# Selling rabbits through Tractor Supply



## clovis

I am a little hesitant to post this and am only sharing this with the hopes that it might help someone:

We were in Tractor Supply tonight, and I got to talking with the store manager about their chicks and rabbits.

It is unbelievable that TSC took delivery of 30 rabbits on Thursday, and they've sold 25 already, as of closing time on Friday night. Another supplier brought in 10 mature rabbits late today, and only 6 remain. This store is accepting another 40 rabbits tomorrow. This is not counting the first batch of rabbits that came in late last week. I think one of the employees said that the first order was 15 rabbits, which sold out within the first day.

The manager told me that baby chicks were on a corporate program, *but that he makes his own deals with local rabbit breeders.* At this store, the rabbits come from a breeder in a town about 20 miles away.

*If you have weaned rabbits available, and are scratching your head about how to market them, I'd be talking to your local TSC store manager.*

As a side note or two:

It seems like the rabbits that sell at our TSC are mixed breed. My point is that you probably don't have to have high end show rabbits to be a rabbit vendor for TSC.

It seems like TSC has more demand for rabbits than they have available. Just guessing here, but I think they could sell an additional 100 rabbits if they just had them. The first batch came on Monday, but they were sold out for three straight days. We were in on Tuesday, and I bet that 15 people walked in asking about rabbits in just one hour. As well, supply tends to run out early in the season, yet people keep streaming into the store asking about them for weeks on end.

The manager said "I called her three days ago, and she still hasn't called me back." (This is where your fast, responsive customer service can out-shine the competition.) 

With all that said, if you have extra rabbits for sale, it might be worth your while to stop in and start building a relationship with the store manager. Even if you can't be the primary vendor for your store, it might behoove you to stop in every few days to see if you can fill a order while they are waiting for the primary vendor to fill their order.

Don't be afraid to call some of the other TSC's in your area and build relationships with those managers too. I can think of 7 TSC's within a 45 minute drive of us.

If you don't have a local TSC, what about setting up with the other feed stores in your area, with the pitch that you'll help them sell more feed, hay, cubes, hutches, cages, etc, if they will let you set up outside their store every Saturday to sell rabbits. 

In closing...I am not a rabbit person. Maybe I'm way off base with this idea. Nonetheless, it is just an idea. No bashing on me for offering a suggestion, please. There has been many times that I've had product, and had no idea where or how to sell it, and then along comes someone with a great marketing idea for me. Again, I'm offering it as a suggestion with the hopes that it helps someone. 

As I've learned in years of being a salesman, it never hurts to ask "Who is supplying your __________, and what would it take to be a new vendor for you? You know, I could help improve your store's profits...."


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## mekasmom

Our local farm supply stores also buy rabbits from private individuals. I have seen rabbits going for fifteen or twenty dollars at the farm store. Of course they buy them for five dollars a piece. One year, my oldest needed a few bunnies for 4h, but the farm store only had males left, so they gave us the name and number of their supplier. He sold my kid bunnies for $2 a piece for 4h, and let him have his pick. It just seemed better to buy directly from the farm rather than the farm supply store.


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## freedomfrom4

OK and what each tractor supply pays for rabbits varies. Mine will pay me $7 cash for each rabbit this year. Last year the other tractor supply only gave me $5 and if was in food.


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## The Bunny Ranch

They want to buy only Mini Lops or Mini Rex rabbits.......

I do have Mini Lops..but I can get about $20 each out of those talking to other breeders. 

TSC want's to buy them for $5 each..

Sorry but that's a waste of time really.


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## hotzcatz

Craig's List will let you sell each bunny for a higher retail rate, but if you want to offload a buncha bunnies, then TSC would be helpful. You might be able to negotiate a bunny price for cash and a higher bunny price if you got store credit. I did notice a lot of rabbit cages at our local store several months ago and wondered what all that was about.


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## tinknal

The Bunny Ranch said:


> They want to buy only Mini Lops or Mini Rex rabbits.......
> 
> I do have Mini Lops..but I can get about $20 each out of those talking to other breeders.
> 
> TSC want's to buy them for $5 each..
> 
> Sorry but that's a waste of time really.


Each store manager negotiates his own purchases, so I'm sure variety varies from store to store. To someone selling meat rabbits commercially for a buck a pound, $5.00 each for fresh weaned buns is good money.


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## SFM in KY

Our local farm store sold rabbits last year and I sold them two of my litters, one Mini Rex and one Mini Rex crossbred litter. He also bought rabbits from another local breeder ... I think all together, probably 20 or 30 rabbits ... and we're 20 miles from the nearest 'bigger' town ...


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## clovis

Thanks for the replies...

Just for some clarification about our local TSC is that the great majority of the rabbits they sell appear, at least to me, to be bottom of the barrel type rabbits. I don't know much about rabbits, even though I raised some for 4-H as a kid, but I do know enough to be able to tell that 99% of the rabbits they sell are not high quality rabbits for breeding or showing. These rabbits are healthy, and well fed, but just have that 'weak' appearance to them. They are not anything like what you would see at our county fair. Showing up with one of those rabbits would get you laughed out of town. 

FWIW, the 10 mature rabbits that were brought in on Friday appear to be someone's culling of the heard. They are beautiful rabbits...by just looking at them, they appear to be high end rabbits that have been well taken care of in their life. I just wonder if someone is dumping the rabbits that didn't make the cut, and they had no other outlet for them, so TSC was an ideal place for those rabbits. Perhaps there is a breeder that needed to sell the culls, but didn't want to attach their name to them???? As an interesting note, the beautiful mature rabbits are the exact same breed that took nearly every grand champion ribbon at our fair last summer. Hmmm.

Again, I only posted this info in case it helps someone.

I do wonder, though, if you approached TSC with good quality pure breed rabbits, and asked them to pay you $10 to $12, and they could sell them for $15 or $20. My guess is that a cute, healthy looking bunny that is from quality breeding stock priced at $20 or $25 would outsell the bottom-of-the-barrel type rabbits priced at $10. Most people I know will reach for the better stuff most of the time. Wouldn't it be worth a shot if you need to sell rabbits?


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## SoINgirl

I know Rural King does this also. We are just getting back into rabbits and we are having a very hard time just finding NZ let alone any other breed (and we live out in the country), so I can see why people would buy them from there.


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## freedomfrom4

If I get 50 rabbits from 6 litters and sell them to TSC at 6 weeks for $7 then that is $350, and I don't even have to get them to butcher size. We have about 9 per litter to make it to weaning, so this goal is not hard to achieve. It will buy me about 30 weeks or rabbit food. I have meat rabbits. They don't go for a high dollar but they are multipurpose. The ones that don't go as pets go as dinner. For us it helps that there is an easy outlet for our product. Marketing and finding a reliable buyer is a hard thing. Where I used to live my reputation got out and I was finally able to sell every rabbit I could produce to people looking for rabbit meat. Now I'm in a new area and don't have any buyers. So for me right now it is awesome.


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## Ryan NC

TSC is a great way to move culls and over population. What they want and what they get are often 2 different things... $7 is about average from what I've seen, they want holland lops for that price but normally end up with crossed meat rabbits... If you have surplus as Easter approaches they will buy them! Most stores contract with a breeder or two in January for the year but if the regular supplier(s) can't keep up they will will buy from others to keep feed moving off the shelves. 

Tinknal is 100% correct that the managers make the purchase, they will sometimes negotiate if they are running low. One of the TSC's up here will also buy ducklings... My main problem with them is that they want them YOUNG as they can get them.


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## TedH71

It's cheaper to raise mice and sell the adults (over 8 weeks) at a $1 per mouse to zoos, rehab centers for raptors, pet stores, and reptile breeders.


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## rabbitpatch

I don't know about the local TSC stores where the rest of you are, but the ones here only sell rabbits during "chick days" - which is usually March and April. This year I think it lasts through May. 

In years past, the stores here get them in one morning and have most of them sold by the end of the same day. I'm not sure who their supplier is, but I know they can't keep up with the demand...as fast as they get them in, they sell them.

I prefer to sell mine myself though. When I sell pet rabbits, I provide the new owner with care information, a health guarantee, and a promise to take the rabbit back if they EVER need to rehome it in the future. I also get an opportunity to talk with them on the phone and or email at least once or twice to get a feel for what they are looking for vs. what I have available. That way, if they tell me they're buying it as a present for a 3 year old, I can tell them how dangerous rabbit claws can be and sometimes I even suggest they get something safer...like a puppy. LOL


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## John Massey

Rabbitpatch:
I'm not sure where you are in East Tn. but the Mgr of the TSC in the north part of Knoxville told me TSC's in our area are not getting rabbits this year. Said they had a big stink with PETA and they changed their policy. Did tell me I could set up a table in the parking lot and sell them myself. Now if all the breedings took I have 6 Harlequin does due to kindle around the 28th. Of course the show quality buns will stay here for me and possibly some 4-H kids.


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## rabbitpatch

I haven't actually been IN TSC this year since the chicks came in, so I was going by my observations in years past. Mine may not have them this year either, if yours don't.


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## clovis

John Massey said:


> Rabbitpatch:
> Did tell me I could set up a table in the parking lot and sell them myself. Of course the show quality buns will stay here for me and possibly some 4-H kids.


What a great opportunity if you are interested!!!

Sounds like a great way to get your name out there, cull some rabbits from the heard, build up your name as a breeder, and set your own profit margin.

I'd really try to get TSC to give you some free advertising on their roadside reader board..."Quality rabbits here Saturday" or something like that.


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## John Massey

Hey Clovis that sounds like a great idea. I noticed today the sign said Chick days thru May 4th. The lady is real nice and I don't think she would care if I had rabbits to sell all year. It is definitely something I will be looking into further. I just need to pick up a Standard of Perfection book because I want to be sure the 4-Hr's get good rabbits to show. That will get your name around bout as quick as anything.


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## clovis

Just as an update:

We were in TSC again tonight. I talked with one of the store employees, and he told me they got "at least 30 rabbits on Saturday, and some more of the those big ones again." He obviously thought that having the mature rabbits was a dumb idea. The mature rabbits appeared to be more of the higher quality show rabbits, which sell for $15 each at retail. "We have to pay more for those, so we sell them for more. They are for the kids that wanna show them at the fair" he added.

Of those 30 that arrived on Saturday, they were down to about 12 of the low end mixed breed rabbits, with two of them headed to the check-out as we left, and only one of the beautiful, shiny coated, mature rabbits. 

Again, I'm not a rabbit person. I do wonder if a rabbit breeder with rabbits to sell approached their local TSC with high end rabbits, especially your culls, and offered to sell rabbits on consignment, but at a much higher margin. If you had a strong, desirable breed with great retail appeal, I would think that many retail customers would pay $25 to $30 for a better rabbit...especially if you take the time to educate the staff about how great your rabbits really are in comparison to the junk that someone has been bringing in.

Someone in this thread noted that the manager of their local store wanted "mini-lops, but only wanted to pay $5 each for them". I agree, there is no sense in selling higher end products for a song. In fact, I'd love to have a 2011 Cadillac CTS-V for the same price of a 2005 Chevy Cobalt with 200,000 miles, just like that manager wanted mini-lops with extreme retail appeal for next to nothing.

I've learned that in 17 years of being a business owner and salesman, most people want or need to be educated about the product they are buying. One of my sales tools was to ask the customer if "they are open to new ideas", even though in their initial inquiry they wanted "the cheapest thing to get the job done." I just took the time to show them and explain the better qualities available, and 99 times out of 100, the customer will go with the higher end product because it offered tremendously better value to them. I don't use this as a sales tool to line my pockets, I use this to show the customer that I care about the product that I sell, and most importantly, that I care about the buyer and that I value their business. 

I venture to guess that selling rabbits to TSC is no different.


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## clovis

One other thing of note:

Our Tractor Supply had a ton of rabbit starter kits that retail for $39.99. This "kit" includes a cheap, low quality cage, a water bottle, a feeder, etc.

I was absolutely floored to see how many of those kits they had sold over the weekend!!! It is utterly amazing!!!!!

If any of you are in a situation to set up at your locally owned feed store, show, farmer's market, etc., and can make your own cages or hutches and sell them with good profit at the same time you are selling rabbits, I would encourage you to do so. If you have access to rabbit products, you might as well merchandise them and sell them to the first time rabbit owners. They have to buy them somewhere, so it might as well be from you or the store you are representing. It is absolutely crazy what people will buy!!!

Have I put anyone to sleep yet?


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## John Massey

All very good ideas and advice Clovis. While I won't talk down about another persons rabbits I have no problem telling someone why mine are top quality. If the TSC adventure works out I would only be taking "pet" quality rabbits there. I would keep the "show" quality rabbits for the 4-H kids. I need to put pen to paper on the cage thing to see if there would be any profit in it. The good thing about it if TSC has someone willing to bring rabbits in say once a month or even every other month it could keep their rabbit supplies moving. I would certainly be willing to adjust my breeding times and may even add a couple more girls to the program. It could be a win win for both sides.
Thanks for the ideas Clovis.


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## clovis

If you are wondering why, on earth, we are in TSC nearly every day, we stop in and check on what chicks they may have gotten each day.

Anyway, TSC must have gotten more rabbits in yesterday or today. Now the count is up to 19, with 18 of them being low-end rabbits.

One other idea, for anyone interested: If you are selling rabbits to first time owners, you could offer some starter feed packages. You could offer these as an incentive to help sales, or as a profit center.

If you buy regular square bales, you could sell hay the bale by the section. I'd offer a normal section for $2, and a heavy section for $3...of course your pricing is going to be dictated by what you pay for bales.

The same goes for rabbit pellets. Take a regular bag of feed that you use, and re-package it into gallon zip-lock bags. 

I sell a few products in my flea market booth that I buy in bulk, and then repackage into one gallon zip-lock bags. No, I won't get rich doing this, but it is well worth the time and effort...you'd be surprised to know how much it adds to the bottom line every month. Most people purchase more than one of the repackaged items I sell, and would guess that first time bunny owners would do the same thing.

If you sell 10 rabbits at $25 each, that equals $250. Add on 10 hay bale sections, at $3 each, you just added $30 in revenue. Add 10 repackaged bags of pellets at $3 each, add yet another $30. Instead of having just a $250 rabbit sale, you can turn your day into a $310 one, if not more. If the hay and feed don't sell, what have you lost? 

FWIW, we all know that the average first time rabbit owner is an impulse buyer. The typical impulse buyer won't want to buy and load a full bag of feed and a bale of hay into their clean Impala. 

You know, if you are sitting out hawking rabbits, you might as well be selling supplies too, as long as you are not competing with your sponsor store. 

Just an idea.


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## rabbitpatch

clovis said:


> If you buy regular square bales, you could sell hay the bale by the section. I'd offer a normal section for $2, and a heavy section for $3...of course your pricing is going to be dictated by what you pay for bales.


How do you "package" the hay sections? Do you just tie them up with hay string or do you use some kind of netting or bag to prevent loose pieces from falling out in someone's car?


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## clovis

rabbitpatch said:


> How do you "package" the hay sections? Do you just tie them up with hay string or do you use some kind of netting or bag to prevent loose pieces from falling out in someone's car?


I've not sold hay, but if I did, I'd find some large plastic shopping bags to keep on hand, and just bag it up as it sold.


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## rabbitpatch

Well that makes sense....I was thinking you meant pre-packaged hay, but just breaking a section off as needed when someone wants some makes more sense. Paper bags would likely work better though, only because the hay would probably tear a plastic bag. I've used plastic bags before if I needed to take just a block of hay with me somewhere, and not matter how careful I am, the plastic bag always rips.


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## clovis

rabbitpatch said:


> Well that makes sense....I was thinking you meant pre-packaged hay, but just breaking a section off as needed when someone wants some makes more sense. Paper bags would likely work better though, only because the hay would probably tear a plastic bag. I've used plastic bags before if I needed to take just a block of hay with me somewhere, and not matter how careful I am, the plastic bag always rips.


If you have a department store near you, like a Kohl's, you can stop in at the returns desk. They usually have lots of large used bags from returns that they'll give you for free.


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## yankeeterrier

My TS talked with me in January to have bunnies for Easter. While it doesn't make me a lot of money, it does allow me to breed a number of litters and have a guaranteed market for my culls. They are giving me $7 cash or $8 store credit per 8 week old kit.


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## RRT Harlies

My local TSC told my friend that they don't buy rabbits locally, they order them from a rabbit hatchery......

I have sold to TSC back home in Ohio before, primarily Harlequins, and they ate 'em up and wanted more than I could offer. I really don't like doing it though, I try to "screen" my buyers a bit. I prefer to sell to those people who are truly interested in promoting the breed, rather than those wanting mixed breed meat/pet rabbits.


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## reicheru

I picked up a pretty nice dwarf hotot with ped for $10 from TSC. Only reason he was brought in was because he wasn't a doe. The rest were mixed breed larger rabbits and a bunch of mismarked dutch rabbits.


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## rabbitpatch

RRT Harlies said:


> ...they order them from a rabbit hatchery......


I guess that makes them Cadbury Bunnies...right? :rotfl:

[ame]http://youtu.be/Yw_gEyg7Nt8[/ame]


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## wintrrwolf

Hmmm all I have is meat stock bunnies atm. But they are nice large bunnies. Seems most peeps want the dwarf or smaller bunnies for pets. Not really set up to do 2 different breeds of bunnies. Do cool colors sell well? I have a gray/orange NZ mix doe "harlequin" but at 16 weeks she is the size of my NZ/cali mix doe Jazmine...So guess TSC wouldn't be interested in my bunnies. How much does the Buck effect the look of the kits?


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## SFM in KY

wintrrwolf said:


> Do cool colors sell well? I have a gray/orange NZ mix doe "harlequin" but at 16 weeks she is the size of my NZ/cali mix doe Jazmine...So guess TSC wouldn't be interested in my bunnies. How much does the Buck effect the look of the kits?


The buck will affect the look of the kits like breeding with horses, dogs or anything else. Some of it depends on how prepotent he is ... or how different from the doe.

My local feed store wants smallish rabbits for pets. That is what they sell the most of. I'm working on a "designer rabbit" breeding program ... mostly for fun ... but it is more of a pet-sized rabbit than meat rabbit ... I want a smallish Rex with lop ears. http://designerrabbits.blogspot.com

The feed store works very well for me for the ones I'm not keeping for future breeding stock ... plus the occasional purebred MiniRex litter. They do like the fancy colors ... the brokens seem to sell better than the solid colors in black/blue/castor ... tricolors as well. And they really like the pointed sable (siamese cat colored) as well.


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## wintrrwolf

oh now I have one of those siamese cat colored ones! perhaps I should get a lop eared smallish buck to decrease the size of the babies. Gonna wait though and see what my 3 doe's produce with the buck I used, first litter due tomorrow.


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## SFM in KY

wintrrwolf said:


> oh now I have one of those siamese cat colored ones! perhaps I should get a lop eared smallish buck to decrease the size of the babies. Gonna wait though and see what my 3 doe's produce with the buck I used, first litter due tomorrow.


I've crossed the standard Rex with the MiniRex to bring down the size some and still keep the type. That seems to be about the right size for me ... around a 6# rabbit. That's what gave me the 'siamese' colored rabbits ... I had a standard sized Rex buck that had the color ... kept a couple of his daughters with that color and bred then to a MiniRex.

I'm finding the color breeding to be a LOT more complicated with the rabbits than with the horses and ponies though! Way more colors. Another color that seems to be very popular with the pet buyers/breeders is the blue eyed whites. Nearly all of the white rabbits you see have red eyes but there is a strain of white rabbits with blue eyes in some breeds and they are popular ... also, I gather, not particularly a color that is easy to get.


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## clovis

TSC is selling the rabbits.

During my last visit to TSC, they had 18 rabbits. All of those rabbits are already gone.

Today they got more rabbits in, and I counted 27 in the cage.

Simply amazing to me that one TSC can sell that many rabbits in such a short amount of time. Not only have they sold the rabbits, but the add on accessory rabbit merchandise has flown off the shelves. They are down to 2 of the cheap starter cage kits.


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## BarnDiva49

We have 5 TSC stores in our area and 4 Agway stores. The nearest TSC is selling rabbits for $35. And they don't last long. Lots of lops and lionheads. The next TSC is selling bunnies for $15. The farm down the road can't move their NZWs. Nik


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## bluebird2o2

The tractorsupply sold bunnies here last year for $15 but they want all small breeds.I can get 20 each for pets at my house.they pay 6 dollars.last year the rabbits didnt sell very well.besides they only sold bunnies for three weeks.a petstore in the next town pays 15 but they only take holland lops and they only buy at Easter.


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## SFM in KY

I've only sold to our local feed store and got $10 per rabbit, but we get all our feed there so I just converted it over to credit. They didn't want big rabbits either, though ... wanted the pet types ... lop ears by preference ... and only for a couple of weeks before Easter, so it's a limited market for me.

I didn't breed for Easter kits this year, probably just as well as it was really cold about the time they would have been kindling. I'm working on the Mini Plush Lops ... thinking I will have some actual MPLs ready for next year ... lop ears as well as the Rex coats. If so, I may see about getting some of them into a local pet shop next year.


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## clovis

I haven't been in our TSC for a few days, but at last count they had 18 rabbits last Saturday, I think.

All those bunnies are gone, and the breeder won't have any more ready for another 4 weeks.

It is simply unbelievable how many rabbits...especially since the majority are not well bred rabbits...TSC has sold.

I would think that someone needing to dump rabbits at a much higher price than the reported $5-$7 range that TSC likes to pay, right now would be a prime opportunity to try to up-sell better bred rabbits at a $10 to $20 price point.


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## ||Downhome||

seems you need to set up with your stock in the parking lot across from tsc with a 5 dollar price break on their price.


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## SFM in KY

If there is a local farmer's market that allows small livestock (some do and some don't) that might be a good option as well ...


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## james dilley

First off, Thanks for the idea .Tractor supply took All 5 that we had ready, And they were sold in less 2 bhrs. My brother is going to take 8 more in on Monday. And the manager asked him. to bring them in next year too.


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## laughaha

Our TSC is selling them for $10 each but you must buy 2 and there is a sign saying they are being sold for "Agricultural Purposes Only". I didn't bother asking them how much they'd give me for my popples- they are too yummy to give away.


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## tnokie

I took a litter of 7 to the local livestock sale barn today(they sell poultryand small animals before the cattle) I put each one in its own little cage. They were only four weeks old. They brought $10 each! I liked to have fell out of my chair! I expected 2-3 dollars each but was okay with that since they hadn't eaten that much yet. I actually felt bad for selling them so young,till I stopped at TSC on the way home. They were asking $12 for theirs and I know they couldn't have been over 3 weeks if that much. I doubt if they all will survive. Thats just to young even for me!


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## SFM in KY

tnokie said:


> I actually felt bad for selling them so young,till I stopped at TSC on the way home. They were asking $12 for theirs and I know they couldn't have been over 3 weeks if that much. I doubt if they all will survive. Thats just to young even for me!


Depending on the state, they may have to be at least 6 weeks old by state law and I suspect TSC, being a corporation, may be pretty careful about abiding by state laws, especially with PETA and various organizations like that being so active.

Obviously, if they are buying privately, they have to take the word of the sellers on age, but if they are buying from larger rabbit breeders on a regular, every year basis, I'd think those breeders would be reasonably careful as well.


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## clovis

tnokie said:


> I took a litter of 7 to the local livestock sale barn today(they sell poultryand small animals before the cattle) I put each one in its own little cage. They were only four weeks old. They brought $10 each! I liked to have fell out of my chair! I expected 2-3 dollars each but was okay with that since they hadn't eaten that much yet.


Way to go!!!

I've heard some crazy stories lately about small animals being sold at livestock barns.

Last year, a woman paid $19 each for hens guaranteed to be laying, and she bought 15 of them!!!


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## clovis

james dilley said:


> First off, Thanks for the idea .Tractor supply took All 5 that we had ready, And they were sold in less 2 bhrs. My brother is going to take 8 more in on Monday. And the manager asked him. to bring them in next year too.


Man, that is great!!!


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