First off, I'd like to commend Mike's excellent posts! Very well said and very explanatory. Secondly, I'd like to address Chickflick's "pedigree" post and question.
Yes, in *some* areas, pedigreed rabbits can be purchased as low as $25.00 each... but certainly not in all areas! In my area, I had the *only* pedigreed *commercial* strain of NZW's, which I sold for $25.00 each... all others were *show* rabbits and *started* at $35.00 each. My own show NZW's often sold for as high as $100.00 each. Commercial meat breeders have no real interest in pedigrees, since they generally don't show rabbits, anyway.
Obviously, Chickflick doesn't know a whole heck of a lot about the commercial meat industry, wherein the intensely line-bred pedigreed show rabbits tend to have smaller litters, are unaccustomed to the more intense breedback schedules, and are generally lacking in hybrid vigor. Unfortunately, these factors are priorities when raising rabbits for the commercial meat industry. In addition, the profit margin tends to be small, so we need to keep an eye on all expenses.
Cross-breeding is a definite advantage for hybrid vigor, and considering all these factors, then, I have to disagree with the statement of "PEDIGREED animals don't cost anymore to feed than non pedigreed!!" A rabbit who produces smaller litters, unthrifty kits and can't sustain the breeders breedback schedule would be a very poor investment, indeed. Sadly, such a rabbit may well be an excellent "show" rabbit, but not so good for commercial purposes, eh?
Yes, I know that the meat breeds are judged on their meat qualities, but they are *not* judged on the factors mentioned above that can mean the difference between profit or loss for the commercial producer, and they can never be judged on those "unseen" facts, either. Judging is a "hands on" activity, and trying to determine litter size, hybrid vigor, etc., would be an impossibility. As such, "pedigreed" rabbits have come to be known in the meat industry as "show" rabbits, with few exceptions.
Sadly, even with the commercial strains and due to the bad habit of crossing NZW's with Flemish Giants for the faster growth rates, there are a lot of these undesirable crossbred rabbits available in the commercial industry. A misconception to the novice is the "longer body," but not paying attention as to where that "length" is.... as in the longer FG-type shoulders produced by this cross. Rabbits simply don't carry their young in their shoulders! A "quick fix" can be to use a Californian buck for shortening the body length and improving the meat qualitites, although using a superior NZW "show" buck can likewise do the same thing.
I do agree, however, that when selling to others, the crossbreeds should be sold as meat, only, and not passed off even as pets to the unknowledgeable novice.
Pat Lamar
President
Professional Rabbit Meat Association
http://www.prma.org/