6lbs in under 70 days!

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GypsyTinker

GypsyTinker

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Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
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Location
Virginia
Hey all, I can't thank you all enough for all the help I have gotten here, including cat care!

I have been breeding my rabbits for a couple years now and have gotten to a point where I see the line I want emerging. The type of chinchilla/sable they are is cool and the growth rate is awesome, as far as I know.

Previous years I have been glad to get 5lb fryers at 70 days... this year they are making it to 6 lbs by 70 days! Is this crazy? Is it more common? I get 55% or so yield and the bones are pretty fine! They seem easy on the water too, but boy can they eat! I haven't figured food/meat conversion yet.

So really, just wondering how good 6lb at 70 days is and if a lot of people get that rate.

Thanks again for all you guys and gals do to help people :)
 
6lb at 70 days is just about the Holy Grail. That should let you know how you are doing. :)

I would definitely take the time to do food:meat and live:dressout ratios.
 
Whoa! Are you sure you are raising rabbits and not, um, wallabies or something? :shock:

Whatever you are doing, keep on doing it!

I think you have a good line to sell locally as meat rabbits. I think anyone that is interested in raising rabbits strictly for the table would be very happy to get some rabbits from your lines.
 
Hi. Your gains are great :)

Can you outline your feed program please.
Are you giving a lot of the credit to your breeding stock ?
 
TwoAcreDream":1j8katzs said:
Hi. Your gains are great :)

Can you outline your feed program please.
Are you giving a lot of the credit to your breeding stock ?
Click to expand...

I'd love to know this too :)
 
Sagebrush":3b1mew26 said:
I think that is great for the meat rabbits, wish I could get a healthy gain like that in my Dutch rabbits too.
Click to expand...

I found that the "Dutch" kits do grow just a little slower then the larger NZ and NZ / Cali cross, but they make up for it in feed conversion. My smaller Dutch does were very efficient while raising a litter , and made me a little more money then the others.
 
Hey again all,

Sorry I haven't been on here frequently enough lately. I wish I had some great secret, but I think I have been very fortunate with the lines I have had available.

I feed regular commercial "traditional" pellets with no antibiotics or drugs, etc... we also forage for them quite often. Adding maple branches, vetch, plantain, clover and such.

I think the key to the growth is how I have been breeding them and what I learned from this site, combined with some great genes to start with. My first line has NZ, Cali and Flemish Giant. I later got some quality pure-bred NZW (the rabbit in my avatar and a couple does). I have been working these two lines across, breeding my mutt bucks with my pure does and pure bucks with me mutt does. This seems to get me really fast growing kits lot of times. One was 6 pounds in 64 days! I think it is called Hybrid Vigor and I think I may have been well positioned for it. We aren't getting all kits to this level, but many are. Luckily they are all over 5 pounds at 70 days though.

I don't think that if I bred one of the fast growing ones, that I would get the same growth. It's something about crossing them that does it, I think. I'll take more pictures, but I have one little doe that is over 6 pounds and has a dew lap at 70 days. I'm keeping her and her sister for breeding to see if their kits grow as fast.

The best thing about this is that it seems to improve both lines... meatier mutts with nice big ears but that NZ meat where you can't even see a spine, it's just two big loins.

I wish I had some secret tip, I would have opened with that if so :D I love this community and want to help all I can. I'll profile my lines here soon with pics.

Almost forgot, dress-out is pretty steady at 55%
 
That is awesome to hear! My 12 Dutch go through roughly 50# of show feed in a month. That is with all the girls on litters. I have a Palomino buck that I cross to my non pedigreed does and get some solid kits. I have a 3 month old that I was planning on holding back that I will get a weight on to share.
 

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