Anyone who is raising children knows that anything you do, they will want to help you. Regardless of what purpose you’re raising the rabbits for, the children will want to be involved. So, if you’re raising rabbits for meat, how do you handle that?
Firstly, I am certainly not a parenting expert or professional. I do have two young sons of my own (currently ages 3 and 5) who enjoy raising rabbits alongside me. My eldest son especially enjoys helping me in all aspects, even the cleaning! He wants to raise his own rabbits in the future and has his eyes on the Dutch breed.
Early on, I explained to my children that I will be getting rabbits that will live in our basement and that they will have babies for rabbit shows, and for meat for us to eat. They were shocked by the idea at first, as they only knew that meat came from the grocery store. However, I explained to them that even the meat at the grocery store came from a living animal before it got there. I told them about my opinions on a lot of corporate factory farms and how they treat animals, which led to them realizing that our rabbits would be well cared for, happy, and loved before they became dinner. This realization really helped them feel like we were on the right track raising them ourselves.
In my experience, kids really look to their parents to decide how they should feel about things, or what is considered normal. The first time we processed rabbits out for meat, my eldest son wanted to help and was very curious. So, I let him help! We say a prayer of thanks to our rabbits before we dispatch them, and each time my son told the rabbit “Thanks, I love you” before they were dispatched. I didn’t let him handle any of the dangerous tools, but he was there for the whole process and assisted hands on with gutting the rabbit. As we did each consecutive rabbit, he only got less nervous and more curious about the whole thing. He learned a lot, not only about providing his own food, but also about anatomy and biology. He was able to see what a real heart looks and feels like, for instance. Not something that I was taught when I was young, I know!
I think it’s a great thing to include your children in an age-appropriate way. I wouldn’t want my 5 year old cutting himself with a knife, but he’s more than capable of tearing out intestines with his hands. Involving your children in the process and having these conversations about death leads to personal growth for everyone. And with the uncertain times we live in, I think it’s a great thing for the next generation to be able to know and understand.
