shoould I breed a rabbit without a pedigree?(show rabbits)

[dark.lapin]

The whole reason I raise flemish giant is to show rabbits and i don't know how long I will be raising rabbits but I want my project to be successful. Harvey is decent buck beatuful coloring but I don't have his pedigree. If I have to I will purchase another buck from the breeder who I got the doe from. i have no idea where he came from or what his back round is and it will take me 2 years just to get rabbits i can pedigree..plus what am i going to do with the unpedigreed rabbits if I can't sell em..I can't eat em because i can't get my mom to accept the idea...plus i have heard its a good idea to get your starter rabbits from same breeder..what do you suggest I do?

 

[ladysown]

is he decent type and quality?

if so...I'd breed him.

 

[Pickles]

Personally, I would never invest in a non-pedigreed rabbit. But thats just me... you have to decide that for yourself. Ask yourself some very basic questions... What would you be breeding for? Would a non-pedigreed animal benefit your objective? etc... If its meat you are after, then no, a pedigree would be of little consequence in my opinion. However, if you are breeding for show, or to improve the standard... then yes, I feel having a pedigree and a known lineage would be in the best interest.

 

[akane]

I plan to do it with a nonpedigreed broken doe who is as good of quality as anything else I have. However the way it works is that rabbit only produces 1 litter. Breed the nonpedigreed rabbit to get the genetics in there, pick the best from the litter, and replace the parent. That way it only takes 3-4 litters of pet quality before you can sell pedigreed. If you plan to use this buck to continually sire offspring you may end up filling up your local market for pet quality flemish. 3-4 litters isn't too hard to find pet homes for if you breed at the right times (not the middle of winter in Iowa I found out), space them out, and get your name out there. The guy I got some MR and our champagnes from sells more flemish as pets than as show and breeders. They breed their flemish pretty selectively though to keep from flooding the area with flemish they can't sell. If this is your main herd sire and you'll be breeding several does to him it would probably be best to just get another buck now though. That's a lot of litters to go through before you get every line established as pedigreed. Much different from adding one nonpedigreed doe to a breeding group.

 

[ottersatin]

dark.lapin,
Breed him! Within four generations you will have your Pedigree.
Keep proper paperwork on each breeding. When the Kits grow
and breed you will be on the next generation.
It is slower, but it can be done.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Why are you breeding this buck? Has he been proven on the show table? Colour is only a small percentage of the total score, and I keep hearing that "so and so" is a beautiful colour! What about everything else? Pedigree doesn't matter if the buck is a good example of the breed and you know this for a fact! You don't need a pedigree to show.So if you follow Akane's suggestion of one litter and then replace the parents you will have your pedigree in short order! However I caution, most breeders selling pet quality (ie is not good enough type- wise to show) do not include the pedigree! I am not sure why your buck doesn't have one so you may want to investigate that.

 

[ottersatin]

dark.lapin,
yes you should assess the type of the rabbit
before using it in any breeding program.
However, many is the time that a rather scruffy looking
rabbit has produced excellent typed offspring.
I say give it a go! You can always eat your mistakes.
Best of luck with whatever road you choose.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[dark.lapin]

I think I am going to wait intell his type get assed and breed him next year..I feel safer not using blood that is unkown..Plus I want all my rabbits to have pedigrees..I am not shure when i am going to start up rabbit raising again so I honestly feel safer if all my rabbits had pedigres and came from line that has won on show table..I really want to be successful thanks everyone for their help...harvey is first flemish giant that I have owned and he is reason I decided to raise and show flemish..

 

[curlysue]

The best doe i ever owned came from a livestock auction.She had great type.her babies won at shows.I would take him too a show get the remarks.i would get at least two judges opionion.a pedigree doesnt mean a rabbit is show quality or worth breeding.

 

[dark.lapin]

The best doe i ever owned came from a livestock auction.She had great type.her babies won at shows.I would take him too a show get the remarks.i would get at least two judges opionion.a pedigree doesnt mean a rabbit is show quality or worth breeding.

i know it just many factors that make me hestitate breeding this buck..he wasn't fed right nutrition and he also does not have a temperment that i would not want to pass to his kits. he is nice buck but can be mean depending on situtation. plus he is not freindly to other rabbits. he also has a loose flap of skin..I am going to wait a year and then breed him ..so at then I can get some judges opions..

 

[playsmartcasino]

Yes you can breed a rabbit without a pedigree but you must take care of your a\rabbit more then you take before...When a female bunny is ready to breed her genitals will become swollen and dark red. If when you put the doe with the buck she runs away like crazy and grunts, she probably won't accept the buck. This means she is not ready to breed at this time, and you can check her again in a couple of days.

 

[SatinsRule]

In your case, I believe it presents more problems than solutions, so no, I would not breed with him.

Trying to sell half-pedigreed rabbits is going to be nearly impossible unless you're selling to someone who either wants to raise them for slaughter, or someone who wants one as a pet.

But on the flip side of that, you'd be surprised how many showroom breeders of commercial breeds will bring in a rabbit or two from another breed to enhance something in their lines. It's a somewhat common practice with White Satin breeders, who will occasionally bring in a rex or New Zealand White to improve either their fur or body type.

 

[tailwagging]

so true. last year I looked a "pair" of JR cinns. I had a judge go over them. their type good and workable but they had their faults. the judge said "just breed in cal or red Z". why I didn't get the pair was that the pair turned out to be 2 bucks.

I have been wondering what breed would be the best to breed into my Cremes (if any) to get better type and brighter orange. most likely I won't but it would be nice to have it all worked out in my mind if I do.