I'm going into the rabbit business to get a little money so my rabbits can pay for themselves. They're just ordinary rabbits-I don't think they are any particular breed. How much should I sell them for?

-- Jessica (jaywig86@psknet.com), December 19, 2001

Answers

Depends on if you want to make money or not. Generally I wind up not. I charge 5 bucks a head to the petstore at 8 weeks. I charge anyone coming in off the street between 5 and 30 dollars- 5 for the ones I REALLY need to unload as they are taking up cage space and are on the "dinner invite" 15 for nice possibly show quality rabbits (good blood lines) and 30 for absolute top line show rabbits. Unless you go at breeding the females and culling the herd (eating or something) often, your feed bills will outweigh your money in. I use the petstore monies just to help support the rabbit feed bill- I have show bunnies and they arent bred until their show career is over. If its easter time, add five bucks (dollars not male rabbits) to you price. I also got kinda stuck- the pet store sells the rabbits I sell to her for too damn cheap- 9.95 a rabbit. Its hard to compete. I have asked her to please raise her prices, but she wont. She can get rabbits elsewhere for 5 bucks each, so in order to remain her sole supplier, I suppy. I want her to raise her prices NOT so I can sell her rabbits at more $ but so she isnt beating my pants off on RETAIL pricing. You might think about selling rabbits A for meat. There are places around that buy, and I have heard of a rabbit truck that runs the east and west coasts who loads and pays at your facilities, but I guess one would have to have ALOT of bunnies to sell. B for snake food (I personally wont, but "snakers" do pay good) C Just at easter. I would realy strive to sell rabbits at about 15 bucks each, if I were you so you make SOMETHING on them. If a buyer is buying in bulk, 5 or 8 is reasonable, 4 too low.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 19, 2001.

Every day rabbits are 5 dollars around here.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), December 20, 2001.

Around S.C. $7.00 for fryers & $10.00 for young breeding stock.

-- Bart (Dominickwb@dot.state.sc.us), December 20, 2001.

Jessica,

If you are going to get more then $5.00 a rabbit you need to invest some money and get pedigreed stock. You see it costs the same amount of money, time and energy to raise pedigreed stock as it does ordinary rabbits. It costs me a little more then $5.00 to raise a rabbit up to fryer weight (5 pounds at 8 weeks). How I make up the difference is in the butchering and packaging.

Providing packaged rabbits is a lot of work and not my favorite thing to do (I always take special care when selling to people). But people need fresh meat to feed their dogs (B.A.R.F. = Bones And Raw Food) and I need to sell (I don't know if they take the meat home and eat it and it is none of my business. I eat my rabbits...4 nights a week)

If you are going to sell live to pet stores for snake food, you can sell them for $5.00 but they can be sold much younger...4 weeks. Now you have a profit. But most snake people want white rabbits.

You might want to add a trio of pedigreed rabbits to your rabbitry. Preferably Dwarf or mini rex or Jersey Woolies (my favorite), Lops are another to mention a few. These smaller bunnies are great sellers to pet stores.

I try keep my kits on their mothers as long as I can for a couple of reasons. First she will still nurse some of them (they are persistan and don't want to grow up!) which helps keep feed costs down and secondly, keeping them with their mother means I don't have to have extra cages for growing them out as soon.

Find your local 4H or FFA organization, get involved! you will be greatly surprised at how much help your Leaders will provide you. And I know there are many people and businesses that will help kids in these groups by donating feed and even animals.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), December 20, 2001.