Author Topic: Beveran meat rabbits (Read 10244 times)

alang · « **on:** October 21, 2018, 11:33:02 am »

I've been reading up alot about NZW and Cali rabbits for meat but i've come across some articles referencing the use of Beveran for meat. Has anyone on here any experience of using this breed?

Really wanting to get my rabbit meat production up and running and locating meat breeding stock (of any type) this far north is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

macgro7 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2018, 11:08:35 pm »

I've had a nice between doe which I crossed with blue silver fox buck. They are a both slightly smaller breeds than new Zealand and do grow slower - not bad but can't compete with new Zealand or Californian.
She had 7 bunnies in a litter, next time 6. Beautiful colours though. Father was blue as mentioned already and mother was something like lilac grey brownish. Young ones were very nice mixture of pastel browns - several different shades.

alang · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2018, 07:35:46 pm »

I might diversify into pelts later on when i'm well up and running. But for now i just want to concentrate on feeding my family and friends. I thought about the Beveran because it is supposed to have a better bone to meat ratio than the NZW and Cali.

macgro7 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 22, 2018, 08:50:25 pm »

I don't think so. As far as I know new Zealand or Californian have the best meat to bone ratio.
Barren didn't have as much meat on them tbh
Perhaps they need more time to grow

alang · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:22:48 pm »

Ah ok. Not sure where i read or saw it, but i'm convinced now that i'll just stick with the NZW and Cali rabbits.

I'm going to have to research a bit more though to find NZW/Cali meat breeders. Not really the sort of thing you ask people on 'pet' forum lol

cloddopper · « **Reply #5 on:** October 30, 2018, 03:12:30 pm »

Quote from: macgro7 on October 22, 2018, 08:50:25 pm

I don't think so. As far as I know new Zealand or Californian have the best meat to bone ratio.
Barren didn't have as much meat on them tbh
Perhaps they need more time to grow

Though it's a long time since we kept a herd, I think I can still offer a bit of useful input for you ( despite me having had a couple of strokes and memory problems ) .

What you have said there, is the reason we kept very detailed records on Excel spread sheets for each cage and subsequent pages for their off spring
.
When we first set up our rabbit farm for meat we used a Russel rabbit style feed made by the ton locally to our well researched specifications.

Our tin can we used as the scoop of known measure held on average of 50 scoops ….118 grams when levelled across the rim. So it was easy to work out the feed conversion rate to a fairly accurate degree using the figure of 120 grams per scoop ( including wastage weights ) for a run of 20 does and two bucks.

At 8 weeks the FCR feed conversion rate to meat was not quite at it's peek but at nine weeks & four days it was starting to cost us money to keep feeding them hence our selling at 8 weeks and one day when ever possible get maximum returns. Keeping them to 10 weeks meant we may as well have purchased 20 sacks of feed but only asked for 15 to be delivered. The FCR to meat produced decays tremendously once th peek is reached .

We ran Carolina's initally as the processor demanded them ….. as usual.

Though to our minds the larger NZ's were better because of their bigger fleshed bodies we got a great overall weight of rabbits with we think a slightly better dress out rate.
We also tried to re cross the NZ& Carolina's in our seven lines of separation to get what we considered better rabbits . But we couldn't get consistent results maybe another five or six years at it would have seen us performing better

alang · « **Reply #6 on:** October 30, 2018, 08:21:11 pm »

Cheers cloddopper

I've contacted a few commercial companies regarding NZW and/or Cali meat breeding stock but none have got back to me.Guess i'm just small fry to them.

Finding anyone with meat rabbits is like finding a needle in a straw field.

macgro7 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 30, 2018, 10:59:48 pm »

I just bought a pair of champagne d'argente today. Will try to breed them pure and cross with NZ.
H
Beautiful furs btw.

alang · « **Reply #8 on:** October 31, 2018, 06:43:07 pm »

Oooooo let us know how you get on. Down the line i'm thinking about the fur/pelts for making things

cloddopper · « **Reply #9 on:** October 31, 2018, 10:57:10 pm »

Quote from: alang on October 30, 2018, 08:21:11 pm

Cheers cloddopper

I've contacted a few commercial companies regarding NZW and/or Cali meat breeding stock but none have got back to me.Guess i'm just small fry to them.

Finding anyone with meat rabbits is like finding a needle in a straw field.

It could be that the websites are just ghosts still on the internet . There was only one processor left in the Uk run by a guy called David Blythe of Wolds way foods at Ashby by Partney in Lincolnshire when we stopped ( my disabilities got too much )

There was only Eau Dyke commercials near Spalding and Hyline rabbits in Cheshire (?) as dealers in gear and stock suppliers & I'd be surprised if they are still going as commercially growing 50 or more does is a decidedly risky occupation which few growers survived much more than 18 months at.

One thing more.... UK & EU livestock regulations caused no end of problems in transiting live stock from a seller to a buyer, it upped the prices to silliness . So people tended to visit in person and collect there & then .

I took 68 of my breeding stock from Cambridge to near Stranraer. The buyer paid all our fuel there & back, all our meals there & back and a nights hotel stay for both of us .
We had to run a care, feed , watering & rest log for all the rabbits including a vets inspection cert for certifying their fitness to undertake the journey .

alang · « **Reply #10 on:** November 01, 2018, 03:45:56 pm »

Interesting to know Cloddopper.

Just as a side question and a little off topic. What food was you feeding your bunnies? I am looking into using Massy or Allen & Page foods for mine.

cloddopper · « **Reply #11 on:** November 01, 2018, 11:57:50 pm »

The pelleted food was made at a local feed mill to the spec of a label I acquired whilst I visited Hyline rabbits.
The mills chemist was alarmed because it contained a strong antibiotic .. which was left out by us . We had it made in three tonne batches in paper sacks . the thing about pepllets feed is that the quality of the ingredients varies tremendously through the year so you're never quite sure of the quality if you buy from a big milling concern
Our miller always gave us a lab test report for each batch they made for us .
We had pellets initially made to tat label but the waste and amount that turned back to meal was very high
The mix we ended up with again put together by th millers was akin to Russel Rabbit sold in the big pet shops , the rabbits did well on it .

The rabbits also had a daily hand full of quality long grass hay stuffed into their internal cage hay racks . It not only gives them some thing to nibble on to stop being cag bored but it also helps keep their poop in firm dry pellets . Three days before they went to market we stopped the hay ( still fed the mix ) and put them on long barley straw instead as it appeared to be beneficial to the animals . For we got slightly better a dress out against the culled weight which was also financially related to the live weight at hand over .. ( In other words it helped clean out their guts of very wet poop .
( Note it's not the delivery weight which could drop several ounces in five or six hours that they were in the hands of the processor till they were slaughtered .
When we moved over to breeding rabbits for the big boys of the domestic pet markets the barley straw became an essential requirement as it prevented the creatures developing scour from the stress of being transported & put in the pet shops on display .