Selling Rabbits

[B&B Happy goats]

I haven't eaten rabbit...yet.... breeding to sell and to eat, i do already have a small list of people who want some . Have a lot to learn about them, but like i said, still working on the goat breeding so we can at least get them
"paying for their feed" ...

 

[greybeard]

I haven't eaten rabbit...yet...

Fried, tastes like chiken..mostly, whatever you bread it in.
I ate 9 gondola carloads of it at one of the military bases I was stationed at. Memphis Naval Air Station I believe...may have been Cherry Pt. Not by choice...it was what they served.
I haven't eaten it fried since.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

Much depends on your breed and purpose and area. I raised New Zealand White meat rabbits to start, added Silver Fox to cross and for purebreds, culled out all the NZWs and crosses for Silver Fox only in an eight year time period. Through those years, I sold a few NZW couples and trios to backyard breeders startups as well as single rabbits for brood replacements but mostly we raised rabbits for meat for ourselves and our pets so selling was only to help out someone get started and with reducing our feed costs now and then.

NZWs sold easily through Craigslist and an advertisement at local feed stores with pricing from $15 to $35 per meat rabbit. Mine were on the higher end because they are fed organic. Crosses only sold when a buyer wanted some "color" in their herd and usually for $15 to $25. Silver Foxes would go from $35 to $65 for just meat breeding quality, just because they were rare in the area. That has changed in just the last year since we now have four active show breeders who are working together to improve the breed locally. The meat quality SF rabbits are now selling for lower prices, closer to the NZWs' prices, and show quality is going for $35 and up. We are educating people on what is a good type of Silver Fox and what is not. So whatever you are selling, you should know that the market can change that quickly.

Also, time of year makes a difference. Craigslist gets flooded with bunnies for sale in the spring right before Easter, but fall is usually the time when it is harder to find rabbits really to breed and when I would get buyers asking the most. I am in the southeast and not many here breed rabbits in the summer, so fall is the start of our breeding season.

What I have found is that Craigslist and advertisements in local feed stores sells better for lower priced rabbits and that may work well enough for you if you are selling in quantity or there is a market where you are. However, I have found better quality rabbits being sold and bought through Facebook. I resisted FB for years—really hate the drama—but that is what is connecting rabbit breeders with each other and to buyers also and I have made some great friendships through it.

There is likely a FB group that is specific to your area that does farm sales or even just rabbit and rabbit equipment sales. There are groups specific to your breeds. There are groups that help educate as to genetics and illnesses. I have not been selling any rabbits, but I will be and FB will be the main place I advertise...however, I have been showing and have a few Grand Champions so I am looking to sell to people who want show quality rabbits mostly and I will be placing my culls on the dinner table, as we are just about out of rabbit meat.