Hi I am writing from B.C. Canada and would like to know how much to charge for meat rabbits?? How much for un-butchered and how much for butchered?? Are Flemish Giants A good meat rabbit?? And If the bunnies are 5 lbs. live weight how much would they be for dressed weight?? Thank -you Kim

-- Kim (blueappy@uniserve.com), May 28, 2002

Answers

Here in the states, we sold live fryers for $1.25/lb. The only butchered we had were processed in a state licensed facility and sold for $2.75/lb. We did not offer to butcher for customers responding to live-fryer ads. Our processed rabbits were sold in stores and restaurants.

Flemish Giants are no longer considered to be a "meat" rabbit due to the larger, heavier bones during the fryer stages, and resulting in low meat-to-bone ratios. Dressing percentages may be good, but it will be mostly bones, so the dressing percentage (e.g., weight after slaughter) is not a good rule to go by, there. However, the Flemish Giant would be quite ideal for catering to the BARF Diet customers needing equal amounts of bone as meat. For human consumption, New Zealand Whites and Californians (medium-sized bones) are the top meat rabbits to raise.

Pat Lamar President Professional Rabbit Meat Association http://www.prma.org/

-- Pat Lamar (fuzyfarm@3-cities.com), May 29, 2002.