sawfish99
Loving the herd life
I know the cost of raising meat rabbits is frequently discussed, but rarely analyzed in detail. I keep very detailed expense records for our farm and I am always crunching numbers to see what is profitable, and what isn't. Also, I look at how much work we do to make that little bit of profit. So, I decided to share my numbers for others to consider as you are starting with rabbits.
Entering arguments - we don't pay ourselves for labor. We have no employees on our farm. You may be able to do better or worse. I made some broad assumptions over the course of 10 months of data (such as, all rabbits eat at the same rate, kits that died didn't contribute to the cost basis, and others).
Until recently, we were feeding Manna Pro Rabbit feed for bucks and dry does. Lactating does and kits ate Manna Pro Grower. For my area (SE CT), the Manna Pro cost about $17/50lbs and the grow was $18.50/50 lbs. However, prices have continued to rise, so we switched all rabbits to Producers Pride at $15/50lbs. Even though it is lower protein, the cost difference got too big to avoid the change. All rabbits get free choice hay. We raise litters for 7-8 weeks before weaning. Does are bred back at 8 weeks. A more aggressive breeding cycle would likely increase profits slightly, but we have been experimenting with supply and demand and didn't want too many in our own freezer. I usually harvest for a 3lb average, which varies from 12-16 weeks depending on the doe. We have about a 50% live to packaged conversion, so a 6lb live rabbit gives me a 3lb packaged rabbit.
Rabbits are sold for $6/lb, packaged weight. (probably going up due to feed prices)
Cost per lb (as meat) $3.78
Profit per lb $2.21
Avg profit per rabbit $6.63
As you can see, when the margin is that low, there is little incentive for me to cut a deal on live sales vs packaged sales. If a live rabbit is ready for harvest, I sell it for the meat value. I had a conversation with a potential customer this morning that wanted to pay $2/lb live weight when they were ready for harvest, which would equate to about $1 profit per rabbit. I politely declined.
I would be interested to hear how others compare.
Entering arguments - we don't pay ourselves for labor. We have no employees on our farm. You may be able to do better or worse. I made some broad assumptions over the course of 10 months of data (such as, all rabbits eat at the same rate, kits that died didn't contribute to the cost basis, and others).
Until recently, we were feeding Manna Pro Rabbit feed for bucks and dry does. Lactating does and kits ate Manna Pro Grower. For my area (SE CT), the Manna Pro cost about $17/50lbs and the grow was $18.50/50 lbs. However, prices have continued to rise, so we switched all rabbits to Producers Pride at $15/50lbs. Even though it is lower protein, the cost difference got too big to avoid the change. All rabbits get free choice hay. We raise litters for 7-8 weeks before weaning. Does are bred back at 8 weeks. A more aggressive breeding cycle would likely increase profits slightly, but we have been experimenting with supply and demand and didn't want too many in our own freezer. I usually harvest for a 3lb average, which varies from 12-16 weeks depending on the doe. We have about a 50% live to packaged conversion, so a 6lb live rabbit gives me a 3lb packaged rabbit.
Rabbits are sold for $6/lb, packaged weight. (probably going up due to feed prices)
Cost per lb (as meat) $3.78
Profit per lb $2.21
Avg profit per rabbit $6.63
As you can see, when the margin is that low, there is little incentive for me to cut a deal on live sales vs packaged sales. If a live rabbit is ready for harvest, I sell it for the meat value. I had a conversation with a potential customer this morning that wanted to pay $2/lb live weight when they were ready for harvest, which would equate to about $1 profit per rabbit. I politely declined.
I would be interested to hear how others compare.