Anyone raise rabbit's for commerical companies ?greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread |
I am looking into raising rabbits as a homestead buisness.I have a chance on getting to supply a supplier with meat rabbits for the resteraunts in the city .A group of friends has been dealing with them for several years suppling goat and lamb .The pay really great prices.The rabbits would be shipped to them live .I would like your input good and bad .Thanks~Patty
-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 29, 2001
Sounds like a good opportunity, Patty. The supplier has a good reputation with your friends, correct? That means a lot! If I had the opportunity, I would go for it!
-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 29, 2001.
Patty, I don't want to be a bubble burster here, but we raised NZW's for about 2 years, and it's just so much darn work! Even with a watering system in place, you just about have to be willing to be glued to their sides. It's 24 x 7 job...I want to enjoy my little farm more than that. We now stick to chickens, guineas, pigs, goats, sheep and cows...and can even leave once in awhile. However, I do miss all the rabbit manure for gardening, it's just phenomenal. CJ
-- CJ (cjtinkle@getgoin.net), October 29, 2001.
Establishing a market before you begin raising would be a huge plus. I didn't find them to be all that much work when I did it except at butchering time. Shipping live sounds WONDERFUL. Good luck and I sure hope it works well for you.
-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 29, 2001.
Shipping live would be the key. We've looked closely at raising comercial quantity rabbits both here in TX and in AK.To set up the butchering process to comply with FDA standards is prohibitively expensive. At least for a start up operation.
We've considered coalitions of raisers to supply a new processor but it still requires a LOT of investment capital.
I'd be very inerested in a market for live animals.
Best of luck to you.
/gb/
-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), October 29, 2001.
This email addy is the good one.
-- Greybear (greybear@worldemail.com), October 29, 2001.
Patty, To the negitave...I've known people who tried it here in Alaska on the local level. Didn't work. People won't eat rabbit. They say it's like eating their cat. The same people who will go out hunting wild rabbits to bring home for food would not eat a domesticaly raised rabbit. I tried raising them for myslef (and I eat wild rabbit) and have to admit, even after a lifetime of food gathering, I had some trouble with it also. I was not even able to give them to friends. Somehow it's just easier to eat a chicken, fish, or wild animal. Rabbits have too much personality I guess. I think I'd do some serious checking into the market. Good luck, :) tang
-- tang (tang@mtaonline.net), October 29, 2001.
Thanks for the positive and negitive , that's what I am looking for .To clear a few things up .This "company" serves up scale resteraunts in the city {NY} with rabbit , lamb and goat .They have the market already and are looking for a good supply of rabbits.No killing involved on my part either {love that part }Thanks~Patty
-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 29, 2001.
Hello Patty, We live in Northwestern Pa. and have a sucessful rabbitry. We raise New Zealands, Californians, and Giant Chins for meat. We get from .60 to .90 a pound live weight. We are selling to a meat buyer middleman for now till we get our herd up. We take from 25 to 50 friers a every 3 weeks on average. We also raise some minature breeds for show and pets, my wife shows and does well with her rabbits. We run our rabbitry as a business pay uncle Sam and the whole bit and that has it's advantages. The rabbits pay for all their own feed, cages, water system,barn, and are self sufficent other than ya got to feed and care for them. We find it to be profitable but not a get rich thing. I don't know how far you are but we would be happy to have you visit our rabbitry and give you all the info and help we can.
-- Don Amon (peacelane@certainty.net), October 29, 2001.
Don , thanks so much .I would love to visit , my email is correct so if you can send me what town you are in I can figure out how long it will take to get there.I also will need to line up some older breeding stock.Thanks again
-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 29, 2001.
I think this is a great idea I've wanted to do it for several years but I haven't found a buyer in the area where I live. When I lived in WV I found several buyers but when I contacted them the number was not in service. I tried to write them but even though the letter was not returned no one responded back. I now live in INdiana and would love to raise rabbits for commercial use. Does anyone know of a buyer in the IL. IN. KY area? Thanks Linda
-- Linda (awesomegodchristianministries@yahoo.com), October 29, 2001.
See my article on Raising Rabbits the Croatian Way in the Sept/Oct 2001 issue. Alojz spends 15 minutes tops caring for his three does, one buck and kits. Even they, at 75, he has slowed down quite a bit. They apparently raise fine rabbits with no commercially purchased feed - just good fresh grasses or grass hay, stale bread and dried corn on the cob. No nest boxes, the does make their own nests in the grasses on the cage floor. Once weaned, the kits are raised in a stall, getting the same feed as the does and buck. I suspect feed would be a major cost of production, but, from his example, there are ways to grow your own.You might also consider becoming a local broker, buying from hobbiest and then reselling to your commercial source.
-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 30, 2001.
Sounds like this is also an opportunity for someone to supply squab or quail. Guinea hens have been substituted for peasant. What about farm-fresh eggs?
-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 30, 2001.
Patty I was thinking like Ken. Scary :) Though you will need to raise some rabbits yourself, think broker (alot like what I do with goats) let the folks in the area around you know that you will purchase just weaned bunnies for ? It is considerably less than growing them yourself if you pay yourself for labor. Guard your sources, never letting anyone know your buyers names. With the first several buys of others bunnies, you will know if you are dealing with a real market or just more talk. Vicki
-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 30, 2001.