The next post regarding heritage breed livestock via The Livestock Conservancy.
This is a group of heritage breeds who are near and dear to my heart, the adorable, fluffy bunnies! Currently, there are no breeds listed as critical (YAY!), six as threatened (including the silver fox – which we breed), four on the watch list, one recovering, and one under the “study” category. We will go through the threatened breeds in this post.
Threatened
American – aka American blue, the first set of “ideal” blue colored rabbits; large breed 9-12lbs; developed as dual purpose meat and fur rabbits; docile; mandolin body shape; deepest blue coloration of all rabbit breeds
American Chinchilla – dual purpose meat and fur; most rare of the chinchilla breeds; salt and pepper fur; docile; large breed 9-12lbs; fast growth rates; good meat to bone ratio; influences in many other breeds
Belgian Hare – racy, fine boned; exhibition type; deep red coloration; active breed; intelligent; small/medium size ranging from 6-9 lbs
Blanc de Hotot – dual purpose meat and fur; medium sized 8 to 11lbs; meat is lighter in color than other breeds; appears to be wearing eyeliner; lustrous fur
Silver – exhibition type; smaller breed 4-7lbs; easy to handle; one of the most ancient breeds of domestic rabbit; silver ticking on fur similar to silver fox
Silver Fox – dual purpose meat and fur; large breed 9-12 lbs; developed in Ohio; bred to dress out at 65% of live weight; fast growth; does NOT have flyback fur like other breeds; docile temper
