Best Meat Rabbits??

[terri9630]

I've been trying to find a new zealand doe for ages. Anyone know of any in NM that has them?

 

[terri9630]

Oops! Sorry not sure how the double post happened.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
http://polyfaceapprentice.blogspot.com/2009/01/butchering-rabbits.html

 

[CoopCrazy]

Ok so i have an oppurtumity to get New/Cali crosses plus a Pure New Zealand doe .. for $7.00 a piece this seems a great price to me... What do you all think??

 

[Bettacreek]

I'd go for it. Around here, they're $10-$15 each.

P.S. I finally found a standard rex doe. So, that's what I'm going for.

 

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
Good for you .. That fur will be sooo soft.... Any ideas on finding someone to buy my pelts ????

 

[Bettacreek]

Raw rabbit pelts aren't going to be worth very much to be honest. If you tan the hides, you may get $3-$5 per hide. I think your best bet may be to make an end product with them. If you just want to tan them, you can sell online (ebay, etsy, classifieds) for crafts. Raw pelts, you'd probably have a hard time selling, you'd probably have to find a processor, but they may only be willing to accept huge quantities at a time.

ETA: Tanning the hides is a tedious process. We're setting up our old dryer to help us tan the hides and eliminate most of the work for us. If you're really interested in tanning hides, look around for a dryer with no heating element. When tanning instructions tell you to "work the hide to make it soft and supple", you just toss them into the dryer with tennis balls to do this work for you. This may or may not be an option for you, we're going to do it because the guys both trap and will be processing those hides as well, so a dryer set up for this is worth it to us.

 

[CoopCrazy]

I have heard of the dryer .. I read somwhere also about making one out of a plastic 50 gallon container on a stand but you have to hand crank ..

 

[Bettacreek]

Quote:
Most of the time, you can find dryers that work but need a heating element for free. That's exactly what you need, and it's exactly what the average homeowner does not need.

Why hand crank when you can get the perfect machine for free?

 

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
Most of the time, you can find dryers that work but need a heating element for free. That's exactly what you need, and it's exactly what the average homeowner does not need.

Why hand crank when you can get the perfect machine for free?

Yep i have to agree with you on that...