# American Chinchilla



## Dead Rabbit (Oct 30, 2010)

i noticed on anther thread that American Chinchillas were touted as good meat rabbits, i didnt want to hi-jack that thread so i wanted to start another on to get others personal experience with different crosses they have used. no opinions, but real experience please............have any had experience with raising the amer. chin for actual meat consumption?

my experience is that they arent even close to the NZ or the calfornian. where they shine is they give the cross of these breeds a better personality. and a faster growing rate. hybrid vigor. but in their pure form they are much smaller carcasses, bigger bone mass, more fat and slower growing.

in fact when crossed they are better as a1/4 of the cross. 3/4 to the Nz side. when i took the crosses to 3/4 to the chin side, the fryers took on the characteristics of the chin. which i mentioned below.

the best cross i ever did was 1/2 nz x 1/4 calf x 1/4 amer chin. large kits, very fast growth rate, thick meaty fryers, and the best aspect was very low feed consumption, and this was during one of the hottest summers in this areas history. they still hit 6-7 lbs in 12 weeks.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

They are good meat rabbits. Be careful comparing any meat breed to NZ and Cals. Thats like comparing a pinzgauer or a belted galloway to angus.

NZ and Cals are the chosen commercial rabbit because they have white fur. They have been bred by the thousands for fast production and nothing else, kind of like cornish cross chickens.

All your other commercial tyoe breeds will produce an admirable carcass in an acceptable amount of time. The American Chin has a senior weight of 9-12 pounds. They are expected to be 9-10 pounds by the time they hit 8 months old. That is the same weight requirements as NZ, but actually a pound heavier across the board than cals.

Any cross breed will always produce better than the purebred counterpart due to hybrid vigor.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

Also, make sure you buy stock that breeds for meat ready at 8-12wks, if you don't, you're just wasting money and time. 
I have an AmChin doe, I cross her with my pure bucks [cali, sf and nz], I'm more interested in the random 'fun' colors they come in. But the meat is fair, better than just pure Chin.


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## Dead Rabbit (Oct 30, 2010)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> They are good meat rabbits. Be careful comparing any meat breed to NZ and Cals. Thats like comparing a pinzgauer or a belted galloway to angus.
> 
> NZ and Cals are the chosen commercial rabbit because they have white fur. They have been bred by the thousands for fast production and nothing else, kind of like cornish cross chickens.
> 
> ...


thanks for posting.
they are a larger rabbit, but bigger isnt always better. its all about the carcass. weight, quality of meat, and meat to bone ratio. the pure chins and breeding the crosses heavy to the chin side (i.e. 3/4 chin X 1/4 nz) show alot less meat, heavier bone and lots more fat in carcass. even though the fryers are equivalent weight or the chin are heavier at same age.

i dont see how anyone can claim they are a meat rabbit in comparison. they shine using them as a 1/2 or 1/4 in a cross, but anything more is wasted time, space, and feed consumption, from my experience.

i was just wondering if others have had different experiences.


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## Dead Rabbit (Oct 30, 2010)

secuono said:


> Also, make sure you buy stock that breeds for meat ready at 8-12wks, if you don't, you're just wasting money and time.
> I have an AmChin doe, I cross her with my pure bucks [cali, sf and nz], I'm more interested in the random 'fun' colors they come in. But the meat is fair, better than just pure Chin.


good point. 

my line comes from a lady that has been breeding them for decades. and she breeds for meat. i woulda never considered using a chin for crossing for meat till i met her. and seeing her fryers. even then i was doubting. but i tried her cross does on a pure nz buck and was blown away. in expermenting i found going to heavy to the chin side was a waste of time. much less a pure chin. 
in comparing notes with her, she had come to the same conclusion.

so with all that rambling, both the nz and the chin lines are meat producing stock. not show stock. you are absolutely right. the lines have to be bred to produce for the direction you want to go.


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## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

I have giant chin/SF crosses and consistantly hit 7 lbs at 10-12 weeks depending on when i can butcher with an average of 7-8 per litter, some 10, some 6. For personality and ease of handling at butcher time is more important for me.


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## boundarybunnyco (Sep 7, 2011)

I raise nz and californians for meat. My best friend/ co conspirator raises the same, plus am chins. When we deliver our fryers and culls to the processor, her Am chin culls amaze me. Chunky, blocky, meat bricks. I always want to steal them!


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## Dead Rabbit (Oct 30, 2010)

boundarybunnyco said:


> I raise nz and californians for meat. My best friend/ co conspirator raises the same, plus am chins. When we deliver our fryers and culls to the processor, her Am chin culls amaze me. Chunky, blocky, meat bricks. I always want to steal them!


is this description in referrence to the processed carcasses or just "live on the hoof"?


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

My American Chins were for show and for meat. If the breeder will pay attention to the body type, the potential is there for excellent body development. 

My sons took Am Chins for the Fryer Competition at the County Fair and qualified to go to the Auction. After a parade of white coated Calis and NZ the beautiful chin coats attracted the attention of the auctioneer. "Now there's a rabbit of a different color...what am I bid for this American Chinchilla rabbit?"

We did not know to contact sponsors before hand so we only got $85 for our two Fryers, but they dressed out beautifully! I know because I had to deliver them dressed!

Have a good day!


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

I only have one am chin doe and cross her with my NZ bucks and get lovely, chunky, tasty kits but after seeing the am chin doe my brother's father in law has I have learned that my Twitchy is a runty, weedy, spastic thing compaired to his lovely, chunky, sweet and calm doe.

Time to upgrade I think!

I do have her doe by my best NZ buck, I wonder how she would do crossed back to another of our NZ bucks?

Ooooo yay! A reason to keep her :hysterical:


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## Dead Rabbit (Oct 30, 2010)

GBov said:


> I only have one am chin doe and cross her with my NZ bucks and get lovely, chunky, tasty kits but after seeing the am chin doe my brother's father in law has I have learned that my Twitchy is a runty, weedy, spastic thing compaired to his lovely, chunky, sweet and calm doe.
> 
> Time to upgrade I think!
> 
> ...


do it.
3/4 nz X 1/4 am chin is an excellent cross. great meat rabbit and i used them for brood stock too.


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