Best mixes for meat rabbit?

[20kidsonhill]

I got a pair of silver fox. The lady had NZ, but they were mean and frankly...ugly, lol.

The people we went to last night had cages and cages full of new zealand, new zealand/californian crosses, a few new zealand reds and a few silver foxes, they said known of them were used to being handled, and the silver fox were much easier to look at and handle and get out of the cages, the new zealands jumped around and acted like they were getting slaughtered righ there on the spot.

The new zealand red that we got is sycho. I was hoping she would be a little easier to handle, the gentlemen felt we could settle her down, showed my son a safe way to carry her around, said pick her up by the back of the neck, tuck her under your arm pit like a football, and carry her around every day for 5 minutes, then set her in the cage and rub on her for 5 more minutes every day.

We will see.

 

[Ms. Research]

I got a pair of silver fox. The lady had NZ, but they were mean and frankly...ugly, lol.

The people we went to last night had cages and cages full of new zealand, new zealand/californian crosses, a few new zealand reds and a few silver foxes, they said known of them were used to being handled, and the silver fox were much easier to look at and handle and get out of the cages, the new zealands jumped around and acted like they were getting slaughtered righ there on the spot.

The new zealand red that we got is sycho. I was hoping she would be a little easier to handle, the gentlemen felt we could settle her down, showed my son a safe way to carry her around, said pick her up by the back of the neck, tuck her under your arm pit like a football, and carry her around every day for 5 minutes, then set her in the cage and rub on her for 5 more minutes every day.

We will see.

Wow, why is it a pyscho? I guess I'm not exposed to that many different way people raise rabbits. The rabbits I went to see where very calm. Not NZ reds, but every rabbit that my breeder showed me of her stock was very calm and friendly. Watched the breeder handle them and not at all pyscho. She had one that like to play with their litter box by throwing it around the crate, but nothing like what you are talking about.

Hoping your son can calm this pyscho down with your help. Safety comes first. Maybe you will find one that's not like this and this pyscho can end up in a winter stew.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I don't think meat rabbits are always bred for their lovely personalities compared to the smaller pet breeds. My experience with many new zealands, unless you handle them a lot they are almost like trying to catch a wild rabbit. The mixes new zealand rabbit he took out for my father n' law was calmer. She seemed like a real sweet doe. But the new zealands red, the second he put his hand in the cage they were bouncing around like ping-pong balls, he had a heck of a time holding on to the doe for us to look at it on this little table. she would have leaped right off. The silver fox you could let go of and they would just lay there flattened out.

this is so difficult to get good stock for my son.

I have limited cage space so I can't keep messing around with stuff that isn't going to work out.

as far as the OPS original post, The seller raises hundreds of meat commercial rabbits and he said by far the silver fox are his favorite meat rabbit with an excellant meat to bone ratio and very good growing kits.

 

[secuono]

I don't think meat rabbits are always bred for their lovely personalities compared to the smaller pet breeds. My experience with many new zealands, unless you handle them a lot they are almost like trying to catch a wild rabbit. The mixes new zealand rabbit he took out for my father n' law was calmer. She seemed like a real sweet doe. But the new zealands red, the second he put his hand in the cage they were bouncing around like ping-pong balls, he had a heck of a time holding on to the doe for us to look at it on this little table. she would have leaped right off. The silver fox you could let go of and they would just lay there flattened out.

this is so difficult to get good stock for my son.

I have limited cage space so I can't keep messing around with stuff that isn't going to work out.

as far as the OPS original post, The seller raises hundreds of meat commercial rabbits and he said by far the silver fox are his favorite meat rabbit with an excellant meat to bone ratio and very good growing kits.

You went to the same person? I guess her husband is who you are talking about? Idk if you are saying alls fine or if you had an issue with the place.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I don't think meat rabbits are always bred for their lovely personalities compared to the smaller pet breeds. My experience with many new zealands, unless you handle them a lot they are almost like trying to catch a wild rabbit. The mixes new zealand rabbit he took out for my father n' law was calmer. She seemed like a real sweet doe. But the new zealands red, the second he put his hand in the cage they were bouncing around like ping-pong balls, he had a heck of a time holding on to the doe for us to look at it on this little table. she would have leaped right off. The silver fox you could let go of and they would just lay there flattened out.

this is so difficult to get good stock for my son.

I have limited cage space so I can't keep messing around with stuff that isn't going to work out.

as far as the OPS original post, The seller raises hundreds of meat commercial rabbits and he said by far the silver fox are his favorite meat rabbit with an excellant meat to bone ratio and very good growing kits.

You went to the same person? I guess her husband is who you are talking about? Idk if you are saying alls fine or if you had an issue with the place.

OH, sorry to confuss you. This isn't the person you had suggested. THis is a person I had lined up last week, I am planning on contacting the person you suggested, hoping she has better silver foxes than the doe I just got, who is almost all black with hardly no silvering on her. I am wanting two pair of silver fox once we get organized. These people only had two litters of silver fox and they had the same father, plus the doe from one litter was out of the mother of the other litter. Honestly If I thought they looked like fantastic sf's I would have gotten a pair, but they had some problems, lack of silvering one of them, almost all the kits in one litter had white feet. So I just got one from them to get my son something to start with. I can tell from what you have in the photos they are going to be nicer at the place you recommended.

I also have/had a trio lined up at whitmore farms in Maryland, They carry the blue gene, I really would like those, we are having a hard time finding the time to make the 10 hour trip. He had a trio ready for us, then we couldn't get there on time to purchase them, so he sold them to the next person. I have been on his list for 6 months now. Very frustrating for my son. I can't decide if I should just give up on the maryland trip for now and go with the lady you suggested, or hold out for what is suppose to be amazing blood-lines carrying the blue gene. what to do? I have only so much space. INfact I may need you to start building us some rabbtit hutches.

 

[Ms. Research]

I don't think meat rabbits are always bred for their lovely personalities compared to the smaller pet breeds. My experience with many new zealands, unless you handle them a lot they are almost like trying to catch a wild rabbit. The mixes new zealand rabbit he took out for my father n' law was calmer. She seemed like a real sweet doe. But the new zealands red, the second he put his hand in the cage they were bouncing around like ping-pong balls, he had a heck of a time holding on to the doe for us to look at it on this little table. she would have leaped right off. The silver fox you could let go of and they would just lay there flattened out.

this is so difficult to get good stock for my son.

I have limited cage space so I can't keep messing around with stuff that isn't going to work out.

as far as the OPS original post, The seller raises hundreds of meat commercial rabbits and he said by far the silver fox are his favorite meat rabbit with an excellant meat to bone ratio and very good growing kits.

You went to the same person? I guess her husband is who you are talking about? Idk if you are saying alls fine or if you had an issue with the place.

OH, sorry to confuss you. This isn't the person you had suggested. THis is a person I had lined up last week, I am planning on contacting the person you suggested, hoping she has better silver foxes than the doe I just got, who is almost all black with hardly no silvering on her. I am wanting two pair of silver fox once we get organized. These people only had two litters of silver fox and they had the same father, plus the doe from one litter was out of the mother of the other litter. Honestly If I thought they looked like fantastic sf's I would have gotten a pair, but they had some problems, lack of silvering one of them, almost all the kits in one litter had white feet. So I just got one from them to get my son something to start with. I can tell from what you have in the photos they are going to be nicer at the place you recommended.

I also have/had a trio lined up at whitmore farms in Maryland, They carry the blue gene, I really would like those, we are having a hard time finding the time to make the 10 hour trip. He had a trio ready for us, then we couldn't get there on time to purchase them, so he sold them to the next person. I have been on his list for 6 months now. Very frustrating for my son. I can't decide if I should just give up on the maryland trip for now and go with the lady you suggested, or hold out for what is suppose to be amazing blood-lines carrying the blue gene. what to do? I have only so much space. INfact I may need you to start building us some rabbtit hutches.

I can understand your son's frustration. But what does he really want? Just to raise meat rabbits? Or does he want a really amazing bloodline carrying a blue gene that will be fun in seeing if you could get that gene to emerge? IMHO, I think he would enjoy the latter. Maybe it's time to teach patience? He's got a rabbit now. He can learn and study that since he wants to learn how to butcher. He needs to know the parts? Sorry, sounds like school. Can't help it. Homeschool parent mentality.

I feel both of your frustration. Hope it all comes together for both of you soon.

 

[secuono]

She had a gorgeous blue, but she was not gonna part with her. She told me she never had one before and hasn't since. She was so unusual to her that she kept it, I would of too! Would of bought her if she was selling...ah well.

What do you mean by white feet? I don't know the breed standard and all for them, since that's not what I am doing. But since they seem so in demand, I may think about it for the future. Right now they are pets that make food, lol.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Incase you haven't heard my son's story "secouno" I have a 10 year old son, who was driving us crazy begging to go squirrel, deer and all kinds of hunting, not just so he could hunt, but so he can butcher and put food on the table. He did not get this from his father and I, although we farm and are no strangers to butchering, we hadn't butchered an animal in years, certainly not during his lifetime. That kind of aged me a little, man that made me feel old.

Anyway, his grandfather has ordery cross bred meat rabbits, he had raised meat rabbits all his life(70years) and we felt getting our son a couple of his own meat rabbits might be a good way to curve the hunting issue,

To make a really long story short the two does he has been working with for the past 9 months or so, are a little older, one of them was a pet we had, and they have given him 1 kit in all that time.

We talked about what we should get to replace them, should we just get ordinary any old meat rabbits or a certain breed, so my son and I researched meat breeds and when he came across the silver fox he was very excited about it. he is in 4H and would like to show a couple at our county fair.

So in spring we put an order in for silver foxes from Whitmore farm. He has many blue to choose from, and the onse he had picked out for us in July, that we were unable to get, carried the blue genes and he said we would get 50% blu bunnies. He has been doing this for years so I guess he knows what he is talking about.

I can call him and he will put me back on the top of the list for this falls/winter kits. 10 hours of driving, or I can just call the women up that you got rabbits from and go with something from her and be done with it.Or we can just be happy with the two we have now, and cross breed them to a new zealand/rex buck and see how that goes for a few months.

Sorry that was a long story.

 

[20kidsonhill]

They had all solid white feet part way up their legs, looked like they had white socks on. They were cute. but this is incorrect coloring for silver foxes and we are planning on trying to show a couple at the 4H level next year at our fair.

 

[20kidsonhill]

ms. Research: HOnestly he could care less about the blu gene, he said he really likes the black onse. He is thrilled with the rabbits he has, other than the fact he would like a silver fox male to breed to the doe.

that was all whitmore farms had, I hadn't even realized it was that hard to come by. Infact he had several blu rabbits for sale, but he wanted $75 for them and only $50 for the black onse, and my son said he really liked the black onse anyway.

the only reason I was trying to get a little better quality is for him for showing at 4H, and for selling in the future for breeding stock to other people. My son sounded interested in trying to sell a few to make a little money from them.

The gentlemen we purchased these last two rabbits from made enough money raising rabbits when he was younger, that it supported his hobby and past time as a member of a roping team. He was a very interesting man to talk to.




I apologize "secouno" for stealing your thread, about best MIXES for MEAt. But I do think you will be really happy with the silver fox.