I've been raising Flemish Giants for the pet market for almost two years and eating the culls. I chose them after talking to dozens of breeders about what was in demand in my area. It came down to Flemish Giants or Dutch and a Flemish show breeder was retiring so I got a deal on his stock and equipment including the mini barn he was raising them in. A lot of homesteaders call me looking for rabbits to cross into their meat lines and I refuse to sell to them. 30 years ago when I was raising New Zealands Bob Bennett told me it would hurt my reputation for quality rabbits if I sold to people who wanted to make meat mutts.

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

The best rabbit breed is the one that you can find around you! I don't understand why so many people want to make meat mutts with the Flemish giants. At that point they'd be better off just raising purebreds. How'd you meat Bob Bennett?

@zone4garlicfarm

2 ай бұрын

@@westmeadowrabbits I met him at a fair in Vermont. He was volunteering in the rabbit barn.

Had New Zealands for a few years growing up. Kicking around getting some now that I'm married & starting a homestead basically.

Your points seemed to align with our experiences over the past several years.

I like Silver Fox and Silver Fox-Black New Zealand mixes for meat rabbits. Yes, the line is important, but you can pick out the best to raise out to 6-8 months for the highest quality pelts and get the good growth rates on the rejects while you are at it. Also they have thicker pelts, even at 12 weeks old you can often get good enough pelts off of babies that are worth tanning. New Zealands and Califorians are so optimized for meat that the pelts are too thin to tan until they are 8-12 months old so they aren't really dual purpose. Also in the cold of winter Silver Foxes keep good growth rates, I have found that is less true with New Zealands and Califorians because they aren't as cold hardy. They just have lowered quality pelts so for places with winter, if you are raising outdoors with limited heat heritage breeds can be the better choice.

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Personally I just don't feel confident enough to make breed level generalizations about the heritage breeds. While I don't doubt what you say is true, given how uncommon many of these breeds are, I wouldn't feel comfortable saying strong statements across the board. New Zelands and Cali's are just so much more common that it's much easier to generalize. At the end of the day, I think line is going to be far more important than breed once you get outside the common commercial breeds.

Great content as always, looking forward for the content on the new space

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Extremely informative!! Thank you so much. Best channel for know how on rabbits!

@westmeadowrabbits

22 күн бұрын

Thank you!

You are quite the teacher! I watched a video of yours earlier today about chickens vs rabbits. In it, you mentioned that the Cornish cross, the quintessential meat bird, is only sustainable on a grain diet and would not thrive on pasture only. In fact, it would be headed for the compost pile. Regarding rabbits, do the NZ and California suffer from the same problem? In other words, if pellets were not available, and forage was the only option, would they a) fail to thrive (like the Cornish), b) equilibrate with the other heritage breeds (Rex, silver fox, satin, etc) or c) maintain an advantage over the heritage breeds? If choice “a” or “b”, then which heritage breed would do the best (for meat production) if forage was all that was to be had? Thanks again for the informative videos!

@westmeadowrabbits

Ай бұрын

Thanks! It would be "C". The reason is because rabbits are very different from chickens in many ways. The New Zealand breed, while optimized for commercial production, is over 100 years old. Most common rabbit breeds were developed around the same time as the new Zealand, with the much older breeds being very inferior. The rabbit diet and digestion is also very different from chickens. Chickens require a very high energy and high protein diet, are omnivorous, and have a hard time digesting fiber. Rabbits are strict herbivores and will die if fed to much grain or protein. Rabbit pellets, while commonly called grain, are actually made of mostly alfalfa. In good pellets, the only grain in it is byproducts like hulls for fiber. So it's pretty easy to transfer over rabbits from pellets to a diet based on forage without harming production much.

All hail Mister Bigglesworth, the cutest bunfriend! (Loving your videos and I'm definitely leaning towards wanting to do this someday for my kitties. Most cat food is just stupid and not made from biologically appropriate meats for our feline friends. Cats don't eat hoofstock; they don't eat chickens; rabbit and quail are the only biologically appropriate commercial meats.)

@westmeadowrabbits

Ай бұрын

I'm glad you noticed him! And yea I get a lot of cat owners interested in meat for their rabbits.

Great info thanks. Are there breeds that generally have a higher fat content . I know diet and exercise would play a major role here but any thoughts would be appreciated 👍🏻

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Among domestic rabbits, there breed wont matter much when it comes to fat. you're correct about diet, that has by far the biggest effect. But don't let your rabbits get to fat or they won't breed!

Ah, a fellow WoW player, I see.

Can't wait 😂

Waiting for Rabbit knowledge !!!

Thank you for this video, I am considering raising meat rabbits and your video is giving me some good information. A separate question, how many rabbit pairs would I need to produce 60 rabbits a year? Do you have information on natural feed, things I can grow in my garden to feed the rabbits I'm raising?

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

I've got a ton of videos on feeding rabbits naturally so be sure to check those out. Depending on how intensively you breed and genetics, one doe should be able to produce around 30 fryers a year.

@ScottsLifeOffGrid

2 ай бұрын

@@westmeadowrabbits Thank you

As an eventual NH mover and wanna-be homesteader, I hope to buy New Zealand in the NH area. With you moving to the state are you still planning on selling NZ rabbits? I noticed on your website you're still located in Mass. Is this changing?

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

A lot of my family is in Mass, and we only moved a few towns over from the border!

The most famous hybrids are the mules :D (out of rabbit subject)

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

True!

I am in SW Florida and debating whether to go with Tamuk or Florida White. You're the first expert I've seen that talked about Florida White being heat tolerant, while that's the main selling point for the Tamuk. Still not sure. Anyone raising Florida Whites outside in the deep south?

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Generally speaking, local genetics will matter more than breed. So if breeders around you are having success with a breed, so should you. As a general rule, smaller rabbits will do better in hot climates, but default to what people around you are raising.

@zone4garlicfarm

2 ай бұрын

When Texas A&M developed the TAMUK rabbits one of their priorities was heat tolerance.

@The-Shadowcat

2 ай бұрын

I am in central Florida and we have a growing Florida White community. There is a show in Inverness 3/9/24

@brada1997

2 ай бұрын

​@@The-Shadowcatthis is exciting!

@ophdork

Ай бұрын

​@@The-Shadowcat Do you have any for sale?

Quick question or maybe topic for a video, my white NZ rabbits fur is looking pretty dirty. Should I be cleaning them? I think it would make then a little more desirable when selling as pets or breeding stock

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

That is a good question. It's normal for the bottoms of their feet to become a bit discolored, but anything more than that usually indicates an issue. How dirty are we talking and what's your setup look like?

@Bowfishin

2 ай бұрын

@westmeadowrabbits it looks like some dirt on my bucks face and maybe some urine spots on my doe in the adjacent cage from the buck. I'm assuming it's from leaves/brush staining the fur, and the male spraying. The setup is a wood frame rabbit hutch with 1/2x1 wire floors. (Divided into 30x32in cages).

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

@@Bowfishin Seems logical to me, bucks are notorious sprayers. I try to isolate mine "out of range". If it continues to be an issue/get's worse, hop on the Patreon and we can dig a little deeper.

@Bowfishin

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! I'll put up a little clear plexiglass barrier and see if that helps.

ok have you had larva burrow into your rabbits and how do you treat it and prevent it happening again

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Do you mean something like bot fly? i haven't had it happen personally.

@rileypayne6935

2 ай бұрын

yeah bot/wolf larva I dont know how to deal with it @@westmeadowrabbits

@HardinProuductionsOriginal

Ай бұрын

​@@rileypayne6935For starters, find out if Rabbits can have wormwood or pumpkin seed oil. I know those are good for any form of worms/parasites but idk if rabbits can have it

Where do u buy them

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

I've got a video on the subject! kzread.info/dash/bejne/aHyJwbGmXbPZhbw.html

Savage!!!

Do you feed your rabbit comfrey, I have been seeing it’s safe and good for rabbits.

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Yes I do, it's totally fine. I've got a lot of videos on feeding comfrey and other natural foods to rabbits.

@prayerwarrior424

2 ай бұрын

I’m planning on raising rabbits; now for fertilizer but meat in the future. After looking at many videos and a book… I understand they need to have separate cages. I also heard older rabbits can be nasty. I wonder if there is a breed that is mild mannered?

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

@@prayerwarrior424 They will give you plenty of fertilizer! They definitely need separate cages. When it comes to personality of rabbits, the most important thing is frequent handling. Genetics also matters a lot, but line will matter more than breed.

@prayerwarrior424

2 ай бұрын

@@westmeadowrabbits thank you

IM THE 500 LIKE

Flemish Giant = Inverse Florida White?

@westmeadowrabbits

2 ай бұрын

Yes! All the things that make the Florida white good, the Flemish has in the opposite direction.