New to BYH. Need Help
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Baymule
Herd Master
He is marked similar to an English Spot, but looks to be a mix. English Spots weighs 5 to 8 pounds. Are you raising rabbits for meat? If so, being a pure breed won't make much difference. What kind of does do you have?
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- #3
I just bought a NZW/California Cross doe to breed. Eventually we would like to get into more with rabbits. My son wants to sell rabbits, so I would like to try and feed his entrepreneurship. I guess this is more of a test run for us before we start making major investments.
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promiseacres
Herd Master
Any of the "giant" breeds are slower growing than you typical meat rabbits but people do raise them for meat. I personally would hesitate if he's 3,4 pounds bigger than the doe.
If you're selling them as meat you might find buyers. Pet people generally like under 5# rabbits imo. So depends on your market. Checkered giants are pretty high energy also. Hard to say as he could have some Flemish in him too.
If you're selling them as meat you might find buyers. Pet people generally like under 5# rabbits imo. So depends on your market. Checkered giants are pretty high energy also. Hard to say as he could have some Flemish in him too.
Bunnylady
Herd Master
I think your rabbit is probably a mixed breed, but I see no reason to believe that there is any giant breed in it at all. There is no recognized breed called a California Giant, so I think the breeder is either confused or making things up.
This is a Checkered Giant:
So is this:
While the markings are what gave this breed its name, there is a lot more to the breed than just its markings. Notice how long and slender the rabbits in those two pictures are, what huge ears they have, etc; then look at your rabbit. BIG difference in shape.
This is an English Spot:
So is this:
You might say, "whoa, wait a minute; that rabbit isn't spotted, how can it be an English Spot?" Well, the genetics of the breed mean that you can get animals without spots, but the body type is still the same (it's called "full arch" type, and it is shared with the Checkered Giant) - slender bodied, with a lot of daylight underneath.
The markings on your rabbit really don't mean much. He is a broken-patterned animal, and there are a lot of breeds that come in the broken pattern. Brokens can have a lot of color and very little white, or a whole lot of white and very little color, and anything in between. The color can come in little spots or large "blanket" patches or a combination of both.
If you are breeding for meat, a Cali/NZ cross should be about as good as it gets. The one piece of advice I'd give you is not to breed two broken-patterned animals together. A single copy of the broken gene usually isn't a problem, but bunnies that get a copy of it from both parents usually have problems that make them unthrifty and may even kill them . . . not a hassle you want to have when you are just starting out.
This is a Checkered Giant:
So is this:
While the markings are what gave this breed its name, there is a lot more to the breed than just its markings. Notice how long and slender the rabbits in those two pictures are, what huge ears they have, etc; then look at your rabbit. BIG difference in shape.
This is an English Spot:
So is this:
You might say, "whoa, wait a minute; that rabbit isn't spotted, how can it be an English Spot?" Well, the genetics of the breed mean that you can get animals without spots, but the body type is still the same (it's called "full arch" type, and it is shared with the Checkered Giant) - slender bodied, with a lot of daylight underneath.
The markings on your rabbit really don't mean much. He is a broken-patterned animal, and there are a lot of breeds that come in the broken pattern. Brokens can have a lot of color and very little white, or a whole lot of white and very little color, and anything in between. The color can come in little spots or large "blanket" patches or a combination of both.
If you are breeding for meat, a Cali/NZ cross should be about as good as it gets. The one piece of advice I'd give you is not to breed two broken-patterned animals together. A single copy of the broken gene usually isn't a problem, but bunnies that get a copy of it from both parents usually have problems that make them unthrifty and may even kill them . . . not a hassle you want to have when you are just starting out.
