Hi guys! Welcome back to the blog! I apologize for being MIA lately, I've been busy getting rabbits back in breeding and also training my dogs. As some of you know, I do have working line German Shepherds and I am training them for shutzhund (protection work) and currently working my older GSD to take over as the SD for my Shiba Inu. Anyways, enough about my dogs, lets have another topic!
I feel like an easy topic to start back with is in regards to pricing. I often get a lot of questions about pricing, how do you price your animals, how do you determine pricing, etc. So, with that being said, there is a lot of thought process that goes into this, its not just “here's a price!” kind of moment that a lot of people like to think. Now, some breeders pricing may be different and that's okay. Also expect that different breeds will have different price points. Now, please keep this in mind that this topic is based off of my experience and my own rabbitry, that being said, also keep in mind that I raise Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops, the two most competitive breeds there is and sometimes the hardest to breed, along that is the Belgian Hare. The prices of my breeds are going to be different than those with say Mini Rex who are pretty common. When breeding Netherland Dwarfs especially, you run into issues with small litters, stuck litters, peanuts, max factors and hippos. So say I have a doe give birth to five kits, out of those five kits are three peanuts, that automatically takes me down to two successful babies who may fade as they get older or may be just pets, that's where pricing comes into play. I keep my price points pretty straight across the border. Pets go for $50 to $100 without pedigree and breeding stock can range from $75 and up, show stock is about $150 and up. Now, another thing to keep in mind about pricing is location. Since I am in NY, I compete against some of the higher quality dwarfs that you may find, other than a couple really amazing breeders in California and other states. I've paid $400 just for one brood rabbit and had to have it shipped in, seriously, sometimes this rabbit hobby can be just as expensive as a horse or dog hobby. Now again, some may ask, “why did you spend so much on one rabbit?” The answer is: Because that one rabbit had what I needed to help improve my herd and because of that rabbit, I am correcting what I needed to fix, making my next generation a much stronger herd. Now, I am a FIRM believer that you will never get the perfect rabbit and will constantly need to work towards that goal, although I have seen some really amazing animals, they still have some kind of fault. Do you remember people saying, “you get what you pay for...” that's also true in rabbits. I'm not saying that just because a rabbit is very expensive means a super nice rabbit although I wish that was true. Regardless to price, I will always highly suggest that a buyer studies the SOP before purchasing to ensure that they don't get taken advantage of, yes there is some people out there like that. Another piece to keep in mind when buying from a reputable breeder, their prices will more than likely be more than that of a pet store but when you are purchasing from a breeder, you are not only getting a better quality animal, you are also getting a much healthier one too. Part of being a rabbitry is not only bettering the quality of your animals, but also breeding only those who have superb health as well and are hardy. Anything that has a weak immune system is often removed from a breeding program, regardless of their quality. Anyways, please always be kind and do not be rude. We as breeders deal with a lot already, we don't really need to deal with individuals who are blatantly rude and disrespectful.
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Hi guys! This is not going to be like my normal blog posts that I have been posting. We have been busy trying to stay up with orders, breeding and staying up with all the new info regarding the COVID 19 virus. Sadly with the spread of the virus, a lot of shows that we were going to be attending are cancelling. I will still be going to the shows that do not cancel and I am meeting a transporter for rabbits in the beginning of May.
Please be sure to stay healthy and keep watching our page for more info, tips, discussions and more! |
AuthorBrittany is an Open A.R.B.A. exhibitor that raises and shows Pedigreed Holland Lops and Netherland Dwarfs. She started breeding rabbits in 2002 and American Cavies in 2005. Archives
June 2022
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