Friendly Farmer MacGregor

 

Reprinted from an article in FARM & COUNTRY, circa 15 Feb 1999.

 

Six years ago, Hal MacGregor caught a rabbit someone had dropped off at a deserted farm off Dwyer Hill Road near Burritts Rapids, southwest of Ottawa.

The retired civil servant eventually began to think he would enjoy raising rabbits.

“I dreamt about it, and then the dream became a reality,” says MacGregor, pointing to his newly built 30 X 40 foot insulated barn housing 100 does. If there is a typical size for (a) rabbitry in Ontario, this is it.

It’s bigger and more efficient than the bunny money setups school-age kids on many farms have used to earn money for years, yet daily chores and investment aren’t overwhelming.

MacGregor has a loyal following among the Italian community.

Buyers often show up in groups and pick up 30 or 40 fryers weighing five to six and-a-half pounds. They pay $1.00 to $1.10 live weight per pound. MacGregor’s does produce six litters of six to eight offspring per year.

He estimates about five per cent of his income is earned through sales of breeding stock, which commands a premium over meat prices. “I can sell all the rabbits I can produce,” boasts MacGregor.

By Robert Irwin

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