit meat, accounting for some 30% of the world's total consumption. Within China itself, rabbits are raised in many provinces, with most of the rabbit meat (about 70% of the national production, equaling some 420,000 tonnes annually) being consumed in the [[Sichuan Basin]] ([[Sichuan]] Province and [[Chongqing]]), where it is particularly popular.<ref name=geng/>

Well-known chef [[Mark Bittman]] wrote that domesticated rabbit "[[tastes like chicken]]", because both are "blank palettes on which we can layer whatever flavors we like".<ref name=HowToCookEverything>{{cite web|url=http://www.howtocookeverything.tv/htce/TakeOnTheRecipes/detail/recipeId-24.html|title=How to Cook Everything: Braised Rabbit with Olives|year=2008|access-date=2008-07-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517134208/http://www.howtocookeverything.tv/htce/TakeOnTheRecipes/detail/recipeId-24.html|archive-date=2008-05-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>