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How to Make Money with Backyard Meat Rabbits

April 6, 2017 by Tiffany Davis 17 Comments

How to Make Money with Backyard Meat RabbitsCan you make money with backyard meat rabbits? YES! Now I am not here to tell you that you’re going to be the next rabbit breeding millionaire but you can make enough money to cover your rabbit supplies and feed…and maybe a bit extra. How much you make will depend on the size of your rabbitry, your promotion of your product/s and how connected your are in your homesteading, prepping and rabbit community.

Before you get started with any business venture you need to consider legalities and insurance. Make sure to see what regulations there are in your area that cover selling animals and animal products. Then check with your insurance agent about your homeowner or rental insurance policies; you may need to have a rider to cover your business.

You may want to consider not allowing people in your rabbitry to protect your rabbits from outside disease and unneeded stress. Most people understand when you tell them that you have a close rabbitry. You can provide pictures if they want to see the breeders, cleanliness, etc.

Now lets talk about the 5 ways that you can make money with backyard meat rabbits!

Let me start by saying that I do not advocate making your rabbits a full-time business or getting into rabbits for the sole purpose of making money. The best thing you’re going to do with backyard meat rabbits is to feed yourself and your family. If you want to see more about raising meat rabbits, see my article on Getting Started with Meat Rabbits. This miniature livestock is an amazing addition to your backyard farming efforts and can be raised by even the smallest urban farmer.

It is great to be able to make money with backyard meat rabbits BUT please remember to be responsible with your livestock. Don’t take on more than you can clean up after and feed daily. Even livestock deserves to live to live a good life!

How to Make Money with Backyard Meat Rabbits

Selling Poop – Yes, selling rabbit manure can make you money with backyard meat rabbits. This is gardening gold my friends! Gardeners don’t always want to raise a rabbit/s themselves but most know they value of having rabbit poo for their garden ( see Rabbit Poop Fertilizer for more information ).  You can sell small bags for those wanting to add a bit to their gardens, up to garbage bags full for composts. Make sure they you use bedding that you can either rinse off the droppings or is all natural and easily composted as well. Personally I keep my rabbits off the droppings with pans; I line those with newspaper which doesn’t have to go into the bags at all.

Selling Kits – If you have good breeding stock you could make money by selling their offspring. Now you’re going to How to Make Money with Backyard Meat Rabbits  make the most money from selling kits from purebred rabbits. But a lot of backyard breeders are just looking for good healthy kits to be breeders for meat. I recommend selling them around the 8 week mark – they are usually full weaned from mama by that point and won’t be eating up your feed. Prices will vary so be sure to do some research on rabbit forums and your local Craigslist to see what kits are selling for in your area. If you do have purebred stock you may also want to check with your local 4H groups who may be looking for their members.

Selling Breeders – It is rare that anyone producing meat from their backyard wants to get rid of proven breeders; but it happens. You can sell a doe ready to breed or that has bred once or twice, for a good amount of cash; bucks for a bit less. People just getting into rabbits are usually eager to start their rabbitry and want rabbits ready to breed. I do not recommend selling a doe that you know is pregnant – it can be very stressful for them and they may lose the pregnancy.

Selling Pelts – This market will depend greatly on the quality of your pelts. In warmer climates you may not get enough or thick enough fur on the pelt to be attractive to crafters. But if you do there are people who will pay for tanned pelts to make a variety of products. There is a market for those who want to tan their own pelts. You’ll need to freeze individual pelts to preserve them until purchase. It does take some skill to keep a pelt in good condition during processing.

Selling Processed Rabbits – There are several different avenues to make money with your backyard meat rabbits after processing. There are some areas that you can sell processed meat for human consumption – but you’ll definitely need to be up on your state’s regulations for that. But another way to sell them is to the pet food industry! You can start small by offer fresh or frozen rabbits to reptile owners that just want to feed their pets. Some dog and cat owners prefer to feed their animals a raw diet and will purchase processed rabbits for this purpose as well. Additionally, if you have a bigger set-up, you may find larger producers of dog food will purchase processed rabbits for their productions. You’ll need a good deep freezer if this is the route you decide to take to make money with backyard meat rabbits.

Bonus Option – Selling Pet Rabbits – I am putting this as a bonus option because it is not one that I have done much with. I don’t like to sell pet rabbits because they usually end up back at my house. Rabbits are great for pets if you know what you’re getting into; but people often don’t know much about rabbits at the time of purchase. I absolutely DO NOT sell rabbits during the month of Easter because those consumers are often the least informed and just wanting something cute for their kid’s basket. However, if you feel comfortable with your buyers this is another option and a great way to give your retired breeders a chance to live out their full life cycle.

So there you have it, 5 ways to make money with backyard meat rabbits…and a bonus option. I hope this helps you make some cash to cover your feed, housing and other homesteading efforts.

5 Ways to Make Money with Backyard Meat Rabbits

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Filed Under: Backyard Homestead, Backyard Livestock, Meat Rabbits

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Comments

  1. Isaac says

    September 12, 2018 at 12:48 am

    I want to sell rabbits

    Reply
    • Monty Kieffer says

      March 8, 2021 at 4:06 am

      I want to buy rabbits

      Reply
  2. Regina says

    January 22, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Good articale,
    I have been wanting rabbit meat, it never occurred to me to raise and butcher my own. Duh

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      January 22, 2019 at 9:59 pm

      One of the easiest animals to raise as livestock. 🙂

      Reply
    • Shirley Arentz says

      July 29, 2019 at 10:00 am

      I am in central Texas and have extra breeding age Californian show males. Have 4 good show quality bucks 5months old. Have 8 average show stock bucks 8 months old. Have 3 fryer size (less than 5 lbs)

      Reply
    • Roberta Tomaino says

      February 9, 2020 at 1:16 am

      What the hell is the matter with you batbarians!!!!
      You’re slaughtering PETS! Loving wonderful sensitive animals!
      I hope you rot in hell!

      Reply
      • Tiffany Davis says

        February 13, 2020 at 10:17 am

        Roberta the correct spelling you’re looking for is barbarians. Thank you for taking time out of your day for such a productive comment.

        Reply
  3. xolani Alfred says

    February 25, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    Iv got lot of rabbit, now I’m looking a market to sell a rabbit meat

    Reply
  4. Popoola Sodeeq Owolabi says

    May 21, 2019 at 3:25 am

    I get rabbit but looking for where i will them

    Reply
  5. nick ballenger says

    June 30, 2019 at 12:56 pm

    Will take all unwanted rabbits

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      July 1, 2019 at 4:31 am

      Ok…

      Reply
  6. Rebecca says

    July 30, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    I started a rabbitry about 2 years ago. I paid $300 for the 14 hole cage set up and at least that to get the rabbits to fill it. Then I had other cost like feeders waterers food nest boxes meds tarps and so on. My experience was ok I guess. Some does had kits early,some ate thiers, some had nice litters and some not so nice. Some died! I sold the the whole shebang for $300. Dollars:(
    Those of you wanting to get started in it. I strongly advise u start small like 2 does and a male. See if u like it. It’s alot of work but can be rewarding.

    Reply
    • Velma henderson says

      November 17, 2019 at 6:08 pm

      I just wanted to no where to buy some rabbits.

      Reply
      • Freedom Mc'Clucken says

        November 13, 2020 at 5:31 am

        A good Place to buy Rabbits is Craigslist. You can usually find a rabbit for $20-50 with 20 or less being the reasonable price. Search on google for your local Craigslist area and then search under the category “Farm and Garden”. Reach out to people and see what suits your fancy.

        Reply
  7. Nawal Abdulrehman says

    January 6, 2021 at 10:45 pm

    Hi my name is Nawal I have s’mores Coco and Oreo Coco an Oreo is female rabbit is a s’more‘s he is the male and I have babies from the rabbit first batch is 2 1/2 month and second batch is three weeks old and third batch is one week old the three weeks they eat in running around everywhere they’re healthy and different different color on the first batch also they run around and healthy I want it making money to sell start babies rabbit and for pets as a keep it them for the children and I am interested to sell it please show me how to make money thank you

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      January 7, 2021 at 5:34 am

      All my ideas for making money with the rabbits is in the post. Did you have a question on anything specific?

      Reply
  8. Elvis says

    February 25, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    Hi
    I breed purebred Nz rabbits Flemish and Rex

    Reply

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