Monday, February 18, 2008
Be Firm
We often talk about how good a rabbit feels. When we start out in rabbits, we often have just the idea that some things feel pleasant in our hands and some don't. But over time, we need to develop our ability to evaluate our rabbits based on feel.
I think that one of the most problematic areas we as breeders have is mistaking fat for good flesh. Having firm flesh is not just a matter of not being able to feel boniness when we run our hands over a rabbit. The flesh should be firm.
If you have love handles, you know that you can grab a handful of fat and hold it in your hands. I'm sure that it is a very small handful! With rabbits, we can often grasp loose, flabby fur and flesh in our hands on the side of a rabbit. This rabbit may not feel bony, but it still doesn't have the flesh we are looking for.
You also want a covering of flesh over the spine. You can expose the spine by dehydrating a rabbit. Rabbits in very poor condition expose their spines, too. But if you have firm flesh elsewhere and the spine is still bony, you may be genetically reproducing the problem.
If you are still confused about what you are looking for, find a commercial rabbit breeder that is successful. While Holland lops are never going to be New Zealands, feeling one of those rabbits, whose breeding has concentrated heavily on flesh production, will give you a better idea of what good flesh is like.
Another place that often confuses us is the disguise that a very dense fur can cause. Think of a chicken carcass. It's definitely bony, right? Now cover it with your coat (gross). Do that mentally. It would be really messy otherwise. Wouldn't it feel a lot less bony? Now cover it (mentally) with a cloth napkin. Wouldn't that feel more bony?
We can tell a lot about a rabbit by just looking at it in its coop. We should never underestimate the power of standing back and taking a good look. But the value of feeling rabbits should not be overlooked. You can tell a lot about a rabbit with your eyes tightly shut.
So look and feel for firm rabbits with good flesh, tight coats, and good spine covering. Go for a dense coat, of course, but don't confuse that with good flesh.
Laurie ¶ 11:52 AM
I think that one of the most problematic areas we as breeders have is mistaking fat for good flesh. Having firm flesh is not just a matter of not being able to feel boniness when we run our hands over a rabbit. The flesh should be firm.
If you have love handles, you know that you can grab a handful of fat and hold it in your hands. I'm sure that it is a very small handful! With rabbits, we can often grasp loose, flabby fur and flesh in our hands on the side of a rabbit. This rabbit may not feel bony, but it still doesn't have the flesh we are looking for.
You also want a covering of flesh over the spine. You can expose the spine by dehydrating a rabbit. Rabbits in very poor condition expose their spines, too. But if you have firm flesh elsewhere and the spine is still bony, you may be genetically reproducing the problem.
If you are still confused about what you are looking for, find a commercial rabbit breeder that is successful. While Holland lops are never going to be New Zealands, feeling one of those rabbits, whose breeding has concentrated heavily on flesh production, will give you a better idea of what good flesh is like.
Another place that often confuses us is the disguise that a very dense fur can cause. Think of a chicken carcass. It's definitely bony, right? Now cover it with your coat (gross). Do that mentally. It would be really messy otherwise. Wouldn't it feel a lot less bony? Now cover it (mentally) with a cloth napkin. Wouldn't that feel more bony?
We can tell a lot about a rabbit by just looking at it in its coop. We should never underestimate the power of standing back and taking a good look. But the value of feeling rabbits should not be overlooked. You can tell a lot about a rabbit with your eyes tightly shut.
So look and feel for firm rabbits with good flesh, tight coats, and good spine covering. Go for a dense coat, of course, but don't confuse that with good flesh.
Laurie ¶ 11:52 AM
