backwoodshome/raising-rabbits-for-profit/

 

Issue #106 • July/August, 2007

Whether or not you are fond of rabbit stew, raising rabbits for meat can be a great experience and can even help swell your pocketbook a little. The same characteristics that make rabbits good backyard pets also make them good to raise for meat: They take up little space, are easy to care for, and are relatively inexpensive to house and feed.

I’ve been raising rabbits since I was a kid, starting out with pets, then graduating to 4-H show rabbits, then finally to meat rabbits, which I sold to a butcher and auctioned off at local fairs. At its peak, the rabbitry my mom, sister, and I shared housed over seventy rabbits and was making us a couple thousand dollars a year, but it all started out with old Floppy Ears in a crumbling hutch. We learned a lot from trial and error, and even more from talking with other rabbit raisers. Here are some tips to start you off on the right foot.

A profitable meat rabbit business can be started with just three or four does (females), a buck (male) or two, some basic equipment, and a buyer. First, decide on what type of rabbit to raise. It will be easier to find a buyer for the offspring if they are pure bred, but whether or not they have pedigrees is up to you. Pedigrees are more important if you plan on selling the offspring to other breeders or you will want to show them at some point. The most common breeds are Californians and white New Zealands. If you decide to go with a different breed, stick with white fur. Whoever butchers the rabbit will appreciate it, as white hairs are not as discernible on a carcass as dark hairs. (Some butchers refuse to use dark-haired rabbits at all because of this.)

source - https://www.backwoodshome.com/raising-rabbits-for-profit/