Backyard Production of Meat Rabbits in Texas - World Rabbit ...

Figure 2. Rabbit drinking from an automatic waterer.commercial meat-qualitystocks. Instead, purchase yourbreeding stock from a reputablecommercial breederwho provides pedigree andproduction trait informationfor each rabbit and offers therabbits at a reasonable price.There is no reason to paymore than $25 for a commercialbred rabbit, regardless ofthe age, breed or cross, orpedigree.A commercial bred doe,purebred or crossbred, canproduce 6 to 8 litters in ayear. According to scientificstudies, commercial bredstock, as compared to fancybred stock, have more vigorand are more productive (forexample, have higher fertility,kindle larger litters, and producemeatier fryers). For thebackyard meat rabbit enterprise,purebred or fancy stockmay not produce as well asthe commercial rabbit, so youprobably should not use themfor meat purposes.Breeding SystemsIf you intend to use a singlebreed solely for backyardmeat production, consider thecommercial bred New ZealandWhite. Purebreeding orstraightbreeding is a simplersystem than crossbreeding.However, because of hybridvigor (a major advantage ofcrossbreeding), it is recommendedthat meat rabbit operations(large- or small-scale)use either commercial NewZealand White purebred orCalifornian X New ZealandWhite crossbred does. Bothbreed types of doe have outstandingfertility, motheringinstinct, and milk production.One breed weakness of thecommercial New ZealandWhite is lower carcass dressoutand a lower proportion ofmeat to bone. Fryer meatyield can be improved byusing purebred Californian orChampagne d’Argent bucksfor crossing with commercialNew Zealand White purebredor crossbred does. Alternatively,faster gaining and moreefficient terminal crossbredfryers that reach market size(4 pounds) at an early age canbe produced by mating purebredCheckered Giant,Flemish Giant, or commercialALTEX (developed at theRabbit Research Center, TexasA&M University–Kingsville)bucks to New Zealand Whitepurebred or crossbred does.The word “terminal” impliesthat all crossbred offspring areused for meat, with no offspringbeing saved as replacementbucks or does.Replacement StockSelectionThe decision to select youngreplacement stock should bebased on the productionrecords of their parents. Traitaverages from buck or doerecord forms (Figures 3 and4) can serve as a guide inmaking selection decisions.Important traits include littersize weaned, total litter weightat 21 days of age (an indicationof milk production), andfryer weights at 8 weeks ofage. Closely inspect eachreplacement candidate forheavy body weight, desirablemeat type, and physicalsoundness, which includeslack of body defects or blemishes,normal teeth, and thickfur on the foot pads. If youhave a good-quality herd, it isless costly to produce yourown replacement stock thanto purchase new animals.6