# Live Meat rabbit prices



## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

Anyone out there have prices or formula for selling meat? I have two does with 8 kits each right now; at my school lots of folks interested in the meat once we get our new does and have about 4 does kindling throughout the year. Feed right now is about $12/50#.


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## posifour11 (Feb 27, 2003)

pelfreez pays 1.04 per lb. live weight for fryer size (4lb 12oz-5lb 12oz) and .25 for roasters above that weight. 

what they sell the processed meat for, i couldn't tell you but i'm sure they get quite a bit for it. 

when private folks buy from us, we charge $7-8 for a butchered fryer.


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## Carrie C (Apr 7, 2005)

I pay about what you pay for feed and I charge $5 per live fryer. $5 extra if they want it butchered. I make hardly anything off of that price (I farm out the butchering), but it helps. Most importantly, people will pay it! I would make absolutely nothing if I charged more because no one would pay that kind of money!
However, as I am fond of saying, it depends on your situation; just like the breed(s) people choose, how many they have, etc. I'd suggest you do a bit of research in your area. If there's rabbit at the supermarket for $1 per pound (I highly doubt that, but for the sake of argument), I suspect your buyers won't pay much, if any, more than that.
The good old law of supply and demand!
~Carrie C.


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

Rabbit at the supermarket here is $6.59 a pound, when you can find it.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

I won't sell a fryer privately for less than $10 live. Anything less and I may as well eat it myself. Sometimes people will try to make you feel bad by acting shocked and saying that they "never pay more than $5." I smile and say: "That's a very good deal. You should buy it there."


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

Thanks, I was thinking $10 with a $2 butcher fee. That would still work out to less than $6 per pound...we'll see what folks say...I'm saving that remark if anyone looks offended.


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

When I got my Harliquins I paid $10 for the first two and then ever rabbit after that went down a dollar in price till it hit $5. but they were backyard rabbits. I've paid $75. for registered californians, and then just wished I had gone with the $10. rabbits. shrug. I wouldnt sell for less than that and was very happy to pay it!!! I agree anyone fussing over $10.00 a rabbit can go elsewhere.


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

Jcran, you should just charge $12 for the live rabbit and throw the butchering in for free. Most states have restrictions on charging for butchering if you're not licensed to do so.


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

I did look into that; we have no facilities for butchering rabbits or something like that, within a certain mile radius so we can butcher and even sell to restaurants. BUT I think I'll go ahead and take your advice. Fickle things, them laws and how they get interpreted. Thanks!


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## dlwelch (Aug 26, 2002)

Jcran said:


> I did look into that; we have no facilities for butchering rabbits or something like that, within a certain mile radius so we can butcher and even sell to restaurants. BUT I think I'll go ahead and take your advice. Fickle things, them laws and how they get interpreted. Thanks!


Could you clarify, please?

Am I understanding that you can process rabbits at home in California
and legally sell to the public without benefit of an approved facility
or licensing?

For someone selling live in Canada for $10, how will that translate
to U.S. $$$$ ?


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

dlwelch said:


> For someone selling live in Canada for $10, how will that translate
> to U.S. $$$$ ?


It fluctuates, of course, but I think it would be just over US$9 right now.

But, of course, when you are both buying and selling in the same currency, you tend not to think about that. Ten dollars is ten dollars.


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

Clarifying as well as I can anyway...we are a small rural county on the north coast of California, three hours away from big cities of Redding and San Francisco. A local 3 * restaurant (yep, we've actually got one!-Restaurant 301) wanted rabbit on their menu and heard of me (this was over 8 years ago before I went on rabbit hiatus until last month). Well, ag extension said that since there is no licensed facility around here for rabbits, there was this "unwritten" thing that I could sell the meat to the restaurant. I can't remember the actual provision, just that it was ok...something along the lines of meeting local community needs or something like that. I know that sounds naive, but I did research it at the time. It's just that in the time since, I've had a child and hit 40, both of which have served to kill many brain cells. I also had a small operation and only provided them about 8 rabbits every two week for a few months afore I got out of rabbits. I would recommend looking into your local ag extension regs. I was told that if anyone came in and built a facility then I'd have to go through them. So if anyone came here with a big rabbitry and built a meat processing plant, they'd corner the market here (which really ain't much of one)


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## dlwelch (Aug 26, 2002)

Joan, my co-host for the Thursday "Rabbit Production Chat" has
a large NZW breeding facility in California. He also deals with
the state meat inspectors on a regular basis. He has mentioned
quite often about the state cracking down on illegal sales of
rabbit processed "at home". Maybe the unwritten thing is no longer
working???? :shrug: 

I hope things work out well for you. It would be great to have
rabbit on more restaurant menus!


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

In my area the price is $5 per rabbit, either living or oven ready.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Does anyone have any experience with selling live rabbits to restaurants leaving the butchering for them to do? It would get the rabbits on the menu and solve some of the butchering questions?


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## tim_the_biggen (Sep 19, 2005)

:flame: its funny how its Always the meat companys telling us how theres a crack down :flame: i been in the bunny business all my life and sell to any and everyone and so has my mom that puts us in about 40 years worth and we have never had anyone come to our door and tell us to stop selling butchered bunnies , oh we sell lots to schools for research but we sell as many to grocery, restaurant, and bar-b-q stands in a 50 mile area and top off all this a USDAMEAT INSP. is one of my personal customer and has been for 20 years . i went to the FDA website year or so back to see about opening a plant in west ky did all the paper work and got a permite emailed . never even talk to a real person .


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

dlwelch said:


> Joan, my co-host for the Thursday "Rabbit Production Chat" has
> a large NZW breeding facility in California. He also deals with
> the state meat inspectors on a regular basis. He has mentioned
> quite often about the state cracking down on illegal sales of
> ...


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## mj1angier (Jan 3, 2006)

How about this- "$10 for a live rabbit and $15 for the skined hide. The carcass I am just going to trow it away but you can have it for dog food."

You are not selling the fryer just his hide.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Someone on this forum once pointed out that while you cannot charge for processing, you can charge a "disposal fee" for the skin, guts etc. There were a few other creative ways around the question for people just selling to friends and neighbours... Can't recall them all now.


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## mj1angier (Jan 3, 2006)

Found the following about N.C. seals-

"Exemption for Small-scale Poultry and Rabbit Producers
The NCDA&CS law allows an individual to process and sell without inspection in intrastate commerce up to 1,000 chickens, 250 turkeys, or 1,000 rabbits per calendar year of his/her own raising*. If in excess of 1,000 animals are processed, NCDA&CS must inspect the facilities for sanitation. Above 20,000 per year requires full NCDA&CS inspection. The farmer should keep accurate records to prove to Department of Agriculture officials that the bird/rabbit limit has not been exceeded. See Inspection Requirements for Meat and Poultry Businesses for more information. 

The law permits uninspected poultry and rabbits to be sold at farmers' markets and to restaurants as long as it is properly labeled with the farmer's name and address."

Looks like here in N.C. you can do it small time before you need to get inspections.


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