Rebel.Rose.Rabbitry":3n5p6khd said:
Their bones/muscles in general tend to be weaker and allow for more injuries or (or least the ones I've been around) when it comes time to butcher, I've had more trouble properly executing broomstick methods on those with weak/pinched hq than any others (the muscles and bone strength to allow a good quick pull is not there).
Great post, Rebel Rose! You explained all of that much better than I could, and I must admit (since I use the bonk-on-the-head method) that I never knew about the overall weakness in bone and muscle.
heritage":3n5p6khd said:
Soooo... silly question, but what exactly is the "problem" with pinched hips in rabbits? Other than it's a "fault"
ohiogoatgirl":3n5p6khd said:
hmm.. so you really want to look for the round butt then?
The main "problem" is a lack of meat on the carcass. A good (meat) "show rabbit" is "well rounded in the hindquarters and full to the table". What this means is you have a nice wide, deep loin, and thighs that are packed with meat.
A word about the working standards of show animals... they are written to optimize the performance of the animal
for the job it is bred to perform. This applies to all animals, not just rabbits.
Look at the great variation we have in dogs. Lets take an extreme example, and contrast the sight hound breeds- which are bred for speed to take down fast moving prey on the run- to the opposite extreme, the Basset Hound.
Sighthounds are lean, have very long legs, and a deep chest with large lung capacity. The Basset, on the other hand, is bred as an older gentlemen's baying hound. They are heavy, low to the ground, and have long ears to "sweep" the scent to their nose. They are very slow moving so the hunter is not forced to run after the dog or be on horseback to keep up.
Meat rabbit standards are written to enhance the qualities of the meat
carcass-
not to give us a pretty live rabbit. Even if you are just breeding "meat mutts" you should follow one of the written standards for a meat breed.
All of this talk about wide shoulders, good rise, depth of loin, and full hindquarters translates directly to the quality of the cuts of meat you are going to get from that particular animal.
I think we can all agree that the least enjoyable aspect of raising animals for meat is butchering day. The less head you have to butcher to get the most meat, the better. So it is in all of our best interest to breed rabbits that have the most muscle mass rather than breed a huge quantity of rabbits that have weak loins, pinched hindquarters, or narrow shoulders.
