where are all the rabbit butchers

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
D

Demamma

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
1,233
Reaction score
1
Location
california
I called about 10 butchers and no one processes rabbits. My friend owns a health store and would stock my rabbit if I could find a processor. I want to expand and make this a business but it all hinges on finding a processor. I figure I would hit all the fancier restaurants also to build up a clientele. This is very frustrating where are the rabbit killers when you need one.
 
There are pretty much no real butchers around here, pretty much no one does there own meat, they get bigger pieces and make cuts, that's all, even at the Westside "Farmers" Market.

Best wishes with your search.
 
Good luck in your search, the only slaughterhouse here that does rabbits just raised their prices substantially :(
 
Demamma":17vylixj said:
I called about 10 butchers and no one processes rabbits. My friend owns a health store and would stock my rabbit if I could find a processor. I want to expand and make this a business but it all hinges on finding a processor. I figure I would hit all the fancier restaurants also to build up a clientele. This is very frustrating where are the rabbit killers when you need one.
Click to expand...

I am thinking a place that does deer processing would do rabbits, but I have not checked. I could do my own including vacuum packing and get a sticker made up, but I bet "someone" would not Like that -LOL.
 
It is possible to get your own license for just such an operation--AND, the self- processing need not be all that extravagant. Look up poultry processing for off the farm sales---

No place that processess larger livestock will handle rnbbits-- they are not set up for smaller, Micro-livestock"
 
We have had several hogs and a steer processed at family owned packers (they do wild game, fair animals, etc.), and all of them require the animals delivered killed and gutted, so they wouldn't be of much help with rabbits.
 
Do you all live in states that require USDA facilities or state facilites for processing? I've been looking up our own requirements and in Hawaii they defer to the USDA and the USDA says that they are not required to be processed at a USDA facility... I keep getting the run around with our state. It's very confusing.
 
In CA rabbits fall under the poultry laws. The final say is up to the county, but you are allowed to sell rabbit to end users only as a home processor. Here in Kern County, I can sell from the farm or as home delivery to individuals. I cannot sell to restaurants or stores. Some counties allow sales at farmer's markets, but not here.
 
City regulations state that I cannot sell meat butchered to anyone, up until recently, residents were not allowed to sell chicken eggs either. The laws are every evolving.
 
There is a fella that bought some rabbits from me that sells to restaurants. He has a butcher process then sells the meat himself. He is about three hours away. I might have to figure out how many I would need butchered out at a time to be cost effective to travel that far.
 
I am going to butcher my own, I can sell them at the local farmers market.
I can also sell to resturants, if they pick them up at the farmers market or my house.
according to the Ag Office here I am allowed to sell up to 5000 rabbits a year before I would no longer be
a hobby or back yard rabbitiy.
 
CWD, where did you get your information, specifically the part about selling to restaurants? That differs from what I have been able to find out.
 
Does anyone have the email I got telling the state laws for California? My other computer died And CantU can't find it.
 
MSD. I have a friend who sells butchered chickens at our farmers market and he told me who to see at our county ag office.
I made an apt. and made a visit.
I was told as long as I sold the rabbits at the farmers market or from my home/farm I could sell them
to anyone. just as long as I did not deliver the processed rabbit meat, away from these two places.
I asked if I could sell to restaurants. or meat markets. and he said as long as they pick the meat up and I do not deliver it to them. I could sell to them.
He said they are allowed to pick up veggies at local farms and farmers markets, so they could also pick up fresh meat
like chicken or rabbits. because neither of them have to be inspected when sold farm fresh. As long as I did not sell
more than 5000 per year.
I live in Kings County and the rules should be the same in Kern County they should be the same state wide.
 
Demamma":33wu1pir said:
Does anyone have the email I got telling the state laws for California? My other computer died And CantU can't find it.
Click to expand...

I have it. :) Check your email.

CWD":33wu1pir said:
I was told as long as I sold the rabbits at the farmers market or from my home/farm I could sell them
to anyone.
Click to expand...

CWD, if you PM me your email address, I will send you the pdf file of the letter DeMamma is speaking of. It is from the CDFA (California Dept. of Food and AG).

IMG_7961.JPG
 
Regulations are not statewide in Ohio, not even in the same county. Here they are governed by local zoning laws.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top