Champagne d'Argent vs Silver Fox

Spicerack Rabbitry said:

Hi! So at the moment I'm just starting out with New Zealands but in my research I've come across these two heritage breeds that really interest me fur wise. I understand they've got some differences in coat texture (the Silver Fox has that stand up coat) but I'm really curious to know how the two compare in other ways. What are their temperaments like? What are their growth rates and weights? How do they do as mothers and what are their average litter sizes? Honestly anything I can learn about the two will help me pick which I'd like to someday branch out to. The Silver Fox seems to be getting pretty popular recently but the Champagnes have such a long history (I read they started in the 1600s?) and I'm a historical reenactor with a focus on the 12th-17th centuries so I'm always interested in that sort of thing. Both of them are gorgeous.

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Alaska Satin said:

My experience with the Champagnes I raise (since 2022) is that they are all over the place in terms of temperament, growth rates and adult size. I've had some bunnies with tremendous growth rates (I had to show a buck who was still a Junior in the Senior class because he weighed over 10 pounds at 19 weeks), while in the same litter I had a buck who never did make senior weight. My does have given me anything from 4-8 kits per litter (although, I've had feed problems in the last year, so that may be smaller litter sizes than would be normal). They've all been very good mothers. I have had some problems with sore hocks, which were solved in the short term by giving them resting boards. I intend to breed that out of them, though, as well as the temperament and growth variations, like I have with the Satins.

There is a pretty small population of most breeds here in AK, and like @olhippityhop says, temperament - and all other traits - will vary by the individual and especially by the genetic lineage. You can certainly breed for temperament; any rabbit that bites or even lunges tends to get pulled from my breeding lineup, and as a result I never have to worry about my Satins now. The Champagnes in my barn are a work in progress.
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As far as weight goes, the standards for Champagnes and SF are almost identical. Ideal senior weights for Champagnes are 10lbs for bucks, 10.5lbs for does; SF are 9.5lbs for bucks, 10.5lbs for does.

I don't raise Silver Fox myself because I prefer sleek rabbits. Friends of mine who do raise SF say similar things about them - some are big, some are small, some are nice, some are not - except that overall meat type is much better in the Champagnes. SFs up here are all pretty flat.

It's best, if possible, to talk with the breeder of rabbits you're considering, to find out what they expect from their herd. You might find yourself drawn to one breed over another simply because you find some excellent, friendly, helpful people raising that particular breed in your area.

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Spicerack Rabbitry said:

From what I found there is a SF breeder about four hours away but I really can't seem to find anyone in in the state with Champagnes. Most people in my area either do NZs or Californians (which I have ruled out solely because I have Siamese cats and it was just a little too close to home for a comfortable culling experience). I'm up in the north west quarter of the state which unfortunately limits how far I can reasonably travel with an animal in the car. If I could find them I might lean towards the Champagne though.

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