Show Quality vs not - Your standard

[-HRanchito]

I know there is a difference here, and I've skirted the issue by giving into the rabbitosis and deciding to keep my WHOLE LITTER and probably my whole brand new litter too, but how do you decide what's show quality? Obviously, the closer to the SoP, the better, but you can't only show perfect rabbits.

Let's say I sold a rabbit with no DQ's as show quality, would that be unethical? Where do you draw the line with your rabbits and how do you make that decision? How do you deal with your "show quality" being at a different level from someone else's "show quality?"

 

[skysthelimit]

Having this argument now with my german shepherd breeder, who swears that I must show a clearly unshowable dog or else I am in breach of contract. This dog is not only unshowable in my eyes, but several breeder/judges have said the same thing as well.

With a picture of the standard in mind, I cull hard. If I can find no discernible faults, I call it brood quality, never show quality. I am trying to do what my breeder does--she takes it to a show, or several shows, gets judges opinions, maybe gets a leg then sells it as show quality. If I haven't shown it, I'm not selling it as show quality.

 

[Random Rabbit]

If i would be embarrassed to put the rabbit on the judging table... then i consider it to be Not Show Quality.

If it has decent type, and no DQs ... i would call it brood. If i need it to preserve a bloodline, or if it is sold as a breeder to someone else... then it might stay around. If i do not Need it, and have no buyer interested in it... then it goes.

I prefer to use as breeding stock.. the rabbits that have been shown and have either won legs or completed their Championships. That is not always possible And there is the need to keep a bit of genetic diversity in the herd.

......................

there is a breeder/exhibitor of NZWs here in NY. Their rabbits are Breathtaking !!! ( and Winning !!!) The ones that they send for meat... are Nicer than what a lot of other people Keep for show stock !! .... I dream of Someday reaching That level of Excellence !! :bunnyhop:

 

[skysthelimit]

there is a breeder/exhibitor of NZWs here in NY. Their rabbits are Breathtaking !!! ( and Winning !!!) The ones that they send for meat... are Nicer than what a lot of other people Keep for show stock !! .... I dream of Someday reaching That level of Excellence !! :bunnyhop:

So do I. I wonder if it can be achieved with what I currently have, and hard culling, or if I have to get something else. My breeder says I am starting out with better than she started out with, so maybe that's a good sign. But I feel the need to cull hard and am not afraid to cull whole litters.

 

[Peach]

To decide my Show Quality vs. Pet Quality, I look about how many undesirable traits it has.... I also see if my goals were met with the pairing.I also get more opinions from people that have bred wayyy longer than me. I also price my rabbits differently depending how well I feel they will do on the show table. I also price them sometimes higher if I really don't know if I want them to go or stay, but X is the price I'm willing to let them go. I try to not keep more than one or two from a litter. I have culled whole litters,even if there was one I liked,but a jr. I currently had from another litter was just that much better. I kinda like to hold on to jr.s for 10-12 weeks... you can tell more with some more time.

 

[-HRanchito]

If I haven't shown it, I'm not selling it as show quality.

I like this - it's really cut and dry. I don't know if I'll end up going to enough shows to sell any as show quality if I go by that standard. Heh! I also like the idea of just puttin a price on it. I guess that makes sense for going to shows at any rate -- the buyers are going to have a good idea of what they're looking for in their herd...one would hope.

 

[ladysown]

the thing about showing is that one rabbit might do well in one area of the world, but not do well in another.

if you have decide for yourself how you will sell your rabbits.

I don't list mine generally as show quality or not show quality. If people ask me I will say I think this one is worth breeding, or this will make a good pet or a good starter rabbit to try your management practices out on.

I came across one breeder who lists the rabbits for sale simply as pet quality, breeding quality.

Pet quality meant: had a genetic dq (white toes, scattered hairs, lousy type etc). Things this breeder didn't think should be bred into anyones' lines. This included nervy tempered rabbits, way over-sized (think 6-7 lb holland lop), and such like.

Breeder quality meant: no obvious problems or issues. Size may or may not be an issue. May or may not win. Depends on who you show under, where you do your showing, how the new owner handles and conditions their rabbits and such like. So many variables in this.

 

[curlysue]

My standards are higher than they used too be.its soo hard too predict there are just soo many variables.I usually go with show,brood,and pet.in a breed this small i use many oversize does.I never promise someone a rabbit will win.buying an unproven rabbit is taking a chance.

 

[skysthelimit]

the thing about showing is that one rabbit might do well in one area of the world, but not do well in another.

This is a big thing too. Competition in one region may be stiffer than the other.

 

[tnelsonfla]

The way I always look at it is I have high standards. So to periodically check myself I look at other rabbits that a friend or fellow breeder has and form my opinion. Then ask them about the rabbit and see if my critique is the same. You also have to know what faults can typically be bred out. The term I've been hearing alot is "this is a 4-H quality rabbit" meaning it has faults, won't probably win against any competition, but has no disqualifications. I find you have to be somewhat cautious even at shows because sometimes there are pet quality rabbits brought for sale and if the "customer" doesn't ask the right question(or doesn't know the right questions to ask) then they get sold a sub standard rabbit. Here recently a person who shows a separate breed, but I always visit with at shows bought some Havana's at a show that I was not at. But since she wanted & likes the breed she bought a trio. Will the buck she bought got DQ'd the next show and one of the doe's she bought had two broken teeth, and was DQ'd. So her experiment of getting a new breed she liked ended up being a bad experience. So I think if you know the buyer is new to the hobby, then you have a duty to be more open and honest with them. Sometimes I find seasoned breeders tend to feel like they know more, so I let them control the decision making precess and I control my price point. Hope that makes sense. :?

 

[Random Rabbit]

I detest the term... 4H quality !!! It is either a Good rabbit...or it is Not a Good rabbit. A 4Her should have as good an animal as possible. If i don't feel an animal is good enough to show And place High or Win.... it does not get passed on to Anyone.

:bunnyhop:

( off the ole soapbox...)

 

[skysthelimit]

I detest the term... 4H quality !!! It is either a Good rabbit...or it is Not a Good rabbit. A 4Her should have as good an animal as possible. If i don't feel an animal is good enough to show And place High or Win.... it does not get passed on to Anyone.

:bunnyhop:

( off the ole soapbox...)

Preach on!!! If it's not worth me breeding or showing, it never leaves this house alive. You never know where that supposed pet will wind up, and since many of us have gotten rabbits from CL, and added there genetics to our herds for one reason or another, I just don't sell anything I wouldn't want bred.

 

[3mina]

I detest the term... 4H quality !!! It is either a Good rabbit...or it is Not a Good rabbit. A 4Her should have as good an animal as possible. If i don't feel an animal is good enough to show And place High or Win.... it does not get passed on to Anyone.

:bunnyhop:

( off the ole soapbox...)

Preach on!!! If it's not worth me breeding or showing, it never leaves this house alive. You never know where that supposed pet will wind up, and since many of us have gotten rabbits from CL, and added there genetics to our herds for one reason or another, I just don't sell anything I wouldn't want bred.

Agreed on both counts, I cull hard for this reason. I want to have better rabbits, I want to have a great reputation with those who I might sell to and on the show table. I don't want much do I?

 

[tnelsonfla]

I detest the term... 4H quality !!!

Yeah I have to agree, it took me awhile to understand what I was hearing and coming to grips with it. But not a single show goes by when I don't hear it being said.

 

[Peach]

4-H Quality....ugh. They should be getting just as good rabbits as anything Open class. I do not offer discounts of anything special. Youth is the future of the rabbit fancy. I can understand why some people can get greedy, but if you help those on the bottom, than you have done so much more long term. I just sold a rabbit to an FFA kid a few days ago and I think the buck is going to KILL it on the show table. I wanted to keep him, but I also wanted to give back because I've been given so many legs up by a lot of breeders. There are also not many Mini Lop breeders (only official one in GA) in my area and I wanted her to start off on the right track. I tried to convince her to stay away from an old bad looking doe and just wait until October for show season to pick up for a younger,showable do, but I guess even though they said they would wait, they got her. Even not posed, she looks of very poor quality. She wants to send me pictures of this doe posed, but with little knowledge (I thought her how to pose when she visited me. Just takes practice) ...I just hope she will learn at her first show what is and not worth keeping. I understand making first time mistakes, but you grow and learn from it. I know I had to go through that.

I think it just stunk when I tried to explain to her what to look for: parallel legs, teeth,etc. Hope she did! I told her to also ask this "breeder" to pose up and send pictures of this rabbit....the "breeder" didn't know how to do it and just sold her a 2yr rabbit out of "champion lines". I don't care what lines you're out of. Doesn't guarantee the quality of the animal. Taking advantage of the youth

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I consider myself to be very new to rabbits, but I started with quality stock. I haven't sold very many, and there was always a large selection to choose from when I had buyers. My qualifications for brood stock are purely cosmetic- no butterfly on a broken or an unacceptable color, but nice meaty rabbits. Show quality are without DQ's, and again are nice meaty rabbits. I don't sell "pet" rabbits... if they want a "pet" it will be brood or show quality.

I have tried to guide my buyers as best I can and push them in the direction of what I consider to be my best available stock when they are making their choices. I have also always been honest and forthright with people- I don't pretend to know more than I do. Of course, I hope to learn more and be able to better evaluate my animals in the future.

I have a healthy herd overall and they have clean habits, so I think they are worth the price I am asking.

I think that you need to tailor your approach to the buyer- if they want show rabbits, of course sell them stock of that quality. But if their primary focus is meat, I see nothing wrong with selling an animal with a cosmetic DQ for that purpose. One of my best producing does is, I think, genetically a castor, but lacks eye rings/chin strap/belly color, but has litters of 8 or 9 and raises them all... and has produced some nice showable kits as well.

 

[michabo3000]

If you breed rabbits, You should not ever sell any rabbit that you would not keep and breed yourself. You should not be selling half breeds or anything that falls under "pet quality". A responsible breeder breeds toward the standard of perfection for the breed and does not pass on "culls" that they would not breed themselves. I see people in this forum all the time talking about how its hard to find the rabbits they want. The reason for that is iresponsible breeders putting all their culls out there for sale.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

If you breed rabbits, You should not ever sell any rabbit that you would not keep and breed yourself. You should not be selling half breeds or anything that falls under "pet quality". A responsible breeder breeds toward the standard of perfection for the breed and does not pass on "culls" that they would not breed themselves. I see people in this forum all the time talking about how its hard to find the rabbits they want. The reason for that is iresponsible breeders putting all their culls out there for sale.

That is a good point. But..........There is nothing wrong selling just for meat . Allot of show rabbit dont make the standard size of meat rabbit .. Take the standard satin for example. Now they make them smaller for show and when you want a pretty rabbit just for meat. The size isnt want it suppose to be. There is lots of new zealand rabbits that isnt either. MOst of those are bad moms and have very small litter. So it really is depends on what you are doing.
The old saying goes. YOu pay for what you get. I paid allot of money for my rabbits and i sold them the same way. You will get the breeders that will pay for it. Then you will get others that say that is way to much for a meat rabbit.<br /><br />__________ Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:20 am __________<br /><br />

I think that you need to tailor your approach to the buyer- if they want show rabbits, of course sell them stock of that quality. But if their primary focus is meat, I see nothing wrong with selling an animal with a cosmetic DQ for that purpose. One of my best producing does is, I think, genetically a castor, but lacks eye rings/chin strap/belly color, but has litters of 8 or 9 and raises them all... and has produced some nice showable kits as well.

This is my point exactly

 

[skysthelimit]

A color DQ, a torn ear, not the best quality fur, I don't see those as being a problem, because given the right circumstances, I still might breed that animal. But underweight, narrow body, pinched hips, flat animals, those won't do anybody any good, show or meat.

 

[michabo3000]

A Responsible Breeder Will Not sell any Live rabbit that they would not breed themeselves. Unless its loaded on the the truck going to a commercial processor.

The reason its hard to find good rabbits nowdays is because of all those rabbits that get sold , and someone that doesnt know what they are doing breeds them.


Every single rabbit breed we have today started out the best of its kind.