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      The major commercial meat types are the New Zealand White and the Californian. The origin of the New Zealand White is unclear, but it definitely was not New Zealand and was most likely the United States. The Red variety appeared first, and the White was developed from a number of crosses of the Red with other breeds. The New Zealand White has attained a position of dominance in commercial rabbit production around the world and is the premier meat rabbit. This is primarily because of its superior reproductive and growth performance and the demand for white-furred rabbits. The Californian was developed in California in the 1920s, arising from a Himalayan and Standard Chinchilla cross, which was then crossed with the New Zealand White. The Californian is somewhat smaller than the New Zealand White and finishes out at a lower body weight but tends to have a higher meat-to-bone ratio. In Europe, there is extensive use of hybrids produced by crossing Californian bucks with New Zealand White does.

      The Flemish Giant has potential as a sire breed in commercial meat production. Purebred Flemish Giants do not have adequate reproductive performance for commercial production, and their large size results in high maintenance feed requirements and potential sore hock problems. However, when white Flemish Giant bucks are crossed with New Zealand Whites or Californians or with hybrid Californian-New Zealand White does, growth and feed efficiency performance of the fryers is improved. As rabbit production becomes more sophisticated, the high growth rate potential of the giant breeds may be exploited through terminal sire line development (such as the Altex described in Chapter 14) and/or through crossbreeding. The meat-to-bone ratio of the crossbred animals is similar to that of purebred New Zealand Whites.

      For showing, there are a large number of breeds available. The selection of a breed to raise is largely a matter of personal preference and availability of breeding stock. Some fanciers might wish to raise one of the most popular breeds, to compete against a large number of competitors at shows. Other people may wish to specialize in an uncommon or rare breed.

      Almost any breed can serve adequately as a pet. There are advantages to small rabbits, such as the Netherland Dwarf, Polish, and Florida White, as pets because their feed and housing requirements are less than those of larger breeds, and they are more easily handled. The appearance of Mini and Holland Lops make them particularly suitable as pets although they tend to be quite highly strung.

      There are many breeds of rabbits in other countries that are not raised in the United States. There are also many varieties of breeds that differ slightly from country to country. For example, the Champagne d’Argent of France has English Argent and German Argent varieties that differ in color and adult weight from the Champagne D’Argent of the U.S. The English, French, and German Angoras differ somewhat in their wool characteristics. The German Angora has been selected over many years for commercial production and thus has superior wool quality. In many developing countries, there are rabbits referred to as the local breed. These are usually quite small, are colored rather than white, and have short ears, small litters, and a slow growth rate. Such breeds generally thrive under backyard or subsistence conditions involving less favorable environments.

      Some of the more prominent European breeds are listed in Table 3.2.

Table 3.2. Prominent European rabbit breeds.

      The giant breeds are commonly used in Europe as terminal sire breeds, because of the rapid growth rate of their offspring. The Bouscat Giant is a synthetic albino breed. It is well known for its prolificacy and rapid growth rate.

      The Champagne d’Argent has been raised for a long time in the Champagne region of France. It is being evaluated by French scientists as a commercial breed because of its good fur quality and its productive attributes, including high prolificacy, rapid growth rate, muscularity, and good meat quality. Another breed, the Fauve de Bourgogne (Burgundy Fawn), is widely distributed in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland. It originated in the Burgundy region of France. It may have some value as a sire breed in cross-breeding programs.

      The Petit Russe (Small Russian) is basically the Himalayan breed. It originated in northern China and then spread through Russia and Poland. The Petit Russe has been studied in France for its potential in crossbreeding systems as one of the breeds contributing to a maternal line. Small breeds such as the Petit Russe tend to show early maturity and excellent maternal traits that can be utilized in crossbreeding programs.

      Further Reading

      Whitman B.D. 2004. Domestic Rabbit & Their Histories: Breeds of the World, Leathers Publishing, 4500 College Blvd., Leawood, KS.

      Altex Owned by Texas A&M University, Kingsville Photo courtesy of S.D. Lukefahr

      Belgian Hare Owned by Eric Peterson Photo courtesy of D.J. Harris

      Blanc De Hotot Owned by Julie Wichert Photo courtesy of D.J. Harris

      Blue Vienna Photo courtesy of D.J. Harris

      Britannia Petite Photo courtesy of D.J. Harris

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