Has anyone ever heard of ordering baby bunnies like they order chicks? I was wondering because i would like to open up something like that.
Mail-Order Rabbits
- Thread starter rsleghornchicki
- Start date
I haven't heard of anything like that. That'd be an interesting idea, though. You'd definitely want to check with the post office and find out about shipping regulations, etc. You'd probably also want to think about demand -- are there enough people wanting to raise rabbits, who won't just get them from a person off of, say, craigslist? Part of the cool thing about the hatcheries/mail-order chicken breeders to me is that they have such neat and various breeds.
We have rabbits. I probably wouldn't mail order them, mostly because it's so easy and pretty cheap just to get them in person, and second because we use our rabbits for meat and have found our best rabbits tend to be mutts. Now my chickens.... that's a different story.
We have rabbits. I probably wouldn't mail order them, mostly because it's so easy and pretty cheap just to get them in person, and second because we use our rabbits for meat and have found our best rabbits tend to be mutts. Now my chickens.... that's a different story.
- Thread starter
- #3
It would be like a breeder and people wold have to request the babies for me to breed them. and we would have all sorts of cool breeds and then a assortment of just some bucks and does all mixed up so that some crazy bunnies would come out!
Sorry but I don’t think it would be worth your effort. It is done but only for breeds or stock that is very rare or of top quality. Even then most breeders won’t do it. You have to buy a carrier approved for air travel, drive to the airport and your client will have to pick up on the other end.
If you join different groups you can sometimes find a traveler who can help transport for a reasonable fee but it is hit and misses.
I was going to have someone helpful bring a rabbit back from N.Y. to Ohio In tell I found out the doe was related to my buck, Small world
If you join different groups you can sometimes find a traveler who can help transport for a reasonable fee but it is hit and misses.
I was going to have someone helpful bring a rabbit back from N.Y. to Ohio In tell I found out the doe was related to my buck, Small world
One reason shipping chicks works is because when they are day olds, they still have the yolk they absorbed and don't need to eat and drink right away. Rabbits on the other hand always should have water available and they need their food.
It's a cute idea, but I don't really see it working in the real world. Every way I look at it, I think it would cost more money than it would make.
Day-old chicks weigh next to nothing; shipping them is relatively cheap (no pun intended!). By the time a rabbit is old enough to wean, it weighs a fair percentage of its adult weight, and is much more expensive to ship simply because of the weight.
The sheer volume that hatcheries manage makes the process itself relatively inexpensive. Hens can be kept in large groups, they will lay on an almost daily basis. The incubator is expensive, but the eggs only require minimal monitoring while incubating. A rabbit doe must be kept alone, only produces a litter after 4+ weeks' gestation, and she then has to care for her litter for a minimum of another 4 weeks (assuming that the animals can sustain a commercial pace). At best, a doe in heavy production is putting out maybe 6-8 kits in a little over a month. Most people don't wean until later because bunnies can be fragile at that age, if you were shipping 4-week olds you would probably run into pretty high losses. Litter sizes are unpredictable, and you have just as much time invested at kindling in a litter that is lost as in one that is alive and of good size. Some people do keep rabbit "colonies," but they still require careful monitoring to make sure all animals are healthy and not being over-worked. Production from a colony-type breeding operation is sporadic, but the people who do it don't mind, as volume and predictability aren't things they worry about.
Not many people would want several rabbits at one time. People interested in rabbits as pets would only want one or maybe a couple; babies that have had lots of handling make far better pets. Those who would want several at once would most likely be looking for meat production, and wouldn't want to pay the high cost of shipping that many animals just to slaughter them a few weeks later. Pet shops might be interested in buying smaller breeds, but many already have rabbit "puppy mills" that they buy from. If you were selling on that scale, you would need to get a license and meet several federal regulations to maintain that license, which can get expensive again.
Day-old chicks weigh next to nothing; shipping them is relatively cheap (no pun intended!). By the time a rabbit is old enough to wean, it weighs a fair percentage of its adult weight, and is much more expensive to ship simply because of the weight.
The sheer volume that hatcheries manage makes the process itself relatively inexpensive. Hens can be kept in large groups, they will lay on an almost daily basis. The incubator is expensive, but the eggs only require minimal monitoring while incubating. A rabbit doe must be kept alone, only produces a litter after 4+ weeks' gestation, and she then has to care for her litter for a minimum of another 4 weeks (assuming that the animals can sustain a commercial pace). At best, a doe in heavy production is putting out maybe 6-8 kits in a little over a month. Most people don't wean until later because bunnies can be fragile at that age, if you were shipping 4-week olds you would probably run into pretty high losses. Litter sizes are unpredictable, and you have just as much time invested at kindling in a litter that is lost as in one that is alive and of good size. Some people do keep rabbit "colonies," but they still require careful monitoring to make sure all animals are healthy and not being over-worked. Production from a colony-type breeding operation is sporadic, but the people who do it don't mind, as volume and predictability aren't things they worry about.
Not many people would want several rabbits at one time. People interested in rabbits as pets would only want one or maybe a couple; babies that have had lots of handling make far better pets. Those who would want several at once would most likely be looking for meat production, and wouldn't want to pay the high cost of shipping that many animals just to slaughter them a few weeks later. Pet shops might be interested in buying smaller breeds, but many already have rabbit "puppy mills" that they buy from. If you were selling on that scale, you would need to get a license and meet several federal regulations to maintain that license, which can get expensive again.
Interesting Idea, but I know even in east river, I'm able to get lots of different types of miniature breeds. However, I'm having a heck of a time locating nearby breeders of meat breeds. The closest is several hours away. So I'm likely going to MN to a SWAP to try to find my breeding stock of does. I have a source now (central part of the state) for a buck.
wouldnt be cost effective. poultry can be shipped via US postal service, they can be shipped "through the mail" like letters.
rabbits however cannot be shipped this way...
they have to be shipped via specilized livestock freight or shipped directly from and to an airport (you drop them off at ne airport the buyer picks them up at the other)
costs about $150 for a airline aproved carrier and flight for up to 2 young rabbits. (the bigger the rabbit the more it costs)
Ground transport is available through special transportation companies but its often just as expensive.
so those $10 meat bunnies become $170 meat bunnies for a pair by thte times all said and done.
i think the only way to make it viable would be to find a livestock transportation company you trust and see what kind of deals theyd be willing to work out with you to take up a little space on already designated trips and buyers meeting the transportation service along the route...
I do know a few breeders who frequently ship rabbits, BUT these are usually Show bunnies with ribbons and long peds going to other show people willing to pay for those ribbons and long peds (and the cost of shipping lol)
rabbits however cannot be shipped this way...
they have to be shipped via specilized livestock freight or shipped directly from and to an airport (you drop them off at ne airport the buyer picks them up at the other)
costs about $150 for a airline aproved carrier and flight for up to 2 young rabbits. (the bigger the rabbit the more it costs)
Ground transport is available through special transportation companies but its often just as expensive.
so those $10 meat bunnies become $170 meat bunnies for a pair by thte times all said and done.
i think the only way to make it viable would be to find a livestock transportation company you trust and see what kind of deals theyd be willing to work out with you to take up a little space on already designated trips and buyers meeting the transportation service along the route...
I do know a few breeders who frequently ship rabbits, BUT these are usually Show bunnies with ribbons and long peds going to other show people willing to pay for those ribbons and long peds (and the cost of shipping lol)
- Jun 24, 2012
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yayyy...
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