Deciding on a breed...

[Awaiting Abyss]

I think I've decided that I want to breed one of the heritage breeds. (There is a breeder near me that breeds Silver Foxes)
Why a heritage breed? Because it appeals to me that they can eat things from around my house. I enjoy foraging for my animals. Its what I most enjoy about having degus is picking herbs, flowers and branches for them to eat.

I'd like to breed rabbits for meat for possibly myself (if I like rabbit... I've never tasted it..), my ferrets, my cats and dogs. However, I'd also like a breed that will be friendly so that they can also be my pets.

I've had pet rabbits in the past. I had them all of my life, but I've never done a huge amount of research on them. In the past I've always fed my rabbits pellet food, timothy hay, any kind of fruit or veggie that we had on hand that was safe to give them, and whatever I picked from around the yard (usually grass, lespedeza, etc)

I was planning on keeping my rabbits outside. I have a huge off-the-ground cage that my dad built for me. It can be turned into one giant cage or two decent sized cages and it has two nest boxes on each end.
I also can get a discount on rabbit cages from the pet store that I work at, so I could get some and put them in the little building that we have outside.

What breed do you think is best for me? And what recommendations do you have on housing and food?

 

[Dood]

If the breeders rabbits fit your criteria then they should work.

Just because Wiki says a breed thrives on forage and has a friendly temperament doesnt mean every particular bloodline or rabbit does. Some Silver Fox (SF) are skittish and down right nasty and not all do well on forage based diets but the chances are better than a commercial New Zealand's or Californians.

I have two bloodlines of American Chinchillas and they are VERY different. One is calm, sweet and with terrific production qualities and mothering skills but ugly as sin, the other bloodline is gorgeous and has show winning conformation and fur but are more skittish and production wise they suck.

Colonies have their good and bad points and I'd recommend you read through the "colony" threads to decide. rabbit-colonies-f12.html

The "natural feeding" threads can offer some insight to that method of raising rabbits as well. natural-feeding-for-rabbits-f11.html

 

[Awaiting Abyss]

Nice avatar of El-ahairah

I believe the breeder's rabbits are good natured. They sell them as pets, breeders or meat.

Thanks. I'll browse those boards.

Also, can breeder rabbits even be pets? Perhaps I should just get an altered rabbit for a pet and just let the breeders be breeders?

 

[Zab]

Breeders can be pets. In sweden its still fairly rare to alter pet rabbits
You might get into trouble when they stop producing and you love them too much to feed your ferrets with them...
Mine are pets too... sort of. But pets with an expected short lifetime..

You might want to look into colonies.. your description of yourself seem to fit in on a colony set up. But of vourse you can still feed forage and all while keeping them traditionally.

Pick a breed you like. All rabbits are edible

I had some trouble eating the meat before, unless someone else cooked it. Now I love it

 

[Mickey328]

My first rabbits were SF's and I do recommend the breed in general. Each animal is different beyond the breed traits though. Our SF's are quite docile and never aggressive but are rather skittish. Part of that is simply because we don't handle them all that much...our fault. They live in separate cages (24 x 36) next to each other and both would rather have forage than pretty much anything. We prefer to stay away from processed feed and any soy so we feed a grain mix and free choice grass hay (Timothy is what's easily available here). During the summer, they get pretty much all the greens they want...grass clippings, dandelions, other weeds (we don't spray or use any sort of chemicals), trimmings from our fruit trees. By fall, I hope to have a fodder system in place so they can have greens through the winter and don't have to start so slowly each spring with greens.

Our breeders are also sort of pets...they get names and more close contact. The kits aren't named and we handle them just enough to keep them from being freaked or frightened by human contact. It makes it easier on all of us come processing day.

 

[Dood]

Any rabbit can be a pet.

Flemish giants were one of the original production rabbits but their dog like personalities have won over many and now they are often kept as house bunnies. My Flemmish cross buck was just a pet for 6 years before I got into breeding rabbits for meat and now he does double duty as a herd sire as well

 

[BlueMoods]

Some of my breeders are pets. One will live out her life as such once she is too old to breed and, eventually just be a nice pelt, when she has to go. Around here people rarely have a rabbit altered - the surgery costs more than the rabbit and, that deters most here. Me I simply do not like the idea of altering any animal for non health of the animal reasons so, I don't do it.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I have had a lot of rabbits, all of them are wonderful, and as Dood said, the Flemish are easy to like, and i have never seen a "bad tempered" Flemish. But-- for a terminal f1x or f2x, commercial meat rabbit I like to use a flemish cross with a more compact meat breed, to improve meat to bone ratio, -- but I have loved all the flemish I have had, and most were great mothers, especially my Flemish x does.-- but that is not too important-- as I liked all of my rabbits, including Silver Fox, - if they get to be a problem I eat them. -- my wife loves rabbit meat, but can't deal with me killing them, --so-- the rabbits are not near the house-- and I tell her-- "don't go down and pet the food." [but sometimes she does anyway]--

 

[BlueMoods]

All of out meat animals have names, they are loved and given the best care we can provide for however long they live here. My DH used to have a problem killing them until I explained my thinking on the issue. The animal likes us, enjoys doing what we want it to do, being useful to us so, would that animal rather end up old, crippled or sick and finally uselessly rotting in the ground or, would it rather we kill it swiftly and use the meat and hide so, it's useful to us until every bit of it is gone? I think they'd rather be useful than suffer, then rot uselessly, if they could choose. I know I'd prefer the later to a long, suffering end but, humans don't get that choice.

 

[Zass]

I have a pregnant doe in my bedroom right now. Her names Pancake, we all love her.
ancake:
She will have her babies right there. She is sweet normally, but when she has kits she becomes a total doll-baby.

Another rabbit of mine is scheduled not to be kept because she became mindlessly aggressive after kindling.

It's really a matter of individual personalities.

 

[skysthelimit]

a friend asked this yesterday. I told her to chose a breed that makes her go wow. Something you would raise for no other reason that it's a beautiful animal.

3 of my 4 breeds are commerical meat type breeds, and all 4 wool or fur. They are all pets, handled and kissed up until the day they are removed from my breeding program. So get to stay longer than others, but I don't have any old ones here (except Baron but he was given to me recently) and I don't see anyone who would stay, maybe the wooler buck.

The SF are ok. I had to start over because my original trio would not breed, the herd sire was a total sweet heart, but he got sick and I culled him last month. Total new crew, and although they aren't the least bit hard to handle, I would not say these ones are friendly. Hoping to try again with the next generation.

 

[JessiL]

I agree that first and foremost you should go with a breed that you think is cool/awesome/adorable/etc... You will be investing a lot of time and energy into your buns, so make sure they are critters that you can be really excited about. Next most important is to find a breeder whose goals overlap yours. If you want to emphasize meat production and mothering ability, then don't select a breeder who focuses primarily on show without culling hard for growth rate, milk production, temperament, etc. Or vice versa, if that is your thing. Remember, your initial cash investment in stock is by far one of the LEAST expensive parts of raising rabbits!

I have several lines of Americans and Champagne d'Argents, and they are all fairly different. Both lines of Americans are "spirited" but friendly, while the Champagnes are big dopey softies. A few friends have bought a Champagne or two from me to become pets, and they have quickly become charismatic members of their families (litter-trained in two days!). Both grow at similar rates and produce beautiful carcasses - but so far, the Champagnes have been trickier to get to breed consistently. I'm giving them another year to work on the line, and if they don't shape up, I'm either replacing them or trying a different breed entirely. It's a tough decision though, for whatever reason, local buyers searching for brood stock all want the Champagnes, and sometimes don't want to settle for the Americans. Hard to resist those incredibly soft silver coats..

 

[Comet007]

I am just getting started with rabbits, we will pick them up this weekend! I had a hard time deciding as well. I really loved the New Zealand Reds and the Silver Fox's. If I were planning to keep some around longer for the pelts, I probably would have gone with the Silver Fox's, or the black Rex's (gorgeous!!). I think I liked the NZ reds because I'm a redhead lol.

For me, it came down to 1) I'm not really wanting to do the whole pelt thing and 2) I wanted an "ideal" meat bread that would hopefully grow out in 10 weeks. 8 would be better! I had read that both the Rex's and the SF's grow out slower - possibly 12 weeks to hit 4.5-5 pounds. Though actually, the 10 week old Rex's that I looked at were about 4.5-5 pounds - the breeder who had them breeds specifically for meat, so I imagine that her breeding program might result in bigger grow outs than someone who wasn't aggressively breeding for meat. I was also told that the NZ red's and blacks don't grow quite as quickly as the whites… but I really love color, so I compromised and got a NZ red broken buck and two NZ black broken doe's, and I'm really happy with my choice.

I know that a lot of people say that it's better not to get attached to the little ones who are bound for freezer camp, but I fully intend to! My plan is to treat them as pets, name the litters and have some "play" time with all of them every day when I am able. I am hoping that I will be able to do 99% of the day to day care of the rabbits, so my husband won't have to do much with them. When it's time to dress them for the freezer, that will be his job, and I will stay away. Though I might watch the first time or two, just to take pictures! Are those appropriate for the annual scrapbook?? :mrgreen: :mrgreen: My daughter would be horrified when she got her copy!

Since he wouldn't be handling them as much (and he is very experienced at dressing down various animals/fish), he will be ok killing them, since he won't be as attached as I will. For my part, I will be working on my cooking plan for each litter as I am raising them, so that I will not lose sight of where they are headed! We have too much money sunk in to starting this up for me to turn around and keep 25 pets!

 

[BlueMoods]

All of mine are pets, named and all but, then I go talking to them with "Race Track, nice wide haunches but too narrow in the shoulders for me, you'll make good rabbit wings with those little shoulders." or "Hi Skittles, looks like you're getting a nice wide loin for me, going to be good for medallions next week." And the rabbits happily bounce around and let me pet them as I comment on the meat that is growing inside that hide LOL.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I am hoping that I will be able to do 99% of the day to day care of the rabbits, so my husband won't have to do much with them. When it's time to dress them for the freezer, that will be his job, and I will stay away. Though I might watch the first time or two, just to take pictures! Are those appropriate for the annual scrapbook?? My daughter would be horrified when she got her copy I know that a lot of people say that it's better not to get attached to the little ones who are bound for freezer camp, but I fully intend to! My plan is to treat them as pets, name the litters and have some "play" time with all of them every day when I am !

I like my rabbits, but I don't think I could handle your plan-- I don't like to kill mine even when I raise them as food,[I don't pet, and love on mine, but do give them treats]-- -- it would be kind of like killing my dog, or cat for me.-- I do what must be done- [kill rabbits for my food, or put down suffering pets, ]- but I try not to set myself up for that much trauma. - but-- if it works for you-- that is great--

 

[Comet007]

I am hoping that I will be able to do 99% of the day to day care of the rabbits, so my husband won't have to do much with them. When it's time to dress them for the freezer, that will be his job, and I will stay away. Though I might watch the first time or two, just to take pictures! Are those appropriate for the annual scrapbook?? My daughter would be horrified when she got her copy I know that a lot of people say that it's better not to get attached to the little ones who are bound for freezer camp, but I fully intend to! My plan is to treat them as pets, name the litters and have some "play" time with all of them every day when I am !

I like my rabbits, but I don't think I could handle your plan-- I don't like to kill mine even when I raise them as food,[I don't pet, and love on mine, but do give them treats]-- -- it would be kind of like killing my dog, or cat for me.-- I do what must be done- [kill rabbits for my food, or put down suffering pets, ]- but I try not to set myself up for that much trauma. - but-- if it works for you-- that is great--

That is why I included the words "my plan" - I am also staying aware that if plans must change due to trauma on my part, then change they will. I won't know until the first processing time how I will truly feel about it. But, if I can stay logical about it, then to me handling and enjoying the babies is just showing an appreciation to them for what they provide for us - meat, dog treats, crab bait, worms, fertilizer, etc. That's a lot for a rabbit to give us, so if I can then I'd really like to be hands on. My HOPE is that if I stay away from him doing the processing, when the meat comes into the house, I won't know which rabbit is which. Because DH hunts, fishes and crabs, I am very accustomed to dressed meat coming into our home and dealing with the meat, as well as the whole chickens that I deal with. Really, by the time I see the meat from the rabbits it will look like something that came from the grocery store, minus the packaging! It does all depend on how well I can disconnect the bunny barn from the kitchen!

The other thing that I think will help is that I'm thinking about doing a 28 day breed-back schedule to start, rather than my original plan of 42 days. This is based on what I've been reading in Grumpy's and many others posts about the doe's being receptive earlier. This means that I will have two new litters in the cages about 11 days before processing time for the older litters. Fingers crossed…

By the way, for being a hunter and angler, my husband dearly loves our pets - I really think that for him this will be far easier if he doesn't have to do much for them day to day, because he might get too attached to want to kill them. Really what I need him for is just the heavy lifting, I think I can do everything else myself.

 

[Awaiting Abyss]

I'm not really sure on breeds that I like. I like sweet temperments and a variety of color (even broken of a certain color).
I like cottontails, but I've never had any. I just love the agouti color.