Raising rabbits for meat and fur is a good way to make money but only if you do it on a large scale, and it should be done as supplementary income only. The initial costs in setting-up is small, rabbits breed quickly and frequently, they have large litters and grow to a good marketable size in a very short time.
Selling Rabbits As Pets
They'll want to give you $10. On the other hand, if you plan your marketing right (cough cough, easter and fair time), you can sell your live rabbits for anywhere from $20 to $100 depending on the purpose and quality of your stock.
They're not worth the effort. If you're serious about keeping rabbits for meat, you need a breed built for the job. Meat rabbits are longer, fatter, and fluffier than your typical wild bunny. These are generally regarded as the best rabbits for eating – though some make good house pets as well.
So week ten is the optimal time to slaughter a rabbit. The reason people raise California and New Zealand rabbits for meat is that they are very good at growing to five pounds in 10-11 weeks.
Post a Rabbit for Sale Ad: A great way to sell rabbits nowadays is to take advantage of online classifieds websites. Try posting a “Rabbit for Sale” or “Rabbit for Adoption” ad in your local Craigslist category or on another classifieds website. This is actually the way I began selling excess rabbits from my rabbitry.
Most pet store prices seem to be between $40 and $70. If you buy a pet quality rabbit from a show breeder, you should expect to pay from $15 to $50. Some show breeders will price pets low in order to get rid of them; others will price them high in an attempt to find them good homes.
Rabbits have the potential to be one of the more profitable species to raise. They often give birth to large litters, and offspring grow fast and reach either market or breeding weight more quickly than any other species.
Rabbit meat is expensive because fryers are not able to be effectively fed in large groups, require a more expensive feed ration than most other livestock and processing costs are higher per pound of meat sold.
Unlike beef, pork or venison, rabbit meat does not have a special name, it is simply called, "rabbit meat." Despite it being a rarity on many North American menus, it is a very popular dish across different parts of the world. Rabbit meat is unique from other meats in that it is entirely white meat.
Although companion rabbits are capable of living 10 to 15 years, the vast majority of “meat” rabbits are killed at three months of age. Referred to as “fryers,” these baby rabbits weigh only 1.5 – 3.5 pounds. A small percentage are slaughtered at 8 months old or 4 pounds; they are known in the industry as “roasters.”
So why eat rabbit? Well, rabbit is one of the healthiest, leanest, and most environmentally friendly meats you can eat. Compared to beef, pork, lamb, turkey, veal, and chicken, rabbit has the highest percentage of protein, the lowest percentage of fat, and the fewest calories per pound.
Rabbits are very hardy animals, easy to raise and extremely clean. They can stand a lot of cold weather, but they can't stand very much of a wetting and hot weather gets them down.
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