Kent":3qxg2chu said:
@ BlueHaven
Actually, I have been getting US$5.60 per LB so the profit is good but I only have a dozen rabbits. And I pay US$12.00 for a 50LB bag of pellets.
I don't think BlueHaven meant entirely the start-up or running costs for the rabbits themselves (correct me if I'm wrong, BlueHaven) but for a rabbitry on the scale you are planning I would imagine you may need to hire some folks to help you run the place. Sure, a dozen rabbits are easy enough to work with, but when you're talking about a hundred rabbits, it's not just feed costs you have to consider in the price of raising the rabbits. I don't see how such a large rabbitry could be entirely operated by one individual, or even a small family; there will be the breeding, feeding, and making sure everyone has water, sure. But you will probably have to be even more vigilant about disease in such a large set-up (one sick rabbit can go through the whole herd like wildfire), and I can only imagine the number of hours (or days) it would take to process the rabbits for your customers. The wages for the people to help you in the business will begin to eat at the profit margin, probably more than the food costs. I still think it's manageable (and a fantastic idea for consumers who want to purchase a variety of meats outside of the general cattle/pork/poultry industry), but I also see how the profits may seem bigger than they actually turn out to be.
As a comparison, I sew, and I have done many commissioned pieces. While I do see a profit, it's almost negligible when compared to the price of the materials and the number of hours spent on it, so I normally only take commissions from family or friends. If I were to charge even slightly higher than "minimum wage" for the hours I spent on some of those pieces, I wouldn't have any buyers for the end product.
I don't want to discourage you (in fact, I'm really hoping your business thrives), I see the situation similarly to BlueHaven, though (I think).