ISO NZs (any color!)

I am wanting to better my breeding stock, and figured I could have some fun with colors while I do it! I would also like to get some pedigreed rabbits in so that I can offer that to potential buyers (currently I don't have a single one). I am in central NC - I know there are at least 3 RT members within a couple hours of me. Maybe some closer? I am about 45 minutes south of Greensboro.

My main goal for production is meat, with potential to sell some of the offspring as well (I need to find a happy medium).

Edited to add: sounds like papers might be more difficult than anticipated. I do want quality first, papers second. What I currently have is OK, doing what it needs to do, but I would like to do better.

You and me both. At least we are completely different locations. I'll take your Florida crumbs plz It's surprising how hard it is to find a NZ(any color) with a pedigree.

NZ are everywhere in Iowa but many don't maintain pedigrees or cross them to random other stuff.

akane":1oanrtzi said:

NZ are everywhere in Iowa but many don't maintain pedigrees or cross them to random other stuff.

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Alas that is the exact issue here. People crossing them with whatever/ I had to drive a couple hours just to get pure bred.... no pedigrees though.

Might be easier said than done, huh? Darn!

I do know a guy local that likely has them, but I got a sick rabbit from him last time so I am a bit leery.... although, that was about 6 months ago so maybe things have calmed down? I don't know. He has zero quarantine practices so who knows what could come in at any time. His stock is constantly changing.

heritage":38yrlveo said:

I do know a guy local that likely has them, but I got a sick rabbit from him last time so I am a bit leery.... although, that was about 6 months ago so maybe things have calmed down? I don't know. He has zero quarantine practices so who knows what could come in at any time. His stock is constantly changing.

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Just my two cents - and worth maybe less than that -

1) got a sick rabbit from him
2) no quarantine practices
3) constantly changing stock

(Insert loud scream here)

I'd stay far far FAR away from that guy - don't care what he has or says he has.

I raise NZ's - lots of whites along with some reds, blacks, greys, and even a line with chinchilla-colored fur. (I can attest to folks crossing NZ's with all kinds of stuff. The chinchilla showed up as a real fluke when I bred a buck to a doe that I wouldn't ever normally would do. Turns out the buck is what I think they call a self-chin: solid black but carries the chin gene.) Anyway, I'm off my point....

I have detailed records for all my stock but don't do pedigrees. Don't have the software and I'm generally too lazy to do it manually. I know, pretty sad, but - trust me - I have plenty of other things to do. All of that is a long-winded way of saying that you can have quality stock but no pedigree document... and the pedigree document doesn't guarantee quality stock.

If your focus is producing meat, the important things to look for in a meat rabbit don't show up on the pedigree or the judge's table:

• overall health and vitality
• fertility rates
• average litter size
• survival rates
• heat tolerance
• feed conversion rates
• dress-out rates

So, yes, it's nice to have a pedigree. But it's more important to know the breeder you're buying from and to trust what he or she says about the rabbits. Once you've got good foundation stock, then develop and grow your herd from there - from the inside out. If the focus is less on producing a meat herd and more on showing rabbits, then please disregard all I said...except the part about staying away from the guy with the sick rabbits.

I know. None of this helps you find decent stock there in North Carolina. As I said, it all might not be worth even two cents! Regardless, best wishes and good luck to you.

Last thought - I know that ARBA calls that color "blue" but them rabbits sure look grey to me! I think the only reason folks call it "blue" is so they can charge more!
:lol:

SuburbanHomesteader":17auz26q said:

heritage":17auz26q said:

I have detailed records for all my stock but don't do pedigrees. Don't have the software and I'm generally too lazy to do it manually. I know, pretty sad, but - trust me - I have plenty of other things to do. All of that is a long-winded way of saying that you can have quality stock but no pedigree document... and the pedigree document doesn't guarantee quality stock.

If your focus is producing meat, the important things to look for in a meat rabbit don't show up on the pedigree or the judge's table:

• overall health and vitality
• fertility rates
• average litter size
• survival rates
• heat tolerance
• feed conversion rates
• dress-out rates

So, yes, it's nice to have a pedigree. But it's more important to know the breeder you're buying from and to trust what he or she says about the rabbits. Once you've got good foundation stock, then develop and grow your herd from there - from the inside out. If the focus is less on producing a meat herd and more on showing rabbits, then please disregard all I said...except the part about staying away from the guy with the sick rabbits.

I know. None of this helps you find decent stock there in North Carolina. As I said, it all might not be worth even two cents! Regardless, best wishes and good luck to you.

Last thought - I know that ARBA calls that color "blue" but them rabbits sure look grey to me! I think the only reason folks call it "blue" is so they can charge more!
:lol:

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Only reason I'm looking for pedigrees is because I do show (I know you said disregard but yes <3). I also would like to be able to sell NZ with pedigrees as 4H is very popular in my area and people are looking for more than just minirex to use. After my move, I'm hoping to get more colors of NZ as well as broken. Reds are so beautiful. Do you have any pictures of your buns?

Without pedigrees is doable, it just means I need to do it myself with many more generations. I also sorely need to get another buck if I'm going to accomplish it safely (for long).

At least the breeder I got my stock from is defo A+ in my book. Their stock was beautiful and they had quarantine practices. The stock they were offering me for sale was in a huge round pen for viewing (I could see the cages were out in a pasture well far away from me). They even made sure they got the buck from a separate line from the does they offered me (not all does were related either, their ages varied slightly due to being from different litters). They also offered me conversion feed (Pen Pals). She also fed forage so my buns have handled forage well. All of the buns I got have been very healthy, lively, and very heat tolerant. They're also very meaty but fat because I've let them pig out too much and let them go too long without breeding. Trying to correct that now.

I 100% agree - run away from that breeder - FAR away! There was several ads for NZW in my area aside from the breeder I drove out to that were far closer. But I did not like what I saw in the pictures at all! I didn't give them the time of day because their stock clearly looked mixed despite their label of "pure bred nzw" or the housing looked extremely overcrowded or animals just plain looked "off" (for eg. mysteriously kits are completely stained yellow to orange)

Sali":44dj280a said:

SuburbanHomesteader":44dj280a said:

heritage":44dj280a said:

I have detailed records for all my stock but don't do pedigrees. Don't have the software and I'm generally too lazy to do it manually. I know, pretty sad, but - trust me - I have plenty of other things to do. All of that is a long-winded way of saying that you can have quality stock but no pedigree document... and the pedigree document doesn't guarantee quality stock.

If your focus is producing meat, the important things to look for in a meat rabbit don't show up on the pedigree or the judge's table:

• overall health and vitality
• fertility rates
• average litter size
• survival rates
• heat tolerance
• feed conversion rates
• dress-out rates

So, yes, it's nice to have a pedigree. But it's more important to know the breeder you're buying from and to trust what he or she says about the rabbits. Once you've got good foundation stock, then develop and grow your herd from there - from the inside out. If the focus is less on producing a meat herd and more on showing rabbits, then please disregard all I said...except the part about staying away from the guy with the sick rabbits.

I know. None of this helps you find decent stock there in North Carolina. As I said, it all might not be worth even two cents! Regardless, best wishes and good luck to you.

Last thought - I know that ARBA calls that color "blue" but them rabbits sure look grey to me! I think the only reason folks call it "blue" is so they can charge more!
:lol:

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Only reason I'm looking for pedigrees is because I do show (I know you said disregard but yes <3). I also would like to be able to sell NZ with pedigrees as 4H is very popular in my area and people are looking for more than just minirex to use. After my move, I'm hoping to get more colors of NZ as well as broken. Reds are so beautiful. Do you have any pictures of your buns?

Without pedigrees is doable, it just means I need to do it myself with many more generations. I also sorely need to get another buck if I'm going to accomplish it safely (for long).

At least the breeder I got my stock from is defo A+ in my book. Their stock was beautiful and they had quarantine practices. The stock they were offering me for sale was in a huge round pen for viewing (I could see the stock was out in a pasture well far away from me). They even made sure they got the buck from a separate line from the does they offered me (not all does were related either, their ages varied slightly due to being from different litters). They also offered me conversion feed (Pen Pals). She also fed forage so my buns have handled forage well. All of the buns I got have been very healthy, lively, and very heat tolerant. They're also very meaty but fat because I've let them pig out too much and let them go too long without breeding. Trying to correct that now.

I 100% agree - run away from that breeder - FAR away! There was several ads for NZW in my area aside from the breeder I drove out to that were far closer. But I did not like what I saw in the pictures at all! I didn't give them the time of day because their stock clearly looked mixed despite their label of "pure bred nzw" or the housing looked extremely overcrowded or animals just plain looked "off" (for eg. mysteriously kits are completely stained yellow to orange)

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I told DH I was never buying from him again... it's just a hard temptation since he carries such a huge variety. I really don't plan on getting any from him again...

I guess if I am patient enough, maybe something will show up. Anything on CL looks like junk to me (one ad showed rabbits that looked like they were being kept in the rafters of a building. I doubt that was the case, but it was dark, narrow, and not much head room. Bizarre).

I guess the main purpose for pedigrees is for record keeping. My kids hope to show at some point in time, but I'm still researching that side of things. Plus I was thinking they would advertise better if/when I did sell some if they could come with papers.

heritage":20nvfdyy said:

I told DH I was never buying from him again... it's just a hard temptation since he carries such a huge variety. I really don't plan on getting any from him again...

I guess if I am patient enough, maybe something will show up. Anything on CL looks like junk to me (one ad showed rabbits that looked like they were being kept in the rafters of a building. I doubt that was the case, but it was dark, narrow, and not much head room. Bizarre).

I guess the main purpose for pedigrees is for record keeping. My kids hope to show at some point in time, but I'm still researching that side of things. Plus I was thinking they would advertise better if/when I did sell some if they could come with papers.

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Defo stick with that, with that breeder you know for a fact he's not treating them well now. It might even be the fault of such a variety. Taking in so much all the time means a high chance for disease... and next to no chance of finding a quality bred anything (likely breeds anything and everything he can get).

I'm in the boat with SH. I raise New Zealands (any color but white). We started raising them for meat, but now end up selling most of them to others as breeders. I do not bother with pedigrees, but have extensive records and the one person who asked me about a pedigree was more than satisfied once we went through the records down to the specific rabbit he was interested in.

Not sure how far I am from you here in extreme southwest Virginia, but I am planning for my first broken litter to be ready to go in March, along with a litter of reds. I'll have litters ready from March through June (I hope).

Marinea":py66q8mc said:

I'm in the boat with SH. I raise New Zealands (any color but white). We started raising them for meat, but now end up selling most of them to others as breeders. I do not bother with pedigrees, but have extensive records and the one person who asked me about a pedigree was more than satisfied once we went through the records down to the specific rabbit he was interested in.

Not sure how far I am from you here in extreme southwest Virginia, but I am planning for my first broken litter to be ready to go in March, along with a litter of reds. I'll have litters ready from March through June (I hope).

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What part of VA? If you are over near KY I am guessing about a 6 hour drive.

I just really really want some good, quality breeders. And going by what I have seen around here locally, it's not going to happen unless I travel at least a little. Just need to keep it within reason, I think DH is borderline on calling a limit on things around here .

Mind sharing your record keeping process? I am always learning and tweaking what I want to do.

Marinea":d87th5ao said:

I'm in the boat with SH. I raise New Zealands (any color but white). We started raising them for meat, but now end up selling most of them to others as breeders. I do not bother with pedigrees, but have extensive records and the one person who asked me about a pedigree was more than satisfied once we went through the records down to the specific rabbit he was interested in.

Not sure how far I am from you here in extreme southwest Virginia, but I am planning for my first broken litter to be ready to go in March, along with a litter of reds. I'll have litters ready from March through June (I hope).

Click to expand...

Man I wish I were closer. I don't really expect actual pedigrees written on paper but records of ancestors at least gives me a clue what to put on my papers after breeding. I'd love to get into reds and brokens especially (after move ofc)

Sort of on topic but sort of not. Does anyone here know anyone who actually flew to pick up new stock? How hard was it to bring back? I imagine it's like traveling domestically with a dog or cat. (Pondering as I do plan to visit a friend up north at some point after my move).

heritage":1aah3zjw said:

Marinea":1aah3zjw said:

I'm in the boat with SH. I raise New Zealands (any color but white). We started raising them for meat, but now end up selling most of them to others as breeders. I do not bother with pedigrees, but have extensive records and the one person who asked me about a pedigree was more than satisfied once we went through the records down to the specific rabbit he was interested in.

Not sure how far I am from you here in extreme southwest Virginia, but I am planning for my first broken litter to be ready to go in March, along with a litter of reds. I'll have litters ready from March through June (I hope).

Click to expand...

What part of VA? If you are over near KY I am guessing about a 6 hour drive.

I just really really want some good, quality breeders. And going by what I have seen around here locally, it's not going to happen unless I travel at least a little. Just need to keep it within reason, I think DH is borderline on calling a limit on things around here .

Mind sharing your record keeping process? I am always learning and tweaking what I want to do.

Click to expand...

Yep, about 30 minutes from Kentucky.

As to my records, I pretty much write down everything that happens. Breedings, litter birth info, weekly kit weights, which kits sold (sex and color), new foods and how they were received, I even jot down nail trimming dates. I suppose the gentleman was surprised by the level of detail for so many generations. I am old, so having a written record just makes it easier for me.

Marinea":2pgi4zof said:

heritage":2pgi4zof said:

Marinea":2pgi4zof said:

I'm in the boat with SH. I raise New Zealands (any color but white). We started raising them for meat, but now end up selling most of them to others as breeders. I do not bother with pedigrees, but have extensive records and the one person who asked me about a pedigree was more than satisfied once we went through the records down to the specific rabbit he was interested in.

Not sure how far I am from you here in extreme southwest Virginia, but I am planning for my first broken litter to be ready to go in March, along with a litter of reds. I'll have litters ready from March through June (I hope).

Click to expand...

What part of VA? If you are over near KY I am guessing about a 6 hour drive.

I just really really want some good, quality breeders. And going by what I have seen around here locally, it's not going to happen unless I travel at least a little. Just need to keep it within reason, I think DH is borderline on calling a limit on things around here .

Mind sharing your record keeping process? I am always learning and tweaking what I want to do.

Click to expand...

Yep, about 30 minutes from Kentucky.

As to my records, I pretty much write down everything that happens. Breedings, litter birth info, weekly kit weights, which kits sold (sex and color), new foods and how they were received, I even jot down nail trimming dates. I suppose the gentleman was surprised by the level of detail for so many generations. I am old, so having a written record just makes it easier for me.

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Do you use pen and paper? Excel? An actual program? I am tinkering with Excel, but despite being in a very technological generation (I'm 31) I still prefer pen and paper if at all possible.

A school type notebook from the bargain store. I take my info with me when I sell so I need portability.

Marinea":3dtd43nt said:

A school type notebook from the bargain store. I take my info with me when I sell so I need portability.

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Would you be willing to share pics of how you have it laid out? I am terrible at figuring that out on my own... I do much better with examples.

heritage":3nryf6x1 said:

Marinea":3nryf6x1 said:

A school type notebook from the bargain store. I take my info with me when I sell so I need portability.

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Would you be willing to share pics of how you have it laid out? I am terrible at figuring that out on my own... I do much better with examples.

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Yes, this. opcorn:

Well, when I started out, I wrote down the date, and info on each of my starter buns (sex, color dob). After that, entries are just by date. Some examples:

12/1/14- bred Daisy x Benny
12/28/14- nest box for Daisy
1/1/15- Daisy kindled 12
1/8/15- 1week weights (Daisy kits)
1/29/15- 4week weights/sexes/colors (Daisy kits)

It's not fancy, just thorough. The key, I think, is to set it up in a way that you will keep up with. I am certain other RTers keep more info in a more high tech way, but I wanted something I could easily take outside to the rabbitry to take notes with, so the notebook works for me.

Marinea":3nh6bduj said:

Well, when I started out, I wrote down the date, and info on each of my starter buns (sex, color dob). After that, entries are just by date. Some examples:

12/1/14- bred Daisy x Benny
12/28/14- nest box for Daisy
1/1/15- Daisy kindled 12
1/8/15- 1week weights (Daisy kits)
1/29/15- 4week weights/sexes/colors (Daisy kits)

It's not fancy, just thorough. The key, I think, is to set it up in a way that you will keep up with. I am certain other RTers keep more info in a more high tech way, but I wanted something I could easily take outside to the rabbitry to take notes with, so the notebook works for me.

Click to expand...

Yeah, even the bare bones Excel is something that I would do more detail on if I had it with me.

That looks similar to what I am currently doing. Do you have a way to sort information - color code or anything? Or do you just do a quick glance back through to find what you are looking for? I am thinking I could highlight each breeder named in the paper log with a different color crayon to make it easier to find their info at a glance.

I started with different tabs for each bun but found that a date based log worked better for me.

I love the idea of color coding! Gonna steal that.