# Meat mutts



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Am I the only one? 

I raise rabbits to feed the family (and occasionally sell kits- more on that later) and currently have NZ whites, reds, a flemish giant doe as an experiment and my favorite breed of all....the meat mutt. 

Quite frankly, I refer meat mutt rabbits. They are calmer than the NZ, grow out faster and of course all the wild colors don't hurt. 

If I am doing a breeding for the freezer, it's either mutt/mutt or NZ/mutt. For sale it's NZ/NZ because most people seem to prefer the 'name brand bunnies'. Some, when they see the size difference and we talk a bit, do change their minds. Especially if they want color...with red, white, gray, agouti, harlequin/mottled (I swear....my mutt buck looks like a Possum...so that's his name)..I get a rainbow. 
The giant is a fairly recent purchase to beef up my crosses (and reduce the bone of the giant's contribution) and honestly...in addition to feeding my family and the occasional sale, I am having fun with this. 

Am I the only one who isn't breed specific?


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

lots of us have or have had meat mutts of some kind, my colony seed stock came from a breeder who started her colony with two NZW does and a Hotote (sp?) buck. its remarkable what kind of colors you can get from two differint breeds that are both white, then later I added a single doe that was some kind of fawn color but a mixed mutt her self, from that one addition to the limited gene pool once one of her sons was the herd buck all kinds of things came out of the burrows. mutts are great for meat and fun.


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## redneckswife (May 2, 2013)

A good rabbit,is a good rabbit whether purebreed or mutt.If it's got a great personality, large litter size or great coat,meat to bone ratio,etc.:goodjob:

My fryer rabbits are sometimes mixed (American Sable with NZ or mutt), and sometimes purebreed for breeding stock for others.

I started breeding some specific breeds just because there was more demand from 4H kids or for people looking for specific breeding stock.However, if I know the litters going for fryers-I'll mix any of my larger sized rabbits.

The day I quit enjoying my rabbits, I think I'll quit(for there sake)


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I have had everything. A person just has to make sure and keep the size and growth rate good or it is costing you money not to. But everyone has to do what is best for them. I prefer white, just for looks of the meat, but with a water hose near it does not really matter. I have a red and a blond color doe right now, white buck, all NZ. For meat only....James


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I fell in love with american sables and sold all my meat mutts I'd worked on for 3 years except my best producing creme d'argent. I had some really nice interesting colored rabbits. We started with a chocolate mini rex buck x creme d'argent. Mini rex actually aren't bad meat rabbits. They have great meat to bone ratio. We crossed those offspring to champagne d'argent and back to the creme. Then added in some nz x checkered giant to bring the size back up. So we had silvered torts, brokens, steels...


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

lets thank good breeders of pure bred rabbits. for culling out problems and inhansing milking and mothering traits.nice even fast growing large litters .I haven't saw a runt or a case of sore hocks in years . does n bucks that stay in production year round, fryers that are just chunks of meat at weening age healthy and shining . not having to go looking for new stock to breed a trait in or out and the chance of bringing in desease or mites . when you need to add some of these good traits to your breeding herd save your self years of breeding up with the extra workand worry just to end up with an improved mutt.seek out a serious breeder of good stock . once more I only saved a a few buck fryers for the pot as two older men drove over 50 miles to buy out all my extra fryers for breeding stock (calis, and NZW's) they seemed amazed at the chunky meatiness and at not having to pick through the three litters just grab any of them as there was no runts or bad teeth to cull out or by pass . I fooled around for way to long with mixed up flea market (Bargans ) .till I finally got ahold of some good pure stock making life easy on myself. I suppose you can also tell that my pride of ownership has risen tremendously also . as far as pretty colors go; granny had it right "pretty is as pretty does"


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Soooo...Arnie...

You're saying ONLY purebred rabbits are possible of enhanced milking/mothering traits and problem free?

And that 'good breeders of purebred rabbits' are the only folks you can trust not to send diseases and bad traits to your program?

Yeah.....rabbit pellets.

My meat mutts perform BETTER than my purebreds- after all, I bred them that way. I chose the characteristics I wanted and bred to enhance them.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

some people are Purists, you will get used to it, they always have to go on a bent as to what SHOULD BE PURE or its not good enough and not worth the time, 

sadly they forget that every one of their PURE breeds was at one time someone elses MUTT that they put the time into working on what THEY wanted not what everyone else had, 

there is room in this world for everyone with room to spare for all the odd mixed up fun breeding mutts for pure enjoyment and meat for the freezer,


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

ha  not meaning to belittle your efforts and methods in the least. or to start a debate on the beauty and surprise in the results in crossing . I like to encourage preticulary beginners to use the experience and work of generations of good breeders to there advantage (as you are doing by using pure parent stock) to avoid problems that often come with bargin rabbits (and other livestock) produced through haphazard breeding whos results then are labled "just meat rabbits" . I will occasonaly cross the NZ buck with a cali' doe to take advantage of hibred vigger .


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I understand your concern, but I am not a beginner. I just usually don't say much on this board. 
And again, just because a rabbit isn't pure bred (which, remember, were created because someone else played around with the existing breeds at that time) doesn't mean it was a 'bargain', 'flea market' animal nor does it mean they are/were bred haphazardly.
I would a hundred times more prefer to create an animal that works for me and my situation than stick with just pure bred stock if it didn't suit my fancy.


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## Fat Man (Mar 9, 2011)

The kids show at fair so we have papered Cali's. If they weren't we'd probably go with a mixed breed and select for traits we want.


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## ChocolateMouse (Jul 31, 2013)

I love my Rex/NZ crosses and I'm thinking of making a line of mixed "meat" rabbits. I love that they come out with softer, beautiful fur and still a great meat-type body. My NZ/Rex crosses reached 4lbs in 10 weeks just like my "purebred" NZW rabbits. They do NOT dress down as well, but they have very different skin and coats. More skin per lb of rabbit and heavier, softer, incredibly thick fur. I think they'd make a very good "dual purpose" meat type homesteading rabbit. I may try to mix in some palomino to bring in a better meat to bone ratio and see if I can't pin down the fur traits I want so that they breed true. I think a Satin rabbit would be a great addition to the line.

Rabbits are one of the few animals I think people can really play with the genetics of for funsies. They breed true pretty easy, resistant to inbreeding, no significant opposition to eating the offspring, low maintenance, quiet... If you want an animal to breed for fun and your own needs/desires then rabbits are it!


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

ChocolateMouse said:


> I love my Rex/NZ crosses and I'm thinking of making a line of mixed "meat" rabbits. I love that they come out with softer, beautiful fur and still a great meat-type body. My NZ/Rex crosses reached 4lbs in 10 weeks just like my "purebred" NZW rabbits. They do NOT dress down as well, but they have very different skin and coats. More skin per lb of rabbit and heavier, softer, incredibly thick fur. I think they'd make a very good "dual purpose" meat type homesteading rabbit. I may try to mix in some palomino to bring in a better meat to bone ratio and see if I can't pin down the fur traits I want so that they breed true. I think a Satin rabbit would be a great addition to the line.
> 
> *Rabbits are one of the few animals I think people can really play with the genetics of for funsies. They breed true pretty easy, resistant to inbreeding, no significant opposition to eating the offspring, low maintenance, quiet... If you want an animal to breed for fun and your own needs/desires then rabbits are it!*


Exactly!


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## redneckswife (May 2, 2013)

Just saying, depending on my purpose for a litter...will determine who gets bred together.
I call my mutt a mutt because even though he looks like a NZ-I have no idea of his origins or parentage. He throws the meatiest rabbits of any of my bucks ,hands down biggest % of meat to bone-more than my definite NZ's.

I breed papered rabbits too, but some of them had bad personalities or where very unhygenic and we ate them .Nz's, minis,etc.The mini rex hides were more durable than the NZ's of that age and processed out to hides beautifully.

I just like a rabbit with good traits,meat-to-bone ratio, large litters(without losing a kit),nice teeth,history of healty kits, etc.

I have got those kinds of rabbits from pedigreed & purebreeds, as well as mutts or non-pedigreed.I have also got junk rabbits from breeders as well. I haven't got any of my rabbits from a flea market,etc.

I still believe a good rabbit is a good rabbit no matter papered,mixed,purebreed or mutt


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