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.
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: