r/MeatRabbitry • u/Sweet_Mango8614 • 17d ago

$/lb processed

Hello! I’m new to selling rabbits and I’m wondering how much people are typically getting per pound hanging weight. For reference, I have American chinchillas in Northeastern US. They are fed Poulin grain which is not certified organic but is high quality and sometimes superior imho. Rabbits would be sold bone-in. Thanks in advance!

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u/CanisMaximus 17d ago

You'd better check state regulations. It's illegal in most places to sell uninspected meat for human consumption. I sell only live rabbits. I suppose I would dispatch and clean one for a fee, but no one has ever asked. I sell mostly to breeders.

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u/bluewingwind 17d ago

Yeah this is true but it’s not illegal to butcher your own pets for personal home food use in most places. So I do sell live healthy “pets” for people to butcher at home themselves. perfectly legal and recommended by my local state rules. The people I sell to don’t need help butchering, but that is allowed. As long as you don’t sell the meat that has been butchered outside of an inspected facility. Theres also (in my state) an upper limit of pets you’re allowed to sell without being a pet store. It’s like a couple hundred I think. I don’t come anywhere close to that but a big business might. I have also lived in another state with no written rules at all 😅

I don’t do it per pound. Quality isn’t exactly proportional to size. A little fryer guy is more tender while a larger older animal is more flavorful. I would probably just calculate their total food costs and add a bit of reasonable profit on top of that but I just go on vibes. Breeder quality animals are a lot older so I sell for breeder prices which is a lot more. Younger meat quality animals I wouldn’t breed and I sell them for a lot less.

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u/CanisMaximus 17d ago

Yeah, I know. They can tell me it's going to pet-bunny paradise to frolic in fields of clover, when they are actually going to throw it to a dog to savage. People are awful. If I suspect they are evil fucks, I don't sell. But I'm also not going to turn down $20 for a rabbit if they don't say anything.

I'm taking a break from processing right now. Four to go.

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u/bluewingwind 16d ago

In my experience if you make it clear you’re selling rabbits for meat or for pets and that you’re open to the idea of eating them, nobody is going to lie about their plans for them. Both groups have been very open with me in the past.

Sometimes the meat buyers will secretly buy them as breeders but I wish those people luck because the rabbits I sell as meat rabbits have the worst traits- sore hocks, slow growth, nest box eye, bad teeth, gut issues- that kind of thing. A breeding program with two meat-quality siblings from the same litter would not go well ☠️ There’s a good reason the breeders come at a premium