You guys out there, you can do this, make money on rabbits. I found another person that wants 1000-2000 lbs of rabbit, dressed. I cant supply this. We need to pull our resources and start marketing. THERE IS MONEY IN RABBITS

-- tracy (murfette@stargate.net), March 27, 2002

Answers

Tracy... YES, there is a demand for rabbits. The problem is, we simply can't supply enough! This holds true for the rabbit meat industry, as well. Be careful how many orders you take on... if you can't provide the supply, it can get you black-balled!

Now you know WHY we don't want national advertising on the benefits of rabbit meat, since it would literally create a monster of a demand which we simply can't provide, and it would destroy the industry, instead.

-- Pat Lamar (fuzyfarm@3-cities.com), March 28, 2002.

Tacy I am trying to stat well , kinda a co-op in NYS.The only way fo us to work is together .I am at no point to start raising that many myself.I am trying to get alll the small people together .Hope it works for you.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.

Tracy,

You are absolutely right...the market is out there, the problem seems to be no bunny runners to truck them, not enough processors that will stay in business long enough for breeders to grow to meet the demand and not enough breeders to be committed to growing what the market demands ! Everything I read seems to tell me that there a lot of breeders out there, they just can't find a processor to sell them to.

A few years back there was a truck that went from the northern states to Florida and back, picking up rabbits all along the way, but I have no idea what happened to the route or if it is still running.

I know of TWO people in North Carolina that are willing to grow as big as needed to supply a market (one of them being me). We had a processor lined up that asked us to get prepared for September, but now from what I can find out, he MAY have gone out of business...don't know for sure. It is a "catch 22".

But we aren't going to give up and quit! I agree with you, all the breeders need to get together and furnish the market with what is needed...it can be done, people just need to stay committed long enough to make it work.

I have seen so many posts that people are in and out of rabbits because there is "no market". That is bull, the market is out there and you are proof of that.

This is just my humble opinion for what it is worth. I will get off my soapbox now. Feel free to email me if you'd like.

Frustrated in NC !! LOL

-- Brenda in NC (CherokeeMaiden2@aol.com), March 28, 2002.

Rabbits are truly a versatile animal with MANY different markets and not confined solely to the rabbit meat industry. But, trying to convince some of the growers of this can be something else. They seem to think that if there isn't a processor in their back yard, then, they have no market! Not so, as Tracy has so eloquently experienced.

Good job, Tracy... your hard work is paying off! I sincerely hope we had a little to do with your success by helping to give you some direction. :)

-- Pat Lamar (fuzyfarm@3-cities.com), March 28, 2002.

Me and my patrner have been supplying between 30000 & 35000 fryers per year for the last 3 years to California.We have a group of producers we pick up from every 3 to 4 weeks depending on the processors sales but we could supply alt. loads to another processor to take alittle heat off ours. Sales are still slow and summer is coming. All our producers are year round and it gets pretty cold up here but everyone has insulated barns.I fully agree with the catch 22 theory but what is the solution? Larry (judyd@mts.net)

-- Larry McLauchlan (judyd@mts.net), March 30, 2002.

I respectively disagree with Pat. If you dont market how in the world do you promote this as a viable industry? I will not promise anything that I cant deliver. Why not advertise the benifits of rabbit meat? If there is a demand then people will start looking at this as a livelihood. As others as stated, why produce if the buyers arnt there? I havent even began exploring the "people" industry. My market is pet food and I cant keep up. If there is a demand for rabbit meat for human consumption the proccesing plants will follow. Just my 2 cents.

-- tracy (murfete@stargate.net), March 30, 2002.

Tracy.... I appreciate your thoughts, but the fact is... it takes less time, effort and money to produce rabbits than it does to plan and build a processing plant. By the time a plant is built, licensed, inspected and in operation, the growers have given up, the customers have stopped looking for the advertised rabbit meat in the stores, and the distributors, stores and restaurants don't want anything to do with a rabbit meat industry which can't deliver on the advertised goods.

Some areas, of course, are in need of advertising, but only if the processor is willing, since he/she is the one having to provide the finished product. Some processors simply don't want to expand their business. As such, a national advertising campaign is still a bad idea, and even the beef and pork checkoff systems for paying for their own national advertising are currently experiencing considerable controversy. Surveys on a national advertising campaign on the benefits of rabbit meat have been conducted and resulted in an unanimous and resounding "NO" from the knowledgeable sector of the industry. Meanwhile, however, individuals are free to do their own advertising as they see fit.

-- Pat Lamar (fuzyfarm@3-cities.com), March 30, 2002.

Larry,

In my opinion, what is needed is more determined and dedicated breeders that are willing to go through the slow times as well as the busy times and not give up or quit. Nothing in life is guaranteed to be as good one day as it was the day before. I think it takes a lot of persistence, patience and dedication to succeed at anything we do. Of course, so many people get into rabbits thinking that it will be an overnight success and it just doesn't happen...it is the same in any business we undertake. If my DH gave up on his business every time he had a little slow time, his business wouldn't last very long. Tracy is an excellent example of what can happen with determination and persistence. She has taken her business and run with it and is making it a huge success. There is no reason why others can't do the same. I truly believe that this is going to really take off one day and there will be a lot of people that quit that will wish they had stayed with it. I have made over $500 in the last two weeks, granted that doesn't begin to make up for the money I have spent to get started in rabbits, but it does make a small dent in it. I don't know, but I really do believe in the rabbit industry and I for one will not quit. Again, the three important things for being in business is Persistence, Patience and Dedication. I will add one more to those factors...you must also enjoy it. There is nothing I love more than going out to my barn and talking to my rabbits ( well, maybe spending quality time with my DH !) Anyway, just my opinion.

-- Brenda in NC (CherokeeMaiden2@aol.com), March 31, 2002.

I would think that the answer to the problem of a lack of processors would be for some of the larger producers to get together and start their own processing plant or take over one of the ones that went out of business. Of course I am just a beginner ans don't know the legal ramifications.

-- Buffy Jones (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), April 12, 2002.