which breed?

JessicaR · Oct 25, 2011

What breed of meat rabbit would you recommend for an 11 year old? My son wants to raise his own meat rabbits, and wants to do it all his self, the dispatching and cleaning, the care of the breeders. While my oldest son who wants to be a chef wants to learn to cook the rabbits. My oldest sons friend said he would help teach my 11 y/o how to properly kill and clean the rabbits (while I am in the house fingers in ears going Lala cant hear anything

)Do you think NZ would be better or maybe a Cali? I am also thing maybe silver fox, I just want something he is going to be able to manage on his own.

MaggieJ · Oct 25, 2011

Would a smaller rabbit be easier for him to handle? There are a number of "mid-sized" breeds that have a good meat shape. Yes, they dress out smaller because they are smaller rabbits, but they also eat less. Dutch and Harlequin come to mind, but there are others. There are also Florida Whites, a compact meat breed, but I'm not too sure about their temperament.

JessicaR · Oct 25, 2011

Dutch may be a good possibility. I didnt think of those as a meat rabbit, but yeah they would be easier for him to handle. They are pretty common around here so would be easier to find, I dont think i have ever seen a FW around here.

fuzzy9 · Oct 25, 2011

My husband and I both agree that our Cals are more mild tempered than the NZ. The kits have been less likely to scratch our eyes out, easier to handle. My Cally does are all so sweet, and easy going, it's been my NZ that we have had more aggression problems with. I'm not sure if it's the specific line or not, I've had aggression issues with different lines. I do love my Callies.

iamdrglass · Oct 26, 2011

Ok, here is my 2 cents.
A couple of years ago I had Rex. I bought them from a girl that did 4h and handled all of her rabbits a lot, all of them were very gentle but only one was a real good mom. I had a hard time getting litters to butcher size in a timely fashion. I got frustrated so I got out off the rabbits for about a year.

After the winter I wanted back in the game so I started searching for new stock. At first I did not want NZW or Calis because of their creepy red eyes, well after searching a little I decided to go ahead and get 3 bred NZW does and would just deal with the creepy eyes. Long story short I bought my does from a guy who has about 80 some breeding does that ships fryers. He does not handle his rabbits other than to breed,wean or ship so they are not as tame as the Rex that I had before, but they are all great moms and have supplied my family with great meat all summer long.

I also have a Cinnamon doe and she is the one my toddler son can handle. She has been handled very little and she is a real sweat heart. I would recommend Cinnamons if you can find them. Or find rabbits from a breeder that handles their stock enough to tame them down. You don't want him to get kicked scratched or bit so much that he is scared to handle them or it may be you that has to do all the work

I do find it easier to send the fryers that are all the same color to freezer camp especially when they are kicking the cr@p out of my arms on the way.

Dan

JessicaR · Oct 26, 2011

My DD who is almost 8 likes dutch rabbits and wants one so now I am not too sure if that would be a good choice for us. She would be very upset if we killed the babies. Although I am now thinking it might be better if we transported them to the friends house for my son to send them to freezer camp that way she wont know whats going on.

tough choices :lol: I do like the idea of having the red eyed bunnies, because yeah they kind of creep me out too. THe breeders will be spoiled rotten, I will just have to make sure I dont get attached to the babies. Since my son is only 11, even though he says he wants to do all the care, i know I will have to help him out. So it would be easier for me deal with if they dont have distinct markings. I know I am such a wuss!

We are not going to get any until spring, whatever we decide to get, so for now I will keep researching with him to choose the best for us.

yanni · Oct 26, 2011

Hi there! Maggie mentioned Florida Whites but was unsure of their attitudes, for an 11 year old. Well, I wanted to chime in on that. We (myself, husband and 4 kiddos who are 13,10,8 and 7) raise and show Florida Whites, mini rex and mini satins. We all agree that the FW's are the most pleasant. They run 4-6 lbs, so a little larger than our other breeds. They dress out at a bit over 3 lbs usually (most of ours top out at 5 lbs). They are very laid back and friendly, even the ones that we know are destined for freezer camp and we don't handle as much. Our two youngest like to put our show string rabbits on a harness and walk around with them! We have only had one that's been a little ornery, a little buck who likes to chase your hand around in a circle like a dog. They are definately nicer for the kids than the mini satins. Don't let the eyes scare ya!

curlysue · Oct 27, 2011

What about New zealand Red or blacks.the reds we had were very nice tempered animals.plus no red eyes.

Cattle Cait · Oct 28, 2011

I suggest Havanas. They are easy to handle and, like Dutch, are small but provide a nice percentage of meat for their small size. They are 4-6lbs, come in black, blue, chocolate, and broken pattern. You don't have to worry about trying for fancy markings, so they're nice as a first breed. I also love their sweet temperments!