# Giant Flemish Rabbits



## blu_redneck (Dec 26, 2007)

Hi all! Thinking about getting a breeding pair of Giant Flemish rabbits. Need advice for the pros and cons of this bred from those who have raised them.
Has anyone here raised them or is raising them?
Thanks for the info!
Anna


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Hi, I have had Flemish Giant Rabbits for about two years. I am absolutely in love with this breed!!!!!

Pros- Extremely Friendly and outgoing personalities, if they escape they come running back to you for scratches, wow factor- their size, they do extremely well with lots of veggies/fruits, hay, weeds, grasses and tree prunings (as long as they are non-toxic) and those nasty wild roses supplementing their diet. They seem to have cast-iron stomachs and I've never seen poopy-butt/digestion issues that other buns seem to have. They do well on lower-protein than faster growing rabbits. Originally a meat breed and do well as this (others will tell you different). I don't think they are that expensive to feed as I supplement their diet with so much free yard stuff. They are extremely cold hardy and love snow (at least mine do). As a rule, great mothers. Super social critters. If you have really nice show-quality/pedigreed rabbits you get alot more for popples than for many other breeds. If I sell 2 rabbits from each litter, I pay for feed costs for all of my rabbits for over a month (pellets, hay, treats, etc) and have "free" meat for my table. 1 sub-adult cull bun will barely fit in a crock-pot and to make the lid fit you have to quarter and shove the lid down. They are YUMMY. They come in lots of colors. I've never been bit by a flemish, just not in mine's nature (I can't vouch for other people's flemmies). Niceness counts at my home! Huge buns make ALOT of poo which is great for gardens!!

Cons: Extremely friendly sweet bunnies are hard to butcher. You get attached easily. They don't have the meat-to-bone ratio of californians or new zealands (if raising to raw-feed dogs this isn't a negative). If feeding only pellets they are more expensive to raise a litter to fryer size. Huge buns need huge cages. Can't be on wire cages without a resting board, their feet hold up a huge rabbit and wire will make their feet sore fast. They really should have hay free-choice for eating and roughage. They tend to get fat fast if given too many treats (and they beg as well as any dog). If they aren't used to being picked up, their nails can leave scars on your arms. Huge buns make alot of poo and if you don't garden you may have issues.


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## blu_redneck (Dec 26, 2007)

Thanks for answering Jasmine! Love your blogspot. Looking forward to my own Flemish Giants. The lady I have contacted has all 7 colors. Show quality $50 and up. Pet quality are $20 and up. But I'm really wanting them for a home meat critter. What do you mean bone to meat ratio? Big bones? Regards, Anna


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

What state is she in? I would love to get more colors.


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

The reason why Flemish Giants aren't considered a meat breed is because of how they grow, and how long they take to get decently fleshed. When their at the normal 'fryer' age their all head and ears, gangly and bony. While little Cali's and NZW are busy putting on muscle Flemish are busy growing their frame. They do not flesh out until 16-20 weeks, sometimes even older, which is just fine for a home producer, but then their no longer a fryer but a roaster. Their feed to meat conversion rate is another point to consider, they eat a lot, you have to feed them far longer, their just not economical as meat rabbits. Their also well known for the does losing fertility early, they start to decline at about the 2 year mark, bigger they are the sooner they stop producing. I've been told this by Flemish old timers and have seen it first hand as well. There are huge differences between the colors in size and conformation, Sandys and Whites are largest, then Fawns, then Light Grays, Blacks, Steels and lastly Blues. I had Light Grays, mine averaged 14-17 pounds full grown, most at about 15, which is considered small. What was great about my Light Grays though was their fertility, they bred well until 4 and produced large litters, I was the envy of my Sandy Flemish owning friends. Light grays can't compete with Sandies on the table though, although that doesn't matter to you. I really can't suggest them as a meat rabbit, because their just not a meat breed, and its going to cost you so much more growing them out. Granted, all rabbits are made of meat, but there are better meat breed choices out there. I also had a hard time selling them as pets, although I marketed them heavily and sold at shows I still never broke even on food. Sadly thats why I let them go, the feed bill was killing me. I could feed 5 Mini Rex for what one Flemish ate, and I could sell Mini Rex all day and night. Other things I can think of-they have a strong musky rabbit smell, much stronger than other smaller breeds. They are clumsy mothers, I always expected to lose 2-3 kits a litter to being stepped on and squished. Their not all gentle giants, they leave big nasty scars. They do need solid floors, and have to have their cages kept very clean, flystrike can be a big problem in the summer, as they tend to be sporadic groomers and often can't keep their big butts clean. Minimum size cage for a breeding doe is 3x5 or 4x4, she needs room. Sorry to be such a downer, but I bred them for 5 years, long enough for the honeymoon phase to be over and then some. Still love the darn things though.


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

Very well said and right on, Honorine. Ironically, Flemish Giants USED to be commercial meat rabbits... in the early 1900's, that is. The demand for quality meat as young tender fryers (not over the age of 12 weeks) and the economics of raising them pretty much did them in, so New Zealands and Californians quickly overtook the market and still do. But, they're fine for home production purposes and they are mostly very lovable creatures. We had a pair for my hubby's pleasure, too.

Pat Lamar


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## blu_redneck (Dec 26, 2007)

Jasmine, the lady is in Oklahoma. A quick search for Flemish Giants will take you to the National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders Assoc.. There you can look at the breeders listings, maybe there is a breeder close to you.

Now I'm rethinking the Flemish Giants as a meat critter, but I may still get a pair! Just because I have had my heart set on them for years. The heart wants what the heart wants!

But I still need a meat breed, so any suggestions based on wanting fryers, meat-feed- ratio, maintenance, disease, mothering, cage size, etc. ?

Thanks all for the input.
Anna


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

Our meat breed now is Florida Whites, their like miniature NZW, top weight is 6 lbs. Their good mothers, can have and raise up to ten kits, average 7, and once they put on weight it stays on. Very muscular compact little rabbits. Their spooky, not the best pets, and in large litters it can take the smaller ones a few extra weeks to reach fryer size, which is 3-5 lbs. They can hit 4lbs at 12 weeks. Their economical eaters, definitely do not break the bank. Creme d Argents, now I loved having these, rare breed, personable, drop dead gorgeous. Big litters, good mothers, good weight gain. I'd pick Californians over NZW, if you wanted to get a really good meat rabbit. Many folks cross breed different meat breeds together, and get that hybrid vigor in the first generation, big fast growing kits, now then you could have a couple of breeds and try them out, see which one you like the best. Hope some other folks will chime in with what their doing.


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## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

harlequins are good meat rabbits if you can find the typey ones.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

blu_redneck said:


> Jasmine, the lady is in Oklahoma. A quick search for Flemish Giants will take you to the National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders Assoc.. There you can look at the breeders listings, maybe there is a breeder close to you.
> 
> Now I'm rethinking the Flemish Giants as a meat critter, but I may still get a pair! Just because I have had my heart set on them for years. The heart wants what the heart wants!
> 
> ...


Darn it, oklahoma is way too far away for me. There is a person in CA that has harlequin flemmies. Boy I want one but they don't ship and I'm not having any luck convincing DH's truck driving buddies to bring me one, lol. I've wanted flemmies since I was a kid and when I got Cindy Lu and Grinch it was a dream come true. Maybe I am still in the honeymoon phase, I've only had them for about two years. I think I also got really lucky- all my flemmies are extremely friendly, happy-go-lucky, and really laid back. They are also really good mama's and with the exception of a first litter, I don't usually see any crushed babies. I can't say how long mine will produce for since Cindy Lu just turned 2 years old and she is my oldest flemmy besides grinch who is only a few months older.

I don't usually butcher at the fryer age, except for dogfood. I have tried it and there was enough on one for a meal and leftovers. We prefer to grow them until they are about 5-6 months old and do a real slow-cooked on apple wood barbeque with them. It is phenomenal and one will feed a good sized group. Or crock pot them. 

I also have mini/dwarf somethings now (DH likes little things) and while they are sweet and friendly and cute and do eat alot less, they tend to get soft poopies alot easier than flemmies. I have to be much more carefull about what I feed them.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Oh, and I just bred (last week) my nz mutt to a couple 8 month old flemish's to see what happens. It will be interesting to see how much meatier they are when butchered out.


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## Lilandra (Oct 21, 2004)

my 2 cents here -- satins are a good meat rabbit and satin/nz crosses are awesome. very friendly, pretty colors, nice easy to groom fur.
they do really good at 4H shows and with kids. Not a very big rabbit, but fleshy.

we had flemish for the kids as 4H projects because they were unique in our area and my daughter wanted a rabbit she could walk on a leash.
we got out of them and started with satin angoras, then discovered they were never in good wool for fair and stepped back to satins. adopted a new zealand and now have satin angora-new zealand-satin mutts and couldn't be happier


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