To pedigree or not to pedigree...

[MuddyFarms]

I have some questions for anyone and everyone- hoping to learn from all of you! These are the things I am thinking through, feel free to give input on any or all of them.

How much of a market have you noticed for pedigreed vs non-pedigreed rabbits, even of the same line/herd?
Do pedigrees really increase sales enough to merit working to pedigree your herd or pay $30 more for a pedigree on a rabbit?
If a person was selling rabbits as $45 without a pedigree or $75 with a pedigree, does it seem like a ton more rabbits would get sold at the $75 price just for the pedigree, or not really?
If the rabbit was just sold at the $45 but had a pedigree, would that increase sales?
How much does a pedigree seem to increase the value of a rabbit?
Do people tell you that your price is too high if it doesn't come with a pedigree?
If a person really wants a pedigree, but then sees any form of linebreeding on the pedigree, do they back out? (I know there can be a strong emphasis among new rabbit raisers to get 'unrelated rabbits', even if a breeder wouldn't mind.)

I would really appreciate any thoughts, perspectives, ideas, experience of selling or buying stock...

 

[ladysown]

in short... depends on the rabbit.

If the rabbit is typey... I like to get the pedigree. BUT if I can't get the pedigree, the genetics will still be an addition to my herd. BUT good breeders... for show/type... often won't buy a rabbit without the pedigree. OR will complain to everyone in their rabbit circle about not getting a pedigree.

Why the difference in price?
Well... when I do it, it's because I really want the rabbit to go to a pet home and it's my way of encouraging that decision. But if someone insists they want to breed said rabbit... I'm not going to argue against their poor decision-making. It's money in my pocket and a time for them to learn something about trusting the breeder they are buying from.

But normally when I sell a rabbit, the pedigree is part of the purchase price. And I WILL NOT buy a higher price rabbit if there is an additional cost for the pedigree. There is, in my opinion, no reason why a $250 rabbit should have a $50 pedigree price added on. Pedigree programs are not that expensive.

To the PET BUYING public, pedigrees are generally not important. The odd person will want one, but most just want to know mom and dad's call names and the bunny's date of birth. A fun birth certificate is great for them.

BUT if you are wanting to sell to the show/professional breeders/hobbyists... pedigrees are a good added value.

 

[MuddyFarms]

Thank you, @ladysown ! I will be thinking about your post; it makes sense and gives me more to go off of on this topic.

 

[ladysown]

Thank you, @ladysown ! I will be thinking about your post; it makes sense and gives me more to go off of on this topic.

so happy to help.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Pedigrees must be on the airwaves tonight. I just posted a question about them. I didn't see this post! Oh well, good points. Still not sure about the whole thing . . .

 

[hotzcatz]

It depends more on who is buying the rabbit and why than the rabbit itself, IMHO. For breeding, a pedigree lets a breeder have some idea of what to expect in the offspring. For a pet person, they don't really care.

If I'm the one buying the rabbit, I really prefer a pedigree just to see how inbred the rabbit is to my general herd, but I'm working with a small gene pool of my breed without a lot of genetic imports. It's an island situation, though, so it probably wouldn't be the same for very many others. Although, in any general breed of rabbit, how many breeders are there in any particular area? How inbred are they and how would you know without a pedigree? As well as any possible recessive genes that a pedigree might let you know about.

Also, if I'm buying a rabbit, I pay for the pedigree once and then have the option of selling all the offspring with a pedigree. Although I generally give everyone as much of a pedigree available on any rabbit that is sold since it is a small gene pool.

 

[MuddyFarms]

Thank you, @hotzcatz ! Those are some good points; I appreciate your input!

 

[rockyhillrabbits]

For me, I will buy a pedigreed rabbit over a non pedigreed rabbit if it's a breed I'm raising to show or better the breed. For meat producers I don't care if it's pedigreed or even purebred. When I sell babies, if it comes from pedigreed stock it will always come with a pedigree at no extra charge. I will get asked by people if I can lower my price if they don't want the pedigree and I say no. That pedigree doesn't change the fact that it's a quality rabbit with a known background and genetics, plus the care, time, and money I have put into raising it. I prefer to see my pedigreed stock go to people who want to breed or show.

 

[MuddyFarms]

Thank you, @rockyhillrabbits ! It helps to know how other breeders manage the pedigree topic. People want quality, but don't always want to pay for it, don't they!

 

[Ducklove74]

Only ones I don't pedigree are meat mutts...the price of my buns are not valued by pedigree but rather by type and quality...but either way I give the buyer the info on their buns lineage through a pedigree. Even if this bun is not what I would consider ideal the person buying maybe working on a project that involves a certain color or breeding in/out certain traits that maybe they would want your bun for...without a pedigree they would have to wait 3 or 4 generations for any of that offspring to be pedigreed, so it can be useful even if it's not what you would consider "perfect"

 

[MuddyFarms]

Only ones I don't pedigree are meat mutts...the price of my buns are not valued by pedigree but rather by type and quality...but either way I give the buyer the info on their buns lineage through a pedigree. Even if this bun is not what I would consider ideal the person buying maybe working on a project that involves a certain color or breeding in/out certain traits that maybe they would want your bun for...without a pedigree they would have to wait 3 or 4 generations for any of that offspring to be pedigreed, so it can be useful even if it's not what you would consider "perfect"

Thank you, @Ducklove74 ! Those are good points. Lots of things I have been thinking through, too. Appreciate it!