I’m most favorite part of your channel is your genuine kind personality. It’s like talking to a knowledgeable neighbor!! Thank for all the help information!!❤
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.
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.
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.
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?
@@Ezzgamerr It wouldn't make sense to sell my rabbits for meat mutts. Breeders who make mutts aren't willing to pay for quality breeding stock. I have a waiting list of Flemish Giant breeders who are looking for quality rabbits. I also have people who want one for a pet. Even if a rabbit is going to be a pet I won't sell one shouldn't be bred. It won't be one that I would enter in a show but it also won't have any disqualifying defects.
Hi Sam, I'm back! Being from Europe, I raise Fauve de Bourgogne (originally from France). I love their cuisine so much. That's why I chose this breed too. If you think about it, it's one of the oldest breeds so they must have used it in their recipes for ages. I trust they surely knew what they were doing, the meat is great! Good luck to you!
Good points, there are a lot of breeds around the world that just aren't available in the US. I always tell people that the best rabbit is the one that is doing well in your local area!
a note about some of the less common breeds... almost any of the not white rabbits (i include colored NZs, and californians here) LOOK more like pet or show rabbits to the typical nosy neighbor, or township inspector. row after row of white rabbits, even if they are all show bunnys and not ever intended to be eaten, LOOK more like livestock to a lot of folks. also, if you have a heritage breed- especially a rare one-, simply stating (honestly) i am helping to preserve a threatened rabbit variety! they are kind of rare..." tends to get a lot of folks to back off.
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 👍🏻
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!
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!
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.
I was thinking about doing Silver Fox Rabbits. I do have a few random rabbits more like bunnies as of right now like 10 and I just had one who had a kit of 5 but 3 died probably because I am extremely new at this and trying to get the experience I need before getting the actual rabbits that I want.
Would north georgia (zone 7b) be considered too hot for any of these breeds? I heard you mention that florida is heat hardy, but im curious if you have knowledge on any of the others in that regard. Thanks in advance!
It shouldn't be. A lot of viewers on the channel live in tropical places like Africa and southeast Asia and they have no issues. The most important thing is to source your animals locally if possible. Local stock will be adapted to local conditions.
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?
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.
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?
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
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?
@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).
@@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.
So here's what I'm confused about with the flemish giants, maybe you can clarify for me? Im looking into raising meat rabbits for personal consumption and have plenty of space, and was planning to raise in a large colony type enclosure and feed almost exclusively forage from my property and the "waste" from growing a lot of vegetables. So feed costs are irrelevant, and additionally Id prefer to do less killing and less often. The idea of butchering every 9 weeks makes me not even want to consider meat rabbits because I don't have time for that and would rather do it like twice a year. Id also like to keep the pelts, and I don't mind the meat actually having flavor. For me, wouldn't they make the best choice? Any input would be appreciated!
So first I would like to start by saying that any breed is fine for meat if you like the breed. But otherwise let me run through point by point. Age at processing: There's no rule saying you have to process at nine weeks. But this is when rabbits are most tender. Most people are accustomed to eating fryers because you can basically cook them however you want. Rabbits that are older than a few months will be much tougher and your options will be to 1. Stew or roast them. 2. Brine and age the meat to reclaim some tenderness. Ultimately this has nothing to do with breed. You could eat a Flemish or New Zealand at 8 weeks or one year, the meat qualities are the same for both. And if both animals are over a year old they will produce excellent pelts, but the Flemish pelt will be bigger. Now when it comes to efficiency, it's more than cost. If you take a New Zealand and a Flemish and compare them, the Flemish may weigh more, but the New Zealand will have more meat per pound. The final point is processing. Older rabbits are much harder to process. the bigger they are the harder it is. It's important to remember that the size of the Flemish is hugely variable and much less consistent than New Zealands. Some specimens are only a few pounds heavier than New Zealands, but the breed standard sets no upper limit. It's going to be very hard to kill a 20+ pound rabbit humanely, and I'd rule out using things like the rabbit wringer. The final concern is infrastructure. Even is if you are using a colony system, each rabbit still requires a certain amount of space. Bigger rabbits means bigger everything. I don't want to discourage the Flemish because I think it's a really cool breed! However if you are new to rabbits I wouldn't recommend when you are just starting out.
@@westmeadowrabbits That's incredibly helpful, thank you! I am new to rabbits and so all of the nuance escapes me, but that point about killing them is a deal breaker for sure. Clean kills are a must and I was wondering how that works with a giant rabbit. It doesn't! Sounds like NZ is a much safer starting point for me. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply!
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.)
What attributes would you need to incorporate into the Flemish Giant breed that would make it desirable for meat production? Or, is there no path there that doesn't lead to a New Zealand?
There is basically no way for them to come close to New Zealand. Any gains you make in kit size from the Flemish are offset by a worse meat to bone ratio and higher feed costs for adults.
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?
@@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.
@@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
Bigger is not better when it comes to meat animals. Its a question of efficiency. For the same amount of feed going in, you get more meat out of new zeland than you do a flemish.
I fully agree. I’m raising NZ/CA crosses now using good quality stock after not such great results with questionable “meat mutt” rabbits that grew slow and consumed a lot of feed. It took me a few years to get smart, but I eventually did.
Generally a more mid-sized animal will be most efficient. That said, there may be scenarios where the sheer size provides added benefits that could arguable outweigh the drawbacks. Keep in mind, this is speculative, so take it with a grain of salt. Particularly large flemish giants are large enough that it might be reasonable to pasture them, which could be appealing in some situations. Larger size means it takes a larger gap to escape from. A 20+ pound rabbit may be better able to defend itself from foxes, coyotes, and raptors. If you're particularly squeamish, getting more meat per kill may outweigh getting less meat per unit feed. And larger cuts of meat may just be more culinarily-appealing. All that being said, feed to meat ratio is generally the most important consideration and the Flemish giant simply cannot compete.
@@NoName-zz8nlthat's great that you choose to raise them as a pet. Some people own chickens cows and pigs and sheep as pets, while others choose to eat them. This man is raising the animals correctly and providing quality information to others on how to raise them ethically for slaughter. You don't have to slaughter and eat yours, but others may choose to do so and it's not disturbing in the slightest.
Your points seemed to align with our experiences over the past several years.
This is THE BEST video I’ve found on meat breeds. I completely agree with every point. I even have Florida Whites who have hit 3lbs at 6 weeks.
Thank you!! That's a pretty impressive size at four weeks, I hope you're selling breeding stock.
I’m most favorite part of your channel is your genuine kind personality. It’s like talking to a knowledgeable neighbor!! Thank for all the help information!!❤
Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos!
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.
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.
Had New Zealands for a few years growing up. Kicking around getting some now that I'm married & starting a homestead basically.
Great content as always, looking forward for the content on the new space
Thank you!
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.
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?
@@westmeadowrabbits I met him at a fair in Vermont. He was volunteering in the rabbit barn.
Lol " i won't sell to them "
@@Ezzgamerr It wouldn't make sense to sell my rabbits for meat mutts. Breeders who make mutts aren't willing to pay for quality breeding stock. I have a waiting list of Flemish Giant breeders who are looking for quality rabbits. I also have people who want one for a pet. Even if a rabbit is going to be a pet I won't sell one shouldn't be bred. It won't be one that I would enter in a show but it also won't have any disqualifying defects.
@@zone4garlicfarm shouldnt be bred yet u breed
Extremely informative!! Thank you so much. Best channel for know how on rabbits!
Thank you!
Hi Sam, I'm back! Being from Europe, I raise Fauve de Bourgogne (originally from France). I love their cuisine so much. That's why I chose this breed too. If you think about it, it's one of the oldest breeds so they must have used it in their recipes for ages. I trust they surely knew what they were doing, the meat is great! Good luck to you!
Good points, there are a lot of breeds around the world that just aren't available in the US. I always tell people that the best rabbit is the one that is doing well in your local area!
wow! the florida white sounds AWESOME for those of us with small lots!
They are definitely underutilized, and another thing to consider is that small rabbits are much easier to process discreetly.
Recently found your channel. Great stuff.
Great vid!
Thanks!
a note about some of the less common breeds... almost any of the not white rabbits (i include colored NZs, and californians here) LOOK more like pet or show rabbits to the typical nosy neighbor, or township inspector. row after row of white rabbits, even if they are all show bunnys and not ever intended to be eaten, LOOK more like livestock to a lot of folks.
also, if you have a heritage breed- especially a rare one-, simply stating (honestly) i am helping to preserve a threatened rabbit variety! they are kind of rare..." tends to get a lot of folks to back off.
That's a very good point! I also like raising nice looking animals and I'm willing to sacrifice some level of production to do that.
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 👍🏻
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!
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!
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.
@@westmeadowrabbitsVery good sir
I was thinking about doing Silver Fox Rabbits. I do have a few random rabbits more like bunnies as of right now like 10 and I just had one who had a kit of 5 but 3 died probably because I am extremely new at this and trying to get the experience I need before getting the actual rabbits that I want.
Silver fox is pretty common and is a good breed!
Would north georgia (zone 7b) be considered too hot for any of these breeds? I heard you mention that florida is heat hardy, but im curious if you have knowledge on any of the others in that regard. Thanks in advance!
It shouldn't be. A lot of viewers on the channel live in tropical places like Africa and southeast Asia and they have no issues. The most important thing is to source your animals locally if possible. Local stock will be adapted to local conditions.
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?
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.
When Texas A&M developed the TAMUK rabbits one of their priorities was heat tolerance.
I am in central Florida and we have a growing Florida White community. There is a show in Inverness 3/9/24
@@The-Shadowcatthis is exciting!
@@The-Shadowcat Do you have any for sale?
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?
A lot of my family is in Mass, and we only moved a few towns over from the border!
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
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?
@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).
@@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.
Thanks so much! I'll put up a little clear plexiglass barrier and see if that helps.
I really love this new zealand breed, i wonder how to ship it here in the Philippines... Really love to breed this breeds.
I wish I could ship them but it would be CRAZY expensive and difficult.
So here's what I'm confused about with the flemish giants, maybe you can clarify for me? Im looking into raising meat rabbits for personal consumption and have plenty of space, and was planning to raise in a large colony type enclosure and feed almost exclusively forage from my property and the "waste" from growing a lot of vegetables. So feed costs are irrelevant, and additionally Id prefer to do less killing and less often. The idea of butchering every 9 weeks makes me not even want to consider meat rabbits because I don't have time for that and would rather do it like twice a year. Id also like to keep the pelts, and I don't mind the meat actually having flavor. For me, wouldn't they make the best choice? Any input would be appreciated!
So first I would like to start by saying that any breed is fine for meat if you like the breed. But otherwise let me run through point by point.
Age at processing: There's no rule saying you have to process at nine weeks. But this is when rabbits are most tender. Most people are accustomed to eating fryers because you can basically cook them however you want. Rabbits that are older than a few months will be much tougher and your options will be to
1. Stew or roast them.
2. Brine and age the meat to reclaim some tenderness.
Ultimately this has nothing to do with breed. You could eat a Flemish or New Zealand at 8 weeks or one year, the meat qualities are the same for both. And if both animals are over a year old they will produce excellent pelts, but the Flemish pelt will be bigger.
Now when it comes to efficiency, it's more than cost. If you take a New Zealand and a Flemish and compare them, the Flemish may weigh more, but the New Zealand will have more meat per pound.
The final point is processing. Older rabbits are much harder to process. the bigger they are the harder it is. It's important to remember that the size of the Flemish is hugely variable and much less consistent than New Zealands. Some specimens are only a few pounds heavier than New Zealands, but the breed standard sets no upper limit. It's going to be very hard to kill a 20+ pound rabbit humanely, and I'd rule out using things like the rabbit wringer.
The final concern is infrastructure. Even is if you are using a colony system, each rabbit still requires a certain amount of space. Bigger rabbits means bigger everything.
I don't want to discourage the Flemish because I think it's a really cool breed! However if you are new to rabbits I wouldn't recommend when you are just starting out.
@@westmeadowrabbits That's incredibly helpful, thank you! I am new to rabbits and so all of the nuance escapes me, but that point about killing them is a deal breaker for sure. Clean kills are a must and I was wondering how that works with a giant rabbit. It doesn't! Sounds like NZ is a much safer starting point for me. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply!
@thewilderfarm4462 My pleasure, good luck!
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.)
I'm glad you noticed him! And yea I get a lot of cat owners interested in meat for their rabbits.
Waiting for Rabbit knowledge !!!
What attributes would you need to incorporate into the Flemish Giant breed that would make it desirable for meat production? Or, is there no path there that doesn't lead to a New Zealand?
There is basically no way for them to come close to New Zealand. Any gains you make in kit size from the Flemish are offset by a worse meat to bone ratio and higher feed costs for adults.
Do you feed your rabbit comfrey, I have been seeing it’s safe and good for rabbits.
Yes I do, it's totally fine. I've got a lot of videos on feeding comfrey and other natural foods to rabbits.
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?
@@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.
@@westmeadowrabbits thank you
The most famous hybrids are the mules :D (out of rabbit subject)
True!
Where do u buy them
I've got a video on the subject! ua-cam.com/video/6HU_Om-PsUY/v-deo.html
ok have you had larva burrow into your rabbits and how do you treat it and prevent it happening again
Do you mean something like bot fly? i haven't had it happen personally.
yeah bot/wolf larva I dont know how to deal with it @@westmeadowrabbits
@@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
Tks you a lot
Love my Palominos. Just had a buck reach 6lbs at 11 weeks everyone else is over 5lbs
They are beautiful rabbits!
Ah, a fellow WoW player, I see.
Mr Bigglesworth! I got that reference. :D
I'm glad someone caught it!
Can't wait 😂
So why not just breed Flemish Giants? It's alot bigger. My question is, is there any big difference in meat taste?
Bigger is not better when it comes to meat animals. Its a question of efficiency. For the same amount of feed going in, you get more meat out of new zeland than you do a flemish.
I fully agree. I’m raising NZ/CA crosses now using good quality stock after not such great results with questionable “meat mutt” rabbits that grew slow and consumed a lot of feed. It took me a few years to get smart, but I eventually did.
Generally a more mid-sized animal will be most efficient.
That said, there may be scenarios where the sheer size provides added benefits that could arguable outweigh the drawbacks.
Keep in mind, this is speculative, so take it with a grain of salt. Particularly large flemish giants are large enough that it might be reasonable to pasture them, which could be appealing in some situations. Larger size means it takes a larger gap to escape from. A 20+ pound rabbit may be better able to defend itself from foxes, coyotes, and raptors. If you're particularly squeamish, getting more meat per kill may outweigh getting less meat per unit feed. And larger cuts of meat may just be more culinarily-appealing.
All that being said, feed to meat ratio is generally the most important consideration and the Flemish giant simply cannot compete.
IM THE 500 LIKE
Savage!!!
Flemish Giant = Inverse Florida White?
Yes! All the things that make the Florida white good, the Flemish has in the opposite direction.
Now do one with dog meat.😊
This is very disturbing
What is disturbing you?
@@lowespringacres7838 I own rabbits as a household pet
@@NoName-zz8nlthat's great that you choose to raise them as a pet. Some people own chickens cows and pigs and sheep as pets, while others choose to eat them. This man is raising the animals correctly and providing quality information to others on how to raise them ethically for slaughter. You don't have to slaughter and eat yours, but others may choose to do so and it's not disturbing in the slightest.
Why did you click on a video about meat rabbits?