Why You Should Buy Pedigreed Meat Rabbits

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Күн бұрын

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When people contact us looking for meat rabbits, they generally just want a basic rabbit. No pedigrees, and they aren't concerned with pedigrees. We feel that is a mistake. There are plenty of reasons why you should spend a little extra to buy pedigreed meat rabbits instead of the cheapest things off Craigslist. When it comes to raising meat, knowing the history and family genetics of an animal can pay dividends in the future.
We are a small homestead in south central Oregon living the best sustainable life as possible. We raise goats, rabbits, and heritage birds. Follow along as we divulge our secrets to surviving off-grid on solar power and growing our own food.
Keep up with us between uploads on Instagram: @spragueriverhomestead
We're also on Facebook: / spragueriverhomestead

Пікірлер: 58

@GlobalMycbhNetwork 4 жыл бұрын

This video came about two weeks too late for me, but I will sure adopt this valuable advice from now on! Thanks for your quality content!

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@danielleterry180 4 жыл бұрын

I reached out to texas A&M vetinary they are just 30 miles away 😁 to my suprise they have meat rabbits called TAMUS I am getting my 8 does and two bucks all from diffrent litters 😁 so this Tuesday morning I am finally getting my breeding rabbits God is good all the time

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

The TAMUS is a composite breed. I'm pretty sure it's also know as Altex. They've been bred specifically for the weather in TX, so should be a good choice for you. I have heard that they do not have good temperaments or personalities, and you really don't see them outside of TX. I don't know much more about them than that. I hope they work out for you!

@danielleterry180 4 жыл бұрын

Sprague River Homestead me to but I was limited and having issues with breeders like we discussed before this was my way to get started and providing meat for my family now that I can’t be a trucker anymore due to glaucoma

@danielgriffith8911 4 жыл бұрын

I just got into rabbit breeding. I searched and finally found a really nice buck, a proven doe (his mom), and 2 female kits of Silver Fox Rabbits! He's pedigree and they all have the stand-up fur. I named him Bugs Bunny and I hope his kits produce nice pets, great meat and beautiful fur!

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

Congratulations! Fox are really nice rabbits and seem to be gaining in popularity.

@danielgriffith8911 4 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Thanks, I really love this breed, very gentle so far.

@reggiemanalansan624 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for advice mam....from Philippines

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome 😊

@salzaniclegend4129 4 жыл бұрын

Great advice.

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@ermilynchumacera9545 3 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead How to inport rabbit to bring the manila philippines

@SpragueRiverHomestead 3 жыл бұрын

@@ermilynchumacera9545 couldn't tell you. We don't ship overseas. I do know that right no one can ship any livestock outside of the US except the big livestock corporations.

@ermilynchumacera9545 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you..

@guciochris5297 4 жыл бұрын

Could you make an episode about worst rabbit breeds to have or worst breeds for homesteading, meat, fur etc.

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

I'll add that onto my video list. It'll probably be towards the end of August before I can get to it. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!

@jeanrichards8042 4 жыл бұрын

Great info as always. I haven't gotten into meat rabbits yet and am holding off now since I heard about RHD-2 (RHDV-2?) What are your thoughts on it? Is now a good time? Should I wait? I live in WI and have heard it's mostly in the west. Are there ways to protect a heard from the disease if your advice is to move forward with starting a program? Thanks again for all the useful info. You're the best!

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

I'm hoping to have an RHD video up next week that will answer all of that. It's taking me awhile because I wan't to make sure I'm giving out the most accurate info, and there's a lot of wrong stuff to sift through. You'd probably be fine to start in WI. This disease is here to stay though, so good biosecurity will be important.

@perrymelchi1105 4 жыл бұрын

Always great information, do you sell pedigree NZ rabbits? Just starting and have a buck & doe that I think are not pedigrees.

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

I don't raise NZ. I did years ago and will never own another for a whole variety of reasons. They make good meat rabbits, they just aren't for me.

@johnrice1943 3 жыл бұрын

Pure bred means they all look the same for 4 generations. You can get a pedigreed rabbit that's not pure bred

@SpragueRiverHomestead 3 жыл бұрын

Not quite. Outside blood of 1/32 or less is usually considered purebred, which is six generations. Purebred animals (should) produce consistency in overall phenotype. You certainly can get pedigreed animals that aren't purebred. It's rare, as most people won't bother. The overall point is that a pedigree gives you an idea of what an animal could produce based on it's familial lineage - overall size/weight as well as color. Even a non-pedigreed animal, if the pedigree was done correctly, will give you that information along with the other breeds used.

@sammatkovich9548 4 жыл бұрын

can you go over judging Harlequin rabbits? and what to look for in a harlequin rabbit that your considering buying, please?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

Oh boy will that be a doozy. I'm presently the President of the American Harlequin Rabbit Club, and I will admit that I am SUPER picky on harlies. I've had a couple of people ask though, so I'll add it onto my to-do video list. Look for it in late August or early September - I've had quite a few requests lately! Thanks for watching!

@AviaryBirdsAndCo 3 жыл бұрын

I have 2 does that are not pedigreed, is it possible to start the pedigree with them? So that there grand kits would be fully pedigreed?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 3 жыл бұрын

You can use them to start a pedigree. Just assign them ear # tattoos if they don't have one already and track weights and ear #s going forward. It won't be until their great grandchildren that you will have a full pedigree. Animal, parents, grandparents and ggrandparents is required for pedigrees. It takes awhile but can be done.

@reneebrown2968 3 жыл бұрын

In order to keep the petigree going for new kits do you need to take the does and kits to a vet? Like dogs and cats?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 3 жыл бұрын

No. Pedigrees are breed-generated. Breeders assign new kits ear numbers once they reach junior age. Registering an animal is done when a breeder presents an animal to an ARBA registrar. The animal must meet the adult standard for it's breed and be free of DQs.

@SilverFlame819 3 жыл бұрын

That's a cute pedigree. What program are you using?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 3 жыл бұрын

I use KinTraks. Takes awhile to customize to just the way you want it, but one you do it's super easy.

@SilverFlame819 3 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Thank you! Found it and downloaded it. Looks like it's free because I'm using an older OS (yay!). Definitely going to give it a try! Thanks so much for sharing!

@mindibrake8203 4 жыл бұрын

What program do you personally prefer to keep pedigrees?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

I use Kintracks because it's inexpensive and multi animal species. You can set a database up for each species, so I use it for Rabbits, Goats, our dogs and for our two Llamas. It does take a bit to get your pedigrees and data pages set up the way you want them. I've always found their tech support easy enough to get responses from

@shadyacrehomestead4737 4 жыл бұрын

High again Nicki! So I just got my hands on a couple of Rex. Do you have any idea how to tell the difference between standard and Minis at about 8 weeks old? These are supposed to be standard but I am not sure if they are not. The only thing I have compared to our silver fox which apparently can be quite a bit larger.

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

Rex grow pretty slow. The standard says that by 12 weeks a Rex should be a minimum of 4lbs, where. Mini Rex will be 2lbs. I would think an 8 week old Rex should at least be in the ballpark of 3lbs. Don't expect them to finish until somewhere between 12-16 weeks.

@shadyacrehomestead4737 4 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Sorry to pick your brain but, can I breed a SF buck to Rex doe for meat mutts? Thanks for your valuable info. It is appreciated!

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

@@shadyacrehomestead4737 yup, sure can. They'll be a crossbreed, not a mutt. There's no real way to predict what sort of growth you'll get from them as they grow at different rates. You'll also end up with a more standard fur, so if pelts matter to you just know that neither fur type will carry through (both tend to be recessive).

@shadyacrehomestead4737 4 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Thanks a bunch! They are such pretty rabbits, I was excited to get broken blacks and spots! I guess for my homestead I have to have some eye candy so if that means slower growth, so be it. *shrugs*

@shadyacrehomestead4737 4 жыл бұрын

So if you have non pedigreed rabbits, is there a way to breed them up to pedigreed? What I mean is if you have unpedigreed does and use a pedigreed buck what would the off-spring be considered?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

You can breed up. Offspring of non pedigreed to pedigreed Animals are considered partially pedigreed. Just assign ear numbers to the non pedigreed ones, track weights and make sure you're only using animals that match the breed standard. In a few generations you'll have full pedigreed animals. Takes a little time.

@shadyacrehomestead4737 4 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Again thanks!!

@MotoMarta 3 жыл бұрын

A pedigree is not a registration paper, it is simply a breeding record summary. I really wish the rabbit world had a public pedigree database (like pedigreedatabase.com or bloedlijnen.nl for dogs) and this info wasn't routinely held back by breeders and held for ransom like it's some super secret squirrel magical ingredient. A pedigree is nothing more than breeding history. It has absolutely zero to do with the quality of the animal other than showing that the animal came from a breeder or a set of breeders who keep breeding records, some thing that every one who even dabbles in breeding should be doing anyways as a bare minimum. Coming from the dog world, it irks me so much to see breeders charging extra for providing the rabbit's pedigree. Charging extra for "papers" is considered highly unethical in dogs and even illegal in many jurisdictions. I feel like rabbit breeders cling to this practice because it's the only way they have found to justify charging more for an animal and having some resemblance of control over the animals they produced and chose to sell. The argument I've heard that it's to cover the extra work of making the pedigree is bull crap. You're compiling that information regardless and especially if you're using a computer program for your breeding records it's just a matter of clicking a couple buttons and hitting print. It takes longer to feed and water the rabbits than to print a pedigree. I've seen some breeders refer to selling rabbits with pedigrees as having "breeding rights" which is another load of crap. Not having a pedigree does not stop the animal from being capable of breeding and the new owner can create a legitimate pedigree themselves with some time. All this practice really accomplishes is put the legitimate pedigrees of many animals in the dark which is a real sad shame from the perspective of accurate long term record keeping of breeds as well as individuals and their lines. It also fuels this incorrect idea that a pedigreed animal is some how better, after all it must be if breeders are charging more for them. An animal should always be judged on its own merits and the merits of related animals, not a piece of paper. That piece of paper is not what will be giving birth to kits, it's not what you will be using to sew a fur coat, it's not what you will be putting inside your pot. It provides valuable information, but the ultimate value lies in the quality of the animal and what it is capable of producing or otherwise contributing to your program. That does not change for better or worse if the transfer of its ownership comes with a $0.01 paper printout. That being said, I do love the registration process in rabbits and that it is awarded based on merit instead of automatically being passed down by parentage as it is in dogs.

@SpragueRiverHomestead 3 жыл бұрын

I don't know of any quality breeder that charges for pedigrees. I would never buy from one that does. The issue with a database is the speed at which a rabbit can reproduce in it's (relatively) short lifespan. ARBA has a database for registered rabbits, but it is not available to the public. One reason for that is the number of folks who falsify pedigrees! In the last few years it's become quite an epidemic. GlobalPedigree does use a database system. It's subscription based and breeders input their own animals. I had an account years ago to better research my Americans, as it was a very popular program with that breed. Unfortunately not a lot of people use it.

@MotoMarta 3 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Maybe it's just my luck then but most of the various breeders I have looked at for various breeds are doing that. You're absolutely right, quality control is an issue with public DBs. I guess that's the trade off for eliminating the processing time bottle neck. I have not heard of GlobalPedigree!

@kidsplayrabbitry4930 4 жыл бұрын

I agree but also read that pedigree right away on site as I didnt and I had 1 of the 2 with false info. Several had missing weights and dates of birth. I was so into checking out the rabbits themselves I didn't read the paper until I entered the info that night into my Evan's. Just stinks because I purposely sought a pedigreed doe as my buck came pedigreed and I wanted to get a jump start with future gens. Now they really are registerable or anything but at least I have some history. Also when I got back to great grandparents on 1 of the 2 I bought it had a date of birth but was younger than its grandson....😑 so not sure what's up with that!!

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

Some people are really crappy record keepers. I've turned down nice rabbits missing info. If you can't keep your paperwork straight how can I trust what you're telling me about your breeding program and animals? I don't worry much about date of births, because for some reason a lot of breeders don't keep them (I've never understood that), but no weights are a deal breaker. You can register without birthdates, you just need weights and ear #s.

@kidsplayrabbitry4930 4 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead I am usually very good about this with our show rabbits but just getting into giant chinchillas and they are hard enough to find that I was too excited to find "pedigreed" ones from an experienced breeder. He seemed surprised I questioned where are the weights to register them. Luckily he allowed me into his rabbitry and I saw the breeding stock and they were great but ugh!

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

@@kidsplayrabbitry4930 does he own the rabbits with missing weights? You can also record them after the fact if he does. It's definitely a challenge sometimes in the rarer breeds. I've seen very incomplete pedigrees in the Americans too.

@derricklewis6724 2 жыл бұрын

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Don't know if you'll look at comments from videos this old, but I'm getting into Americans also. Last year I got 2 bucks and 2 does, from 3 different people (picked up rabbits like 6 hours away and delivered to the other 2 people, and got a rabbit from each of them). I didn't check the pedigrees at the time, but of the 4 pedigrees there's only 6 or 7 weights down total. I don't really understand because I know 2 of the 3 breeders actively show their rabbits including the father bucks on the pedigrees (which don't have weights down either).

@SpragueRiverHomestead 2 жыл бұрын

@@derricklewis6724 some breeders are honestly just lazy. I don't buy animals anymore without complete pedigrees. Missing weights mean they are incomplete. You can reach out to the breeders, but chances are if they answer at all they will just make something up. Live and learn. Unfortunately if you sell any offspring you'll need to disclose to buyers the misskng weights, as that will mean the animals can't be registered without weights being fabricated, which is unethical and just plain wrong.

@queuemaster 4 жыл бұрын

I live in Atlanta Georgia and can not fine a breeder, any suggestion on were to find them and should I be open to having them shipped to me?

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

What breed are you looking for?

@queuemaster 4 жыл бұрын

Sprague River Homestead Rex would be my first choice

@queuemaster 4 жыл бұрын

Sprague River Homestead Rex would be my first choice

@SpragueRiverHomestead 4 жыл бұрын

@@queuemaster go to www.nationalrexrc.org/ and fill out their contact form. They should be able to get you in touch with breeders closest to you. Rex are pretty common, so I'm willing to get there are breeders fairly close by. If not you should be able to find a transporter. Rabbits don't ship well, so an experienced transporter is the only real option there.