Hybrids question

[Proper2]

When breeding hybrids for meat do you breed the californian buck to the NZW doe or the other way arround?

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

It doesn't matter they are both close to the same size.

__________ Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:23 am __________

Forgot to add.. they are known as cross-breeds or mutts not hybrids which is crossing different species like dogs and wolves or horses and donkeys.

 

[Proper2]

Sorry this is what they call them here with straight translation

 

[Anntann]

We speak of hybrid vigor tho And in plants it's a hybrid, even if you're doing the same plant type.

As to the Cal and NZ. MOST breeders will do a California buck on a NZ doe. Cal does are not known to be the best mothers, NZ does are excellent mothers. You may want to keep a buck of each type, and does of each type. that way you can have pure bred replacements.

 

[Shara]

I had no clue about that, Ann!

 

[Anntann]

I did a lot of research when I got the first NZ rabbits. Talked with the meat rabbit guy, talked with the local rabbit club guys, sent out emails to a number of people on the meatrabbit list asking that same question...since the rabbit scientist guys have found that a cal x NZ gives the best meat/bone ratio, and the fastest growout rate I wanted to know if there were strains that were better, if the doe should be NZ, etc. The majority of those who answered my questions were on the "California buck, NZ doe" side.

 

[Shara]

Well, when i had cals and NZ's, the cals certainly seemed meatier!great muscling on both, though.

 

[pfaubush]

It's funny when I go out to weigh. I'll weigh the NZ's thinking that they're around 6 lbs, find out they're around 5. I think the Cali's are around 5 and they're around 6. I'm not sure where they put it, but my small looking Cali's always out-weigh my bigger looking NZ's.

 

[Shara]

i LOVE your cals. the ones i bought were nothing but SOLID! lol. skittish, though, compared to the NZ buck.

 

[Cattle Cait]

I've actually heard to use a Florida White buck because they have such fine bones, their meat:bone ratio is much better. The babies are slightly smaller but dress out better. I heard it always with a NZ doe, but a Cal doe would probably make much better bunnies because they have slighter bone too. (From what I've seen.)

 

[xlt]

you can do it either way and get the benefit of the vigor, but the rumor is that NZ's make better mothers than CA's

 

[Cattle Cait]

Oh okay, that makes sense. Do they really make better meat rabbits? I had never tried it, we always just ate the leftover Harlequins. Not really good meat rabbits, but edible.

 

[xlt]

I've been very happy with nz/ca cross. 5 lbs. by 9 weeks on average.

 

[garnetmoth]

The only meat breed we found when we were looking here were Cal. both lost their first litter, but Id just put cardboard down and they had them on the wire. Second time she raised 5 with no trouble- I really need to write these things down... Our Cal buck took sick and passed, and I found a mature intact NZW kinda close.

So far, the cal/nz babies have been pretty nice, but I dont have much to compare them to. We kept 2 jr does and they are bred now, so we'll see how Cal/NZWxNZW moms are- Ill make sure the box is in a few days early, and Im going to cover the cage floor in cardboard for the last 2-3 days so we dont have kitsicles.