You can also sell rabbits to commercial processors. Some pay 1.80 a lb live weight and some pay more. I found somebody thats wants 100 rabbits a week and paying 2.25 per lb. That comes out to 58k per year cash money. About half of that for feed. Would need about 100 rabbits for something like that.
Wow, that sounds like a pretty good deal. I have never found one that would pay anywhere near that much. Plus, there is no way I could have 100 rabbits (although I think it would take more than that) on my property. :)
Slightly Rednecked yeah i can not have that money with the property i am on now gotta find an acre or two or rent a barn. alls i was doing was trying to sell some grow outs to pay for feed and i got a message like that. i gotta deliver to get that 2.25 but its only an hour away. a lot of my info i found on rabbits i got off of your videos i only had them for a year and just started breeding 3 months ago.
Slightly Rednecked. yea i only commented that because you didnt mention it and it is another way people could make money on them. would involve a few hours a day on top of what somebody would already work but it would be well worth it as a part time income. and you are welcome i watch every time i get a notification of new video
Gee meat and especially Rabbits ARE SO CHEAP over there! Here in Australia a processed rabbit at a butchers or the Duopoly we have in Supermarkets here (WOOLWORTHS & COLES) when they do have rabbit they ask around $18.00 each! A 50lb bag of pellets is over $30, and to buy say a NZ White rabbit to breed from is $30 each and up to$60, this country has gone to pack, No longer the lucky country, we almost need a specific licence or permit to fart now! But we soldier on with our small Permaculture efforts!
wow. I am pretty lucky to get the prices I do. It isn't as cheap everywhere in the country but definitely not as expensive as what you have. Hang in there buddy.
Here in Michigan only specialty stores carry rabbit meat and average price is $6.99 per pound, which amounts to $21 for a 3 lb carcass. My feed cost per pound of processed meat is about $3.50.
here's a great tip in selling rabbit meat to white tablecloth restaurants. whenever you know you'll have about 10 or 20 pounds of meat go meet a chef in person and ask if they are wanting to change the menu. especially French chefs no they can get about three servings off of a rabbit. you want to Market it as Thresh no antibiotics organic free range whatever you want to say to add value and you can sell from $10 all the way up to 20 and $25. this all done behind closed doors and restaurants where cash is paid on the barrelhead unofficially of course
RE: rabbit manure being organic: "Organic" used to mean "natural," but today it is tied to the food/ supplements that feed the animal to be butchered for food. To be "organic rabbit meat" the rabbit must have been fed certified organic feed/ medical care.
selling rabbits, the manure, hide etc all combined are excellent. I do $5 nail trims and takes me 5 minutes per rabbit and I take people who get me to do 20-40 rabbits per session (they sell to kids and get me to do the nails because they have no time) Manure for me around here a feed bag only sells for $2-$3 a 50lb bag. But that adds up with the manure. I sell show stock, breeding stock and pet rabbits pedigreed and purebred and also mixed breed. If you have multiple breeds even if you have only a pair of each breed lots of people are interested.
Those are all good suggestions, thanks for sharing. I don't know enough people that have rabbits to offer that service but that is a great idea. i have sold some rabbit manure but to me it just isn't worth it, and I use pretty much all of my manure anyway.
Ill let people buy a baby bunny with the genuine offer to take the bunny back anytime they get bored of it. Then lie to them that i will give it a loving home. it goes straight to freezer camp incase it picked up a skin bug on its travels. Often comes back huge, rarely doesn't come back.
Earthworms love rabbit manure. The manure piles under my rabbit cages would yield dozens of worms in each shovelful. I used to sell them for fishing bait.
Where I am, in California, the way I read the laws, I can sell processed rabbits and quail directly to the user/consumer. If I wanted to try to get into a store or butcher shop, then I would need permits and inspections.
Love the video, as always! Something for you to think about is a kinda thing going on right now (not really new, but it's growing) and that is the 'raw feeding community'. Basically feeding cats and dogs on raw meat, organs, etc. The pelts can be dehydrated for animal treats, although, from experience I can tell you it's best to do that outside. The smell during the dehydrating is pretty yucky! My dogs loved it tho! Feet can be used for animal treats as well as (easy to do) lucky rabbit foot key chains. Some people use tails for this as well. Rabbit heads are great treats for dogs, ears can be left intact or also dehydrated for treats. Nothing much goes to waste, but there is a lot of work in all this. You can sell processed rabbits as animal food, just not for human consumption and I do believe it must be labeled as such. Just thought that would be another avenue for you and other rabbit peeps to check out. There is another possibly profitable avenue and that is wet specimens from little ones who die naturally. This is easy to do (rubbing alcohol, glass jar) and depending on the rabbit, can sell for as much or more as it would as a live 8 week old. Etsy has some listed. Thanks so much for the great videos! Looking forward to catching up on ones I've missed along the way!
Yep. We have several dogs, and are now raising quail and should be starting with silver fox rabbits next month. Both of these meat sources will be primarily for the dogs as we absolutely HATE having to feed kibble. Mostly, we hate that we have no idea what actually goes into the kibble, and it's highly processed and full of starch ( not a great overall diet for carnivores). Can they survive on dog food? Of course, but from our experience dealing with several dogs with varying health issues they don't seem to really thrive on kibble. AND we're tired of our dogs having to go through weeks of upset stomach every time a brand decides to tweak its formula or gets recalled (and then we have to spend time researching to find a suitable alternative). Both quail and rabbit are considered "novelty" proteins in the world of dog and cat nutrition. Because these proteins aren't used as often, it is less likely that dogs and cats will have allergies to them. Not to mention, quail eggs are gold in terms of health benefits for pets just as they are for humans! Pet foods containing rabbit or quail meat and/or quail eggs tend to fetch a pretty high price in pet stores, especially frozen raw formulas. Not to mention, in addition to selling to customers who feed their dogs, cats, and reptiles raw, many people who own/breed/show ferrets, minks, and other similar animals as well as falconers also feed raw and would probably rather buy locally . I think in the right markets there could be a lot of money to be made in selling both quail and rabbits as feeders. We definitely plan to see how we can expand into these markets, but just saving money by not having to constantly buy kibble (or frequently visit the vet for upset stomachs) will be a blessing. It's MUCH cheaper to feed and keep the quail right now than it is to buy multiple bags of dog food each week.
You mentioned that you both use and sometimes sell the rabbit manure. One problem I am hearing more and more frequently is that straw and the manures of animals that ate grasses in either fresh or hay form (probably silage too) has recently become a very dangerous soil mulch or amendment, because industrial agriculture frequently uses selective anti-dicot herbicides like "/Graze-On/" (aminopylralids?) to reduce weed pressure. These toxins are amazingly environmentally persistent, and pass into manure (even of ruminants, as indeed cattle manure is typically the one most commonly sold) unchanged. Then when that manure or compost using manure is used in the garden, it kills your plants (except presumably grasses like maize, sugarcane, etc, which however are rarely what I seek to grow). Unless this stuff is banned in grain (because humans eat a lot of grains whereas hay, being indigestible to us, might be less regulated though it gets into our diets by the meat we eat), it is likely an issue even with poultry manure since domesticated birds typically eat a diet of about 1/3 seeds (grain flour, commercially, which is then pressed with alfalfa for the greens/protein side). Rabbits are probably exposed to grain and grass stover in pellets, and certainly are given hay as a fiber source. How do you ensure that your hay and other rabbit forage is free of herbicides? Do you raise your own Timothy etc grass? I am getting scared to fertilize my garden these days. Thanks.
I have heard of those issues as well but so far I have never experienced it myself. I don't raise my own hay or anything like that. I don't know that it is really that big of an issue.
Slightly Rednecked - No problem. I looked long and hard into the regs for it. here in PA, there are almost none on small holders, so long as there aren't "issues." Now, I also have the chefs from the restaurants come visit FIRST, so they can see how we do things, and judge for themselves. We also call it the "Besben Principle." We make a decent living, but we are small enough to stay off the Empires radar...
Tim, by any chance can we link up. I also live in PA (Mid Western Area) and am getting ready to start rabbits within the next year. I would like to learn your methods of advertisement and especially any kind of local predator protection you do for your operation.
For anyone curious, here is some info on how PA does the exemption. I am by no means a lawyer and you should look deeper for yourself on those exemptions. extension.psu.edu/food/entrepreneurs/regulations/pennsylvania-regulations/farmers-guide-to-processing-and-selling-meat-or-poultry
Rabbit manure is a fantastic fertilizer. It is find to use as a soil amendment for root vegetables. You don't want to grow them in nothing but manure. But you can add it to your existing soil.
Hi long time since i commented but yeah welcome back congratz on your life and yeah i sometimes sell dwarf rabbits to buy feed and now i have 2 young meat rabbit for breading and personal consume and still dwarfs for feed cost. again congratz on everything and welcome back
Gun enthusiasts are actually ironically some of the most peaceful people you will ever meet. I have never met a hunter or marksmen willing to buy a rabbit for target practice. People who own reptiles however are heartless. Interesting that people who gather martial ability find peace and people who find compassion for even the most unemotional and cold creatures find emptiness
People who own reptiles are heartless what the helll. I own a bearded dragon does that make me heartless then. Who the hell do u think u are saying that. That is soo un true I love all animals, I can't believe u even said that.
I grow for my table, for friends and family. nothing large scale as I have other animals as well. the rabbit manure is a good idea. I do the same with my feed bags and sell alot in the spring.
How are you only having $2-$3 per rabbit? Our feed is $14 per 50 lb bag and it takes 3.5-4 lb feed to make a pound of meat. Thanks for all your ideas and videos1
Good point. It may be a little over $3 per rabbit. Sometimes my math is off. :) I don't think it is much over $5 though. I generally go through about a bag and a half of feed to raise a litter of 9 to butcher weight (including feeding the parents). That's about $4 per rabbit. I don't keep real close track on feed cost but that is pretty close.
Great video my area. you can easily sell New Zealand between 6-8 weeks for $15. but what goes really well is a breeding pair. so I save it breeding pair. and I can turn them out and sell them for about 30 - $60. Depending on their ages and they will go quickly. it's amazing how people call and look for them. and somebody right now calling me wanting some reading pair that is. but I don't have any because I don't hold on to them in the summertime.
I make a profit off my rabbits by using their manure in my vegetable garden. I always produce twice as much as I need for myself in the garden so that I can sell the surplus at the local farmers market.
I am saving money on my feed costs by feeding my rabbits weeds/ small brush from my yard.so far,it's saved me about 40 lbs of feed a week.i also learned from the channel lifeinthailand,cutting up tall grasses and weeds with scissors reduces.my feed costs for the chickens and ducks
My caged rabbits have pellets in the morning and grass in the evening. My rabbits in tractors eat grass all day and only need 20% of their allowance of pellets. They seem to be just fine. They also cut my grass down like a golfing putting range LOL. I want to make more tractors for the summertime they do such a great jog on the grass in my field. The manure is fantastic. They are just great, all round. Best of all is their meat is free from chemicals.
In my city I can't sale them at all unless I'm zoned for a pet store or shelter. Were planning on moving with in the next year or so. Not that we were thinking of saleing them but after the city cracked down on us for having farm animals I looked into everything before getting rabbits and quails. Can't wait to move cause we're We are moving there's no zoning so we can bread harvest and sale anything we want. That's not every were but we look into were we are moving to.
Great vids we like them. My daughter faith is getting into rabbits and wants to know how to trim their nails? Can you offer a vid on the care of their feet/nails? Thanks keep up the good work.
I don't trim the nails on my rabbits but there really isn't any trick to it. Just trim the ends only and if the rabbit is very squirmy it might help to wrap it in a towel to help hold it still and protect your arms. I might see if I can get a video together on it just to show how to do it.
When trying to move home grown produce of any kind its really good to have a solid first nations "Indian" friend. They often can bypass many if not all local regulations. A couple multi colored rabbit hides may not be worth even five dollars but a genuine native american/canadian staples it into a little foot shaped sack and people will part with thirty or forty bucks for a pair of authentic Moccasin Slippers. protip its way easier and more profitable to you to sell your friend the hides and let them bother with making the slippers and let them take the lion's share of the profit for many reasons. In the end you will sell and make more. Never do a give pelts pay later plan unless you are comfy never getting paid.
It is a little higher now. The typical price for a breeder rabbit is about $20. You can sell 8 week old rabbits for about $15. But you would still have to raise a lot of rabbits to make a significant profit off of them.
@@Slightlyrednecked Thank you for the response. I was thinking that 20 seems right for either where I live. Alsp for an 8 or 9 month NZ doe maybe more if she is ready to breed.
we raise newzealands for meat....Wisconsin allows the direct sale of rabbit meat without a commercial facility or a limit on how much you can make or how many you can sell. just need a label with your info and that you're not federally inspected....now if I want to sell to restaurants or at farmers markets....need permits and such.
We are in Mexico, close to Monterrey City , ibeen raising rabbits for more than 20 years in a small scale 20 to 40 does a the most , i use the manure to raise black soldiier fly and to produce biogás with very good resuts.
If you get the food for the rabbits from, Grape leaves Fruit tree leaves Berry pushes, leaves Bark from bottom trees Empress tree, they love the leaves. Kudzu Comfrey And there is more These will also drink less water, and be alot more healthier.
Perhaps the rabbits can detoxify, but fruit trees in the rose family (apples, pears, haws, quince, stone fruit...) have cyanogenic foliage. Mulberry should be safe. Citrus is probably too "spicy" (terpenes disrupt the bacteria that herbivores use to digest cellulose).
I was trying to sell a couple of my new litters cuz they are being inside lots of attention good temperament but someone was giving them away for free... I will wait it out... We will be replacing a momy anyway so we can have a momy with a better temper... We want to grow so we will be keeping a couple... See how it goes
It varies but I usually get around $10 for a feed sack full. Check craigslist and see if other people are selling it in your area and what they are going for.
sell baby bunnies to snake and reptile owners for feed. advertise them as less dangerous live feed then mice. reptile loving folk really respond to this claim which as far as I can tell is totally true. This moves bunnies fast and saves the lives of many a free kitten.
As a snake owner, I really dislike the notion that most snake owners would feed kittens to their snakes. That's like saying every Democrat is trans gender. Lol. I buy pre-killed and frozen rats from the RodentPro. It is extremely reasonably priced for a box of feed.
Rabbits sell for around $30 Australian. And food cost me about $17 every 5 weeks I Only sell the white one's people like that colour so I do get My money back plus meat
@@Slightlyrednecked yeah, I hear Arizona doesn't have a good rabbit meat market, either. I'm wondering if things will change now that this virus stuff is going on so long.
you mentioned that rabbit fertilizer is "cold" and does not need to be mixed with mulch but people will pay more for compost mixed with rabbit waste then just straight rabbit waste not only because it does work better then unmixed but because its way more pleasant to work with. Also it really beefs out your inventory considering you should be selling it by weight.
That is a good idea. Around here, people will pay for straight rabbit manure. But i don't find that it is worth the effort honestly. And I use most of mine anyway.
I don't keep smaller breed rabbits. I only produce meat rabbits and use 30 by 36 inch cages. You could get away with 24 inch square cages for smaller breed rabbits though.
they should be fine. Yellow liver just means that it is fatty. probably related to diet but shouldn't affect the meat or the liver in any way. Hope that helps.
I am in Missouri. It depends on what you are selling them for. If you are selling them for human consumption and already butchered it usually requires inspection to do so. But it may not be enforced very strictly.
Hey Chris it's Billy at Far-Mar Acres. I checked into the USDA requirements regarding rabbit butchering. In Kansas rabbits are considered a poultry animal. I know. But hey the best thing to do is like you said sell a live rabbit and then butcher it for your customer. It's their rabbit and they can do what ever they want with it. The government hates that. Lol. In my area rabbit meat is very sought after. Usually around 6 pounds. $13.50 each. Good money and we have customers on our waiting list. Take care.
Interstate sales need to be usda inspected and that costs at least $9 per rabbit for processing. Sales to stores in state need to be at a state inspected facility. Any alternative animal incurre a 4.50 usda fee per head. Same per head price for a quail, rabbit, elk, or bison!
Slightly Rednecked it’s very common! They want Young 6-8 week old bunnies for this that are a little more tame. But they sometimes pay a fairly pretty penny for them.
medical labs would never ever buy a rabbit in that situation. They need the rabbits used in experiments to have extremely strict pedigrees as to cut down in variables that would effect the outcome of experimentation. great video all the same.
@@erikjohnson9223 Upside down pens that you drag across the grass one cage length at a time. It cuts the feeding cost up to 70% as they mow the grass, and it adds to the price of the meat at the same time, because they were free ranged and grass fed. You do need some slats on the bottom to keep them from digging out, but that also keeps them from mowing the grass too low. You can really get a lot more money out of land using the polyface methods.
Well you have to admit that there are ways that are more humane than others. And it is way more humane to slaughter the rabbit before cooking it. After all they are meat rabbits.
Because why would people who actually own and raise rabbits know anything about rabbits? 9.9 We KNOW you don't think or have a clue about anything, period.
eating meat is ethical, I don't have time to write you a couple paragraphs explaining why tho. just think about something besides the fact that you both bleed and therefore in your human-centric mind, lifeforms that are more closely related to humans are more valuable. plants are alive too.
Why did you watch a video about meat rabbits just so you could play some holier-than-though bullshit? You're rude, and if anything I feel even more encouraged to raise meat rabbits. 👍
What is sad is you deliberately seek out homestead videos to whine on. Go snivel elsewhere if you haven't got what it takes to handle it, it's that simple.
