# Price per pound?



## kssdc2001 (Jun 21, 2005)

Hi all--

I have lurked on this page on and off, weighing whether to jump into the meat rabbit business (we do German Angoras for fiber/breeding, and have butcheered culls for our freezer, so at least that part of the business is known to us). We have a chef of a nice restuarant in town who has been pushing us to get into rabbits more seriously, and in figuring whether to add an outdoor meat rabbit hutch/stock/etc., I need to figure what price per pound I can ask from him. He says he is paying $4.80/pound and that that is too much. What do you charge?

If this helps -- we are in a mid-sized town but clos enough to metro areas that we can get decent prices for our other goods -- $3/pound for pasture raised chickens, $3/dozen for eggs, etc. 

THANKS!!


----------



## steve-in-kville (Nov 12, 2005)

Not sure how relevent this is, but a friend that raises for meat figured that to raise a bunny to dress weight costs him .35 cents/pound (feed, meds, etc). That also includes the gestation period.

Obviously housing and breeding stock would be initial start-up costs.


----------



## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Welcome to the Forum, Kate and Nick! 

If the chef is going to be a regular customer with a steady order of so many rabbits a week or month, I would think you could charge a bit less than $4.80 a pound. Why not see what he says to $4 or $4.25. I'm assuming that is the price for dressed meat, not rabbit on the hoof. Who is he doing the processing? It makes a difference as to how much you can reasonably charge.


----------



## KimTN (Jan 16, 2007)

Hi,
I don't know how his friend did his figures, but most studies show that in the most efficient of rabbits, it takes at least 4 pounds of feed for every pound of gain up to the rabbit weighing in at 4 pounds live. After that 4 pounds, the rabbit takes much more feed and time to gain an additional pound. Feed has gone up in price in most places to the point that the producers can not make a profit raising rabbits. On top of feed, you would also have to consider equipment cost and your time along with everything else that is involved. The chef paying what he is per pound of processed rabbit is market price. Rabbits are not that cheep to produce. Also, you would have to check on your state laws regarding the processing of rabbits. You might find that you would have to build special facilities to process the rabbits. That is unless the chef is going to take them live and fix them his self. You may find it way to expensive to raise rabbits for the chef.


----------



## kssdc2001 (Jun 21, 2005)

Hi -- thanks for the advice -- keep it coming. To answer a couple of questions, we would be doing the processing, which is allowed in VA, and we wouldn't need any new facilities.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone else who sells to the restaurant or farmers market market. There seems to be a large demand for rabbit here in VA -- we are asked all the time whether we have them at our farmers market.


----------



## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

I am interested in this as well. If I can find a buck that is less fat and lazy than the one we have, we will be in the meat business as well. I was thinking $2/pound but this may be too low?


----------



## kssdc2001 (Jun 21, 2005)

I am guessing that a lot depends on the deamn on where you are, but if we are talking about a dressed out weight of 3-4 lbs, the work of slaughtering alone isn't really worth the $6-$8 to me, and we haven't even factored in food yet. I was thinking of $3/lb as a low and perhaps $4/lb what I would need to make this make sense for me.


----------



## kssdc2001 (Jun 21, 2005)

Oops -- I am typo queen. First sentence above is meant to read, "a lot depends on where you are"


----------



## Terry W (Mar 10, 2006)

kssdc2001 said:


> I am guessing that a lot depends on the deamn on where you are, but if we are talking about a dressed out weight of 3-4 lbs, the work of slaughtering alone isn't really worth the $6-$8 to me, and we haven't even factored in food yet. I was thinking of $3/lb as a low and perhaps $4/lb what I would need to make this make sense for me.


I believe you have the right kind of pricing framework, there. A fella posted a while back he paid 30 dollars in a local store for locally grown rabbit meat-- worked out to over 6 dollars a pound.
If your chef friend is willing to buy meat that has not been adulterateed by drugs, added hormones, etc, his clientel should be wiling to pay the added the cost. Otherwise, Pel-Freeze purchases would be the way for him to go--let him know that what you are raising are not 'grocery store' rabbits!!!! MAKE them a bit more special-----


----------



## KimTN (Jan 16, 2007)

Hi,
The rabbits at Pel-freez don't have drugs or hormones. They make you sign a paper stating that you didn't give any drugs to the rabbits. Pel-freez purchases their rabbits from a lot of small rabbit farms. I sold to them until I realized that they didn't pay enough to cover the expense of raising rabbits. I now sell to the snake people who will pay a whole lot more.


----------



## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

How did you find snake people to buy yours? Do they buy them live? I know that the snakes like their meals to "move" I occasionally have a dead kit that would make good snake food. My cat won't eat it unless it moves, or its cut up in his bowl. And I don't want my dogs to eat the small fuzzies in case they escape!

Dawn


----------



## KimTN (Jan 16, 2007)

Hi,
My biggest customer hit on my website. Rabbits can damage their snakes so the rabbit must be dead. I sell them live and they kill them for the snakes. You could try advertising in pet stores for snake people. The only thing is that for the large snake breeders, you have to be able to supply all their needs and that can be quite a large order.


----------



## SILEIGH (Jul 11, 2007)

my neighbor has bought raabbits off me for his snakes 
i kill and freeze them.. till he picks them up

he has been paying me $4 a rabbit 
these were rabbits i didn't want to butcher so i was ok with it
well i just went to a reptile supply site
$5 for a med rabbit 
i put 5 on my hypothetical order 
so $25 
with shipping (ups)and tax $62!!!!!!!!!!!
if you had a local market youcould charge $8 a rabbit and they would still be ahead and probably happy with it.


----------



## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

What size do they typically want? 8-12 weeks, so smaller than that? Guess it depends on the snake... Usually I don't have them available til 8 -12 weeks though.


----------



## gracegarden (Mar 30, 2007)

We buy our rabbits gutted and skinned at $3lb.
If we buy them whole (dead) minimum of 20# we can pay $1.60lb, but they are not gutted or skinned.
I forgot to add: the $1.60lb bunnies are colored and/or spotted, or XL size (older; not as tender?)

We're in the Austin, TX area.

Hope that helps!


----------



## Michael Leferink (Jul 12, 2003)

Here is what I stated on another post: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=211807

We are only selling a few extras to help offset our costs. It's $7.50/fryer at +- 5 lbs. live wt. = +- 3 lbs. dressed. Legally we can not charge by the lb. unless licensed. Last year I did some research and the wholesale price for dressed rabbits from a slaughter house was $2.50/lb. $2.50 x 3 lbs. = $7.50. We will be going up to at least $8.00/fryer after Jan 1, 2008 as our costs continue to rise. At the local specialty meat stores a dressed rabbit weighing 2 1/4 lbs. - 2 1/2 lbs. will retail @ $10.00. We don't have many customers, but the few we have are happy with our pricing.

You could calculate all your costs to produce rabbits for your client and then decide on a fair mark up. However, in business it is wise to charge what the market will bare. Your costs will increase over time as prices for fuel, feed and supplies go up. You need to have capital in hand to cover these rising cost beforehand. If you don't, you'll be playing catch up. If your client is now paying $4.80/lb., I would think he would be happy to pay $4.00/lb. I'd offer him that and leave room to negotiate down to $3.75/lb. Just remember to raise your prices slowly over time to keep up with ever rising costs.

Good luck,
MikeL


----------



## Michael Leferink (Jul 12, 2003)

KimTN said:


> Hi,
> The rabbits at Pel-freez don't have drugs or hormones. They make you sign a paper stating that you didn't give any drugs to the rabbits. Pel-freez purchases their rabbits from a lot of small rabbit farms. I sold to them until I realized that they didn't pay enough to cover the expense of raising rabbits. I now sell to the snake people who will pay a whole lot more.


Thank you for pointing this out! I do not think any one should be afraid of eating rabbit from any processor in the U.S.A. While I guess one might find a bad apple in any bushel, U.S. processor's are inspected either by USDA or by FDA/State agencies. If they are found to be selling rabbits that contain med's. they are in extreme danger of having their license revoked and their business closed down. IMPO, rabbits processed in the U.S.A. are far more likely to be free of contaminates than beef, pork or chicken. The rabbit market is small compared to the others and word gets around very fast. The processors would have to be more than stupid to take any kind of chance.

Chinese rabbits, on the other hand, I wouldn't touch with a 10 ft. pole!

MikeL


----------



## pa farmer (Oct 5, 2007)

Wow !!!where dose every one live?? I live in N.W.P.A. and get $1.00 a pound live weight.The rabbit processeing plant close by only pays .90 cents a pound live weight.


----------



## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

Michael Leferink said:


> Here is what I stated on another post: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=211807
> 
> We are only selling a few extras to help offset our costs. It's $7.50/fryer at +- 5 lbs. live wt. = +- 3 lbs. dressed. Legally we can not charge by the lb. unless licensed. Last year I did some research and the wholesale price for dressed rabbits from a slaughter house was $2.50/lb. $2.50 x 3 lbs. = $7.50. We will be going up to at least $8.00/fryer after Jan 1, 2008 as our costs continue to rise. At the local specialty meat stores a dressed rabbit weighing 2 1/4 lbs. - 2 1/2 lbs. will retail @ $10.00. We don't have many customers, but the few we have are happy with our pricing.
> 
> ...


Good advice.


----------



## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

pa farmer said:


> Wow !!!where dose every one live?? I live in N.W.P.A. and get $1.00 a pound live weight.The rabbit processeing plant close by only pays .90 cents a pound live weight.


I think the key is direct marketing. Educating your customers on the health benefits of naturally raised meat. The benefits of rabbit meat in general etc. Health conscious people are willing to pay more for good meat. Some folks care deeply how the animal was cared for during it's life, and will pay more. Our customers were very pleased with our pastured poultry for these reasons and are also very interested in rabbit, hence our beginning rabbit production. Educate yourself, then educate them.


----------



## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

KimTN said:


> Hi,
> The rabbits at Pel-freez don't have drugs or hormones. They make you sign a paper stating that you didn't give any drugs to the rabbits. Pel-freez purchases their rabbits from a lot of small rabbit farms. I sold to them until I realized that they didn't pay enough to cover the expense of raising rabbits. I now sell to the snake people who will pay a whole lot more.


I just linked to a website listing prices for frozen rabbits as snake food from another thread. The price for a med. rabbit was $5. How much is "a whole lot more"?


----------



## KimTN (Jan 16, 2007)

Hi,
Pel-freez will only pay $1.15 per pound live. But they want the rabbit to be between 4.75 and 5.75 pounds. Last time I talked to them, they were wanting them more on the heavy side. The downfall to this weight range is that it takes way more food and time to get the rabbits up to that weight. I can sell an 8 week old kit at 3 to 31/2 pounds for $5. That saves me quite a bit on the feed and time I put into that rabbit and raises my profit margin. My personal feed studies tell me that if I hold onto that rabbit until I reach what pel-freez wants, I lose money. The snake people would pay more, but they buy so many that I give them a break. I guess " a whole lot more" is relative to what profit you can make with the snake people versus the processors. Hope that answers your question.


----------



## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

KimTN said:


> Hi,
> Pel-freez will only pay $1.15 per pound live. But they want the rabbit to be between 4.75 and 5.75 pounds. Last time I talked to them, they were wanting them more on the heavy side. The downfall to this weight range is that it takes way more food and time to get the rabbits up to that weight. I can sell an 8 week old kit at 3 to 31/2 pounds for $5. That saves me quite a bit on the feed and time I put into that rabbit and raises my profit margin. My personal feed studies tell me that if I hold onto that rabbit until I reach what pel-freez wants, I lose money. The snake people would pay more, but they buy so many that I give them a break. I guess " a whole lot more" is relative to what profit you can make with the snake people versus the processors. Hope that answers your question.


Gotcha.


----------



## Terry W (Mar 10, 2006)

pa farmer said:


> Wow !!!where dose every one live?? I live in N.W.P.A. and get $1.00 a pound live weight.The rabbit processeing plant close by only pays .90 cents a pound live weight.


 Are yu taking your rabbits to Tracy?

Tracy is closer to me than the Ohio Processor is, the Ohio Processor price varies on the age/size of rabbit, but I cannot afford to drive that far for just a few at a time. I am selling mine, gutted, skinned, off the farm, to a few people, at a lower price in an effort to help develop a market-- I sold some at the swap for $10 a piece, Live- all males-- all rather scrawny, in,my opinion, beacuase they WERE small. They weighed about 5 lbs each, live weight.


----------



## kssdc2001 (Jun 21, 2005)

Just to add another view -- I have been surveying our pastured poulty customers in the DC area (who pay $3.50 a lb for chicken), and they wouldn't blink at $4/lb for dressed rabbit meat. One guy told me a city farmers market seller is getting $5/lb and sells out everytime. Location (in an area with higher incomes) and education (where people shop at Whole foods, get Gourmet magazine, and are willing to pay for quality, speciality ingedients) DO matter.


----------

