Can You Make Money From Your Meat Rabbits?

Raising meat rabbits comes with a lot to consider. A lot of you looking to get started in raising your own rabbits for meat do so because you want to take a bit of responsibility for your food. Most do not have a way to raise large animals. Or you might live in a neighborhood where only rabbits can be raised. So along with choosing to raise your own rabbits for meat, you may wonder if there is a way to offset the cost or even if you can make money from your meat rabbits.

If you are ready to make money from your meat rabbits, there are several things to think about.

It can really depend on several things as to whether you can make money raising meat rabbits. But there are definitely ways you can make money to offset the costs of raising them for your own homestead. My personal goal is to cover part of my feed costs for the year at this point. I definitely do that with many of the ways below.

If you work at it, you might be able to cover all the costs of feed for the year. That would be a huge win. And maybe you want to make enough money to cover all your rabbit raising costs and then some extra. Here are some ideas on how you can make money from your meat rabbits.

How Will I Know if I Can Make Money from My Meat Rabbits?

If you want to make money from your meat rabbits, you will need to think about a few things.

It will really depend on your area and how many other rabbit breeders are around you. Living in a rural area seems like a great idea. However, I made more with my rabbits when I lived in a more central suburban area. There were not many people doing what I was doing in that area. So I did not have much competition and people came from hours away to purchase from me. Now I have more rabbit breeders around me selling rabbits and rabbit products. Though most people around me are raising show rabbits and not meat rabbits.

It will also depend on how people find out about you and your rabbits. I have found that Craigslist has been the best way to advertise for what I am selling. Facebook can be a good way for people to find you, but tricky to navigate animal sales on that platform.

Last, you won’t really know until you try your hand at some of the ideas below if you will be able to make any money. Some times of the year are better for sales. Yet, it might surprise you when people are looking to buy your product. Don’t give up on having your name and product out there. People will find you and if they are happy with what you provide, they will tell others and come back themselves.

Ways to Make Money from Your Meat Rabbits

#1 Sell Kits (as pets, grow-outs, or future breeders)

The first way that I made money with my rabbits is by advertising the kits for sale. We usually have more than we can house to grow-out stage. So by selling kits, I am able to slowly remove a few from the doe as she has weaned them.

My first goal was to cover the cost of what it takes me to raise a litter of rabbits to grow-out stage. It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but I think about how much I pay for a bag of pellets. Then approximately how many bags each litter goes through.

Mostly, I can cover the cost of food for each litter by selling two kits per litter. Since most of my does have 6-10 babies per litter, this is fairly easy. And it leaves us with more than enough rabbits to raise for our own meat.

You can decide what a good number of kits to sell from each litter is. You might not sell any from one litter, but sell most of another.

Most people buy kits from me for pets, to raise as their own meat to process, or as future breeders. It is cheaper to buy a kit than a mature adult. I know some people prefer it so they have time to bond with the animal before it is too old.

#2 Sell Mature Adults

I have sold many older rabbits that are six months and above either individually or as a breeding duo or trio. Many people starting out with rabbits want to purchase a duo or trio so they can get started with breeding right away. You can only do this if you have multiple lines of rabbits and they are not related. It is important that you set up the buyers for success by selling them lines that are not crossed. You could sell a buck from one line and then two sisters from another if you are selling a trio. But never sell brothers and sisters as a breeding duo or trio.

If you choose to sell older rabbits, you will be able to sell them for more than you sell the kits. Proven rabbits will command an even higher price. A proven doe has had her own litter or the buck has fathered a litter.

Some people will be looking for rabbits with a pedigree. If you have that, you can decide how you want to sell your rabbits. Some people charge more as a total cost. I have seen others charge an extra cost for the pedigree or a lower cost if you want the rabbit without it.

If you aren’t sure what to charge for your rabbits, take a look around on Craigslist. I find there is a huge variety and some people are asking almost nothing while others are asking very high prices. Depending on the market and what I have, I will usually offer a discount for multiples and have even bartered items when people want more than what they have cash for. Know what you need to make it worth it to sell and not have that meat for your family.

#3 Sell Rabbits as Meat Rabbits to Process or Processed Meat

This is not something that we have ever done or really feel comfortable with at this point. We have been asked in response to our ads for live rabbits, but have said no. My husband feels comfortable processing meat for our family, but not other people.

I know that there are laws for each state saying what you can do with selling meat, so if you want to go this route, you would have to research what your area allows. Some allow for the selling of meat for human consumption, but other states only allow the selling for pet food for example. Some states probably don’t allow it at all.

#4 Stud Out Your Bucks

This is something that we have not personally done, but have been asked about. After having gone through the aftermath of purchasing a sick rabbit (we didn’t know it at the time) that brought in a lot of grief into our herd, I do not think I would personally do this in most cases.

However, I do have some situations I would consider using my bucks for stud service. I have a neighbor that I have bought rabbits from. She is very trustworthy and I know her herd is healthy. She has taken care of my rabbits when we have been out of town. And since two of my buck breeders have come from her, I trust that I could let her use one of my bucks. In fact, we have already talked about it when I bought one from her. These are pedigreed rabbits that are not like most of my mutt meat rabbits.

So if you consider studding out your bucks, I would caution you to think about how you plan to do this and be very careful who you trust. You would also need to quarantine your buck for a period of time to make sure he healthy afterwards.

It is more expensive for people to house their own bucks and I understand why they would want to pay for this service, but it is more risky with rabbits. And for us, we would not make enough money to make it worth it. However, it can be worth it for some certain situations.

#5 Sell Rabbit Pelts

This is something that is on my to-do list and I have reached out to people in my area about it, but I have not actually sold any pelts yet. I have a freezer full of pelts from rabbits that we have processed and I need to get them taken care of. I have gotten as far as researching what the going rate is.

So far I have found a lady that is a few hours away that will pay $2-$3 a pelt. Since I would have to drive to meet her, I have not sold them yet. But if I did at this point, I would make about $100. That might be worth it.

Another option with pelts is to have them processed and turned into items that you want to use such as gloves or pillows. Since I haven’t learned to tan the hides myself, I would love this option. But this would not make me money unless I sold the items later on.

#6 Sell Rabbit Poo as Fertilizer

If you didn’t know, rabbit poo as fertilizer for my gardens is how I got into having our own rabbits that we raise for meat. I had found a listing from a neighbor who had too much on their hands. Once I found out what gold it was for my garden, I was hooked.

So selling rabbit poo or “bunny berries” for fertilizer is something that I have done and people love to buy. They realize that this is a wonderful fertilizer for their gardens. Read more about how great rabbit fertilizer is over here.

I have been successful selling “bunny berries” when I sell plant starts in the spring. I have not advertised them on Craigslist, but have seen others who do.

You have to make sure that the berries you collect are dried out so that they are easy to handle, bag, and do not smell. Depending on how many rabbits you have, you can sell it in gallon size bags like I do or you can gather it up in old feed bags and sell it that way. The price will depend on if you are making sure it is just the bunny berries without straw or hay or if it is a mixture you shovel out from under the cages. I have found it is only about $5 for a gallon size bag, but you might be able to fetch more in your area.

Do You Enjoy Making Money From Your Meat Rabbits?

If you want to make money from your meat rabbits, you will have to think about how much it is worth to you.

This is something that you really need to think about if you want to try making money from your rabbits. Are you comfortable having people come to your home to purchase rabbits or other rabbit products?

I love to talk to people about raising rabbits and what they know that I might not. I also love to educate those who are just getting into meat rabbits. So, I usually spend time talking to prospective buyers about the the rabbits for sale and the different options I have for them. This part of raising rabbits is fun for me. It has connected me to others in my community who are doing the same thing and I think that is always a good thing.

I hope that you are considering making money from your meat rabbits to help support your homestead.

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