kwilds
Member
I have arranged some extra space for growouts this summer at a friends place so I am keen to get started working with my meat herd to work towards a stable line of rabbits that fit MY criteria and needs rather than any breed standards! I want rex fur (I am also breeding a line of purebred Silver fox separately from this project) I want a rabbit that will grow out well on pasture/forage. I tan the hides and as a family we use a lot of ground meat, sausage and slow, moist cooking methods so the slower grow rates and older processing age that I will get on pasture work very well to produce the hides I want and the meat my family will eat. I currently have 4 does and 2 bucks that I will be starting with. I may bring in another one or two rabbits to compliments the ones I have but ultimately I plan on using linebreeding and heavy culling over several generations to get stable lines with my preferred traits. I understand this will be a long process and challenging but that is actually one of the reasons I am excited to do this! So I am looking for some opinions on the rabbits I already have to see if what I see in them is accurate!
The does . . .
This is a purebred rex doe. The biggest one I have seen in my area but still pretty small at just over 7.5lbs at 10 months. She have the nicest fur I have seen on a rex.
This one is half rex, 1/4 satin and part new zealand cross. She is small. I was going to cull her just based on size but I like the colour genes she has and the fact that she carries rex.
This doe is 1/2 satin, 1/2 New zealand cross. I really like this does temperment - another big priority for me, I have very little tolerance for bad attitude and the ones who have crappy temperments are the first to get eaten! This doe is a bit on the small size too . . .
__________ Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:36 am __________
Continued . . . I guess I can only post 5 pictures at a time!
This is my biggest doe. Flemish cross and the best momma ever! I dont particularily like the flemish as meat rabbits but I am hoping the cross to rex will lighten up the bone a bit. This is kind of a terrible picture but she is still working on losing the "baby belly" She is another one that just has a great temperment.
And the other doe who I want to use in this project just to help increase the size is a silver fox. Curious what this will do to the rex fur genes??? Silver fox have a very dense coat so maybe a good thing? The texture is TOTALLY different though so maybe a bad thing?? Good thing I have an endless supply of hungry tummies to feed the fuglies too - lol!
And the boys . . .
My rex buck. This guy is small. But he is deeper through the hindquarter than any of my does.
And my silver fox buck. Hoping this guy gives my herd some size . . .
The does . . .
This is a purebred rex doe. The biggest one I have seen in my area but still pretty small at just over 7.5lbs at 10 months. She have the nicest fur I have seen on a rex.
This one is half rex, 1/4 satin and part new zealand cross. She is small. I was going to cull her just based on size but I like the colour genes she has and the fact that she carries rex.
This doe is 1/2 satin, 1/2 New zealand cross. I really like this does temperment - another big priority for me, I have very little tolerance for bad attitude and the ones who have crappy temperments are the first to get eaten! This doe is a bit on the small size too . . .
__________ Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:36 am __________
Continued . . . I guess I can only post 5 pictures at a time!
This is my biggest doe. Flemish cross and the best momma ever! I dont particularily like the flemish as meat rabbits but I am hoping the cross to rex will lighten up the bone a bit. This is kind of a terrible picture but she is still working on losing the "baby belly" She is another one that just has a great temperment.
And the other doe who I want to use in this project just to help increase the size is a silver fox. Curious what this will do to the rex fur genes??? Silver fox have a very dense coat so maybe a good thing? The texture is TOTALLY different though so maybe a bad thing?? Good thing I have an endless supply of hungry tummies to feed the fuglies too - lol!
And the boys . . .
My rex buck. This guy is small. But he is deeper through the hindquarter than any of my does.
And my silver fox buck. Hoping this guy gives my herd some size . . .
