Can you make money raising rabbits?

oxdrover14

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you can but it is definitely a hobby if you add up every single cost you aren't making that much but i do it because i really enjoy it if i sell a rabbit for $20 i usually make $8 $10 per bunny but its a very enjoyable hobby
 

Hop N'Tail

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I've been raising rabbits for 6 years. No matter what you do it will be impossible to make money off of rabbits. So I will say no you can't make money of raising rabbits it is more like a hobby.
 

tortoise

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Hop N'Tail said:
I've been raising rabbits for 6 years. No matter what you do it will be impossible to make money off of rabbits. So I will say no you can't make money of raising rabbits it is more like a hobby.
Define "make money." Like quit your day job? Then no. But to supplement income? Absolutely. But getting started with 2 mixed breed rabbits for meat isn't going to get a to a money-making place. Every market is different, but when I can sell rabbits for $60+ each, heck yeah, I can supplement my income with rabbits.
 

Bunnylady

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Yeah, but tortoise, you are talking about French Angoras. That is a real specialty market. You can't even give away Angoras around here, at least not as pets, because most people see that huge coat and believe it to be too much to handle (and for such people, it probably is). I know an Angora breeder near Charlotte that pretty much gives away his retired show and breeding rabbits as woolers, but how many spinners are there?
 

savingdogs

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In my area, bunnies cost anything from free to 60.00 depending on what they are....

I would choose something you naturally feel you like and are not allergic to at all. We chose rabbits because we DO like them.
 

rockdoveranch

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I think the key to making money is your networking system.

I am basically a recluse . . . so my pockets are not over flowing with money.
 

iajewel

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I have found that anything you go into if you do it for the money.. you will never see your money again. If you go into it for the love of it, you could wake up one morning on top. There is a saying, "there is money in rabbits it just getting it out of them thats hard" I have had Flemish for years. The pens alone costs a fortune, then the fence, then hutches. My horses are very comparable in this as you buy a horse, then need a saddle, bridle, feed, horse trailer and so on. Its not the price of the animal, its all the crap that goes with them. Thats why I don't have a hermit crab.
After all the stuff that goes with them, then you can't really buy a 10.00 rabbit and make it pay off now can you? No.. so you have to shop around for the best, the very best. One little of 10.00 meat rabbits will bring you about 100.00 and not even pay for the feed it took to raise them. One 100.00 rabbit and 10 bunnies is 1000.00 and now you have paid the feed bill and maybe for the hutch they are in as well. It costs as much to feed a good one as a bad one. That is true no matter what you raise, dogs, birds, it doesn't matter junk costs more to feed then good ones.
You also need to pick something you can stick with for a while. Reputations are worth money and it takes a while to build one. Rabbit people are like rabbits, patient, and humble, those that aren't don't make it very long. It will take you about 5yrs just to get your name out. Like starting any small business you won't be an over night success. You have to market, plan and budget to get you out of those first years.
So.. is there money in rabbits.. yes.. but just like anything else, it takes work.
 

cattlecait

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It is very difficult to make a reasonable amount of money in rabbits. They're very efficient in meat production. The annoying problem is that rabbits have a high initial cost, not only do you have to get the rabbits but you need cages, dishes for each cage, etc and so on.

If you have, for example, excellent show stock that you can charge a very good price for, and a strong market for your pet stock, you can make some decent extra cash. Other than that it'd be difficult to pay off your feed bill.
 

tortoise

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theawesomefowl said:
Reputation is golden. People want super-calm, sweet rabbits. That's what I have. I've had people drive from out-of-state to get them from me.

Temperament sells. I have a family coming up tomorrow to look at a rabbit ($60). They want a rabbit that the whole family can enjoy. I invited the whole family up. They won't believe his temperament unless they meet him!

This ain't no show bunny either, lol. I was raising him up to butcher. Temperament sells.

I'm still working on breeding a rabbit I would be proud to put on the show table. I do things to WIN, lol. I think I am 3 generations away from that. Can't wait to see how they compete. And if I do well, my prices will only go UP.
 
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