Every life on this farm is treated with dignity and respect. We don't eat factory farm raised meat because of their use of hormones & antibiotics and their inhumane treatment of animals. Raising and processing our own animals is the one way we can know where our food comes from and that the animals are given loving care during their lives as well as a respectful death. This guarantee is passed on
to my customers. Our rabbit meat is raised in Powell River for sale only in the regional district of Powell River. All rabbit meat is fully frozen to a temperature of -18C or less. The meat is transported in an iced cooler to the Farmer's Market and other retail locations. The transporting cooler's temperature is monitored with a thermometer and documented on a temperature log. The rabbit meat is package individually and vacuum sealed in food grade plastic bags. Rabbits are raised in large wire cages inside a well ventilated barn. They are provided with daily outdoor exercise, clean water, a variety of healthy foods and protection from predators, rain, wind and excessive heat. They are allowed to interact safely with other rabbits and are handled and observed a minimum of twice daily by care giver. Rabbits that appear unwell are isolated, observed, nursed and culled if required. For veterinary questions contact is made with our local vet Dr. Brian Barnes
Our rabbits are fed twice a day a combination of high-quality pellets (no seeds or dried fruits), a variety of fresh greens and unlimited amounts of grass hays such as timothy, orchard grass or oat hay, this is the staple of our rabbit’s diet. Some of the rabbit greens are grown organically on the farm. In season many wild greens are collected such as dandelion, plantain, chicory and vetch. We grow some of our own feed including: Kale, chard, beet greens, carrot greens, sweet cicely, mustard greens, lettuce, cabbage, comfrey, broccoli and cauliflower leaves, grapes, apples, blackberry and raspberry canes. In addition to greens and hay we also feed Purity Feed Rabbit Pellets bought from Rainbow Valley feed store, manufactured by Otter Co-op in Aldergrove, BC. Ingredients: alfalfa, barley and/or oats, corn, wheat mill run, wheat, distillers grain, canola meal and/or soyameal, vegetable oil, pellet binder, multiphos, limestone, vitamin A premix, vitamin D premix, vitamin E premix, copper sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, sodium selenate. Our feed contain no growth hormones, antibiotics, steroids, animal byproducts or arsenic. For more information and guaranteed analysis see:http://ottercoop.com/_customelements/uploadedResources/NM16RabbitPellet.pdf
Our slaughtering facility is inspected every 5 years (last done in 2015) by Environmental Health Officer Darren Molder, of Vancouver Coastal Health, PO Box 1040, 5571 Inlet Avenue, Sechelt, BC, V0N 3A0, 604-885-8701. I hold a Slaughter-safe certification, WA and BC food safe certifications, and have 35 years experience in the food industry. Serendipity Rabbitry's Food Safety Problems Plan includes: A complaint log on file , all customers are encouraged to provide feedback on product. If any complaints are received the customer is offered replacement product or a refund. For health events related to contaminated meat the local EHO is contacted: 604-885-8701. Records are kept listing customer names and slaughter date. Each customer is given a receipt, which includes the farm name and slaughter date. Rabbits are a sustainable meat choice because they eat forage, which is not useful for humans. Rabbits are also an ideal choice for urban farmers because they are small and can be raised and butchered by the DIY homesteader. They are easy to fit in a small backyard, and are happy to help you compost your leftover food. You can feed a rabbit partially on kitchen scraps, and then use their waste as fertilizer. Rabbits have a much smaller carbon footprint than other animals because they convert calories into pounds more efficiently. According to Slow Food USA, "Rabbit can produce six pounds of meat on the same amount of feed and water it takes a cow to produce just one pound."
