Raising rabbits for profit
Raising rabbits for profit
If your plans
include slaughtering rabbits
for sale to commercial businesses, such as grocery stores
or restaurants, they will need to be processed according to local or state health codes.
You will need to contact your local or state meat inspection
agency for rules and regulations. Codes usually are enforced by state agencies. It is usually sufficient to meet state rules and slaughter
rabbits with a state license but you should check with your county extension
service agent or your state meat inspection agency
to make sure of the rules for rabbit processing where you live.
If you are raising rabbits
for profit, then the obvious
places to sell rabbit meat are
local restaurants and grocery stores.
If local butchers
who are state licensed have processed your meat, you should have no trouble
meeting the standards
for these establishments, or for restaurants or stores anywhere
in your state.
You also may be able to sell your rabbit
meat at farmers
markets if you have a way to keep the meat cold. It may be worth testing
this niche to find out if there is a demand for rabbit meat in your area from
local consumers.
When it comes to selling pet rabbits, most people
who are not commercial breeders sell from their own homes or farms. It is up to you if you would like to
allow buyers to visit your home or farm in order to select their own rabbit.
You also may be able to sell rabbits at a farmers
market or flea market depending on the regulations in your state
and city or county.
You will need to check the laws
in your area to find out if it is legal to sell rabbits
in these places.
You also can
sell rabbits to local pet stores. There are people
and organizations opposed
to any stores that sell live
animals, but pet stores usually are inspected by local animal control and state agencies
to make sure they are treating animals
properly.
However, if you sell your rabbits to pet brokers or
if you sell your rabbits wholesale, you will need to become licensed as a
commercial rabbit breeder. This will
entail having your facilities inspected by the USDA and following Animal Welfare Act guidelines. You probably will not be able to raise your
rabbits in your home, and you will need separate outdoor facilities for them.
Most people who are commercial rabbit breeders raise
rabbits full time and rely on this business for their income.
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