Rabbit Production - James I McNitt

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      3

      Rabbit Breeds

      Selecting a Breed

      The prospective rabbit raiser should decide on the purpose for which the rabbits will be raised. He or she should then select a breed that will be best suited to this and to his or her personal preferences. No one breed is best for all purposes, but with widely different characteristics among breeds, little difficulty should be encountered in making a selection.

      With respect to body conformation, there is considerable variation, from the “racy type” of the Belgian Hare to the compact body shape of the medium weight meat breeds to the large body frame of the giant breeds. Mature weights range from less than 1.1 kg for the Netherland Dwarf to 6.4 kg for the Flemish Giant.

      The different breeds range in length of coat from the short-furred Rex to the Angora, which has an annual growth of 20 to 25 cm of wool. There are also many different coat colors, and the rabbits may be solid black, blue, chocolate, fawn, gray, white, etc., or with spots, or of mixed colors.

      For commercial meat production, the New Zealand White is the principal breed and variety. It has a number of desirable traits, including a satisfactory growth rate, acceptable carcass quality, good prolificacy, and good mothering ability. In general, it possesses many characteristics desirable for a meat-producing animal. The other major meat breed is the Californian. It tends to finish out at a lighter weight than the New Zealand White but has a higher carcass yield and meat-to-bone ratio. Commercial producers often cross Californian bucks with New Zealand White does to produce a high quality market animal that combines the best qualities of both breeds. Thus, for commercial meat production, the New Zealand White and the Californian are traditionally the rabbits of choice. Other breeds may have potential in certain markets, although careful breed evaluations must be made before they can be widely recommended.

      Breeds such as the Champagne D’Argent, Chinchilla, Dutch, Flemish Giant, Palomino, and Satin have been used to a minor extent, either to produce crossbred meat rabbits or as purebreds. Generally, premium market prices are paid for meat rabbits with white fur, so it is inadvisable to produce colored rabbits commercially.

      Other types of commercial production include Rex pelts and Angora wool. These are discussed in Chapters 22 and 23, respectively.

      For backyard rising of rabbits as pets and for home meat production, the choice of a breed is not critical, as maximum production and profit are not being sought. Personal preferences as to color and type are greater factors. If children are involved, they will probably be more interested in a variety of colors. For strictly pet raising or backyard meat production, there is nothing wrong with indiscriminate crossing. Children may want rabbits of various colors and crosses; this may stimulate their curiosity and result in a lifelong interest in rabbits.

      For show purposes, the selection of a breed will be based on personal preferences, availability of good breeding stock, etc. The dwarf breeds require much less feed and space than the medium or giant breeds, which might be a consideration in breed selection.

      A significant market sometimes exists for laboratory animals, which are used in biomedical research. Generally, the New Zealand White is used in research, although large numbers of Dutch are also used. The Florida White was developed as a laboratory animal and might be more extensively used if scientists were made aware of its existence. Its feed requirements are considerably less than those of the New Zealand White, which is a significant factor when large numbers of research animals are to be kept for long periods.

      Purchasing Breeding Stock

      After it has been decided which breed of rabbit one wishes to raise, lists of breeders who have that particular stock for sale can be obtained from the officers of the local, state, and specialty rabbit clubs and from the home office of the American Rabbit Breeders Association. (Most countries have similar organizations.) County extension agents are another source of names of rabbit raisers. Advertisements in rabbit journals and other periodicals that carry classified ads are good sources of listings. One should, however, avoid the flashy type of advertisement proclaiming that a fortune can be made from raising rabbits, for this is not true, although an experienced, conscientious, industrious person with proper equipment and a well-selected herd should be able to realize a reasonable return.

      When an entire herd is being sold, it is well to inquire carefully into the reasons, as such sales may or may not be excellent opportunities for buying good, healthy breeding stock. It is always best to deal with reputable breeders, and the inexperienced will do well to depend on the advice of one or several established breeders in selecting animals. The source rabbitry should be clean and well managed, with no observable snuffles (respiratory tract infections) or other disease problems. It is never economical to purchase inferior breeding stock, for one good producing doe may make more profit than several inferior ones.

      The novice is advised to begin rabbit raising on a small scale, preferably with 1 or 2 bucks and 2 to 10 does, then to expand as experience and the market outlet would indicate. He or she may start with a few junior animals when they are weaned or with mature stock. The former method offers an opportunity to become acquainted with the animals and to gain experience in the business before handling too many rabbits; the latter method may be quicker, but naturally the stock will cost more.

      However, when rabbits are to be purchased for raising by a younger member of the family, the additional cost of an adult doe may be justified because youth demands action. Having to supply a nest box and nesting material, preparing for the kindling of the doe, and caring for the litter, followed by marketing the meat, skins, or animals, might help maintain the young person’s interest in the undertaking at a time when it might be lagging. Then, on receiving some income from the sale of the products, he or she is ready to go on and plan for another litter. On the other hand, if the stock is purchased at eight weeks of age, or at time of weaning, it seems like a long wait for the young rabbit raiser before the animals are ready to go into production, and he or she may lose interest.

      When mature does are moved to a new rabbitry, there are often problems with their first litters, including poor nest making, litters born on the wire (i.e., the doe doesn’t use the nest box), abandoning of litters, cannibalism, fetal abnormalities, and resorptions. Pregnant does should not be purchased, because the move to a new rabbitry may cause a great deal of stress possibly leading to reproductive failure.

      In purchasing stock, use great care to avoid diseases. Newly purchased animals should be quarantined before allowing them to mix with other animals. From a genetics point of view, it is desirable to obtain stock from a number of different sources to get genetic diversity, but from a disease point of view, it can be a problem if the rabbits are not checked carefully and quarantined for at least two weeks. Another way to accomplish this is to obtain bucks from different sources and quarantine them before using them in the herd.

      When buying stock, ask to see the records. If you are buying commercial stock, find out what selection procedures have been used. Get information on litter sizes and 21- and 56-day litter weights. Generally, the best stock for meat production comes from successful commercial rabbit raisers. Many people start with a trio of two does and a buck, which should not be littermates. They should be carefully examined for soundness, good foot pads, normal teeth, good fur quality, and absence of ear mites and other pests and diseases. It is very important to start your rabbitry with the highest quality stock you can obtain. If you have had no rabbit experience, start with no more than 10 to 20 does. Find out whether you really want to raise rabbits. If you find that you do enjoy it, then increase by buying more breeding stock. Two hundred breeding does is a minimum economic unit. Rabbitries smaller than this do not make effective use of large quantity purchase discounts for feed, supplies, cages, and other equipment. The cost of selling fryers may also be greater for small producers, as they usually have to transport their fryers to pick-up points, while the truck usually comes directly to a large rabbitry. It is advisable to buy no more than 100 does, and then increase by saving your own replacements. A full-time rabbit operation for one person is about 300 does. If breeding stock is being purchased from a small herd, it is advisable to get the bucks from a different

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