Can we say compact? Here is a comparison to my best junior Harlie (who is around the same age in the pic):
The first picture was taken in the afternoon and the second was taken in the morning, so the lighting looks way different. You can still see some major body type differences. And that was against my best junior.
Here is another comparison. This was one of my culls from the early litters:
And a New Zealand cull:
See any differences besides color? It is so dramatic, I kind of laugh and groan at the same time, lol. These are some seriously pretty rabbits. Don't take my word for it though. Who can resist a face like this?
We are still trying to get caught up on processing, but so far our Harlies have a dressing percentage of around 52% and the New Zealands are around 54%. They are all older than the prime processing age though so I'm not sure how they would run between 8-12 weeks. Either way we are happy with both. We have also reached a point where nothing is going to waste as the meat goes to us and the dogs, the raw meaty bones go to the dogs, the hides are being saved for tanning, and the guts are also going to the dogs and/or the garden. I don't care what anyone says, rabbits are unbelievably amazing animals. They are so versatile. Easy keepers compared to many other livestock animals. Can be great pets or great dinner. Can turn their pelts into treasures. They are fun to watch and fun to raise. If I had to choose one species for the homestead, I'd pick rabbits every time!
Wow look at those NZs!! Seriously beautiful. Maybe someday Harlequins can have the same type.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I sure hope so. Realistically though, I think most Harlies will continue to have poor type in favor of markings. Some specific breeders may get to have good type, but it will just emphasize how dramatic the differences are across the lines. Hopefully someday ARBA will consider adding more points to type and fur for our breed.
DeleteUnfortunately you are right. Unless the standard changes, there will always be breeders who choose markings over type and health. At least at the fall Conyers show, the judge said the type on the Harlequins being shown was an improvement over what he normally sees.
DeleteAwesome! Were these all Amathamdir stock or were there others showing? I didn't see any Harlies when I was there last week, but they may have already left as I didn't show until the tail end of show C (was shocked to see everyone going home so early).
DeleteOne was a doe bred and owned by Amathamdir and the other was my own homebred doe :)
DeleteWhat an interesting comparison! You look like you've come a long way already, with your Harlies. I'm sure you'll get there! :)
ReplyDeleteSince I have my first litter of full NZ this time around, I'll be interested to see how they compare to the NZ/Creme crosses, in regards to type and growth rates - barring anymore tummy troubles.
Thank you! I'm also curious to see the differences! Cremes are so lovely. April used to raise them also back in the day. :)
DeleteI loved my Cremes! They were very pretty rabbits but I had trouble getting litters, even from different lines.
DeleteI've had some concerns about that myself, but I haven't really been raising them long enough to tell. So far it's just seemed like bad luck! We shall see.
DeleteI hope you have better luck than I did. Since you are crossing them into New Zealands, you might be able to improve their fertility and then cross the offspring together to try and retain the Creme color. :-) If you ever get the chance, this person is a friend and raises Cremes. She may be a good person to talk to: http://www.imaginationacres.com/index.html
DeleteThanks for the contact! Creme breeders are few and far between.
DeleteYou're welcome! I hope your Cremes work out for you. They are a beautiful breed and I would love to see them more often.
DeleteI don't know a lot about it, but I do know you can sure tell a breed that's been around a long time and being bred mainly for meat. Our Cal doe Eden is a prime example. She like a meat brick! Vastly different than all the rest of our rabbits, with the notable exception of our Mini Rex........he looks like a small meat brick! LOL!
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm pretty new to rabbit type and build and I can see a HUGE difference there! Beautiful rabbits nonetheless though, and I agree, rabbits are amazing animals! Very rarely would I rather be with the goats than with my bunnies... Don't get me wrong, I like the goats... But they just don't seem like my "thing" as much as the rabbits! :)
ReplyDelete