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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781612126036 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Storey Publishing, LLC |
| Publication date: | 08/23/2016 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 256 |
| File size: | 17 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
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CHAPTER 1
American
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1918
USES: Fur, meat
WEIGHT: 12 pounds (5.5 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Semi-arch
FUR TYPE: Flyback; ARBA Commercial Normal Fur Standard
COLORS
Blue, white
ONE OF THE FIRST TRUE AMERICAN BREEDS, the American was developed in the early 1900s by Lewis H. Salisbury in Pasadena, California. Salisbury was close-mouthed about the breeds he used in establishing the American, but it's likely he incorporated several blue-pelted breeds, including the Beveren, Blue Vienna, Flemish Giant, and Imperial. Salisbury met his objective to produce a rabbit that would be popular for both its meat and its fur. The breed commanded $2 for fine pelts and $25 and up for pedigreed does in 1920.
Because of the European breeds used in establishing the American, the animal was originally called the German Blue Vienna. America's conflict with Germany in World War I rendered the name politically incorrect, however, and the breed was renamed American.
That the American is now a threatened breed is testament to its decline in popularity as a commercial meat or fur animal. Nevertheless, a few score breeders nationwide, fond of the American's beautiful white or blue coat, its tasty meat, or its show qualities, have helped the breed rebound nicely since 1990, when a scant dozen breeders were keeping it alive.
American Chinchilla
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1924
USES: Fur, meat
WEIGHT: 12 pounds (5.5 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Commercial
FUR TYPE: Rollback; 1 1/8–1 3/8 inches (2.9–3.5 cm) long; very dense, bright, smooth, glossy
COLOR
Chinchilla only
NAMED FOR THE RESEMBLANCE OF ITS FINE, EARTH-TONED FUR to that of the wild chinchilla, this is one of three Chinchilla Rabbit breeds recognized by the ARBA. Its fur is a complex tapestry of black and pearl bands over a slate-blue undercolor; long black guard hairs interspersed among the color bands give these breeds a distinctly ticked appearance.
The modern American Chinchilla is an offshoot of an earlier American Chinchilla that was subsequently renamed Standard Chinchilla. With a maximum weight of 12 pounds (5.5 kg), this is the middleweight of the three, sandwiched between the 7-pound (3.2 kg) Standard Chinchilla and the 16-pound (7.3 kg) Giant Chinchilla.
In the 1920s, American breeders, applying the marketing logic "bigger is better," sought a larger version of the relatively small Chinchilla, a breed imported from France. The thinking, not without merit, was that a larger breed would have more appeal in both the fur and the meat markets. Selective breeding rapidly created a Chinchilla Rabbit breed considerably bigger than its progenitor.
With the decline in demand for rabbit fur and a growing preference for using white-coated rabbits for meat, however, interest in the American Chinchilla waned after World War II. Today this heritage-breed rabbit is one of North America's most endangered breeds.
American Fuzzy Lop
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1988
USES: Pet, show
WEIGHT: 4 pounds (1.8 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Compact
FUR TYPE: Wool; dense, slightly coarse
COLORS
Agouti Group — chestnut, chinchilla, lynx, squirrel
Broken Group — any recognized breed color in conjunction with white and carrying the breed pattern
Pointed White Group — white body with markings of black, blue, chocolate, or lilac on the nose, feet, and tail
Self Group — black, blue, blue-eyed white, chocolate, lilac, ruby-eyed white
Shaded Group — sable point, Siamese sable, Siamese smoke pearl, tortoiseshell, blue tortoiseshell
Wide Band Group — fawn, orange
THE AMERICAN FUZZY LOP IS A CREATION OF THE 1980S, when Patty Greene-Karl decided to establish a fuzzy wool coat in a distinct breed. Prior to her careful breeding program, the fuzzy coat that had fascinated many breeders turned up only incidentally and unpredictably in lops, the result of French Angora blood, having been introduced to Holland Lops.
Greene-Karl worked on her project for several years, eventually creating a wooly, compact, muscled rabbit with solid shoulders and hindquarters. The American Fuzzy Lop's conformation is unmistakably akin to that of its Holland Lop forebears. In fact, the breed standard basically describes a wooled Holland Lop.
The Fuzzy Lop's fur is slightly coarse in comparison to that of the Angoras in its ancestry. The minimum length of an American Fuzzy Lop's fur is 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm); 2-inch (5 cm) fur is preferred. The fur is of consistent length all over the animal's body and comes in a multitude of colors.
Like all other lop-eared rabbits, the Fuzzy has ears that flop down below its jaw, 1/2 to 1 full inch (1.3–2.5 cm) in the Fuzzy's case.
American Sable
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1931
USES: Show, meat
WEIGHT: 10 pounds (4.5 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Commercial
FUR TYPE: Rollback; fine, soft, dense
COLORS
Sepia brown with paler shading on flanks
DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN SABLE BREED began in 1924 with atypically furred Chinchilla Rabbits from Otto Brock's rabbitry in San Gabriel, California. By 1931, rabbit breeders had established a distinct, predictable color variation of the Chinchilla. The name separated it from the Chinchilla and the Sable Rabbits of England, whose development occurred before the American breed.
The overall appearance of the American Sable is a medium-sized, erect-eared rabbit with Siamese cat–like coloration. Its coat is sepia brown on the ears, face, back, legs, and upper tail, with lighter brown shading elsewhere. The fur is silky with a soft, dense undercoat.
The breed declined dramatically in the 1970s, despite its high-quality fur. In 1981, just one American Sable was exhibited at the ARBA national show! The breed was rescued from oblivion by Al Roerdanz of Kingsville, Ohio, in the early 1980s, when he located seven purebred American Sables. He and a few others introduced new blood to the American Sable gene pool, largely from sable-colored Silver Marten and Rex Rabbits. The breed remains uncommon but is no longer on the threshold of extinction.
Argente Brun
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 2015
USES: Pet, show, meat
WEIGHT: 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Commercial
FUR TYPE: Flyback; ARBA Commercial Normal Fur Standard
COLORS
Silvered chocolate brown with longer, dark brown guard hairs and dark chocolate undercolor; slightly darker muzzle, ears, and feet
THE ARGENTE BRUN IS THE MOST RECENT ADDITION to the ARBA roster of rabbit breeds, having been accepted in November, 2015, after a vetting process begun several years earlier. This is an American version, presented by Charmaine Wardrop of Washington state, of a breed that was first established in the late 1800s in France. Breeders in England imported the breed in the 1920s, but despite the attractiveness of the small, silvered-brown breed, it quickly lost favor and disappeared.
The Brits re-engineered the breed in the early days of World War II, an effort led by H. D. Dowle, who mixed Crème d'Argentes, Argente Bleus, and Havanas in the breeding program. Later, the addition of brown Beverens into the bloodlines gave the breed longer fur and richer color.
The American version of the Brun, sporting the characteristic brown coat, first appeared by chance, in a litter of Argente Champagnes in 2005. Breeders selectively bred that rabbit, and others of similar pelage, to create the American flavor of Argente Brun, a considerably larger bunny than its European forebears.
In contrast to the much smaller Argente Brun of England (6 pounds [2.7 kg]), an American Argente Brun may exceed 10 pounds (4.5 kg). The breed standard ideal weight is between 9 and 10 pounds (4–4.5 kg).
Belgian Hare
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1914
USES: Pet, show
WEIGHT: 9.5 pounds (4.3 kg) max., senior bucks and does
BODY TYPE: Full-arch
FUR TYPE: Flyback; ARBA Commercial Normal Fur Standard
COLORS
Rich, deep chestnut over slate-blue undercolor with black ticking
THE BELGIAN HARE'S SLENDER, FULL-ARCH BODY suggests that of a wild hare. Its genetic origins are unknown, but it's likely that Flemish Giant, Patagonian Rabbit, and Stone Rabbit were among its ancestors. The breed originally appeared in a heavier, more squat conformation than the modern Belgian.
When Winter W. Lumb imported a more or less related group of Belgian-bred rabbits to England in the 1870s, he recognized their potential and immediately plunged into the business of refining them into a fixed breed. The new breed created considerable and increasing buzz in the United States upon its importation in 1888. Six thousand Belgian Hares reached U.S. shores in 1900.
The value of what was then a novel breed can best be understood by the sale of a buck from England for $5,000 in 1900. Rabbit authority Bob Whitman wrote that, in effect, the breed had kick-started the U.S. rabbit industry. The crest of the Belgian Hare wave peaked in 1901, but the breed remained the most popular rabbit in the United States into the 1920s.
Among the domestic breeds, Belgian Hares are unmistakable. Their front legs and ears are long and slight. Their comparatively rough fur is deep red-tan or chestnut with a slate undercolor.
Beveren
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Belgium
YEAR RECOGNIZED: Unknown
USES: Fur, meat
WEIGHT: 12 pounds (5.5 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Semi-arch
FUR TYPE: Rollback; 1 1/4–1 1/2 inches (3.2–3.8 cm) long; dense, glossy
COLORS
Black, blue, white
THE BEVEREN RABBIT HAS ACHIEVED HIGH MARKS for meat, fur, and exhibition. Curiously, it has never been an enduringly popular breed in North America. Its silky, high-quality coat, however, made it a bulwark of the early, but fleeting, American rabbit fur industry.
The Beveren was named for the Belgian town in which it originated, most likely in the late 1890s. It was among several blue breeds developed in that area, including the St. Nicholas Blue and the Flemish Giant. When Beverens, in both standard and giant sizes, were first exhibited in England in 1905, they garnered little attention. Beverens were imported in 1910 to the United States, where the breed joined six other blue breeds.
Beverens are good outdoor pets, and, as with all other breeds, cold weather thickens their dense, lustrous coats. Two facial characteristics help separate Beverens from their cousins: a curve that reaches from their forehead to the nose tip and long, broad ears held in a V shape.
Blanc de Hotot
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1979
USES: Fur, meat
WEIGHT: 11 pounds (5 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Commercial
FUR TYPE: Rollback; 1 1/4 inches (3.2 cm) long ideal; dense, lustrous, fine
COLORS
Frosty white with black eye bands (circles)
SEEKING AN IDEAL FUR, MEAT, AND SHOW RABBIT, French breeder Eugenie Bernhard began developing the Blanc de Hotot (pronounced blonk DOE-TOE) around 1902, selectively breeding the French Giant Papillon until, by 1912, she had the desired breed characteristics. The breed nearly disappeared during World War II, but a few Blanc de Hotots remained in Switzerland and Germany.
Bernhard's objective had been to minimize markings in her Blancs, but the Swiss and German fanciers, some years later, bred for the dark eye band that identifies the breed today. Blanc de Hotots were first imported to the United States in 1978 and soon earned recognition.
A big white rabbit with distinctive eye bands, the Blanc de Hotot is one of the most stunning breeds but also one of the rarest. The Blanc is a thick-set, well-rounded rabbit with long ears carried in a V. Its fine, dense fur is characterized by the numerous guard hairs that create the sheen representative of the breed. Ideally, the strands of fur are 1 1/4 inch (3.2 cm) in length.
Britannia Petite
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1978
USES: Show
WEIGHT: 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) max., senior bucks and does
BODY TYPE: Full-arch
FUR TYPE: Flyback; ARBA Commercial Normal Fur Standard; smooth, short, dense
COLORS
Black, black otter, blue-eyed white, chestnut agouti, ruby-eyed white, sable marten; broken (color includes any recognized breed variety in conjunction with white)
THE BRITANNIA PETITE AND THE NETHERLAND DWARF are the smallest of the North American rabbit breeds. But the Petite's small stature belies a high-energy personality and a reputation for feistiness in certain situations, such as a doe in heat.
The Petite is basically a Polish breed rabbit that was modified by British rabbit fanciers who apparently crossed the Polish with Belgian Hares and later introduced Netherland Dwarf genes to expand the color range. After North American fanciers began to import the rabbits in the 1970s, they applied the current name to the Brits' Polish since another breed on the ARBA roster had already been named Polish (not to be confused with the British version).
Picking a Britannia Petite from a lineup of rabbits is comparatively simple because of its small size and full-arch conformation. The Netherland Dwarf and Dwarf Hotot, the only other two breeds in the Petite's weight class, have considerably different shapes than the Petite, which shares its full-arch conformation with the much bigger Belgian Hare. Also look for the Britannia Petite's erect ears, which tend to touch throughout their length.
Californian
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
YEAR RECOGNIZED: 1939
USES: Fur, meat
WEIGHT: 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg) max., senior does
BODY TYPE: Commercial
FUR TYPE: Flyback; ARBA Commercial Normal Fur Standard
COLORS
White with near-black nose, ears, feet, and tail
THE CALIFORNIAN WAS DEVELOPED as both a fur- and meat-producing rabbit by George S. West in Lynnwood, California, starting in 1923. West raised New Zealand Whites, a well-known fur-and-meat breed, but he was frustrated by the number of atypical "woolies" that turned up in his litters. Rabbit pelts were marketed primarily at the time for the production of felt in hats; the fur of the woolies was almost useless. West wanted a breed that would more consistently yield fine fur as well as meat.
He experimented with Himalayan and Standard Chinchilla Rabbits, later adding New Zealand Whites. With the help of breeders Roy Fisher and Wesley Dixon, the Californian — originally known as the Cochinella — became a popular and distinct new breed.
In the United States, the Californian is a white rabbit with nearly black points (nose, ears, feet, and tail). It has similar markings to the Himalayan Rabbit but is more than twice the size of the 4.5-pound (2 kg) Himalayan. Californians are plump, firm, long-bodied rabbits with erect ears, short legs, and a dense coat. The breed has an unusually high yield of muscle, important to commercial meat producers.
George West was not concerned about the Californian's personality, but the breed does make an attractive and good-natured pet.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Rabbit Breeds"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Lynn Stone.
Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
A Bit of BackgroundIntroducing the Breeds
Glossary of Colors
Glossary
Resources