Newbie meat Rabbit breed selection?

[Bunnylady]

Currently I have 1 Californian buck that is just reaching breeding age and will probably replace my current buck, which is a 1 year old Broken NZ/Californian mix named General Lee. Although he has a great temperament and has consistently thrown kits of 8+ (last was 11) I am finding that they are a little smaller than I prefer at 8 weeks. 2 lb 10 oz. this could be due to the large number of kits per litter, but I feel that a pure Californian buck might have a better chance of giving me that extra lb or so by 8 weeks. I also have a 14 week old rex buck and doe that I may raise to fruition.

First of all, welcome to BYC!

I wouldn't eat your current herd sire just yet. For years, I have heard about studies about the growth rate of litters; one study in particular stands out in my mind. The researches were weighing kits during the nursing phase of their growth, and they came to the conclusion that the doe only produces a certain amount of milk as she nurses. If she is nursing a small litter, each kit grows faster; if there are a lot of kits in the litter, each kit grows slower. The weight of the individual kits varied, but the weight of the litter as a whole was pretty much constant, regardless of how many kits were in the litter. The conclusion was that the optimum size for a litter was about 6 kits. In my own rabbitry, I have seen evidence that their conclusions may be correct. When one of my does is nursing only a couple of kits, they grow outrageously fast; there seems to be a risk of deformed leg bones when they grow that fast. I have long made it a habit to breed several does at the same time, so I can put small litters together and "farm out" a few from the larger litters.

If your buck is productive and has a good temperament, I'd definitely keep him around a while longer. If anything, it may be your does you should be looking at. Now, if the same does produce the same sized litters with another buck and they grow faster, and you can't say that there was anything else that changed (no feed changes, same weather, etc.), it could be the buck . . ..

 

[kentuckychicks]

Great looking rabbits!!! I'm very impressed and envious lol. Would love to hear the results as you breed more rabbits! I have some room for trial and error because we are just a family of four (2 of them pint sized). Our families wouldn't eat a rabbit (picky weirdos) if you raised cleaned cooked one and served them a bowl of rabbit and dumplings. Several of my husbands buddies hunt and their wives won't cook the animals ( rabbit squirrel duck ect) so someone is constantly dropping something by. My goal is to be .... Well like my grandparents who lived through the depression. I want to finally get to the point that if we eat it then I raised it or my husband shot it. Seems like I'm an odd ball to other 30 year olds! So I might not have my rabbits yet but I'm really interested so you just chat away! I'm also interested in pretty much all homesteading skills so if you spin wool have a cistern raise goats tan your own hides (what in the world do you do with them!!!) you have for sure found someone to talk to about it all with! Is it strange that when I go out in public I usually end up making friends with 70+ year olds ?!?? This is a generalization I know but I've yet to find someone my age around here that is even remotely in the same things! You bought a $200 pair of boots and you can't wear them on the rain forget muck out a stall?! Conversation killer!! Lol I'm not a hippie or a doomsday prepper ( though if the shtf and all you have are spaghetti o's and 200 dollar suede boots with six inch heels your going to be hungry and oh the blisters!!) I am just trying to do the smartest thing for my family think cost and health. Already have an acre garden and so much stuff canned I'm beyond out of room! I need to actually be putting up turnip greens right now! This spring on to chickens and rabbits ! The next year goats ! After that your guess is as good as mine!

 

[ChaudLapin]

Thank you both for replying so soon. You have a good point regarding the litter size possibly playing a large part in growth rate. I had considered that, but had not come across any studies on the subject, thank you for sharing. I will keep him around and breed my Californian to the does next then compare.

Also thank you for the compliments on the rabbits. I too tend to do things that most would consider out of the ordinary for the common homeowner. I am 26, and raise the rabbits for meat, I also have a garden that I will be starting in the spring after the snow melts. I only recently purchased the 1 acre property/ home so I have quite a long list of projects ahead.

I use the hides for all sorts of things. Once you cure and stretch them they can be sewn together to make cold weather gear, a rug, a blanket to go over your bed comforter. A cover for the dog bed, pillows ect ect. Makes for one hell of a good material for homemade Christmas presents. If you get yourself set up right with raising them, you can keep meat on the table for fairly cheap.

My fiancee's family is also anti-rabbit meat, so i usually just process it ahead of time and tell her younger siblings that it is chicken. With the adults I cook it into a stew and just refrain from offering up too much information about the ingredients. I do however cook from scratch every night, which seems to be odd for males these days. I have a great recipes for Cajun dishes using rabbit if anyone ever needs one.

 

[kentuckychicks]

Oh wow! If you don't mind me asking where are you from (please be fairly close please be fairly close!!!!)? I will do some knowledge trading with you..... I've been gardening for at least ten years if you don't count me helping the grands if so...30 years! Gasp ! Any questions hit me up! I don't know it all we might not even be close to the same zones but I'm here with advice for the asking. I'm so going to need pictures of your homemade rabbit pelt items!!!!!! Lol plus that Cajun recipe! Love me some Cajun food darlin'

 

[ChaudLapin]

I am living 15 minutes east of Indianapolis, IN, but originally from Lafayette, LA. I will post some pictures once I get some time to work with the hides. I have got my hands full lately training my muntjac fawn Sofie.

 

[kentuckychicks]

Wow! I bet! I thought potty training a two year old was hard! You are about 4 1/2 hours from me

 

[ChaudLapin]

My most recent litter is 15 days old and are showing coloration consistent with both the NZ/Cali broken buck and the Harlequin doe

 

[kentuckychicks]

Oh so stinkin cute! That's it I think! Shouldn't be hard to find around here right?! Which breed is the one in your shirt? How much is weigh out?

 

[ChaudLapin]

This is the harlequin doe mixed with a New Zealand/ Californian buck. Not sure exactly how much they will weigh out since this is my first round with this cross. I would assume that it will be somewhere in the area of 8-10lbs but I'm more concerned with their weight at 8/10/&12 weeks.

 

[kentuckychicks]

I have checked into the harlequin much not that I'm against that breed just haven't heard much about them. There are pretty much only four breeds (plus their crosses) that I've heard good things about .... Californian, New Zealand, Silver Fox and the American Chinchilla. They just seem to be everyone's favorite meat breeds.