Breeding small does to large bucks

It’s somewhat of a story, but i have two five pound does that i would like to breed for meat purposes. Both are mutts, and both were pregnant when we got them and have already given birth once. One was an excellent mother, and the other had a kit get stuck in her birth canal, and aborted the other one.

I would really like to breed them for meat, and am trying to figure out a good buck to breed them to. I know a florida white would be the obvious choice, but the closest person to me i can find who breeds them is unwilling to sell one to me, because i would not be “keeping the bloodline pure”. She is three hours away from me anyways.

There is someone much closer who seems to always have silver foxes for sale. I love how they look, but would be nervous about breeding my ladies to a rabbit almost twice their size.

Does anyone here have any experience with this kind of thing?

Anna Miller wrote:It’s somewhat of a story, but i have two five pound does that i would like to breed for meat purposes. Both are mutts, and both were pregnant when we got them and have already given birth once. One was an excellent mother, and the other had a kit get stuck in her birth canal, and aborted the other one.

I would really like to breed them for meat, and am trying to figure out a good buck to breed them to. I know a florida white would be the obvious choice, but the closest person to me i can find who breeds them is unwilling to sell one to me, because i would not be “keeping the bloodline pure”. She is three hours away from me anyways.

There is someone much closer who seems to always have silver foxes for sale. I love how they look, but would be nervous about breeding my ladies to a rabbit almost twice their size.

Does anyone here have any experience with this kind of thing?

I have bred Tamuk and Rex rabbits for 3 years.

I haven't tried this but have been told over and over NOT to breed a much smaller doe to a larger buck.
Truly, it is not something I would try and I do often push the envelope to see what is possible.
I would keep looking.

Here are some suggestions on ways & means of finding rabbit folk:

Ask at local feed stores - find a long term emplpyee or the manager. Sometimes they even keep a list.

Check their bulletin boards.

Look on Craigslist. Yes, you have to be very careful but it is still one way to find animal breeders.

Check with 4-H/FFA in your area. You might be able to pick up a show animal that is no longer wanted.

I would check through the ARBA descriptions to have a list of possible breeds that are the right size.
Dutch might be a great alternative. I think they are smaller and are described as meat bricks.

Ask any rabbit breeder you find about who else they know.
Also ask chicken breeders, they typically have friends who raise rabbits.

If you use Facebook, groups now use chats to talk about available rabbits.
We will see how long that lasts.

Here is my Rabbitry map, maybe it will have a pin near you.
Again, even if the breed isn't what you want, see if they know people.

I hope this helps!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1nSBXu-oUOdNfU3yh0p1Umdo-8KHaZ3Oz&usp=sharing