mini or standard rex?

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momofninjababy

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Hot Springs, AR
I am new at "rabbit farming" ( my 4 year old son calls it) and bought two rabbits. One male broken blue and a female solid blue. We were told they were standard. They were weighed for 2 1/2 months at 2-week intervals and neither has made it to 5 lbs. My question is: Does that make them minis or slow growing standards. The female is 8 months old and the male 7 months old. We wanted standard rex for meat. Has anyone had mini rex for a decent meal??? I do plan to breed regardless as we will also be showing. I had 2 rabbit judges and 3 breeders tell me what to look for. All have complimented on both and have encouraged me to breed. Any info is welcome! :lol:
 
momofninjababy":311vmd5l said:
The female is 8 months old and the male 7 months old.
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momofninjababy":311vmd5l said:
neither has made it to 5 lbs.
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Rex can be slow growers, but hopefully not that slow! I would say that you have mini Rex.

momofninjababy":311vmd5l said:
Has anyone had mini rex for a decent meal???
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No... but if I did, they would be the equivalent of a Cornish game hen as opposed to a standard sized chicken.

All rabbits are made of meat- but it takes the same time to butcher and dress a rabbit no matter the weight, so most people prefer to raise larger rabbits for meat. Age, sex, and color also play a part; young white or light does are easiest of all, whereas older rabbits and bucks are always harder to skin, especially if they are dark in color.

The general guideline for a meat rabbit fryer is to butcher at 5 lbs, but a mini Rex would have already reached maturity at 5lbs, so would be considered a "roaster" at that point. For a fryer, you would likely butcher them at 2 1/2 to 3 lbs, which would give you a dressed carcass weighing between 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs.
 
It sounds to me like you have minis.

it takes the same time to butcher and dress a rabbit no matter the weight
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The good news, is that butchering and dressing a rabbit hardly takes any time at all in comparison to most other small livestock I've worked with.
 
I've had Polish and Lionhead, and they were just as tasty as the New Zealands... Just needed 2 or 3 to make a meal instead of one.
 
Thank you for your replies! I have 3 boys ages 6, 5, and 4 years old. We raise our own chickens and grow some food in our garden. I dont mind the smaller sizes (for now) so I believe we may try it. I have found a local mini rex breeder who did, in fact, reassure me that they are minis! I guess now I will be looking for a few breeder New Zealands or Californias. As my 5 year old would say, " you get what you get and dont throw a fit!" Any meat-breeders in Hot Springs, AR? :bunnyhop:
 
You have many more options for meat than just Cal and NZW...there are Rex, Champagnes, Silver Fox, American Chinchilla, Americans, Beverens, and a few more I cannot recall just this second! LOL Even Dutch make a great meat rabbit, compact and they have a great meat to bone ratio.
 
Don't forget the mixes - my mutts are outperforming my purebreds in production as I switch to a more forage based and hay & grains diet, plus I get a variety of colours :)
 

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