# Orylag Rabbit or "Rex du Poitou"



## Kyah (Oct 29, 2007)

Does anyone outside of France breed these rabbits? I would _love_ to have a pair to work with. For anyone who hasn't heard of them, they are a breed of rabbit developed by Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in France. They worked on the breed for 18 years, using rex rabbits. 

The meat is called "the Rex du Poitou Â®" and is said to be top quality. It's sold to Michelin star chefs, butchers and restaurants, etc and has won awards for it's qualities; it's considered "perfect". The rabbits are harvested at 18-20 weeks, and their fur is the same or better quality than chinchilla. It comes in three colors - grey natural, natural brown, and natural ash grey. 

Has anyone here heard of these rabbits or know of a breeder in North America?

_Kyah


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## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

here's a reference for other curious minds.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

The process to import an animal has gotten so involved, that I doubt if they are in North America. France may not permit them to be exported. I do not think you will find them here at present.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Worth looking into, Kyah. Even if they are not available at the moment, someone is sure to import them someday.

I'd be interesting in knowing more about them. I see they are naturally fed... and allowed to mature to 18 weeks or so. Sounds like rabbits that I would enjoy working with!


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Thanks for the link, Ladysown. The translation is a bit rough, but that's to be expected. 

I'm left wondering how much of this superior quality and flavour of the meat is due to the strain of rabbit and how much is due to the husbandry. Their methods sound very much like my own! I have to ask myself, too, how much of it is just good marketing!


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## wofarm (Nov 30, 2009)

marketing, marketing, marketing. Thats it


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## Kyah (Oct 29, 2007)

Yes Maggie, I think you're right - I think it is _how_ the rabbits are fed that contributes to the quality of the meat, not so much the rabbit itself. I mean, how can you really improve on the flavor of rabbit by breeding? Is that even possible?????

I have to give credit to those who developed the breed though. They have been _extremely_ smart about marketing! If you think about it, they "invented" the breed, whose fur is supposed to be three times more dense than regular rabbit fur and marketed it to the high end fashion industry. I wonder how much they sell the pelts for? Not only that, but the Institute has granted an exclusive license to the cooperative breeders Orylag (CEO) and they get royalties based on turnover! Now that's knowing how to market a product! Lol. 

Not only that, but they sell the meat to expensive restaurants and gourmet chefs, and I bet they get top $ too. 

I guess I won't get a chance to work with this breed for a while:

http://translate.google.ca/translat...ooperative+des+Eleveurs+d%27Orylag&hl=en&sa=G

I wonder how much more dense the Orylag's fur is compared to a regular rex? I've only seen a few pics of them online, and they just look like a rex to me.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Apparently 60% of the profit is from the fur and 40% from the meat. I think they have made a virtue of necessity with regard to slaughtering age. Fortunately for them, roasters are more popular than fryers in France anyway. 

Here's a link about Orylag fur.

http://www.orylag.com/version_anglaise/02_presentation/nee_idee.php


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## Devoville (Mar 23, 2009)

Yes we have that "breed" here.. It is called Rex. Poitou is a location in France. The birthplace of rex rabbits. The rest is, as was said before, marketing(hype) and animal husbandry.


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## freedomfrom4 (Jul 27, 2009)

I don't know about rabbit meat but cattle breeds have different tastes.


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## wofarm (Nov 30, 2009)

Meat ph can be selected for, they do it in other species. hamp hogs had a negative response to their ph and they were working on that several years ago. Our Highlands meat did taste a bit different than our Murray Grey, I suspect it was due to where the said animals laid on the fat, mostly external on the highlands and lots of marbling in the MGs. Then ya have the Jap massaged beef and there are a lot of folks who feel molasses or is it mole asses? in the feed renders a better flavor. french wine is waaay over rated also.


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## Devoville (Mar 23, 2009)

wofarm said:


> Meat ph can be selected for, they do it in other species. hamp hogs had a negative response to their ph and they were working on that several years ago. Our Highlands meat did taste a bit different than our Murray Grey, I suspect it was due to where the said animals laid on the fat, mostly external on the highlands and lots of marbling in the MGs. Then ya have the Jap massaged beef and there are a lot of folks who feel molasses or is it mole asses? in the feed renders a better flavor. french wine is waaay over rated also.


LOL thats true about the wine... I know there are some GREAT wines made in Ontario and in California!! The way something is fed (like veal) makes a big difference in the end product! And that French delicacy "Pate Du Fois Gras" where geese are force fed milk and cream to fatten up the liver is another example.


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

Well Silver Fox rabbits are supposed to way more tasty than all the other Heritage breeds, so yes I think it is possible for rabbits to taste different.


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

Okay I loved this translation-

A taste of King

The firm flesh pink capable, with a slow cooking to rediscover the pleasure of taste basis of fluffy, length on the palate flavors of yesteryear. 


EWWW their eating Fluffy!!!!!


It really does just look like a Rex rabbit, agree its all in the marketing and feeding, nice work if you can get it.


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## DevonGlen (Aug 10, 2009)

I love how "Castor" was translated into Beaver  and Rex translates into King. (Beaver King anyone?) 

It's just a regular ol' Rex imo.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Google's translation service is _*imaginative*_ at best.  It makes me cringe sometimes. But rex is the latin word for king, so that is an understandable interpretation. And the beaver we know here in Canada and the United States has the Latin name _Castor canadensis_... so again understandable.


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## DevonGlen (Aug 10, 2009)

Castor is also the French word for Beaver. The French word for king is Roi, but in some variations of French it is Rex. Rex is sometimes referred to as the King of Rabbits, or King of the Fancy. So I would see were the French translation would mess up.


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## Devoville (Mar 23, 2009)

Calling a rabbit Castor coloured is much nicer than saying beaver colour!!


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## Terry W (Mar 10, 2006)

gosh, I always think of castor oil and the bottle it comes in-- yuck!!!! But oddly, I do like my Castor colored doe--


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