Considering Breeding Dwarf Rabbits

[Mrr]

So my boyfriend and I recently started a meat rabbit colony.. We typically breed medium sized rabbits (Champagnes and New Zealand reds), but we also have a breeding trio of Flemish Giants because we noticed that they are in high demand in our area as breeders or farm/house pets and we use the money from selling them to expand our operation, pay for the food, and to keep our "farm status".

I've started hearing that dwarf rabbits are also in demand, and am considering picking up a breeding pair of dwarves at the auction next weekend for the same purpose - pay the bills and contribute to our farm status application. Can anyone tell me if they are popular enough for this to be a worthwhile venture? I know from experience that it can be hard to sell certain breeds (like NZW or mixed breed meat rabbits).. Do you find that people are more interested in dwarf rabbits? Also, are there any major differences breeding them compared to medium or large sized rabbits? What age can you breed a female?

Thanks in advance

 

[SableSteel]

The dwarfs reach sexual maturity at a younger age than the larger breeds, but you might want to give them some more time to develop so they have wider hips (so 8-10 months for the first breeding). Dwarfs are harder to breed than flemish or meat breeds - they have smaller litters, (generally) worse mothering skills and have "peanuts" in their litters - kits with two copies of the dwarf gene that die within a week. Additionally, even though there is a high demand for them as pets, some lines tend to have poor temperaments (much more energetic than champagnes, NZW and flemish). Their average litter size is about 2-4. If you are breeding for pets, you might try to get false dwarfs ("normals", "non-dwarfs", "BUBs/BUDs") imo - they are the slightly larger (about 3 - 3 1/2 lbs) kits that show up in true dwarf litters - they have larger litters, no peanuts, breed more easily, and while they don't maintain all the dwarf characteristic (they have longer ears for one), they are close enough for pet purposes. The demand for pet dwarfs varies depending on where you live - you'd have to ask local breeders how it is. If you are looking to breed them to sell for show breeding stock - you'll probably lose money with the prices of starting stock and the low amounts of show quality kits you'll get.

 

[FourRingCircus]

I only have meat rabbits (aside from one Dutch, but she is still for meat litters - curious if I can up dress out percentages with her) so I can't help with the info on breeding of dwarf breeds, but I would be leery of auctions... they are usually full of cast offs, and there is a good chance of bring in a contagious illness to your rabbits. I didn't realize just how easy it could happen, or how big of a deal it was until after I had purchased a sick rabbit (around the same time I signed up for RT!) - snuffles took out my best buck :evil: (and also had to deal with vent disease and ear mites b/c I didn't know what I was looking for when I bought my first trio). It's not something I wish to deal with ever again, and for that reason I actually don't have any plans of bringing any more rabbits in any time soon.

Another thing to consider is supply and demand... how much competition would you have with other people in the pet market?

 

[SableSteel]

I would be leery of auctions... they are usually full of cast offs, and there is a good chance of bring in a contagious illness to your rabbits.

I agree, I'd try to avoid auctions. ND are common, so it shouldn't be hard to find some local breeders.

 

[fhjmom]

Just my opinion, but I do not recommend breeding Dwarfs with the main goal being pet sales. We do sell pets, but as the by-product of our breeding program for show quality animals. Dwarfs are not easy breeders. We don't expect a first time mom to have a successful litter. The litters are small, usually birthing between 2-4 babies, but statistically 25% of those will be peanuts. Then there are also hippos and Max Factors that further decrease viability. Add in faders, bad moms, and those with poor temperament then you have even fewer to work with.

I just pulled up my stats on my record program, in case you were curious:
Breedings: 47
Litters: 33
Births: 99
Weaned: 32

Out of those 32, we have 12 we have kept as show quality, and a handful that have been kept as brood does. The rest have been sold as pets. The goal is of course to increase the numbers of show quality animals but even the best breeders have culls. We just try to place our culls in pet homes

It doesn't really cost any more to breed to the Standard than it does to breed pets. They eat the same and require the same housing and care. Why not try to breed for quality? BTW, we typically do not sell our pet quality rabbits to anyone we know is seeking stock to breed strictly for pets. We label them as pet because we feel they should not be bred and pass along poor genes. Some breeders won't sell pets for that reason and choose to terminally cull everything that doesn't meet their expected level of quality.

 

[macksmom98]

I will give you my experience.....

We only raise Holland Lops right now (I believe most are the false dwarfs as we have had a litter of 9 AND no peanuts, so it seems likely-also, all are great mommas). Our numbers are this;

29 Live and Lived for sure until 8 weeks when sold (I do know of a couple who have passed, mostly accidents)
3 Stretched and DOA or shortly after

This is over the course of 1.5 years, and a total of 6 litters. It only accounts for what we saw, as most rabbit breeders know it is possible the moms will eat any young that are DOA and destroy the evidence before anyone knows it. We have had some problems with breeding, a Buck who got too excited too quickly and shot his baby juice all over the Does back (he never figured it out and was phased out of our breeding program after 6 months), and a couple of different issues with Does not wanting to breed for whatever reason (that cleared up with time and using ACV).

I know others have shared they have had more problems consistently with Hollands, but over all I would say our experience has been great. My 10 year old already has a business, and we have sold all of these bunnies for $50 each (minus one we gave away to replace on a dog ate). We do not do auctions at all, but have sold them in groups at the local tractor supply store. Mostly advertise on online garage sales and craigslist, and keep the rabbitry closed meeting prospective owners in the Walmart parking lot. My daugher has a lot of fun and is starting 4-H this year. We only sell for pets and ours do not have a pedigree. We are working to improve confirmation and keep up our hearty stock, so even though some don't agree with pet sale breeding we are working to better our rabbitry. This coming year we will be adding Jersey Wolleys and Californians to our bunch (those will be the 4-H bunnies) and they will be pedigreed and bred for show and pets. Our hollands have been a good group to start with and build on, and seem to be very desirable in our area.

 

[SableSteel]

Holland lops & lionheads (and mini rex to an extent) are both small breeds with a fairly high demand for pets, that are both a bit easier to breed than netherland dwarfs. You might want to consider those if you are raising for pets.

 

[AprilW]

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[Mrr]

Thank you guys! I'm hearing a lot of issues regarding ND's, so I might have to reconsider. Is it really that common to see defects/genetically unsound offspring? I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, you see that with selective breeding in any animal (double merle dogs etc) I suppose.

I'm now considering mini lops, lionheads, dutch or polish. If you had to pick, which would you suggest? I'm not looking to become a "rabbit mill" and pump out babies quickly.. I really want to make sure that I do this right and produce healthy, friendly pets for people first and foremost. I think selecting the right breed is a huge part of that!

 

[FourRingCircus]

My vote would be for Dutch - I think the breed is adorable, and (at least in my area) lionheads are everywhere! But there are few decent Dutch to be found... and for them there is potential benefit for meat - there was an article posted here a while back discussing that even though they are a smaller rabbit, they have great dress out percentages. Smaller cages, less food, smaller poop, good ratio - what's not to love? I have one blue harlequin that just had her first litter with me

 

[SableSteel]

Most quality dwarfs carry the dwarf gene, which is fatal to a rabbit that inherits two copies of it (peanuts). Additionally, rabbits that carry max factor show up often in dwarf lines, and kits that receive two copies of the max factor gene have to be put down. You can also get fetal giants, hippos, and faders in dwarf litters, and other problems too. The main killer though, is that dwarfing gene - found in almost all show quality netherland dwarfs.

Out of the breeds youve listed, I'd recommend Dutch. They're the friendliest of the choices (they are really gentle) and are usually good mothers without serious health problems. Mini lops aren't always the friendliest, and are bigger than most people want/expect. Lionheads require some grooming and can have some health issues (related to wool and with some, dwarfism). Polish can be flighty, and also have some similar problems to dwarfs. Dutch also have a fairly good dress out ratio, so if you get a mean one that won't make a good pet... It won't be completely wasted.

 

[AprilW]

Any dwarf breed (Netherland Dwarf, Holland Lop, Mini Rex, etc) is going to have those genetic anomalies. I'll see if I can find a good article to share with you. Ah here is one, it is written for Holland Lops but applies to any dwarf breed: http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-ge ... s-peanuts/

Basically to get a small rabbit, they have a dwarf gene. If the rabbit inherits 1 copy of this gene, they are a small bunny with typical dwarf traits. If the rabbit inherits 0 copies of this gene, the rabbit is larger and often longer in body and ears. However, if the rabbit inherits 2 copies of the dwarf gene, it is fatal. The rabbit is often born dead or dies shortly thereafter. This is where the ethical issue came into play for me. Netherland Dwarfs in particular have other defects that SableSteel mentioned.


From your new list of choices, I am partial to Dutch. They are attractive rabbits with good temperaments and are generally good mothers. They are slightly larger than dwarf rabbits which makes them easier to handle, they are much more laid back and relaxed than dwarf rabbits.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Here's my doe