Anyone with Blue Vienna, American Blue and Lilac rabbits?

[Bluebonnet]

I am looking to add these breeds to my rabbitry.

For those of you who own these breeds, please show me your rabbits!

I just love looking at these adorable bunnies!

If anyone happens to own these breeds along with the Crème d'argent and American Chinchilla, I would love to see rabbits side by side for color comparison.

 

[SA Farm]

I really like the colours of the blue or grey bunnies. I'm afraid the closest I have is a broken grey mixed buck who throws cute little grey babies like this one:

 

[Bluebonnet]

I like your post only because there is not an 'adore' option.

Rabbits are so beautiful in general. It is such a shame that so many breeds have become rarities.

 

[SA Farm]

Oh, I know, right? They're still out there, though! It's just a matter of finding and preserving them at this point

 

[Bluebonnet]

Oh, I know, right? They're still out there, though! It's just a matter of finding and preserving them at this point

It is my aim to increase my rabbitry to be able to hold 500 rabbits, 100 of each breed, along with five pairs of does and bucks. This way I can secure a good deal of genetic diversity in the event that something happens to other breeder's stocks, but that I have enough space for their offspring. I want to grow all of their food and bedding on site and I will use their manure on my farm.

An individual barn will be dedicated to each breed, along with equipment to be used for each breed.

I want to keep them for show and for breeding in order to increase their registered numbers and quality, while keeping culling to a minimum. It is my hope to start small right now, until I can secure Gold Pedigree breeding stock, with three generations of grand champions going into the breeding, before I proceed to keep and or offer their offspring.

I have a five year plan in mind for my bunnies.

Finding them is the trick. I have heard that the Blue Vienna is extinct in the United States and barely hanging on in Germany. The American Blue is down to 200-300 rabbits along with the American Chinchilla. I am unsure of the Crème d'argent and Lilac populations.

 

[SA Farm]

I know there are American Chinchilla's here in Ontario, anyway.
I can't even imagine caring for up to 500 rabbits!
My rabbitry consists of about 8-10 breeding stock with about 4 grow-out cages. I suddenly feel very small! lol

 

[Bluebonnet]

I know there are American Chinchilla's here in Ontario, anyway.
I can't even imagine caring for up to 500 rabbits!
My rabbitry consists of about 8-10 breeding stock with about 4 grow-out cages. I suddenly feel very small! lol

I am encouraged by the number of American Chinchilla owners. I think that with a little more time, that an increase in their numbers will find them removed from The Livestock Conservancy's critical list. They have been much easier to locate for sale than the other breeds I am currently seeking.

500 rabbits sounds like a lot, until you factor in their potential.

They will produce many tons of manure that can be added straight into my land, building up the soil quality.

When you consider the cost of rabbit manure, which sells for $1 a pound or so at stores, with how many pounds it takes to fertilize an acre, the rabbits pay for themselves on manure production alone. Rabbits produce over 50 lbs of manure per rabbit, per year. For 500 rabbits, that is 25,000 pounds, which is 12.5 tons of rabbit manure per year. Thus saving me a bundle in the long run, plus the enjoyment I get from aiding cute bunnies survival.

Just take a look at the sold listings on eBay, with some sellers managing to get $5 for a 1/2 pound of manure.

Not to mention the money to be made and or saved from meat, fur, show prizes and sales to fellow rabbit enthusiasts.

Rabbits are a gold mine in a self sustaining situation, which is part of the long term productivity goals for my land.

The plan for my farm is to turn it into an authentic working plantation, with the addition of a Confederate reenacting camp. It is my hope to locate reenactors with skills to hire full time to work the land. Very few reenactors are able to make a living reenacting full time and I wanted to create a unique opportunity.

 

[Bunnylady]

500 rabbits doesn't just sound like a lot, it is a lot. Having had a 75 hole rabbitry for almost 30 years, I can tell you, it's a lot of work. Trying to grow all of the food for that many rabbits as well as caring for them would take an amazing amount of time. Something I'm not sure about is how this feeding program would affect the show potential of the offspring. I know that rabbits fed on a mainly forage diet take a bit longer to reach slaughter weight, does anyone know how this affects the flesh condition and coat condition of the rabbit? An animal can be in the peak of health, but if it doesn't fit with the judge's concept of the ideal, it won't win at a show.

I'm not quite sure where you learned about the Gold Pedigree thing. I've been breeding rabbits for almost 30 years, most of that as a member of the ARBA, and this is the first time I've heard anything about it. Is it a new program? What I have heard of is various levels regarding registration. If a rabbit is the only one on its pedigree that is registered, the seal on the registration certificate is just embossed. Depending on the number of generations of registered rabbits, the seal will be different colors.

In order for a rabbit to become a Grand Champion, it needs to be registered, and it must win at least 3 Grand Champion legs. A Grand Champion leg is awarded when a rabbit wins in a class of at least 5 rabbits, owned by at least 3 rabbit breeders. In the case of a rare breed, finding two other breeders with your breed at a show can be tough. I have known breeders that entered their own rabbits under other family members' names just to make up the "3 breeders" quota so that the wins at a show will count - which made the wins a great deal less impressive. If I'm only competing against the rabbits in my own rabbitry, as long as they are showable, they don't really have to be all that good, do they?

My experience has been that, even with excellent breeding stock, a lot of the offspring will not be of quite the same quality as the parents. Some will be even better, yes, but some will be just run-of-the-mill. It can take a while to learn the fine points of a particular breed. Learning which rabbits are worth showing, and which should be eaten, takes a while - and even top breeders make mistakes. Every one can tell you about a rabbit that they sold because it had a litter mate that they liked better, that wound up beating the one they kept at some later show!

Your ambition to help support these rare breeds is admirable, but I think you should narrow your focus a bit. Concentrating on one or two breeds at first will allow you to learn exactly what makes an excellent representative of those breeds, and gain a reputation as a reputable breeder with good stock. Too many people get a few of these, a few of those, etc, and wind up being more like collectors rather than good breeders, because they are trying to do too many things at once and not really moving forward. Just my two cents' worth.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Bunnylady, the pedigree is sealed with different colors. The gold pedigree simply means that the parents, grandparents and great grandparents of the rabbit were all grand champions. That's it.

I am connecting with other breeders in the hopes of getting them to show. Furthermore, it is my hope to start my own annual show on my plantation. That is a project for 2016, however.

I have many, many acres with a bundle of plantings. Other land is still unable to be used because it needs to be cleared of invasive Chinese tallow and other land is being preserved as Texas Coastal Prairie.

This is a large operation and undertaking, which is why I am taking it slow, with a five year plan for the bunnies.

Better to take things slow then to get in way over my head.

 

[Bossroo]

Bluebonnet , you are well on your way to making a million. How ? To make a million ,just spend 3 million ! I would consult a VERY GOOD tax attorney before you proceed any further with your various dream ventures.