selecting for meat type

[Shara]

So, I am trying to learn what I should look for when selecting for future meat type breeders. I hear alot about "type" but really don't get it. What do I look for?

And say I was looking over four week old littermates, thinking of POSSIBLY keeping one back, how should I evaluate them to see if they will be good meat breeding stock? Right now they are all poofy and fluffy and adorable, but I can't for the life of me think of which I would keep if I were to.

Are there different things to look for in buck/doe kits?

Pretend like you are talking to someone who has NO CLUE about this, becuse really, I don't :baby:

 

[Anntann]

ohboy!! Can't wait for folks to share what they look for

 

[MaggieJ]

Imagine the rabbit without its fur and skin. Look for wide meaty hips, meaty loin, with good meaty shoulders being a bonus. You want a well-grown rabbit for its age, but meaty wins out over mere size for me because some larger rabbits are large boned too and you won't get more meat. After looking at a few litters of kits with a predatory eye, you will get so you can spot a good bet before it is even furred out. Even as newborns they are meaty.

 

[harlanr31]

well you can start by sending me the ones you just bought Then I will let you know how they turned out LOL

 

[Shara]

Thanks Maggie, Lol harlanr. Not likely

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

You know I use my hands to feel the rabbit a lot. You can even close your eyes and compare your litter that way. Although first you would be choosing from a doe and buck that you already like the qualities of. Just weight them in your hands and then feel the smoothness over the back and hips,your hands shouldn't catch on hips or haunches, the backbone shouldn't be sharply felt. There should be space between the shoulders as well and under the tail you should get the feeling of width. Other than that the fur should feel dense and they should be bright eyed and inquisitive, which is a good sign of health and vitality. After that evaluation pick out the fastest/largest grower.Sometimes you will not be happy with an entire litter, sometimes the whole litter is what you want and its too hard to decide.. the more records you keep the better you get at getting what you want in a litter.So if you don't like what you see be sure to not do that cross again and don't feel you HAVE to keep one, just try a different cross and start again.Sometimes you get lucky on the first try sometimes not.