best way to buy green (untanned) rabbit skins from rabbit farmers?

[cloudberry]

Hi there, I just joined this forum and I'd really like to post an intro but for some reason I can't post in the introduction forum!

I'm living in Ontario. I don't farm or own rabbits, but I do practice traditional hide tanning (using smoke & bark tanning methods) and I'm trying to get better at the skill. Because obtaining wild animal skins to practice tanning can be difficult or involved (requiring a license), I want to obtain domestic animal skins from local farmers. Rabbits seem the best choice because of their size.

I'd love to support a small farm or homestead, and I don't mind paying higher price, since this is a passion of mine. I know I am looking for simply dried/frozen skins. I want to be tanning fur-on, so nice thick furs are a plus for me but not required.

Problem is, I have no idea how to find small-scale rabbit farmers who might have skins I can buy from them and work.

How do I find farmers near me?
I've searched online for Ontario-specific rabbit farm groups and come up with nothing other than FB, where I can't post ads for that due to the website rules..
Also-- are these kinds of offers welcome/legal? How much can I expect to pay for a single rabbit skin? I want to compensate well especially if it makes the difference between someone choosing to put aside a skin , vs discarding it. I just want to continue to deepen my skills and love for hide tanning.

Thank you so much for any help!

 

[MaggieJ]

Hi Cloudberry,

Strictly speaking, you need a post count of 20 to buy or sell on RabbitTalk -- and then the ad needs to be posted in the Rabbit Classified Forum. However, since at this point you are just looking for information, I have left your message as you wrote it. This policy is for the protection of members -- it gives them a chance to get to know you before doing business with you.

The best way is to post on various topics until you reach the 20 minimum and can place an ad. It is permissible, however, to give us an idea of where in Ontario you are, so members near you can get in touch if they are interested in your project.

I no longer have rabbits myself due to mobility problems, but we do have quite a few members in Ontario, so I hope you find someone to sell you some.

Your alternative, of course, is to learn about raising rabbits and create your own source. That would give you a constant supply of skins and excellent meat. If you garden as well, rabbit manure is by far the best you can get.

Good luck with your project. I have a strong armchair interest in traditional homesteading skills and look forward to hearing more.

 

[cloudberry]

Hi Cloudberry,

Strictly speaking, you need a post count of 20 to buy or sell on RabbitTalk -- and then the ad needs to be posted in the Rabbit Classified Forum. However, since at this point you are just looking for information, I have left your message as you wrote it. This policy is for the protection of members -- it gives them a chance to get to know you before doing business with you.

The best way is to post on various topics until you reach the 20 minimum and can place an ad. It is permissible, however, to give us an idea of where in Ontario you are, so members near you can get in touch if they are interested in your project.

I no longer have rabbits myself due to mobility problems, but we do have quite a few members in Ontario, so I hope you find someone to sell you some.

Your alternative, of course, is to learn about raising rabbits and create your own source. That would give you a constant supply of skins and excellent meat. If you garden as well, rabbit manure is by far the best you can get.

Good luck with your project. I have a strong armchair interest in traditional homesteading skills and look forward to hearing more.

Thank you so much! I totally didn't realize the post minimum so I apologize for toeing the line. I have 0 expectations about actual exchanges- so even just tips/information about how to do this is great

I'm around the Belleville/Prince Edward County area.

At the moment, building my hide tanning skills is my main interest/priority. Raising rabbits, or any kind of animal, isn't feasible for me just yet, as I have a pretty migratory lifeway, and no stable residence. But in the more distant future I'd love to have a tiny homestead and raise rabbits (and reindeer..I can dream).

 

[MaggieJ]

Howdy, neighbour! Belleville/Prince Edward County is close to my neck of the woods.

I have a couple of ideas for you to check out.

First, check kijiji.ca for the Belleville/Trenton area. There are listings for pets, livestock, and farm-related products like eggs or bales of hay. That kind of thing. From time to time you will find someone selling rabbits. They may say pets to avoid the slings and arrows of the ARAs, but chances are good that some ads are for meat rabbits. You could ask about hides or simply buy a few rabbits and process them for the meat and skins. Mature rabbits -- "roasters" 5 months or older -- will have sturdier hides than "fryers", which are often no more than 10 or 12 weeks old. I think the fur would be less likely to slip during the tanning process.

My second idea may or may not be viable. Just to the east of Belleville is the village of Shannonville and also the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Deer hunting season is in November, and Indigenous people may be allowed to sell hides from the deer they shoot. You may not be ready for a large hide, but it is an idea to consider. They should have a website or a facebook page for contact information. Some local butchers also process deer for hunters hereabouts and may be able to provide you with information about obtaining a hide or two.

That's all I can think of at present. Good luck!

 

[Mutt-Dad]

Hi there, I just joined this forum and I'd really like to post an intro but for some reason I can't post in the introduction forum!

I'm living in Ontario. I don't farm or own rabbits, but I do practice traditional hide tanning (using smoke & bark tanning methods) and I'm trying to get better at the skill. Because obtaining wild animal skins to practice tanning can be difficult or involved (requiring a license), I want to obtain domestic animal skins from local farmers. Rabbits seem the best choice because of their size.

I'd love to support a small farm or homestead, and I don't mind paying higher price, since this is a passion of mine. I know I am looking for simply dried/frozen skins. I want to be tanning fur-on, so nice thick furs are a plus for me but not required.

Problem is, I have no idea how to find small-scale rabbit farmers who might have skins I can buy from them and work.

How do I find farmers near me?
I've searched online for Ontario-specific rabbit farm groups and come up with nothing other than FB, where I can't post ads for that due to the website rules..
Also-- are these kinds of offers welcome/legal? How much can I expect to pay for a single rabbit skin? I want to compensate well especially if it makes the difference between someone choosing to put aside a skin , vs discarding it. I just want to continue to deepen my skills and love for hide tanning.

Thank you so much for any help!

Im on the western side of southern ontario or I would give you my skins to practice on. I harvest my rabbits around 10 weeks old so their fur / skin is pretty thin. When I looked at tanning as a hobby I decided that, for the amount of work put into a tanned hide, using tender meat rabbit skins wasn't worth it. I tried salting and stretching a few to see what it would look like. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Alan]

Im on the western side of southern ontario or I would give you my skins to practice on. I harvest my rabbits around 10 weeks old so their fur / skin is pretty thin. When I looked at tanning as a hobby I decided that, for the amount of work put into a tanned hide, using tender meat rabbit skins wasn't worth it. I tried salting and stretching a few to see what it would look like. Your mileage may vary.

I would sell all my green skins and ship them to you unless there is some regulation against shipping these from the US to Canada?

 

[hotzcatz]

See if the local feed stores in your area have bulletin boards. Folks who are breeding critters will usually buy feed for them at a feed store and post notices at the feed store when they have extras to sell. Otherwise, see if a veterinary knows of any rabbit breeders in your area, although I'm not sure if mentioning you wanted hides to tan would be a good thing or not since many vets are probably for pet rabbits. If there's any restaurants in your area which feature rabbit on the menu, they may have a local source for them?

 

[Blue bunny barn]

Hi there, I just joined this forum and I'd really like to post an intro but for some reason I can't post in the introduction forum!

I'm living in Ontario. I don't farm or own rabbits, but I do practice traditional hide tanning (using smoke & bark tanning methods) and I'm trying to get better at the skill. Because obtaining wild animal skins to practice tanning can be difficult or involved (requiring a license), I want to obtain domestic animal skins from local farmers. Rabbits seem the best choice because of their size.

I'd love to support a small farm or homestead, and I don't mind paying higher price, since this is a passion of mine. I know I am looking for simply dried/frozen skins. I want to be tanning fur-on, so nice thick furs are a plus for me but not required.

Problem is, I have no idea how to find small-scale rabbit farmers who might have skins I can buy from them and work.

How do I find farmers near me?
I've searched online for Ontario-specific rabbit farm groups and come up with nothing other than FB, where I can't post ads for that due to the website rules..
Also-- are these kinds of offers welcome/legal? How much can I expect to pay for a single rabbit skin? I want to compensate well especially if it makes the difference between someone choosing to put aside a skin , vs discarding it. I just want to continue to deepen my skills and love for hide tanning.

Thank you so much for any help!

Hello we are a small rabbit hobby raiser. Would love to sell raw rabbit hides. Let's chat.

 

[kplough]

Im on the western side of southern ontario or I would give you my skins to practice on. I harvest my rabbits around 10 weeks old so their fur / skin is pretty thin. When I looked at tanning as a hobby I decided that, for the amount of work put into a tanned hide, using tender meat rabbit skins wasn't worth it. I tried salting and stretching a few to see what it would look like. Your mileage may vary.

I am looking to sell/trade skins from the rabbits that I raise for meat Kamuela Hawaii