markets

wofarm · #1 12/01/09, 07:22 PM

Where do all the rabbits go? What kind of markets do you all have? what is the prevailing price for 5 pound rabbits? Does anyone activly work at marketing their product?

I have sold mostly as snake feed and to pet stores, some just ended up at the sale barn for nest to nothing.that was the main reason for quitting the Mini Rex. I now have a market for 4.5 pounders and up @ $1.20 per lb. picked up at my farm. There are several buyers in the area, some not so consistant on pricing and/or need. I dont know whether to put some effort into marketing fryers locally or not, maybe just hang out a "rabbits" sign? Selling a few now and then as brood stock was profitable at times but 2 rabbnits a year @ 100 bucks and 8-10 or so @ 25 bucks isnt really making any profit considering the expenses of showing.

Silver Marten · #2 12/01/09, 08:42 PM

Right now I am selling most of my Silver Martens as show and brood stock. I about to get a trio of Californians though and I am going to sell to the processors.

Emily

rabbithappy · #3 12/01/09, 11:30 PM

Well, I'm quite new to this rabbit hobby of mine, just having started out this summer. So far, I have not had a problem selling. In fact, I could probably sell many more than I have right now. I have NZW & NZW mixes. I have sold several bunnies about 8 to 9 weeks old for $7 to $10 each. I have also sold frozen rabbit meat ( only to folks we know well ) at $10 each. So right now, I'm actually making a little profit. Plus, we have some in the freezer for our own use.

Ceres Hil · #4 12/02/09, 12:07 AM

$15-20 per bun---use up to buyer... (wink)

o&itw · #5 12/02/09, 06:34 AM

I process most of mine for my own use. It is too much trouble for me to process them for others and I don't want to worry about what all health laws might be involved, so I only sell live rabbits. I have sold a number of weaned rabbits (up to 10 weeks old) for breeding stock, but mostly when I still had purebreds. I sell each for half the price of a bag of feed. or about $6.50. The adult rabbits, I would sell for $15 or so according to their rarity. We also give a number of processed rabbits to our kids and neighbors. Obviously I am not in this to make money, but I get a few sales by word of mouth. We eat rabbit about 3 times a week, so we go through quite a few.

prairiedog · #6 12/02/09, 11:25 AM

We found a market at the local zoo.

wofarm · #7 12/02/09, 06:52 PM

Lots of secrets among the growers! I think they are afraid of competition.

We may work at forming a marketing co-op to enable shipping a few hundred from a single point. The biggest growers around here run around 20-30 production holes. If the buyer only has to make 1 or 2 stops to fill his truck he may be willing to up the price a dime or so. The Amish have transport issues, that might be problematic?

Pat Lamar · #8 12/02/09, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wofarm

Lots of secrets among the growers! I think they are afraid of competition.

We may work at forming a marketing co-op to enable shipping a few hundred from a single point. The biggest growers around here run around 20-30 production holes. If the buyer only has to make 1 or 2 stops to fill his truck he may be willing to up the price a dime or so. The Amish have transport issues, that might be problematic?

No secrets... the demand outweighs the supply, anyway, and rabbits are in big demand by the processors. Only a couple or so processors hire their own runners to pick up rabbits... most rely on voluntary "bunny runners" willing to transport other growers' rabbits for a small fee (from the growers) in order to get his/her own rabbits to the processor. That wouldn't work for your theory of getting more money from the processor.

Pat Lamar

wofarm · #9 12/02/09, 09:33 PM

Pat, thankyou for your post.
The demand may be higher than production in some areas. The guy we sell to just dropped a dime yet he seems to have a place for more producers. I called and talked to him before I decided to change from mini Rex to a meat breed. He claims to be cutting it a bit too close, thus my thought of easing his burden in pickups. He does pick ups from quite a wide area, several states.I havent discussed this with him yet, hope to. I wont really be coming on line with more than a few market ready rabbits for roughly a year.

Rob

Pat Lamar · #10 12/03/09, 02:16 AM

Rob... I sent you a private message.

Pat Lamar

dlwelch · #11 12/03/09, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat Lamar

No secrets... the demand outweighs the supply, anyway, and rabbits are in big demand by the processors.
Pat Lamar

From my experience with the current economic conditions, that may be related to the many producers who have called it quits. I sell to one of the largest buyers and processors in North America. Having more demand than supply is not something they are having to deal with at the present time. The situation seemed to change for them within the past year much to the dismay of producers who would like to expand.

While there are other processors who need more rabbits, it seems to be related to the decrease in production rather than simply an increase in demand. I'm not saying there is no demand....just that the reason in some instances is
related to the sharp decrease in production.

I've been contacted by a buyer from the West Coast who wants a lot of rabbits to deliver to California. Producers won't expand to sell to him for one reason. Several have been burned in the past. When/if he can buy rabbits closer to his area, he may not be coming to Texas. And
then what happens?

It would be nice if the rabbit community were better organized. I don't see that happening in my lifetime!

Pat Lamar · #12 12/03/09, 01:51 PM

Hmmm... I did fail to consider the recent economic situation which can negatively affect every aspect of the rabbit industry. Consumers aren't buying rabbit because it is an expensive meat. Growers aren't expanding and/or are cutting back or quitting because of increased feed and utility costs. Definitely a dilemna. Thanks for reminding me, Linda!

Pat Lamar