Breeders: How did you choose?

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Samara

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I was curious about the breeders out there; how did you choose what breed of rabbit to start a program with? Did you choose for personality, color, fur, size? Was the size based on the space of your projected rabbitry?

How do you look at all the breeds and decide on one?

My husband and I have talked about sometime in the way future starting a rabbitry. I find myself looking at various types of rabbits and going "Where do I even begin? Do I choose a breed that isn't found often around my area? Do I choose for a breed I know I like? One I've never had but like the look of?"


:thud:
 
I'm not a breeder, but choosing a breed that isn't found in your area makes sense, as long as you like it & learn its pros & cons.
 
I started raising californians my senior year of high school. After my school show i only kept two of my bucks and continued showing them. They did so well up until they turned senior age. At about that time we were at a show in kansas. I was looking around at all the breeds. I think experiencing them in real life is much better than pictures. I saw thriants and thought they were pretty but when i saw the tans it sounds cliche but i fell in love. I bought my first pair in kansas and have never gotten rid of them since 2008.

Tans are not found locally in texas (as far as from any big name breeders). My stock comes from contacting out of state breeders and either transporting or buying from the ARBA Convention. So i would say raise a breed you love and enjoy then finding stock shouldnt be a big hurdle to overcome.

I will say that we are raising buns out of our backyard so i did try not to look at breeds over 10 lbs because we wouldnt have been able to raise many. I also didnt want to raise a competitive breed like mini rex or hollands (no offense to anyone) but they were all over the place and i wanted something original and didnt mind if i was the only one on the tables. I like comments but am finding that now alot of texas judges dont know tans and i choose what comments i really pay attention to. Sometimes it can feel like a waste of money but its that one judge who knows and when i win breed it makes it all worth it.

Sorry for talking so much lol thanks for listening
 
You didn't talk too much - this is the kind of information I want! Tans are the ones my husband really likes. I think they're beautiful and I hear they have pretty comical personalities.

I guess I need to hit a show or two!
 
I breed Lionheads. I couldnt pick between Holland lops or lions, as i have always had 1-2 pet hollands since i was about 5. But they are every were! So i went with the lions. I bought my first trio about 6-7 years ago,could never get a litter out of them! We paid 200.00 each for them from a big breeder! So i gave up for a while, and started agian, and have been breeding for about 3 years now. I have just went from all torts, sold them and am doing chocolates now!
 
I think that you need to pick a breed you like. Why you like them is personal and can also be related to why you want to breed (if you want to raise for meat, Netherland Dwarfs are not a good choice). Since you will be keeping these rabbits and investing countless hours and money, you should like the breed.
There are pros and cons to the popular breeds as well as rarer breeds. Popular breeds mean you have more to choose from and can buy locally most of the time. But you do have more competition at shows. Some breeds are popular pets, so there can be good outlets for rabbits who don't make the cut for showing or breeding. For rarer breeds in your area, it can be hard to find new rabbits without travelling far or having them shipped. There will be little to no competition at shows, so you can win the breed but it is hard to get legs and grand champions on rabbits. You can go for the middle ground where there are a few breeders in your area, but not a ton. This gives some competition in shows without having tons of other rabbits there.

I would say that if you like a breed and can see raising them, then go for it. If you like Tans, then try to see some in real life and do some research on them to see if you can handle them. They can be a bit hyper, but are nice and quite stunning in person.
 
they are very striking. I let them run on the tables before the show and every time I have someone come by and tell me they're beautiful or ask me the breed. They can be a handful at times but watching them run and show their stuff is my favorite part!

Definitely check out a show! They are alot of fun and hopefully you will find a breed you and your husband like
 
I selected my first breed based mainly on looks. I liked the markings on a Californian but didn't want a breed that was big and heavy. I saw Himalayans and fell in love with their looks...I liked the long slender body and the fact that they were much lighter than Cals. I had to get out of Himmie's for several reasons, but hope to get back into them some day. I'm now getting into Polish because they're small and I like their personality, and they happen to make very good pets. The only drawback is that they're popular around here so the competition is kind of stiff at shows. One factor to consider when selecting a breed is how much they cost to buy.
 
I chose Lion heads because they are unique to me. They are rare around this area so I do have an advantage now. Plus because we decided that our bunnies would be inside I had to look at a smaller breed. Believe me, if I had the room, I'd have Flemish Giants. Or Checkered Giants. Love those big breeds.

But you need to look at space. Plus you need to really LOVE the breed you decide to start your rabbitry. You will know. Give yourself time to really look at what you want. Do you want a breed that is long haired, short haired. Lop ears, straight ears, something no one has, or something that is popular.

Take your time. And good luck. Let us know what you decide.

K:)
 
First we decided how many breeds to start with. We settled on two. Because my daughter is in 4-H, we knew we wanted a meat breed. I LOVE the look of the Californian, so that's what we went with first.

For the second breed, I wanted lop ears. I wanted a big rabbit. At first we thought Mini Lops, but then I saw a French Lop at a show and fell in love. They're big, they're lopped, and they have personality. The downside is, they also have big claws, and hurt like heck when they decide they're done being held. LOL

Californians aren't hard to find. GOOD Cals are. We lucked into a really well-bred, well-known lineage pair. Those are the true base of our show stock hopes. We also found 2 that are okay, but have flaws that make them more for her meat pen babies (which are then sold at the 4-H livestock auction at the end of the fair).

French Lops are hard to find in my area. I've done quite a bit of traveling, and still don't have quite what I'm looking for. Each of them has a fault or two, that I'm hoping I can correct with very careful breeding selections. The nice part is there are enough at shows for legs, but not so many that your class takes 3 hours to get through. LOL

With that said, I did learn a bit about Polish rabbits. And I've been tinkering with the idea of buying 1 or 2, for fun. They look really sweet, seem to have really nice personalities, and they're small. With 2 large breeds, I think a small one would be nice.

I'd say go to a few shows, talk to different breeders, and then make your decision. And most of all...have fun!! :)
 
First time around(Jr high and High School) I wanted something with some personality so I got English Spots but I did my homework on them first and knew they would not be easy to get show quality bunnies out of. Fast Forward 20 years I started over my husband wanted a commercial breed so we got New Zealand Whites, I begged for a fancy but he told me I could only have another commercial so we got Satins, went to our first show and he got to see me drool over English Spots...next show I got Spots. We decided we wanted to add a rabbit on the conservancy list so Sunday I am picking up a Trio of Blue Eyed White Beverens.

Go to a show, see what you like and talk to the breeders. Remember you will be seeing that rabbit several times a day so it definitely needs to be something you like.
 
I'm not breeding as of yet but it is coming around very soon.

I actually took 2 years researching and reading up everything I could about rabbits til I found the type I really wanted and I emailed so many breeders until I even bought my Harvey to know for sure.

I really wanted a lopped bunny and I found there are A LOT of dwarf lop breeders in my state but then I came across Mini lops which is your Holland lop and I looked into that they usually have a litter of 4 which I find more convenient for my time, because I can put more time into 4 kits than say 8.

Then I learnt that it's so hard finding a breeder that have good quality chocolates. and I'd love to one day become a mini lop breeder of a beautiful chocolate colour with great temperaments, but I'm still on a long waiting list between two breeders to get a chocolate bun and when I say long I mean I've been on the waiting list since last year...

So I suppose I chose my breed by what I like the look of, and something with a great personality to suit most ages although I'm not willing to sell my bunnies to anybody under the age of 16, what would best suit me by having less kits to raise, what's not as common in my area is a bit of a plus. :)
 
The best advice I can give is to go to a show--more often than not you will find one that you absolutely fall in love with! That's exactly what happened to me with the Hollands. They are my babies. We got started in the Nethies because my partner Ellen liked the small size and all the colors they came in, but the Hollands are my true joy. Specifically, I love the tri's and the harlequins which I learned from first breeding Mini Rexes. Combining my favorite breed with my favorite variety is the perfect fit for me. :)
 

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