Now I know what breeders mean!

[Luv-bunniz]

I was just talking to a few breeders (thank microsoft for "conference" talk on msn lol) and now realise what they mean "breeding loses money" :shock: (I have put the names in bold so its easier to read):

M says:
How are all the new mums Kate?

Kate says:
1 of them is at the vets, 2 are sitting in my lounge fat as pigs haha

Lucy says:
same here actually apart from the rabbits at the vet, I have spent £20 this week on pellets and hay and the mums are now ready to pop!!

Kate says:
lol, wont be long...2 days!

Lucy says:
what, is that how long I can eat for before I get bankrupt hehe

M says:
Yeah exactly xD

Kate says:
Hehe, I have spent (in breeding 3 does, from start to finish): hay-£6, Pellets-£79, Bedding-£30, toys for the kits-£4, vet fees for ilness etc-£465.89 (and 1 life :'( ), neutering for the babies that didnt get homes-£345.X, vaccines for the babies that didnt get homes-£131.94, extra cages for splitting up fighting babies-£98.X, accesories-£23.XX

Lucy says:
Cheap breeding! haha mine have cost me more then that, and for a litter of only 3 kits! :O

__

I knew breeding cost alot of money as I have had a litter or two before, but never like this, I guess I was just lucky! Something to think about when dreaming about breeding a rabbit...maybe when I win that darn lottery lol.

 

[BlueGiants]

LOL! We had someone here looking at the rabbits and they asked if this was how I "made my living"... I thought my husband was going to bust a gutt he was laughing so hard. I had to explain that no, I kept a full time job to support my rabbits... it's just a "hobby". :shock: A very expensive hobby....

 

[Luv-bunniz]

BlueGiants wrote:

LOL! We had someone here looking at the rabbits and they asked if this was how I "made my living"...

When humans live on pellets, hay and oats THEN it will be a living haha...

 

[polly]

lmbo that is so right people never see that side really only the cute babies side or oh is that a business you are running in rabbits If ya didn't laugh you would cry i think. Only people who get it are other breeders usually or people who have a lot of rabbits as pets!!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

How does it cost that much to breed does?? It doesn't really cost me anything except for their food and that's it. No, I don't make a profit, because the money I get from selling kits goes straight into what I have paid for their feed, shows, etc.
That's a lot of money though!

Emily

 

[Skybunny11]

Oh yes we have a money loss but I have never lost that much.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

If raising rabbits were a business I would be bankrupt LOL. Between the thousands of dollars I spent in starter stock and equipment and the $70 or so I spend on feed and bedding every week (don't tell my wife) and the cost of gas and entries I would have to sell a whole lotta rabbits to make a living.

Roger

 

[Star and Stone Rabbitry]

How does it cost that much to breed does?? It doesn't really cost me anything except for their food and that's it. No, I don't make a profit, because the money I get from selling kits goes straight into what I have paid for their feed, shows, etc.
That's a lot of money though!

Emily

I know, right? Why in the world is it costing that much?? I do exactly what you do, Emily, I have to buy feed of course. But besides that, nothing else costs. And my profit from the baby bunnies goes back into buying more feed. This month my profit has been $32. Not much, but at least I'm not losing anything. My rabbits never have needed to see the vet, they've always been very healthy. But that's what breeders breed for, right? Health and the breed's standard?

Either way... good luck :shock:

-Tiff

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

RAL Rabbitry wrote:

If raising rabbits were a business I would be bankrupt LOL. Between the thousands of dollars I spent in starter stock and equipment and the $70 or so I spend on feed and bedding every week (don't tell my wife) and the cost of gas and entries I would have to sell a whole lotta rabbits to make a living.

Roger

LOL i laughed at that first sentence. hehe. Very true though!!

 

[polly]

well between again buying good stock in and doing teh travelling to get it would be a good bit of money. feed and bedding probably around £60 a month(not including veg). SHow fee's and petrol for all the shows we got to which again are spread out over Scotland! and then the amount I saved and have spent on a couple of sheds that are well kitted out. I would dread to say how much I have spent!!

And no my rabbits do not go to the vet all the time so that factor doesn't cost in so much but I do have a stocked medical kit which includes penG, eye trx and other thinsg which obviously have sell by dtaes on them better to be prepared than caught out!!

Ral makes a very good point. My hubby had not worked for around 8 months and i gave up a few things so my rabbits always had teh best of everything they need!

 

[W5Skittles]

oh my :shock:ive never had to pay that much ive had 2 litters first litter i was young and wanted to experience baby buns at least once in my life except 4 out of 6 babies had health problems so were constantly at the vets in the first 8 weeks thinking i must have spent at least £200 (i mean my mum payed for it coz i didnt work)

second litter of 3 i was going to keep all babies born think i spent about the same £200 on mum as she got ill and the babies because with them being handreared they were constantly down to the vets must say breeding is expensie guess i was just one of the unlucky ones not something id ever do again though!

 

[BlueGiants]

It's one of the things we try to emphasize to new breeders. IF (...big "IF" here) you get a good doe that has an easy litter, with no problems, and IF everyone stays healthy, and IF you find good homes for all the babies, and IF everything goes smoothly, no, it doesn't cost much to "have" a litter.

BUT (...yeah, BIG "BUT" here...) anyone who has had more than one litter, knows stuff goes wrong. And we all have to be ready to step in and provide the level of care the rabbit needs. Cooping for rabbits that don't sell or go to new homes, feed for new litters, medical care if necessary... more $...

And most of us, that breed and show, want to provide good cooping, proper care, and good food . That costs $... And then there are the show costs. Travel coops, fuel, lodging, food... more $...

And as a breeder, most of us will take back any rabbit that we place, if the new owner can't keep it, for ANY reason. So I get them back if they get sick or hurt... or the hormones kick in and they won't spay or neuter... or they suddenly decide they'd rather have a puppy... that costs more $....

And I can't tell you how many rabbits have been "dropped off" here (AKA: "DUMPED"). Rabbits left in cardboard boxes at my back door or in the driveway or in the yard. Another mouth to feed until I find a home for it. (And we all know how long THAT can take.)

So yeah, it can become an expensive "hobby". But like any hobby, you get out of it what you put into it. Do it right and there is great satisfaction in keeping your rabbits happy, healthy and well. Breed the best rabbits and win a few awards gives you great pride in your accomplishments and recognition. And how many "hobbies" out there actually love you back?

 

[Dublinperky]

I haven't made any money from my rabbitry yet! Well that is because I had to wait until my bunnies were older to breed. But I bet that even after I start selling bunnies and doing shows I will not make any money!I probably will want to keep to many of the buns!:biggrin2:

Aly!

 

[Revverress]

Very well put, BlueGiants.

I had my first litter back in June.... The bedding, food, and toys alone for that one litter soaked up all the money I had earned from selling babies, and then one of my babies got Pastuerella... Many vet visits, surgery, meds, and a dead baby later, I really wish I had been more prepared. I always knew that bunny breeding isn't a buisness, you don't make any money off of breeding, blahblahblah... But geez. The experience has made me much more realistic about the whole breeding thing. I've had to mooch money off of my mom for the sick baby's vet care, but I'm not breeding again until I have a job.

Holly

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

BlueGiants wrote:
BUT (...yeah, BIG "BUT" here...) anyone who has had more than one litter, knows stuff goes wrong. And we all have to be ready to step in and provide the level of care the rabbit needs. Cooping for rabbits that don't sell or go to new homes, feed for new litters, medical care if necessary... more $...



This is very true. When I first started out, I was making a profit (very little). However, I had only had about a dozen or so litters. For all you people that said that they are making a profit, try having a lot more litters and breeding for a long time (more than just 2 years)and you will have the "joy" of losing money.

Rabbit raising is just a hobby and hobbies cost money if you want to do it right. I have spent about $500 on unforseeable vet bills just this year. Shows cost money too. Gas was really expensive. How about when your cage wire starts to rust and gets holes in it because it is 15 years old? Or you need toreplace your know rusted out metal tray with thenew plastic trays? They didn't have those back in the day. More rabbits mean more supplies. The longer you stay in this hobby, the more money it costs just to be able to keep up with the maintainance of the equipment.

AND, DON'T get me started on this years convention entry fee....way to much money to have to go get my own comment cards off the judging tables...anyone going to convention will know what I mean.

I actually did come up with a plan to pay for show expenses though....I got my registrar's license...now if only I can come up with money for the forms...LOL!

Sharon

 

[gentle giants]

Star and Stone Rabbitry wrote:

How does it cost that much to breed does?? It doesn't really cost me anything except for their food and that's it. No, I don't make a profit, because the money I get from selling kits goes straight into what I have paid for their feed, shows, etc.
That's a lot of money though!

Emily

I know, right? Why in the world is it costing that much?? I do exactly what you do, Emily, I have to buy feed of course. But besides that, nothing else costs. And my profit from the baby bunnies goes back into buying more feed. This month my profit has been $32. Not much, but at least I'm not losing anything. My rabbits never have needed to see the vet, they've always been very healthy. But that's what breeders breed for, right? Health and the breed's standard?

Either way... good luck :shock:

-Tiff

Well, the fact that your rabbits have never had to see the vet, I can sum that up in one word-LUCK! No matter how good your breeding stock, there can still be injuries, stuck kits, etc. Like others have said, if your rabbitry grows at all, you have to buy new cages, more feed, mabye even a bigger buidling. Plus buying new breeding stock if you want to add to your lines, or when the ones you have get too old to breed...

 

[polly]

as a story to go along with this topic I want to tell you aboutour friend who has not long started breeding and showing. First off they got screwed over buying stock so spent a lot of money on rabbits that should never have cost somuch. second he then bought all his hutches but had to move so it cost him more to then get a shed and have huthces put in it.

He was pretty lucky with his does having litters to start with but some babies had eye problems and he has lost a few at weaning age.

then last week one of his does was due a litter 2 days before he noticed quite a lot of blood in the cage but no babies. kept an eye out in case it was a stuck kit. no dice! 2 days later he had to take a trip to the vets with the doe. antibitics and operation later one doe which they told him had no babies it was fat that he had been feeling!! (there were 3 or 4 babies in there when palpated a week earlier!) stitched her back up no spay despite teh fact they said that there was infection in teh womb and then tried to charge him £185 which he said no to so they dropped it to £85.

This vet says they are rabbit specialists don't know what you all think but I dont think I would breed a doe who had been opened up and then stitched back up again would leave a weakness!

I think she has maybe canibilised her kits tbh.

I actually am glad that we had a hard time at the start because now we have a much better idea what breeding is about and what to look out for! Ialways think when I see someone have 1 or 2 litters and they all go ok with little or no problems how lucky were they!! I was sorely tempted to give up when we started breeding it was so heart breaking !