Raising our New Zealand Meat Rabbits *Start to finish - Birth to processing* Possible Graphic pics*

[Angelicisi]

I think that's awesome. We spoil our breeders. Babies get love too! But the focus of spoiling is on the mamas and papas lol Happy bunnies make more happy bunnies.

Lol I get in trouble a lot here for my, um speech so "bits" didn't get me spanked. Lol and makes me giggle when I say it

My youngest buck just had a shed of his fluffy baby fur last month. He's hitting puberty I believe (acts just like an 18 year old boy at a bikini contest, literally standing up, showing off his super hopping skills, hiding a bunny boner he doesn't know what to do with yet lol) but his coat is very very soft and smooth now where as before it was sorta fluffy, soft but fuzzy . I love when he melts into my hands for some chin and ear scratches

So glad I found you all.  I am new to raising "commercial" mutts.  I thought I got what I requested,  a male and female.  However, as I'm checking "their bits" over the past few weeks, I'm not seeing any changed and they both look the same.  According to your photos, they look like your girls.  I am happy with that.  I will be letting them grow out through our warm/hot weather.  I'll pick up a buck about a month prior to breeding time to allow for quarantine.  The girls are growing great.  They are 3 months old tomorrow. When I weighed them last week, they were over 4.5 lbs. I keep them separate, but they do get to have free range time together daily and continue to get along well, so far.  Since these are going to be my breeders, I have been kind of spoiling them. I will be treating the offspring with kindness and respect, but probably will not be giving them free range time in our back yard.  I have noticed a change in their coats recently. Do they shed their baby fur around this age?  Thanks for all the info posted here.  Even if some of it is way over my head. Glad to meet you all 

 

[Triple Willow]

Hi Angelicisi! I just found your thread a couple days ago and got it all read. Great!!! I still plan on getting some rabbits soon and your thread is going to help me a lot! Thank you! And your rabbits are so dang perdy!

Oh, I was going to ask if you have delt with the "ALTEX" breed at all? I hope to find an ALTEX male and NZ and/or CA females. Can't wait to get started!

 

[Angelicisi]

Hey Trip! Thanks, imma newb at breeding them on purpose so I figured I'd keep a log sorta here on what we're doing, what works, what fails, ask long time breeders questions hehehe lol.

I have only the pure New Zealand whites. I've been thinking of another color or one other breed to offer. Leaning towards another type that can double as meat / pet. I had a lot of 4-h sales so ill have to maybe look into what the kids want to use. Decent money going that way. I just may have a few extra does now that aren't reserved (sexed them wrong the 1st try lol but worked in my favor!) And have another kindle due today

Hi Angelicisi! I just found your thread a couple days ago and got it all read. Great!!! I still plan on getting some rabbits soon and your thread is going to help me a lot! Thank you! And your rabbits are so dang perdy!

Oh, I was going to ask if you have delt with the "ALTEX" breed at all? I hope to find an ALTEX male and NZ and/or CA females. Can't wait to get started!

 

[Angelicisi]

Doe #1 is going to have a litter today or tomorrow I think
This will be her 2nd kindle
Thunderstorms today. It's been studied that thunderstorms (changes in barometric pressure in the atmosphere) cause labors in humans and certain animals when impending babies were fairly close to due dates. Happened even in building storms before thunder and lightning scared baby out
Also found her napping in the nest full of new fur. She's my buddy and doesn't nap. Lol of course neither did I til I was preggers! Fingers crossed all goes well for her.

 

[Triple Willow]

Hey Trip! Thanks, imma newb at breeding them on purpose so I figured I'd keep a log sorta here on what we're doing, what works, what fails, ask long time breeders questions hehehe lol.

I have only the pure New Zealand whites. I've been thinking of another color or one other breed to offer. Leaning towards another type that can double as meat / pet. I had a lot of 4-h sales so ill have to maybe look into what the kids want to use. Decent money going that way. I just may have a few extra does now that aren't reserved (sexed them wrong the 1st try lol but worked in my favor!) And have another kindle due today

Great! I'll be following you and asking dumb questions along the way! LOL

About critters and thunderstorms... we have a couple "pet" snakes and they get really active when a storm is coming. Strange and interesting! That barometric pressure just makes my joints swell and hurt. It really is amazing how it effects things.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Hi Angelicisi! I just found your thread a couple days ago and got it all read. Great!!! I still plan on getting some rabbits soon and your thread is going to help me a lot! Thank you! And your rabbits are so dang perdy!

Oh, I was going to ask if you have delt with the "ALTEX" breed at all? I hope to find an ALTEX male and NZ and/or CA females. Can't wait to get started!

Oh! I an answer this one! Altex is a terminal cross much like a Cornish cross. They are a mix between 3 breeds and I think they are champagne d'argente, flemmish giant and Californian. Much like a CX they grow very big very fast as they are a four way cross that promotes hybrid vigor. Basically the mom is one line of crossbreed and the dad is another line of cross breed and they both have hybrid vigor and when you cross them together it compounds on itself to create a very fast growing rabbit.

But also much like a Cornish cross they don't breed true at all. Once you breed two of them together you start loosing the hybrid vigor and what comes out could be a great meat rabbit or it could be smaller like the champagne d'argente but with the heavy bones of the Giant.

This isn't nearly as much of a problem in meat rabbits as it is in chickens, though. Meat crosses are very popular and can be fun to work with and make your own meat mutts. They are all still made of meat and since all meat breeds go in you will still get a meat breed at the other end of any breeding. But you just have to know that an Altex is just a fancy name for a very specific cross of rabbits and it is still just a glorified mutt rabbit. It is not that much better than any other crossbreed.

 

[Angelicisi]

Sounds like I need a few special cross breeds to make some meaties! My NZWs are all wanted for breeders. I have a list a mile long now
We should try that. trip gets a set of crosses to make them and I'll get a different line. We can make quite a few! Heh heh heh I'm game to start researching if its not to hard to make patent stock outt of what's available locally (in state) we have a lot of regulations now that we grow and sell meat. One of the strict ones we were told was poultry or rabbits leaving state or being brought in. If I can find quality stock here this excites me. I raise CX for meat. Having a bunny version sounds nice lol
I love our bunnies but eventually I wanna eat one...doh.
Is think it'd be quicker to make parent stick with bunnies rather than chickens.

 

[Triple Willow]

Oh! I an answer this one! Altex is a terminal cross much like a Cornish cross. They are a mix between 3 breeds and I think they are champagne d'argente, flemmish giant and Californian. Much like a CX they grow very big very fast as they are a four way cross that promotes hybrid vigor. Basically the mom is one line of crossbreed and the dad is another line of cross breed and they both have hybrid vigor and when you cross them together it compounds on itself to create a very fast growing rabbit.

But also much like a Cornish cross they don't breed true at all. Once you breed two of them together you start loosing the hybrid vigor and what comes out could be a great meat rabbit or it could be smaller like the champagne d'argente but with the heavy bones of the Giant.

This isn't nearly as much of a problem in meat rabbits as it is in chickens, though. Meat crosses are very popular and can be fun to work with and make your own meat mutts. They are all still made of meat and since all meat breeds go in you will still get a meat breed at the other end of any breeding. But you just have to know that an Altex is just a fancy name for a very specific cross of rabbits and it is still just a glorified mutt rabbit. It is not that much better than any other crossbreed.

Yep, there is a guy not too awfully far from where I live that uses the ALTEX over NZ. I'm going to try to get some from him and see what I can do with them. I need to check with the Amish first. They might have some right here under my nose.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Angelicisi... you ought to be making some money on those wabbits! That's good, they can feed the chickens. lol

 

[BoereMeisie]

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