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longtail

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There sure is little interest in growing rabbits for market. Just wondering is the interest so low because of such low returns? Or is it just more interesting to chit chat? seems like any thread initiated to further discisssion of raisnt rabbits for meat or profit ends up being very short lived with not much in depth discussion while those dealing with pet topics can get somewhat lengthy.
Is there a place on the net dedicated to profitable rabbit raising? Maybe I just havent found it yet?
 
Nope. Not really. The Professional Meat Rabbit Association (I think I got that right) is now defunct, too, as I understand it.

Between sometimes onerous laws/regulations and the general attitude of most Americans toward rabbit meat, it's hard to make much profit growing meat rabbits for market. If you happen to live close enough to a Pel-Freez pickup point, you might be able to make it work, IF you can meet their strict requirements. I don't know of any other major processors out there.

The glut of Chinese rabbit skins makes it near impossible to make a profit on rabbit fur, either. Wool for spinning is very much a niche market, and again, difficult to make a profit. Same goes for rabbit manure for gardeners.

About the only widespread way to make a (small) profit raising rabbits for others is in show rabbits (which takes a lot of time/money to compete in shows so that your rabbits will command a high enough price to let you do more than break even) or in the occasional pet sales.

Most of us here consider raising meat for our own table and/or dogs/cats/snakes/etc. to be a form of profit. For my part I'm happy with that, and if I can sell a rabbit to a 4Her every now and then to help pay for feed, so much the better.
 
When we started RabbitTalk, our idea was to make an inclusive website where people could talk about whatever aspects of raising rabbits interested them. If there are no lengthy, in-depth discussions, it is because that is not the focus of the current participants. This may change... We're a young board, not even quite a year old.

You could try visiting the Homesteading Today Rabbit forum. It used to be a "for profit" forum and you may find what you are looking for there. Many of us participate in both forums.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/forumdisplay.php?f=14

I believe there is also a yahoo meat rabbits group, but I don't have any details about it.
 
Trinity, that is a great post - very true IMHO. Maggie, it seems like the forum is growing steadily and I really like it here. :)

Also, Longtail I couldn't seem to click on your name to view your other posts, but if you have a discussion you would like to start about meat rabbits I will do what I can to participate and I am sure others here will too as well. In addition to here and HT, there is a meat rabbits group on yahoo if you search for it. They are not strictly on topic, but you can use the search feature as most aspects have been discussed over the years.

Best of luck,

Lauren
 
Longtail,
their are quite a few breeders that breed for Show , Pets and Meat.
You don't see much verbalization about it due to the threat of the A.R.A's.
I breed toward the standard but the Rabbits that are not up to snuff
become either Pets, [Few and far between] as the Pet market continues to dwindle.
Folks seem to not have the time required to invest in properly caring for a Rabbit.
They would prefer to spend that time playing Video-games and don't care for the opportunity
to spend time with a fuzzy little live friend.
I remember the days when you could not produce enough Pet rabbits quickly enough!
Thos days are long gone! Many rabbits are sold as a nutritious food source
for either animal or Human consumption.
The best opportunity to sell Meat rabbits is through word of mouth.
You can/will eventually develop a following of those people who will
call and frequently seek more of what you have to offer.
You will not get RICH with any rabbit project,
but if you enjoy them you can keep afloat and may even be able to have
your rabbits pay for their own upkeep.
Ottersatin. :eek:ldtimer:
 
I would love to chat more about meat rabbits. I mostly got questions so i could not answer alot. But if there was a post about meat rabbits i would be there.
 
I hadnt posted here before but have been reading for a while to see whats up. The other forum isnt for me mostly, it was ok for awhile then kinda moved a different direction I guess.
I will try that Yahoo place but I cant seem to make Yahoo work well for some reason??
I breed New Zealands in all but red using show stock males over commercial females. Do good enuf at shows- best broken with a buck, best opposite black with a buck and 2 1sts on a white jr doe at our specialty show 2 weeks ago.

I breed the does at 8 pounds or about 5 months and average 7 kits averaging 6.4 pounds ea at 12 weeks. We have a pretty fair meat market @ !.20 per lb any color or weight over 5 lbs.

Gonna try a white Sable buck on a couple does on some 1st time doelings next month, see how those fryers grow out. Kinda wondering about those Altex bucks as terminal sire?? any experiences here.

I keep pretty good records, weigh all kits weekly to see who is doing the best, etc. Actuall kinda getting into doing some research of sorts as I am a tinkerer with genetioc improvment and rabbits offer a lot of opportunities.

Kinda tuff for a profit minded operation. I netted 44 cents per animal last pickup and that did not count feed for the does and bucks. Found another feed for 4$s less per cwt which ought to help some.
 
I have intrest in growing for a meat market, although I plan to sell straight to customers. At the moment I have one doe who is aging, one who is coming into being ready to breed, and two weaned doe kits. I would like to get to 600 does. I imagine it will take a few years, at least to get there, after I get a source of income to pay for them. I am hoping to expand with each litter I get, save does and sell the bucks, hopefully making enough with the bucks to pick up a few more breeding age does, and pay for the feed I need. Once I get 15 does (juniors and seniors) I will save a NZ buck kit to grow out, assuming I can breed a doe a day and maintain fertility in my buck. And then I will work on the second 15 does.

I am looking right now at a pair of NZ cross does, one older, at two, but a proven mother, and the other at 8 month, missing half an ear, but ready to begin breeding now. I will pay $15 for the pair, and not have to feed them to get them old enough to breed.

That would put me at four breeding does, right now. hopefully their kits in a colony will give me enough to feed them and buy a couple more does.

At any rate, I am agreeing that we have production minded people in our midsts, but I for example, am having a time getting there (now what I wouldn't do to have been able to bring my herd here from Salem, I'd have six does ready to breed now, and two bucks. And enough cages for everybunny).
 
I'm also on the yahoogroups MeatRabbits forum. It's a busy forum, but again, mostly people raising meat rabbits for family consumption, not much for sale to others.

And ottersatin has a very good point--many people who do raise meat rabbits for sale are quiet about it due to harrassment from the animal-rights crowd (who sometimes invade rabbitries, stealing the rabbits or letting them loose, destroying rabbits and other property, etc.).

Probably the best people I know of to ask questions about large-scale meat rabbit operations would be Pat Lamar (now retired but still on the forums) or Linda Welch. Both are on the MeatRabbits yahoogroup.
 
Shara, expanding to 600 does is a tall order ! I think you had best do a little more research before jumping in. Lowering your expectations a bit to begin would be good until you develop some kind of market and learn how to select future breeders. Ive spent the last 2 years looking at everything I can find on the internet and talking to other producers. Guess Im gonna try that Yahoo site. thanks
 
I am a commercial grower and would love to connect with other growers. But since animal activist has everyone hushed its hard to find anyone to talk to. Ive been trying to be careful as to what i say so they don't come hunt me down. Ive got to keep my stock primary Rew. But im trying to learn about genetics too and who and what will be best to breed together. Ive wanted an Altex but the fact that there terminal and i will have to travel to Texas every so often to get a young buck to replace my older one does not sound like much profit to me. Maybe if i ever go on vacation and head that way ill try to buy one. Ive got a good record system in place i think. Ive got kintracks to help me with breeding weaning and due dates. And i use Microsoft office page i created to track weight gain of each does litters.
 
Shara,
I whole heartedly agree with Longtail.
I was the County Rabbit adviser and folks planning
on a Meat rabbit project were often steered toward me for advise.
I would ask them how long they have had rabbits, the answer was always
"We have never had rabbits before". I would explain to them why they
did not want to start with even a herd of 50 Rabbits.
It did not take much convincing to get them to try a few Does and a Buck first
to see if it is really something they might want to get so deeply involved in.
Start small, you can always grow bigger but it is sometimes quite hard to unload
a large herd if you decide that it is just not your thing.
Best of luck with your new project.
Ottersatin. :eek:ldtimer:
 
randtrabbitry":2t8tkb15 said:
Ive wanted an Altex but the fact that there terminal and i will have to travel to Texas every so often to get a young buck to replace my older one does not sound like much profit to me. Maybe if i ever go on vacation and head that way ill try to buy one.
Click to expand...

Hey, the IRS allows $0.55 per mile. Just saying. :D<br /><br />__________ Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:33 pm __________<br /><br />I just started out with rabbits back in March. I have mostly meat mutts. NZ/Cali cross does and pure NZ bucks. I would love to get more involved with a market to sell them. I have a few leads and contacts, but it is going to take a bit of an effort to develop it I think.

As for the Animal Rights people, I am not that worried. We live out in the country and pretty much look after each other. In the words of an old Hank Jr. song, "I've got a shotgun, rifle, and a four wheel drive. A country boy can survive."
 
I have 70 kits right now, 18 need processed tomorrow. I have sold a number of rabbits to others (live), but since I do not want to keep all whit rabbits, and I am not really interested in butchering them for others, there is not much of a meat market. Most people don't want to butcher them themselves, and I don't want to worry about ever changing rules from federal, state, and local health departments. As it is, I think I am required to have a separate building with a three compartment sink to (legally) process them. If one person were to ever get sick while eating the rabbit, no matter what the cause, one could get easily sued. If one is willing to get passed these hurdles, one could probably sell quite a bit. I have sold most of my live rabbits by word of mouth, and given some processed rabbit to friends and neighbors. There is good interest if I am willing to process, I just don't need the worries.
 
I had about 50-60 does in a meat operation and found for one person that was pretty much full-time to look after. That's about 10% of 600 so I think to be honest that would need about 6-12 people full time!
 
Like I said, I plan on taking a bit to expand, not going out and buying 600 hundred all at once, lol. I am not sure WHAT I would do, or where I could put them all! I have raised rabbits before, and was researching them for a good year before I got any this spring. I had a herd of twenty, and except for people releasing them, loved every minute of it. I am in a posisition now to go up a few more, but not much else till I get some more kits sold and cages in. Right now I am down to 2 does and a buck (and two baby does, but they don't count) since I had to give my herd away to be able to move. I'm not starting with 50, just going up a couple or three at a time, as I have resource, with an end goal of about 600 does.

Thought I'd clarify. :)

I do appreciate that you guys watch out to make sure I don't get in over my head, but I won't, I promise. :D<br /><br />__________ Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:08 pm __________<br /><br />perhaps I would end up not wanting quite as many...I don't know, but that is my current end goal.
 
I've only been into rabbits for a couple of months. I got into it because times are tough, we're raising a familly, and I'd like to move more towards self-sufficiency. Because I'm in the city, I'm limited to how many mature rabbits I can have, but my dream is to live in the country, where I could have a dozen-or-so does.

I've bought rabbit meat in the stores, and was quite impressed. That's another reason why I got into it.

I look forward to making rabbit a staple in our family's diet. All the info on here is invaluable!
 
For ones own table a trio should keep plenty of meat available. You could xpect around 420 pounds live weight per year, about 50% of that would be table fare.
 
I think it can be good to have more. we dont really eat meat too often because of the price, and they need to pay for themselves, so for me to eat it as often as I want, I need at least four does. I think it is an individual thing.
 

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