# Rex cross for meat



## sawfish99

We are getting ready to start raising meat rabbits. We already have a standard Rex buck and DW is considering using him crossed with either New Zealand or California does. Does anyone have experience with this breeding pair regarding meat quality and growth rates?


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## AZ Rabbits

They aren't bad. The meat to feed ratio isn't quite as good as the NZW and Californian mixes, but it's still up there in the top 10 or so. I would say it's efficient as a meat mix. Not the top 3, but still efficient.


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## Snowfie

AZ Heat said:
			
		

> They aren't bad. The meat to feed ratio isn't quite as good as the NZW and Californian mixes, but it's still up there in the top 10 or so. I would say it's efficient as a meat mix. Not the top 3, but still efficient.


Yah but if they crossed that rex with a californian or a NZ, wouldn't that make the resulting rabbits californian cross or a NZ cross?


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## AZ Rabbits

Snowfie said:
			
		

> Yah but if they crossed that rex with a californian or a NZ, wouldn't that make the resulting rabbits californian cross or a NZ cross?


Sorry. What I was trying to say is that a Californian and NZ cross are better than anything crossed with a Rex. If a Rex crossed with either one, they'd probably be better meat than just a plain Rex, but not as good as other meat options (Like NZ, Cali or NZ & Cali cross).


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## sawfish99

Thanks for all the feedback on this.  Right now our motivation with this is family level production with a little excess for small sales.  DW is the head of the rabbit breeding programs and she has been following this info as well.  She has decided to initially go forward with using the Rex buck.  We will see how it turns out.


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## AZ Rabbits

sawfish99 said:
			
		

> Thanks for all the feedback on this.  Right now our motivation with this is family level production with a little excess for small sales.  DW is the head of the rabbit breeding programs and she has been following this info as well.  She has decided to initially go forward with using the Rex buck.  We will see how it turns out.


For family level production, I don't think you'll be disappointed and you'll get plenty of good meat production. I personally love the Rex rabbit and their great fur, even though it's not the top meat producer. But my breeding intentions are more than just family level production.

Either way, good luck and have fun! And be prepared to expand your rabbitry...


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## sawfish99

So after a few weeks of buying and selling various rabbits, this is what we have on hand:
1 Rex buck
2 Rex does
2 American Chinchilla bucks
1 American Chinchilla doe
1 Aemerican Chinchilla/Flemish Giant cross doe with a baby (originally had 7 but 6 were killed by a predator at the previous owners house)

We also have 2 New Zealand does on order.

While we have more bucks than we need right now, DW decided to get them both because of some good purchasing and trading deals we worked out.  Both are pedigreed, so we may resell one or hang on to both for a while.

Now we just need winter to be ending, breeding to start, and babies to grow so all this can return some $$.


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## mir116

I have a Rex buck and a NZW doe. The resulting kits have been good-sized and meaty. And I get kits with fun colors, that people seem to prefer as pets to the white ones.


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## oneacrefarm

sawfish99 said:
			
		

> So after a few weeks of buying and selling various rabbits, this is what we have on hand:
> 1 Rex buck
> 2 Rex does
> 2 American Chinchilla bucks
> 1 American Chinchilla doe
> 1 Aemerican Chinchilla/Flemish Giant cross doe with a baby (originally had 7 but 6 were killed by a predator at the previous owners house)
> 
> We also have 2 New Zealand does on order.
> 
> While we have more bucks than we need right now, DW decided to get them both because of some good purchasing and trading deals we worked out.  Both are pedigreed, so we may resell one or hang on to both for a while.
> 
> Now we just need winter to be ending, breeding to start, and babies to grow so all this can return some $$.


Why wait? Rabbits do better in the cold than the heat. I say check your does for readiness and if they are, go for it! That is, if you have the cages, feeders, water bottles, nestboxes, etc.... ready.

I do have a question...did all the rabbits come from the same place? If not, do you have them quarantined from each other? You should isolate any new animals for a month before introducing to your current ones. If these are from different places, they should be isolated from each other for while before you combine them in one area.


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