Did I get stuck with minis or do Rex really gorw this slow?

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Legacy

Legacy

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I bought a pair of what were advertised on craigslist as Standard rex to add to our personal meat heard. They were 12 weeks when I got them and I thought they were rather on the small side but the guy said Rexes tend to grow out slower than other breeds.

Well It has been almost 2 months since I bought them, and they haven't grown much at all. They are aren't even half the size of our other Senior Rex does. Actually, they are even a lot smaller than our 10 week old butcher babies.

I'm guessing they are minis. I haven't ever had Standard Rex grow up. The only ones I have had were grown when I got them. So I had no way of knowing if he was right about them just growing out at a slower rate.

I am going to try to weigh them this afternoon to see where they are at. How much should a 5 month old Standard Rex weigh?
 
Check images for the standard rex and the Mini Rex. That may help you determine what you have. Also, remember, that the Mini Rex was derived from the standard by breeding the smallest in herds to get the compact mini. You could have bought some standards on the smallish side.
 
I sold my Rex off last fall because they were so incredibly slow growing. I don't think all lines are necessarily that bad, but the potential is definitely there for some duds!
 
I have looked at pics of both. I even own some other standard rex and to me they look the same just one is smaller so if you have nothing to compare to, they look the same in pics.

Maybe these are small standards. Still haven't gotten a chance to weigh them. Too hot for that. 107 today so I have the sprinkler going in the trees above the cages.

I wanted Rexes so that we could have the nice pelts as well as the the meat but if they grow out that slow, it's a deal breaker.

I'm still thinking they are minis. Which kind of stinks since one of them is the only rex buck I had. I guess I will have to sell them and buy a buck for my senior does. They were so hard to find in the first place, I hope it isn't too hard to find a buck.
 
Measure the ears. Mini rex should not go over 3 1/2" with 4" possible on mini rex that are likely to go just over the size limits for the standard. If they are any longer you have standard rex or at least mini x standard crosses. The ears will be full length by about 2months and then the rabbits grow in to them so you should be able to tell a standard from a mini even if the growth rates are off for some reason.
 
Legacy":1ikuexsg said:
I have looked at pics of both. I even own some other standard rex and to me they look the same just one is smaller so if you have nothing to compare to, they look the same in pics.

Maybe these are small standards. Still haven't gotten a chance to weigh them. Too hot for that. 107 today so I have the sprinkler going in the trees above the cages.

I wanted Rexes so that we could have the nice pelts as well as the the meat but if they grow out that slow, it's a deal breaker.

I'm still thinking they are minis. Which kind of stinks since one of them is the only rex buck I had. I guess I will have to sell them and buy a buck for my senior does. They were so hard to find in the first place, I hope it isn't too hard to find a buck.
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The pelts aren't really any good until +/- 5 months, anyway, from what my research and others that raise them tell me. They should be a suitable size for butchering by then, if they actually are Standards.

I think the bloodlines in AK have been muddied by using oversize Mini Rex. Few of the adults up here even make senior weight. Did you see the parents of your rabbits?
 
I use a Rex buck and NZ doe. That gets over the slow growth. I like having Rex in the mix because of that thick saddle meat on the back.
 
how much does ur standar rex wieghs at 5month... my standar rex wieght at 5month are 7.50 to 7.75lbs not to far from my californian which wei from 7.75 to 8.0lbs at 5month...
 
How much they will ultimately weigh as adults lends largely to what their ancestry weighed. In other words, if they max out a little light in adult weight, don't panic. Just bring in some bigger bodied rabbits and introduce that line into your bloodlines then cull accordingly.

The current SOP published by the ARBA shows the following weights:

Senior bucks (6 months and over) 7.5 to 9.5 lbs.
Senior does (6 months and over) 8 to 10.5 lbs.
Junior bucks (under 6 months) not over 8 lbs, not under 4 lbs.
Junior does (under 6 months) not over 8.5 lbs, not under 4 lbs.

If you're sitting at 7-7.5 lbs on rabbits at 5 months of age, they're not grossly underweight, but introduction of a few larger specimens into your bloodline may just be what you need to more consistently get your bunnies where they need to be in terms of weight.
 
There are a lot of people particularly on classified ad sites who do not know the difference between Standard and Mini when it comes to Rex. So they all get labelled as Standard referring to the fact it indeed has a Rex coat. So you really have to be careful when buying off of classified sites. It also isn't uncommon for people to label their Mini Rex without a dwarf gene as a standard Rex and a Mini Rex without a dwarf gene are usually around 5-6lbs and can have massively long ears.
 
Ok, so I finally got around to weighing these bunnies. They only weight just over 3 and half pounds. They look like they have massively long ears because they have such small bodies. Their ears are just over 8 inches which is the same length as my 8 and half pound standard rex doe.

At this point I don't really care if they are just slow growers or if they are going to stay small. These rabbits are just taking too long to get big enough to eat.

I will be selling them.<br /><br />__________ Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:21 pm __________<br /><br />Actually, I may have changed my mind about selling them already. It's so hard to decide. They are so sweet and soft and cute. I really want to keep them but I don't really think I have room for frivolous bunnies. If I can't keep them for breeding meat, I shouldn't keep them but I like them.

Trying to figure out if there is a way I can breed up enough in size. I mean, I was going breed my full size rexes to bigger rabbits to the get the size I want. This seems like I would be going backwards.

I should sell them, shouldn't I? Oh, I just don't know. It's not like I am breeding commercially. It's just for our family to have good meat and for fun.

I should keep them, shouldn't I?
 
There are no "shoulds". If you really want to keep them, give them a fair try. Lots of people use smaller rabbits for meat. On the other hand, there is no reason not to find them a GOOD home elsewhere if you decide to do what is most practical.
 
yea. I know you can't give me the answer. Sometimes I wish life was that easy. LOL
 
Hey, rabbit generations are short. Breed for fast growth, you will see it pick up soon. And yeah, treat for parasites, just in case.
 

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