Other successful meat breeds

[Owl]

Other than the typical NZ and Cali's, what breeds do you guys/gals like for meat breeders? Feel free to include their bonuses such as great fur, good feed conversion, etc. I am looking to add something colorful to my NZ barn. Number one question from kids....."Why are all the rabbits white with those weird eyes?" Thus the quest for color. Thanks in advance for replies.

 

[Dood]

My American Chinchillas got to 5 pounds by 10 weeks at the latests when fed 18% protein pelleted feed.

I now feed a mostly forage based diet with grains and their growth has slowed but I am selecting for good growth on this diet and hope to getting back to that growth in the next couple years.

I have been really impressed with their friendly, calm temperaments and terrific mothering skills. The fertility for my one bloodline has been great from the start but my other bloodline generally has smaller litters of 6 to 8, although recently one of these does, to my utter shock, had 12

 

[Owl]

Dood,
I currently use mainly pelletized feed but would also like to branch off to foraged based or a combination. I just have read so much more about NOT feeding forage based that I have not pulled the trigger. Maybe the next time I keep 2 replacement does from the same litter, I will put one on forage. Then I can do a comparison and go from there.

@@Time in barn a day dealing with rabbits< 2 hours. Time on internet a day doing endless research on this or that related to rabbits 4+ hours.@@

 

[PSFAngoras]

I seem to have the best luck with just mutts. Right now I have a SF/Harlequin/Rhinelander mutt that isn't easy to get bred, but she's the best momma when she is and she throws the nicest coated kits combined with my FA bucks. I was going to stick her in the freezer since she is hard to breed, but with the fur on her kits (I tan my hides), and that they're always porkers since she does such a good job, I'm contemplating keeping her. Previous mutts in the past have always done well too, the only reason I gave them to new homes was to make space for more angoras. (And then had an 'oh' moment when I ran out of rabbit in the freezer...)

I have another doe that I'm waiting to come of age, a pure NZR, though she's actually a chestnut and not a red, but she won't be ready for another three months. She's the sweetest thing in the world, and built like a brick house, but her coat is not as dense as I'd like. I don't think crossing her with my angoras will help in the kit's pelts, but I have to wait and see.

NZ's do come in more colors than just white though, and when you start breeding the whites and reds and blacks and brokens together you will end up with just about every color rabbit in the rainbow...

 

[Ramjet]

I have Rex , nothing compares to a rex fur ... very much like velvet & come in just about every color imaginable. Mine are very sociable , my 8 & 9 year old kids handle them pretty much daily.
I've gotten solid growth rates out of them too , the latest litter is just under 6lbs at 10 weeks.
Rex are a dual purpose breed , great fur & solid meat production.

Other options are silver fox , American's , Champagne D’Argent , Satins and a few others .... with any breed , you just have to start with stock tailored to your goals. You just have to decide what you want ...

 

[Owl]

Each time I find one and get to think its the next one for me, I find a diff breed. Will be at a show in 2 weeks and I think that will definately help me decide my text breed.

 

[Zass]

I have/had silverfox, lilacs, americans, rex, french angoras, Flemish crosses, new zealands, mixes of most of those, and a lot of just plain mutts. (I like colors)

For non-intensive backyard purposes they all seemed to work out just about as well.

I had to worry about the rex feet more, and their personalities were touchier.
The rex, lilac, and angora didn't growout as fast as the new Zealand, FG or SF crosses.
The French angora were easily the sweetest, but that fur is high maintenance on top of taking extra time to growout. Great color possibilities.

I like the lilacs best of those three, and would do more of them. Very well put together commercial type bodies and wonderfully dense fur. Very nice personalities and the lineup of doubled recessives: self, chocolate and dilute means they can throw a rainbow of colors.

Americans have nicer fur then I would have expected, but I don't care for mandolin type.
I like meat bricks.
I did get great growth on SF and love the fur, but my crosses with them have all been steels or visual selfs, so I haven't gotten the color rainbow I thought they would produce for me.

 

[3mina]

I have Rex and Silver Fox. I've had pretty good luck with them I think. I've good fur density, which helps immensely with the foot problems mentioned earlier, and a pretty decent growth rate.
I'm just starting with the SF, my first two litters, from first time does, are just out it the nestboxes. One is doing great, the other, well, the doe decided she wasn't going to feed so that litter is about half the size of the first but I haven't lost any yet *fingers crossed*. I'm looking forward to seeing how things go with the next few litters.

 

[mystang89]

Besides the cali and Nz I have sf as well.

 

[Ramjet]

When I was doing the research and deciding on a breed , Silver Fox was at the very top of my list .... Just couldn't find any in my area.

Rex was a close second .... tho I had a hard time locating them. There is only one registered rabbitry in Texas with Rex , how crazy is that ?! Everyone and their pocket mouse has mini rex ....

In the end , I'm 101% satisfied with the decision to go with Rex.

 

[michaels4gardens]

does anyone who raises ReX have a guess at the weight at 8 weeks, and feed efficiency?/ compared to NZ or Cal?
I have toyed with the idea of getting a "Fur line" going in my rabbits, -as making my own clothing, is an attractive idea, -- and my rabbits have OK fur but are not anything like the REX I have looked at.-- but for me the fur would be a "by-product"
as my main focus is meat. [I do realize I would have to "grow out" animals intended for fur to 12 or 16 weeks]

 

[Ramjet]

does anyone who raises ReX have a guess at the weight at 8 weeks, and feed efficiency?/ compared to NZ or Cal?
I have toyed with the idea of getting a "Fur line" going in my rabbits, -as making my own clothing, is an attractive idea, -- and my rabbits have OK fur but are not anything like the REX I have looked at.-- but for me the fur would be a "by-product"
as my main focus is meat. [I do realize I would have to "grow out" animals intended for fur to 12 or 16 weeks]

I've gotten good growth rates with a diet of free feed hay (coastal) and measured 16% protein pellets (ManaPro).

Thru 3 litters they are averaging right at 5lbs @ 8 weeks and what I have left of my last litter right at 6lbs @ 10weeks. The free fed hay has really helped growth rates.
That 5lb at 8 weeks number seems to be what most people shoot for in a meat breed ..... You just have to find a line that has been bred for the specific traits you are looking for.

Those numbers are very comparable to my Cali/Altex cross rates that might weigh a quarter pound more at 8 weeks who are fed an identical diet.

 

[skysthelimit]

does anyone who raises ReX have a guess at the weight at 8 weeks, and feed efficiency?/ compared to NZ or Cal?
I have toyed with the idea of getting a "Fur line" going in my rabbits, -as making my own clothing, is an attractive idea, -- and my rabbits have OK fur but are not anything like the REX I have looked at.-- but for me the fur would be a "by-product"
as my main focus is meat. [I do realize I would have to "grow out" animals intended for fur to 12 or 16 weeks]

Many Rex do not grow as fast, more like 4-5lbs at 12-16 weeks. Faster growth often results in less dense fur, so you really have to be careful which lines you get. Rex is a commercial type breed, but it's more like a fancy breed. Generally, if you want good pelts, you will have to wait more like 16-24 weeks, when the skin is thicker and the coat is prime. 12 week old pelts just rip. Jr prime begins around 4-5 mos, and senior prime 6-8 mos.
The feed efficiency of Rex is less than normal furred breeds, but it's not horrible. I got a 5lb 12 week old feeding forage of mulberry leaves, in the cull pen with 7 other kits. The SF are way more feed efficient, despite the faster growth and larger end size. The French Angora grow as fast as the SF initially, then they stop and start growing wool. If you are getting a 5-6lb kit at 12 weeks, you have a pretty efficient FA worth breeding for meat. You would cull right about the time the wool gets difficult to care for, but you would ever really have any usable wool.

 

[mystang89]

How large are the bones in rex? I know that one of the reasons Cali's are considered meat rabbits even though they are smaller than other: NZ, SF etc is because their bones are thinner.

 

[PSFAngoras]

My FA's do reach 5-6 pounds at 12 weeks, heck, my six week olds are ranging between 3-4 pounds now. I do have stock that comes from lines that are consistently hitting the 12 pound and even 13 pound mark at maturity though, so that helps. <br /><br /> __________ Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:25 pm __________ <br /><br /> I don't do my angoras for meat usually though, I do eat my culls, but I find them a slight bit more valuable as they all produce really nice fiber.

 

[skysthelimit]

How large are the bones in rex? I know that one of the reasons Cali's are considered meat rabbits even though they are smaller than other: NZ, SF etc is because their bones are thinner.

There are 18 breeds that are considered Commercial meat breeds. Some are "better" because they have consistent fast growth among litters. Check this out for a listing of those breeds and why some are better than others. The french lop is the only one mentioned about slightly bigger bone so less dress out.
https://www.arba.net/district/4/Meat_Pens.pdf

Since Rex are in that class, they basically have the same bone density and meat to bone ratio as NZ and Cals. They just don't grow as fast or produce the same consistency as those two. If you are not trying to win a meat pen, they make a good meat rabbit. Once you start worrying about good pelts, you go from a fryer to a roaster. <br /><br /> __________ Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:06 pm __________ <br /><br />

I don't do my angoras for meat usually though, I do eat my culls, but I find them a slight bit more valuable as they all produce really nice fiber.

That was my initial hang up. But since nothing sells here, the FA was having litters of 9, and they are not the main breed of the 4 I have, the ax fell to them. I will cull many more than I will keep. I sheared the baby coat and used it to blend with wool.

 

[PSFAngoras]

Don't blame you. I eat those that don't sell too (I consider those culls) but I've been pretty lucky selling them.

I guess I should have said that I don't usually *breed* the angoras with the intention of using them as meat bunnies, and I'm much more adamant about giving them until about 4-6 months to find a home before I eat them, since they produce fiber during that time. I find them a bit more like the SF as far as meat goes though. They are such a laid back breed that the meat stays tender longer than the other breeds.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I have what looks like Cinnamon, American, and some all white rabbits [suposedly Florida white pure breds], some all black, rabbits who often have white front feet,[ and are a little smaller then most ] and some who are a cross of something large ,black with white feet and brown tinges on the body, and thick fur [my fastest growing fryer sire.] I just cross the types for meat and in breed for replacement , -- but all are muts, or at least no clear source, as they were bought from various road side suppliers. [except the whites]-The light grey, American has nice fur, the Cinamon is OK, [and my most productive line], -- but not at all the quality of the rex. --But I have to admit I love my muts, -- they are so much more hardy, and productive then any of the pure breds I have ever had. The breed easy, and raise nice litters with almost no trouble.

 

[SyP]

Seems this topic comes up quite a bit on this forum although I do remember when I was making the same decision. I too did not want the Lab rabbit with the weird devil eyes and I thought Californians sort of looked like Hitler with the weird mustache. I wanted a rabbit that looked like a common country rabbit with normal puppy dog eye's, even though I understood that meat to bone ratio was important and I wanted big pieces of meat for the table. I ended up choosing the Palomino breed and have been very happy every since, they are very docile and friendly. the only thing I have to say negative about the breed is that they take about 10-12 weeks to get a 4.5 lb. fryer, a little longer than some of the other breeds.

:cute:

 

[skysthelimit]

Don't blame you. I eat those that don't sell too (I consider those culls) but I've been pretty lucky selling them.

I guess I should have said that I don't usually *breed* the angoras with the intention of using them as meat bunnies, and I'm much more adamant about giving them until about 4-6 months to find a home before I eat them, since they produce fiber during that time. I find them a bit more like the SF as far as meat goes though. They are such a laid back breed that the meat stays tender longer than the other breeds.

Yeah it's pretty sad. I am thinking of making another grow out pen just for Angoras, somewhere outside, just so I can keep them longer for more wool. <br /><br /> __________ Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:20 pm __________ <br /><br />

I thought Californians sort of looked like Hitler with the weird mustache.


the only thing I have to say negative about the breed is that they take about 10-12 weeks to get a 4.5 lb. fryer, a little longer than some of the other breeds.

:cute:

So I'm not the only one who had those thoughts? I always give a sideways look to the Cal Rex.

I am told that Pals produce very consistent litters though. And the fur is such beautiful golden color.