Well I had 2 new Zealand whites. Doe wouldn't produce so she is gone. Well found a cheap replacement but she might be a mini Rex instead of a standard rex. How screwed am i?
Well it depends on how remote you are and whether or not the SHTF. If you are on the moon and you plan on eating them, well you are not going to be happy with the results, most likely. Think mating a male Labrador with a female beagle, it could be harmful for the beagle during delivery. Now if you are here on earth and not requiring them for food in the near future, look on the bright side. You have all your equipment for raising them. Find someone locally selling rabbits to eat. Many will sell them live as apposed to already butchered, and being rabbits, at butcher size, they are not that far away from being breeders (not old wore out breeders). One short piece of advice for raising rabbits to breed and eat. You should have known this to start. Anyone would have told you except a seller looking to pawn off some poor producers. Get quality stock from a quality seller for success. Rabbits for sale can usually be found on Craig's list for a reasonable price. Ask why they got them, why selling etc, ask about pedigree you don't need registered stock if you are just raising eating rabbits. Do some research yourself online or in books on breeds etc. Poorly informed persons make poor choices. Sorry, you asked. That is the truth. Good luck with your future results.
Look for a Flemish Giant Buck. I have a Buck and 2 Doe's. It doesn't matter how you cross breed them Except Brother to sister from the same litter. You can cross them with any large breed rabbit New Zealand, English spot, Chinchilla. Just keep throwing them in with Flemish and replace your females with cross bred rabbits. Mine are averaging 5-6 lbs at 3-4 months and yield 2.5-3 lbs after dressing. All my rabbits are at least half Flemish and as you continue this process they will breed the cross right out of them at about 4-5th generation. Flemish require a larger and stronger cage and a piece of Hardy Board to keep their feet off the wire. Re-enforce the bottom as they will weigh up to 22 lbs at full growth. MEAT RABBIT UPDATE!!! YEAR ONE | Page 3 | Survival Monkey Forums
Slim pickings around here. Flemish are 3 hrs drive and close to 100 bucks. An hour drive for big breeders. Still got 30 min drive still for any thing else
state and county fairs, flea markets, 4H (contact local local middle school and high school, ask if they have a 4H program. See if they will put you in touch with adult/teacher director of 4H program. Boy Scout have a animal husbandry badge. Contact local Boy Scouts see if any members are raising rabbits. There are rabbit magazines (do an online search). Sorry you are so remote. Keep looking. Go to feed stores, ask if you can put up flyer indicating you are looking for rabbits ........
There's a LOT more Mini Rex out there than Rex, so unless you got it from an actual breeder it probably is a Mini. Or else a mix. Mini Rex to a NZW is no big deal. I raise Mini Rex along with a number of other breeds and they're one of the larger smaller breeds. I wouldn't put her under a Flemish or Giant Chin buck, but an NZW will be ok. The majority of pet grade Mini Rex out there are oversized for the standard and can hit 5 pounds, which yeah it's smaller than the NZW but not like you have a 2 pound Britannia. I have a 5 pound Florida White doe that I regularly breed to an 11 pound Champagne D'Argent buck, with zero complications. Shippers generally charge around $25 a slot, one way, which may be well worth it in terms of time and gas savings for you. The American Rabbit Breeder's Association's 2016 Convention is coming up next month in Del Mar, CA and there will be shippers heading out all over the US afterwards. All you need to do is determine what breed you really want to raise, connect with a breeder who will be showing there, and work out a deal. You can usually pick up a really great quality junior for around $50 plus shipping You can also call your county extension agent and find out who is selling to the FFA/4H crowd.
Never thought of boy scouts or 4h. I should have just bought the nz for 20 from the other guy but I thought I would save some money and help a guy at work. I'll feed her lots of pellets hay and forage and hope for the best I guess
Their around! Try a local flea market, they always have lots of rabbits for sale at ours.Try Pet Smart or equivalent in your area, they can order in just about anything you want, you might pay a little more for them, but they almost always have dependable breeders for healthy animals.
