What breeds for meat AND pet?

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Hi everyone! I'm researching raising meat rabbits, and was wondering which breeds are the best for meat but could be also sold as a friendly pet? Also would prefer a breed that has a nice pelt so zero waste. I'm in Alberta, Canada so also would like something that is fairly easy to find stock, and a range of colors would also be a huge bonus! I'm not looking for huge rabbits, something at like 12 pounds max would be ideal.

Thanks everyone!!
 
In my experience, harlequin rabbits are good for meat (weighing live somewhere between 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 lbs) and they're also quite friendly. Aside from generic pet breeds such as lionhead or mini lop I think these are the nicest and easiest to handle rabbits that I've come across so far.

They do have a broken pelt, but I think the stripes are beautiful.
 
Hi everyone! I'm researching raising meat rabbits, and was wondering which breeds are the best for meat but could be also sold as a friendly pet? Also would prefer a breed that has a nice pelt so zero waste. I'm in Alberta, Canada so also would like something that is fairly easy to find stock, and a range of colors would also be a huge bonus! I'm not looking for huge rabbits, something at like 12 pounds max would be ideal.

Thanks everyone!!
For a range of colors and exceptional pelts, Satins and Rex come out on top. They can be sweet as pie, or not - that depends on how the breeder you get them from has selected the brood stock. Our Satins are like puppies and can't wait for attention, but we only breed rabbits with great attitudes. We raised Rex for a few years, and my experience with them was that they are friendly and curious but can be a bit like Houdini; we had to reinforce our cages to keep them in.

A lot of people looking for pets lean toward the smaller breeds, in which case there are options for Mini Satins and Mini Rex, both of which come in even more colors than their larger counterparts. I can vouch for the meat value of good-quality Mini Rex, as we raised them for many years. They're smaller (3-4.5lbs) but are a compact, meaty little rabbit, and we found they had great temperaments, almost without exception. I've not raised or bred Mini Satins, but they have a similar compact body type. Again, both breeds have fabulous coats.

Other meat rabbit breeds are recognized in far fewer colors (Californians = 1, New Zealands = 5, Silver Fox = 2-4, Champagne D'Argent = 1, Beveren = 2), but you can get any color you want if you're willing to crossbreed. Of course if you crossbreed, you may lose the edge in meat prodcution that's been selected for in these breeds, but high production might not be the top of your priorities, and all rabbits are meade of meat. :) The latter three breeds have better reputations for their temperaments, but I've known sweet bunnies in all of those breeds.

Most or all meat rabbit breeds top out around 12 pounds. Anything larger than that has to put on heavy bone to support its weight, thus is less feed efficient and takes longer to reach a good meat-to-bone ratio for butchering.
 
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For a range of colors and exceptional pelts, Satins and Rex come out on top. They can be sweet as pie, or not - that depends on how the breeder you get them from has selected the brood stock. Our Satins are like puppies and can't wait for attention, but we only breed rabbits with great attitudes. We raised Rex for a few years, and my experience with them was that they are friendly and curious but can be a bit like Houdini; we had to reinforce our cages to keep them in.

A lot of people looking for pets lean toward the smaller breeds, in which case there are options for Mini Satins and Mini Rex, both of which come in even more colors than their larger counterparts. I can vouch for the meat value of good-quality Mini Rex, as we raised them for many years. They're smaller (3-4.5lbs) but are a compact, meaty little rabbit, and we found they had great temperaments, almost without exception. I've not raised or bred Mini Satins, but they have a similar compact body type. Again, both breeds have fabulous coats.

Other meat rabbit breeds are recognized in far fewer colors (Californians = 1, New Zealands = 5, Silver Fox = 2-4, Champagne D'Argent = 1, Beveren = 2), but you can get any color you want if you're willing to crossbreed. Of course if you crossbreed, you may lose the edge in meat prodcution that's been selected for in these breeds, but high production might not be the top of your priorities, and all rabbits are meade of meat. :) The latter three breeds have better reputations for their temperaments, but I've known sweet bunnies in all of those breeds.

Most or all meat rabbit breeds top out around 12 pounds. Anything larger than that has to put on heavy bone to support its weight, thus is less feed efficient and takes longer to reach a goood meat-to-bone ratio for butchering.
Thank you so much! I did some research and did like the idea of Silver Foxes, so I'll be looking more into those especially. But now you've got me curious about Mini Rex! How much meat do they produce (like percentage of bone to meat wise? I think that's what it's called? I'm new to rabbits so I don't know all the terminology!)
 
My 4 poundish adult dwarf rex give 1 pound carcas (dressout weight so with bone in) at around 12 weeks and 2 pound at 16-20 weeks roughly weeks wise. Now i keep does with mom when possible for a while since my freezer is not that big and i prefer some meat on the hoof along with animals old enough for pelts. I keep does for that not only because of not getting mom pregnant and getting along, but also they let go of their pelts easier even when a little older.
It means i either have enough for a 3-4 servings meal (i.e. my biggest cookpot full) or that and enough for soup as well. 4-6 buns with 2-3 litters/year at 4-5 kits each gives me 4-5 rabbits/month. Could add something like another meat source, eggs, dairy, pulses and i´d be set.
You can pick a bigger breed and harvest younger or pick a smaller breed and harvest later. I find smaller adults easier to handle and also about max for harvest size when it comes to the actual killing part. I am also happier about their size in relation to the size of pen i have and i prefer a few more animals for genetic variety and going towards a closed herd. Then smaller and if needed 2 in the pot or adding other protein sources makes more sense for me.
 
In my experience, harlequin rabbits are good for meat (weighing live somewhere between 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 lbs) and they're also quite friendly. Aside from generic pet breeds such as lionhead or mini lop I think these are the nicest and easiest to handle rabbits that I've come across so far.

They do have a broken pelt, but I think the stripes are beautiful.
Good to know! I do love the unique colors of the harlequins for sure! I've heard that they can get aggressive with their kits but that was from one source haha
 
My 4 poundish adult dwarf rex give 1 pound carcas (dressout weight so with bone in) at around 12 weeks and 2 pound at 16-20 weeks roughly weeks wise. Now i keep does with mom when possible for a while since my freezer is not that big and i prefer some meat on the hoof along with animals old enough for pelts. I keep does for that not only because of not getting mom pregnant and getting along, but also they let go of their pelts easier even when a little older.
It means i either have enough for a 3-4 servings meal (i.e. my biggest cookpot full) or that and enough for soup as well. 4-6 buns with 2-3 litters/year at 4-5 kits each gives me 4-5 rabbits/month. Could add something like another meat source, eggs, dairy, pulses and i´d be set.
You can pick a bigger breed and harvest younger or pick a smaller breed and harvest later. I find smaller adults easier to handle and also about max for harvest size when it comes to the actual killing part. I am also happier about their size in relation to the size of pen i have and i prefer a few more animals for genetic variety and going towards a closed herd. Then smaller and if needed 2 in the pot or adding other protein sources makes more sense for me.
Yes, I really don't want something super huge but I'm okay with like 12 lbs and under. I know those are probably large rabbits, I'm new to rabbits so I don't really know much but I'm doing research! I may also look into meat chickens but I'm also raising registered miniature horses (first two babies due this spring) so I figured it'd be best to add one at a time 😊
 
Thank you so much! I did some research and did like the idea of Silver Foxes, so I'll be looking more into those especially. But now you've got me curious about Mini Rex! How much meat do they produce (like percentage of bone to meat wise? I think that's what it's called? I'm new to rabbits so I don't know all the terminology!)
I can't tell you the specific meat to bone ratio for Mini Rex, but I can tell you that it's good relative to other small breeds and many larger breeds. Mini Rex are fairly fine-boned animals, and the good ones have a very meaty build. They tend to have larger litter sizes (4-8 kits) than some other dwarf breeds. And they mature a little faster than larger rabbits, being completely grown by 5-6 months, whereas some of the larger breeds keep growing for 8-12 months, giants even longer. The Minis can also be bred a bit earlier, 4.5 to 5 months compared to about 6 months for larger breeds, even longer for giants.

The adult size of the rabbits tends to be more of a concern relative to upkeep, both feed and space, than to fryer size. The larger meat breeds, at least according to the ARBA standards, max out at 12lbs (which seems to be the weight at which rabbits either develop heavier bone, or growth and development problems). The larger meat breeds include Americans, Beverens, American Chinchillas, Champagne D'Argents, New Zealands, and Silver Fox. Other common, slightly smaller meat breeds (Californians, Rex, Sables, Satins, etc.) tend to hover around a max of 10.5-11lbs or so. And even though most of them are bred to be relatively feed efficient, feeding a 10-12 lb adult will require more than feeding a 4-5 lb adult, and they take more space to house. However, as a rule, you don't butcher at adult size; no matter what the breed (dwarfs excluded, of course, because many of them never reach 5lbs), butchering generally happens at about 5lbs, whenever the rabbit gets there. People have different preferences, but that's a general rule of thumb; most of the meat breeds reach that weight anywhere from 8-12 weeks old.

While the fryers will be smaller, Mini Rex (and similarly, Mini Satins) have a lot going for them as meat rabbits. Not only do they have that meaty build/lighter bone and faster maturation going for them, but they come in two sizes, in just about every single litter: true dwarf and false dwarf. This is not necessarily good news for somone wanting only show rabbits, but it is great news for the meat breeder and anyone who wants to produce more viable kits per litter and per year, and especially if you want to produce both meat and pet/show bunnies.

If you're new to rabbits, this might need a little explanation, so bear with me.

Mini Rex are a dwarf breed, meaning a show-quality-sized rabbit has one copy of the dwarf gene, dw (a rabbit has two copies of each of its genes, and they may have two of the same, or they may be two different forms of the gene, called alleles). The dwarf gene is what is called a lethal recessive, meaning that if a rabbit gets two copies dw dw, it dies before or right after birth (these kits are called peanuts). A "true dwarf" has one copy of dwarf dw, and one copy of normal-sized Dw (so it's Dw dw), and a "false dwarf" has no copies of the dwarf gene (so it's Dw Dw). A false dwarf is still a fairly small rabbit (mine were between 5-6lb as adults, which is a good medium-small meat rabbit, similar to a Florida White, for example), but it's usually larger than the true dwarfs, and does not have the extreme features of very short ears/legs/face/body that rabbits with the dw gene have.

When you're breeding minis, mating two true dwarfs produces litters containing approximately 50% true dwarf, 25% false dwarf and 25% peanut kits (sadly, those always die). However, if you mate a true dwarf with a false dwarf, you'll get approximately 50% true dwarfs and 50% false dwarfs (no peanuts). So, you'll have the tiny Dwdw bunnies that will make great pets, and you'll have the larger DwDw ones that will make more meat; and won't have any peanuts which are a non-starter and reduce your litter size. The other advantage to breeding true x false dwarf is that the false dwarf does are larger and often more capable of gestating and feeding a larger litter. The false dwarf does I had were the ones that routinely had litters of eight. They were such good mothers that they often ened up raising overflow kits from my Satins!

So if you go with Mini Rex, I'd suggest looking for a true dwarf buck and a bunch of false dwarf does. More good news is that false dwarfs are often cheaper and easier to buy than true dwarfs, because show breeders can't show the false dwarfs, at least once they're adult size. Some breeders do keep false dwarf does for the reason explained above, but they usually won't keep all they produce.

I do recommend that you try to get stock from a show breeder or one that is breeding to the standard, since they will be selecting for a nice meaty rabbit. This is true about all breeds, regular size as well as minis, but it's especially an issue with minis since the smaller rabbits can get quite small and weedy if the breeder doesn't pay attention to that.

Rabbits tend to be a lot cheaper to raise than meat chickens. The turn-around time is roughly the same, but the meat cross chicks eat a lot of high-energy feed from the day they hatch, whereas with the rabbits, you're basically feeding just the mother for the first 1/3-1/2 of the fryer's life. The bunnies live completely or mostly on the dam's milk till about 4 weeks; you'll provide hay/pellets etc. for 6-12 weeks after that, depending on when you harvest.
 
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I can't tell you the specific meat to bone ratio for Mini Rex, but I can tell you that it's good relative to other small breeds and many larger breeds. Mini Rex are fairly fine-boned animals, and the good ones have a very meaty build. They tend to have larger litter sizes (5-8 kits) than some other dwarf breeds. And they mature a little faster than larger rabbits, being completely grown by 5-6 months, whereas some of the larger breeds keep growing for 8-12 months, giants even longer. The Minis can also be bred a bit earlier, 4.5 to 5 months compared to about 6 months for larger breeds, even longer for giants.

The adult size of the rabbits tends to be more of a concern relative to upkeep, both feed and space, than to fryer size. The larger meat breeds, at least according to the ARBA standards, max out at 12lbs (which seems to be the weight at which rabbits either develop heavier bone, or growth and development problems). The larger meat breeds include Americans, Beverens, American Chinchillas, Champagne D'Argents, New Zealands, and Silver Fox. Other common, slightly smaller meat breeds (Californians, Rex, Sables, Satins, etc.) tend to hover around a max of 10.5-11lbs or so. And even though most of them are bred to be relatively feed efficient, feeding a 10-12 lb adult will require more than feeding a 4-5 lb adult, and they take more space to house. However, as a rule, you don't butcher at adult size; no matter what the breed (dwarfs excluded, of course, because many of them never reach 5lbs), butchering generally happens at about 5lbs, whenever the rabbit gets there. People have different preferences, but that's a general rule of thumb; most of the meat breeds reach that weight anywhere from 8-12 weeks old.

While the fryers will be smaller, Mini Rex (and similarly, Mini Satins) have a lot going for them as meat rabbits. Not only do they have that meaty build/lighter bone and faster maturation going for them, but they come in two sizes, in just about every single litter: true dwarf and false dwarf. This is not necessarily good news for somone wanting only show rabbits, but it is great news for the meat breeder and anyone who wants to produce more viable kits per litter and per year, and especially if you want to produce both meat and pet/show bunnies.

If you're new to rabbits, this might need a little explanation, so bear with me.

Mini Rex are a dwarf breed, meaning a show-quality-sized rabbit has one copy of the dwarf gene, dw (a rabbit has two copies of each of its genes, and they may have two of the same, or they may be two different forms of the gene, called alleles). The dwarf gene is what is called a lethal recessive, meaning that if a rabbit gets two copies dw dw, it dies before or right after birth (these kits are called peanuts). A "true dwarf" has one copy of dwarf dw, and one copy of normal-sized Dw (so it's Dw dw), and a "false dwarf" has no copies of the dwarf gene (so it's Dw Dw). A false dwarf is still a fairly small rabbit (mine were between 5-6lb as adults, which is a good medium-small meat rabbit, similar to a Florida White, for example), but it's usually larger than the true dwarfs, and does not have the extreme features of very short ears/legs/face/body that rabbits with the dw gene have.

When you're breeding minis, mating two true dwarfs produces litters containing approximately 50% true dwarf, 25% false dwarf and 25% peanut kits (sadly, those always die). However, if you mate a true dwarf with a false dwarf, you'll get approximately 50% true dwarfs and 50% false dwarfs (no peanuts). So, you'll have the tiny Dwdw bunnies that will make great pets, and you'll have the larger DwDw ones that will make more meat; and won't have any peanuts which are a non-starter and reduce your litter size. The other advantage to breeding true x false dwarf is that the false dwarf does are larger and often more capable of gestating and feeding a larger litter. The false dwarf does I had were the ones that routinely had litters of eight. They were such good mothers that they often ened up raising overflow kits from my Satins!

So if you go with Mini Rex, I'd suggest looking for a true dwarf buck and a bunch of false dwarf does. More good news is that false dwarfs are often cheaper and easier to buy than true dwarfs, because show breeders can't show the false dwarfs, at least once they're adult size. Some breeders do keep false dwarf does for the reason explained above, but they usually won't keep all they produce.

I do recommend that you try to get stock from a show breeder or one that is breeding to the standard, since they will be selecting for a nice meaty rabbit. This is true about all breeds, regular size as well as minis, but it's especially an issue with minis since the smaller rabbits can get quite small and weedy if the breeder does.

Rabbits tend to be a lot cheaper to raise than meat chickens. The turn-around time is roughly the same, but the meat cross chicks eat a lot of high-energy feed from the day they hatch, whereas with the rabbits, you're basically feeding just the mother for the first 1/3-1/2 of the fryer's life. The bunnies live completely or mostly on the dam's milk till about 4 weeks; you'll provide hay/pellets etc. for 6-12 weeks after that, depending on when you harvest.
This is such great info, thank you so much! I was researching Netherland Dwarfs last year so I had learned the part about the peanuts and all that. I would for sure get stock from a show/standard breeder! So if I was to go with the Mini Rex or Mini Satin, should I start with a trio? So say, two false dwarf does and a true dwarf buck? And are the Mini Satins also dwarf breeds?
 
if looking for a smaller meat rabbit you could also consider the dutch rabbit. good rabbits with an excellent carcass and small enough for the pet crowd as well.
I've heard mixed thoughts on the Dutches for meat! I do love the look and all around size, build, and temperament of them though. They're not dwarfs right? How much meat do they typically produce? Similar to a Mini Rex?
 
This is such great info, thank you so much! I was researching Netherland Dwarfs last year so I had learned the part about the peanuts and all that. I would for sure get stock from a show/standard breeder! So if I was to go with the Mini Rex or Mini Satin, should I start with a trio? So say, two false dwarf does and a true dwarf buck? And are the Mini Satins also dwarf breeds?
Glad it was helpful. :)

Yes, for what you're doing, I'd recommend a true dwarf buck and 2-3 false dwarf does. Even if you can't find false dwarf does, you can breed two true dwarfs and keep a false dwarf baby as a replacement breeder. False dwarfs are often, though not always, fairly easy to pick out even as kits. They're usually bigger, and in particular, their ears are noticeably longer.

Mini Rex and Mini Satin are both dwarf breeds. The Mini Rex has been around for a while (accepted by the ARBA in 1984, and consistently in the top numbers of rabbits shown at the ARBA National Convention ever since) and the Mini Satin is newer (accepted in 2006) but seems to be growing in popularity as well.
I've heard mixed thoughts on the Dutches for meat! I do love the look and all around size, build, and temperament of them though. They're not dwarfs right? How much meat do they typically produce? Similar to a Mini Rex?
Dutch are not a dwarf breed, although I have heard of some breeders putting a dwarf in the line to make the rabbit smaller and stouter. It's not at all necessary, though. The Dutch breed has been around, with so many breeders working on it, for so long that the quality (from show breeders, anyway) tends to be quite high. Even though the markings continue to be a challenge, the overall type is now so good that it's not uncommon for a Dutch to win Best in Show.

The caveat to that is that they have been popular for pets for so long that there are a lot of "Dutch" out there that aren't really very good examples of the breed, or even very good rabbits for pets, for that matter. I don't hold to the opinion that "backyard breeders" are a problem - my rabbits are more-or-less in my backyard - but there is definitely a range of care taken by breeders to produce good quality rabbits, whether that pertains to show, meat, or pet qualities. That's one reason I suggest finding a show breeder. While that will not guarantee a good rabbit, it does make it more likely that the rabbit will have been bred to some sort of standard.

Dutch are just a tiny bit larger, on average, than Mini Rex or Mini Satins. According to the standard:
Dutch = 3.5- 5.5lbs, ideal 4.5lbs.
Mini Rex = 3-4.5lbs, ideal 4-4.25lbs.
Mini Satins = 3.25-4.75lbs, ideal 4lbs.
 
Glad it was helpful. :)

Yes, for what you're doing, I'd recommend a true dwarf buck and 2-3 false dwarf does. Even if you can't find false dwarf does, you can breed two true dwarfs and keep a false dwarf baby as a replacement breeder. False dwarfs are often, though not always, fairly easy to pick out even as kits. They're usually bigger, and in particular, their ears are noticeably longer.

Mini Rex and Mini Satin are both dwarf breeds. The Mini Rex has been around for a while (accepted by the ARBA in 1984, and consistently in the top numbers of rabbits shown at the ARBA National Convention ever since) and the Mini Satin is newer (accepted in 2006) but seems to be growing in popularity as well.

Dutch are not a dwarf breed, although I have heard of some breeders putting a dwarf in the line to make the rabbit smaller and stouter. It's not at all necessary, though. The Dutch breed has been around, with so many breeders working on it, for so long that the quality (from show breeders, anyway) tends to be quite high. Even though the markings continue to be a challenge, the overall type is now so good that it's not uncommon for a Dutch to win Best in Show.

The caveat to that is that they have been popular for pets for so long that there are a lot of "Dutch" out there that aren't really very good examples of the breed, or even very good rabbits for pets, for that matter. I don't hold to the opinion that "backyard breeders" are a problem - my rabbits are more-or-less in my backyard - but there is definitely a range of care taken by breeders to produce good quality rabbits, whether that pertains to show, meat, or pet qualities. That's one reason I suggest finding a show breeder. While that will not guarantee a good rabbit, it does make it more likely that the rabbit will have been bred to some sort of standard.

Dutch are just a tiny bit larger, on average, than Mini Rex or Mini Satins. According to the standard:
Dutch = 3.5- 5.5lbs, ideal 4.5lbs.
Mini Rex = 3-4.5lbs, ideal 4-4.25lbs.
Mini Satins = 3.25-4.75lbs, ideal 4lbs.
Gotcha! I do think I'll get obsessed and want more than one breed, but from what I've been reading lately, I think the Dutch may be the route I go for now. I also sort of wanted something that wasn't as common in my area so maybe better sales and I could help it become more popular and "be different" rather than "copying" others in my area. The most popular one by far in my area are Mini Rex, so I think if I got a second breed I'd probably try for Mini Satins.

I would definitely buy my stock from a breeder, I've been researching people who breed them around here and will wait till spring to purchase. I'm building my own enclosure and it's not quite finished, so I wouldn't have anywhere to put them right now anyway. Thank you so much for all your help!
 
I've heard mixed thoughts on the Dutches for meat! I do love the look and all around size, build, and temperament of them though. They're not dwarfs right? How much meat do they typically produce? Similar to a Mini Rex?
The ones I have are built like little meat bricks. Very solid animals. So I'd say similar to mini rex. They are a mini rex sized animal.
 
Silver fox are popular where I live in the south eastern USA. Chinchilla and New Zealand too. Chinchilla have amazing pelts but the one I had became aggressive and bit people so I never got any more.

I like the standard rex. I did tawing (soap tanning) on 5 pelts so far. The fur feels good. I just need to smoke them to finish. I'm kind of a noob though. None of the rabbits have bitten me or the family. Their personalities are calm. I have sold a few as pets. Mostly to teenage girls. Here they love the extra soft plush fur. All the ones I sold as pets have been broken patterned like a paint horse. That may be a regional thing not sure as paint horses are super popular here and associated with a love of romantic Native American stuff. I am doing otter rexes now though. I hope they sell as well but haven't tried yet.

The ones I have full grown have been 9-8 lbs with the ladies being bigger than the males. I think people interbreed them with minis sometimes. Pet people seem to prefer a smaller bunny. Meat wise for me 12-16 weeks to get 5.5 lbs. 5 lbs live = 3.2 ish dressed like a store chicken for me. 1 rabbit feeds my family of 4. Meat is pretty good. Serious meat rabbit people here get better numbers out of their herd. I am just a casual backyard mom breeder. My kids love to play with them.

Question tho? Is harlequin rabbit a breed? I thought it was just a coat pattern like tortoise but more chequered-ish? I'm really curious as people sell them for slightly more $.
 
Thank you Aksatin for all your information. I'm not interested in meat and pet rabbits. But I do generally read everything that you write up. It's is always great information and you seem very knowledgeable
Thanks f or the kind words. I'm always happy when someone else can benefit from my experiences. 😁

Question tho? Is harlequin rabbit a breed? I thought it was just a coat pattern like tortoise but more chequered-ish? I'm really curious as people sell them for slightly more $.
Yes, Harlequin is a breed as well as a pattern. It's not an accepted variety in any other breed in the U.S., but quite a few breeds do have harlequins because the pattern from the gene ej is used in combination with the broken gene En to make the tricolor found in other breeds. Here is an image from the ARBA website Harlequin:
1706474110980.jpeg
It's possibly the most challenging breed of all to breed for show, but in my experience they're pretty nice rabbits.
You can read more about the breed here:
http://americanharlequinrabbitclub.weebly.com/
 
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Thanks f or the kind words. I'm always happy when someone else can benefit from my experiences. 😁


Yes, Harlequin is a breed as well as a pattern. It's not an accepted variety in any other breed in the U.S., but quite a few breeds do have harlequins because the pattern from the gene ej is used in combination with the borken gene En to make the tricolor found in other breeds. Here is an image from the ARBA website Harlequin:
View attachment 39159
It's possibly the most challenging breed of all to breed for show, but in my experience they're pretty nice rabbits.
You can read more about the breed here:
http://americanharlequinrabbitclub.weebly.com/
Never seen one like that with the bold pattern around here before! I think perhaps the harlequin rexes people sell on craigslist here are just tortoiseshell rexes. But that's cool about the ej and En combo.
 
Silver fox are popular where I live in the south eastern USA. Chinchilla and New Zealand too. Chinchilla have amazing pelts but the one I had became aggressive and bit people so I never got any more.

I like the standard rex. I did tawing (soap tanning) on 5 pelts so far. The fur feels good. I just need to smoke them to finish. I'm kind of a noob though. None of the rabbits have bitten me or the family. Their personalities are calm. I have sold a few as pets. Mostly to teenage girls. Here they love the extra soft plush fur. All the ones I sold as pets have been broken patterned like a paint horse. That may be a regional thing not sure as paint horses are super popular here and associated with a love of romantic Native American stuff. I am doing otter rexes now though. I hope they sell as well but haven't tried yet.

The ones I have full grown have been 9-8 lbs with the ladies being bigger than the males. I think people interbreed them with minis sometimes. Pet people seem to prefer a smaller bunny. Meat wise for me 12-16 weeks to get 5.5 lbs. 5 lbs live = 3.2 ish dressed like a store chicken for me. 1 rabbit feeds my family of 4. Meat is pretty good. Serious meat rabbit people here get better numbers out of their herd. I am just a casual backyard mom breeder. My kids love to play with them.

Question tho? Is harlequin rabbit a breed? I thought it was just a coat pattern like tortoise but more chequered-ish? I'm really curious as people sell them for slightly more $.
I believe it's both. Pls, correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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