aolsz
Active member
What are the pros and cons of the various breeds for meat production?
What is the most popular breed to be raised for meat?
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RabbitsOfTheCreek
Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
I've heard a lot of people use New Zelands and Californians (and mixes of the two)
eco2pia
Well-known member
This is such a big question. All rabbits are technically made of meat. What people typically think of as a "meat breed" are rabbits with a high feed to meat conversion ratio, and large litters. NZ and Cali are the industry standards, but there is a lot of variability in what you may find locally, and your local climate will play into the consideration.
Where I live, I can raise American Chinchillas and they survive my relatively mild summers, grow fast and have really nice coats to go with their other products. They also don't have sore hock problems due to that thick coat. But they have coats that are too thick for Texas. I hear Tamuks work well in hotter climates. My rabbits pant and drool and are utterly stressed and miserable at temps over about 80F. For me that is about a week of offering extra ice jugs and shade cloth, but it would be insane in a more inland climate.
Depends on where you live, some do better in heat then most. And otherwise what is available locally, what do you need amounts wise, what is the size of your household, what size animal can you handle easily, what do you want them for other then meat? Wool?, Fur? Pets?
So rather then going with the advice here of breed so and so, make a list of what you want/need in your meat rabbit.
Size?
Number of kits?
Fur/wool?
Colors?
And start looking into breeding plans/systems. Even if most will end up in the pot, what doesn't needs to be healthy, genetically diverse, good mothers, thrive in your situation, and behave/look/and so on in a way that makes you want to spend/invest time into their care.
For me :
Size : rex dwarf (i.e. adults are around 4 pounds / 1600-1800 grams)
Number of kits : 3-5, 3 is minimum to stay warm, 5/6 means certainly enough teats for each kit to have drinking time. A full size doe will have 8 teats tops, i don't count the ones on mine, but 6 they'll have.
Fur/wool : rex coats are specialty fur so i can try at some point to tan some hides for crafts/items of clothing and such.
Colors : many but not broken due to risk of homozygote broken and megacolon. I like easy to keep apart kits in a litter and different colors for breeders giving me variety to look at. Along with the fun puzzle that is rabbit color genetics.
So rather then going with the advice here of breed so and so, make a list of what you want/need in your meat rabbit.
Size?
Number of kits?
Fur/wool?
Colors?
And start looking into breeding plans/systems. Even if most will end up in the pot, what doesn't needs to be healthy, genetically diverse, good mothers, thrive in your situation, and behave/look/and so on in a way that makes you want to spend/invest time into their care.
For me :
Size : rex dwarf (i.e. adults are around 4 pounds / 1600-1800 grams)
Number of kits : 3-5, 3 is minimum to stay warm, 5/6 means certainly enough teats for each kit to have drinking time. A full size doe will have 8 teats tops, i don't count the ones on mine, but 6 they'll have.
Fur/wool : rex coats are specialty fur so i can try at some point to tan some hides for crafts/items of clothing and such.
Colors : many but not broken due to risk of homozygote broken and megacolon. I like easy to keep apart kits in a litter and different colors for breeders giving me variety to look at. Along with the fun puzzle that is rabbit color genetics.
aolsz
Active member
The Flemish Giant and the other European large breeds are not raised for meat in the US?
eco2pia
Well-known member
sometimes, but I have found that large breeds eat more (poor feed to meat conversion) as fryers and need larger housing, and some put on all their growth in skeleton before they put on meat--they have a lanky teen phase that is less profitable.
They can also often have sore hock problems when kept on wire, which is more prevalent in the US than in europe as I understand. I think it is that their weight makes the cage floor sag, and so you would need to consider your flooring carefully if you go that route.
Rex and Satin are two breeds popular for meat, and I have often thought (as a single person with only a dog as family now) that dutch would be a great economical choice for a smaller breed.
They can also often have sore hock problems when kept on wire, which is more prevalent in the US than in europe as I understand. I think it is that their weight makes the cage floor sag, and so you would need to consider your flooring carefully if you go that route.
Rex and Satin are two breeds popular for meat, and I have often thought (as a single person with only a dog as family now) that dutch would be a great economical choice for a smaller breed.
RABBITGIRLFORTHEWIN
Well-known member
It all depends on what you are looking for and where you live. I haven't tried rabbit meat but I would love to. I raise Silver Foxs and love them! they can come in a variety of colors and can grow up to 12 pounds, with big litters of 4-9. But there always is a possibility of bigger or smaller litters.
ohiogoatgirl
Well-known member
Flemish giant grow frame and then fill out muscle after. I had got two does and was planning to breed them to a NZ or Californian and work up a 3/4 NZ/Californian, 1/4 FG herd. Because alot of people in the groups were saying that's what their best rabbits were.
Nope. The flemish does were eating more than my milk goats! And were acting starved always wanting more. Didn't take long for me to sell them on.
My Dutch were great. I started with them because that's what I could find at the time. I went through many different breeds and crosses. I wish I would have kept the Dutch!
With my experience now. I'm looking for good Dutch and good NZ. There is alot of people with rabbits around me but it's hard to find rabbits that actually are what they're supposed to be.
Nope. The flemish does were eating more than my milk goats! And were acting starved always wanting more. Didn't take long for me to sell them on.
My Dutch were great. I started with them because that's what I could find at the time. I went through many different breeds and crosses. I wish I would have kept the Dutch!
With my experience now. I'm looking for good Dutch and good NZ. There is alot of people with rabbits around me but it's hard to find rabbits that actually are what they're supposed to be.
We raise black New Zealand does and Californian buck. These does average 8 kits per litter. 4 batches of friers. Average weight at 12 weeks growth was
2-1/2#. So near 90# of processed rabbit meat per rabbit. Cost was just unund
2-1/2#. So near 90# of processed rabbit meat per rabbit. Cost was just unund
aolsz
Active member
Why black instead of white? Or red? Why do you use a Californian buck and not a New Zealand? Have you tried raising up any of the cross babies and produced from them? Most commercial chicken production is through heterosis -- crosses of inbred lines.
My beautiful wife doesn't like red eyed rabbits. So we purchased black New Zealand does. We are linebreeding our rabbits. With the Californian buck, we were able to get lilock colored kits. We now have a cross buck that is blue and a couple blue does. We will be breeding them at the end of February. Hopefully we will get more blue/lilock, kits. We don't save the hide, just like the blue colors.
We believe that the New Zealand, Californian cross friers are the best of both worlds
We believe that the New Zealand, Californian cross friers are the best of both worlds
wire does not, in and of itself cause sore hocks, faulty housing and wet conditions along with poor genetics cause sore hocks.
I have found that well-bred rabbits from any of the common meat breeds (NZ, Californian, Satin, Champagne D'Argent, Silver Fox, Rex) are excellent meat producers. This is especially true for the first two breeds (esp. NZ whites), since they have been raised intensively for almost nothing but meat production. Unlike the standard-coated NZs and Cals, the latter five breeds are selected for specific fur mutations as well as production, which can dilute the effort to breed for meat characteristics, at least in the short term. For instance, our Satins are extremely competitive in meat classes, but it's taken about a decade of focus, and the addition of a high-quality Californian outcross six generations ago, to get them to that point. On the downside, I have found that Cals and especially NZs are more prone to temperament problems, which I assume is the result of the same selection issues - commercial rabbitries may be less inclined to cull for temperament than smaller operations.
I had a similar experience to @ohiogoatgirl with Flemish x Satin crossbreeds. The adult Flemish, both purebred and crossbred, ate a ton; I think it was nearly 2 cups a day for the Flemish buck and 1-3/4 cups for the crossbreeds. My Satins eat just under 1 cup a day.
The crossbred meat growouts also ate a ton - almost 2x more than purebred Satins. They looked bigger, and weighed a little more, but when dressed out they actually produced less meat than the purebreds. I found that the crossbreeds not only had lots of heavy bone, but they also had lots of hide and ears!
Something I've seen over and over while watching people try to use Flemish to increase the size of their meat rabbits, is what seems to be a natural limit to the weight a medium-boned rabbit body can bear. (At any point in time around here, there are always several people who are busy learning the hard way...like I did.) There is a good reason that all of the commercial meat breeds max out at no more than 12 pounds, and that includes not only commercial-typed rabbits but also less common but still viable meat breeds like Americans and Beverens. Anything more than about 12 pounds results in rabbits that develop either heavier bone, or various health problems (deformed legs, back problems, sore hocks, etc.).
I agree that Dutch would also be excellent as meat rabbits. Dutch have been worked on for so long that the quality (of purebreds, anyway) is exceedingly high. They are basically tight little packages of meat, and they are usually outstanding mothers.
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UFCreel
Well-known member
I raise Red New Zealand's. I have found that rabbits that meet show standards. Do very well for me. They are usually are good representation of the breed and standard. I usually have 10-11 week olds right at or a little above 5lbs.
Ditto on this. We also raise Silver Foxes. We've had litters up to 10. Meat is great, and if you want to let them grow, the fur is wonderful. They are considered dual purpose. They make excellent natural mothers. Super loving and know just what to do right out of the gate.
Another Newby question.
When Rex are mentioned as a good choice for meat rabbits. Are they the same as the Standard Rex? Or is that another tricky name like Harliquin having 3 meanings?
When Rex are mentioned as a good choice for meat rabbits. Are they the same as the Standard Rex? Or is that another tricky name like Harliquin having 3 meanings?
There really isn't a "standard rex." In the U.S., there are Rex and Mini Rex.
I think some people stick the word standard on the Rex to distinguish them from the Minis...? Not really necessary, though.
There is also a new breed in development called a Velveteen Lop, which is like a small English Lop in rex fur. Pretty cute.
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RabbitsOfTheCreek
Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
I've heard the regular/bigger Rex be called the Standard Rex beforeThere really isn't a "standard rex." In the U.S., there are Rex and Mini Rex.
That's why I asked.
Thank you.
