Silver Fox?

[JessicaR]

Tell me about the silver fox breed please! :lol: I found a breeder near me that is going to have a couple litters of silver foxes in a week. He's got black and blues, from what I understand you cant show the blues right? So it would probably be better to just get the blacks for 4-h?

I am still looking to get my son some meat/4H rabbits, and so far my choices are californias, new zealand reds, or the silver foxes.

 

[Miss M]

I don't know about showing, but they are supposed to be really good meat rabbits. Apparently, they give NZWs a run for their money in terms of growout speed:feed amount.

 

[JessicaR]

I think we are going to go with the silver fox. Now I just need to get some cages ready for the trio. :lol:

Oh and I am assuming that since they are a larger rabbit I should do 30x30 for the bucks and 30x36 for the does right?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I think we are going to go with the silver fox. Now I just need to get some cages ready for the trio. :lol:

Oh and I am assuming that since they are a larger rabbit I should do 30x30 for the bucks and 30x36 for the does right?

You can, but make sure to put BIG doors and set the doors in the middle of the front or you won't be able to reach the back corners.

 

[SatinsRule]

I'd personally opt for the 24" X 24" for buck and bunny cages, and 30" X 24" for doe cages. No need to use giant breed cages for rabbits that size.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I'd personally opt for the 24" X 24" for buck and bunny cages, and 30" X 24" for doe cages. No need to use giant breed cages for rabbits that size.

36" x 30" is standard for commercial breed rabbit does. I have a few 30" x 24" and once you put a nestbox in, they get too cramped. At least they do with my Cal's, who range between 9 and 11 lbs.

 

[JessicaR]

from what I have read SF's are 11-12 pounds, so I would say they are a pretty big breed. I have my MR doe in a 30x24 cage and with the nestbox it seems too crowded to me, I cant imagine what it will be like in a couple of weeks when the 7 kits start coming out So I would want at least a 36" cage for the does.

 

[SatinsRule]

I'd personally opt for the 24" X 24" for buck and bunny cages, and 30" X 24" for doe cages. No need to use giant breed cages for rabbits that size.

36" x 30" is standard for commercial breed rabbit does. I have a few 30" x 24" and once you put a nestbox in, they get too cramped. At least they do with my Cal's, who range between 9 and 11 lbs.

I use my above stated cage sizes, and they work plenty well. 3 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep is a waste of space in my barn, and that is with Satins, whose body weights routinely run in the same ranges as your Cals.

To each their own.

 

[MaggieJ]

There are different opinions about how much space is "enough" for rabbits... and people are bound to disagree. I personally prefer to give my buns as much space as possible... which is one of the main reasons I went to colony raising.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

My Rex does are in 24" x 30" and they seem to do just fine raising kits in there. I would like it if they had more space to play in, but my space is limited. If I'd gone 36" wide (as I would prefer) I would only have room for 4 holes per side as opposed to 6.

 

[currituckbun]

Check with the breeder to find out how big the line of silver fox that you are getting grow into. My blues from nc are 8-10 lbs and the black ones I traded run 9-11lbs. The blacks are originally from Frederick Md. And some of the blues have Collins listed so originally from Minnesota. My blue buck is a small guy at only 8 lbs.
I have mine in 24x30 cages. I have been transferring does with kits at 2 weeks to the 30x36 cages to give more room. I am still at the beginning of breeding this breed so I am learning. This last litter of blues I am growing out and keeping the largest. The blacks are just 3 mos so not yet full grown.
Ps. I would not go too deep with the cages. It is hard to get them out of the 30 x36 cages. They always know and go to the furthest corner.

 

[Miss M]

We have 24 x 36 cages for our does, and it is hard to get them out of the cages because the doors are offset. If they were in the center, it would be much easier!

 

[JessicaR]

I will check and see what size cage he is using. I know he said on his website that his blues are smaller than the blacks. Wonder why that is? Now that we finally decided on a breed we are getting excited, even though it will be a while before we have any meat for us to eat.

What age do you start breeding SF's, 6-8 months sound right???

 

[currituckbun]

I pushed it at just shy of 6 months with one. I am an impatient person. Wish I had waited with this doe but she was a snotty hormonal teenager and I honestly got sick of her attitude. Since I bred her I went ahead and bred her sister. Sister did fine with a litter of 6, but the snotty one had 2; one died and she has not been the same since. She is not nice like her sister and I think she is way too hormonal. She is now a great mom and is on her second litter but she charges the cage and is only nice to my son. I just bred her again for the same reason. I guess as long as she pops them out I will use her as a meat only rabbit until I can raise up a replacement (from sister of course). All of the other Silver Fox that I have are very friendly and nice.
The buck I have is nice but way too smart for his own good. We call him Houdini and he has earned the name. They do need attention. They like pets and don't seem to mind a cuddle. Houdini wants outside time and I have to watch him like a hawk or he does the mission impossible climb up the enclosure. They have surprised me and do not eat as much as the NZW/Cali mix mutts I have. They also are big fans of hay. Houdini get rather pissy with me if I forget the hay. Turns his back to me and puts his ears back.

Pictures:
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gallery/image.php?album_id=74&image_id=581

 

[MaggieJ]

Houdini get rather pissy with me if I forget the hay. Turns his back to me and puts his ears back.

A popular term for this is "cold butt" and it is a standard way for a rabbit to show he is offended. You can use it too, if you want to show him you don't like something he did. If you want to indicate that you are willing to forgive him, look back over your shoulder at him after a minute or two. Rabbits are great communicators with their body language!

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/