Believe it our not, the original color of the New Zealand rabbit is red (NZR), not white. Although the New Zealand White (NZW) was recognized by the American Rabbits Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1920. The published ARBA Standards of Perfection book in 1920 only lists standards for the New Zealand Red and no other color of New Zealand rabbits. There are currently only four ARBA recognized colors: white, red, black, and broken. Cross breeding of any of the colors still produces a genetically equivalent rabbit, the more common color variations are Gold Tipped Steel, and Chestnut Agouti. As I mentioned although red was the original color, the New Zealand White has become the standard color that most people associate with this breed.
New Zealand White
(NZW)
Mr. William S.
Preshaw of California began the development of the New Zealand White
sometime around 1916, when one of his New Zealand Red does had four
albino (white fur with pink eyes) kits. Mr. Preshaw then took these 3
albino does and 1 buck and began to develop the NZW. At the 1919
Stockton country fair in California it is said that Mr. Preshaw
presented his new variety of NZW's which he began to sell as “pure
white rabbits”. The ARBA recognized the NZW as an official breed
color of New Zealand rabbits in 1920.
The NZW was further
developed and bred over time to become a commercial breed primarily
for meat production and laboratory testing purposes. Its round
compact body type make it just about the perfect meat rabbit and it
is used by 90% of commercial meat producing operations.
New Zealand Black
(NWB)
Not as common as the
NZW or NZR, it is believed that Dr. Alfred DeCastro developed the
this bloodline of rabbits now know as NZB's that began to turn up at
county fairs sometime around 1924. The ARBA recognized the NZB as an
official breed color of New Zealand rabbits in 1958.
The Brokens
Broken patterned New
Zealand's are either white and black, or white and red. The colored
portions (10 to 70 percent) of the rabbits fur should be evenly
balanced and occur in a patched or a blanketed pattern with white fur
in between. Ideally, a broken should have a balanced marking on its
nose (no preference is supposed to be given for a full butterfly).
The ears should be totally colored and the front feet should be
white. The fur around the eye should be appropriate for the color of
the rabbit, uninterrupted with white. The ARBA recognized brokens as
an official breed/category color of New Zealand rabbits in 2010.
Breed Facts
New Zealand's are
large rabbits with mature bucks weighing 9 pounds and does at 10
pounds. They are a hardy breed, docile in nature, produce large
litters and are typically good mothers. Fryers make marketable weight
fairly quickly and are easily kept on wire bottom hutches.
Status: Thriving
Use: Meat,
Laboratory Testing
Adult Weight: 9 –
10 lbs
Temperament: Docile
What To Look For
When Purchasing A New Zealand:
The following
attributes for New Zealand Rabbits comes from the Standards Of
Perfection book from the ARBA which lists the primary characteristics
or “standards” of the breed that are used when the rabbits are
judged at rabbit shows throughout the United States. While we do not
show rabbits here at TAP rabbitry, we strive to maintain the primary
characteristics and show quality of the breed.
Head and Ears
The head should be
full with a moderately round face with a slight curvature between the
eyes and nose. It should set close on the shoulders with as short a
neck as possible. The rabbits ears should be erect, and set well on
the head with a good heavy ear base. The ears should be well shaped,
with good fur coverage and be rounded at the tips. Ear length may
vary, but should be in direct proportion to the head and body
(approximately 4 ½ to 5 ½ inches in an adult rabbit).
Body Shape and Size
The body should be
well developed and uniform of shape (commercial type) with well
rounded meaty hips, a well filled meaty loin, and ribs that carrying
forward to combine with the shoulders. The body should be of medium
length, with equal depth and width throughout the entire body. The
shoulders should blend smoothly into the midsection of the rabbit
which then should blend smoothly into the hindquarters.
When viewed from the
side, the top body line should start immediately at the base of the
ears and rise in an upward curve to the high point over the center of
the hips, and then fall in a smooth downward curve toward the base of
the tail. When viewed from above, the sides should taper slightly
from the shoulders toward the hindquarters.
Fur Color and Condition
Regardless of the
color, the fur when stroked it should return quickly (fly back type)
to it's natural position and should lie smoothly over the body. The
undercoat should be fine soft and dense.
New Zealand Reds
(NZR) – The color should be a bright reddish sorrel, and carry as
deep down the hair shaft as possible. The coat on the belly should be
the same approximate as the top color. It may be somewhat lighter in
shade, approaching a deep creamy cast, but should not be white. White
on the underside of the tail, or on foot pads is normal, the eyes
should be clear and brown.
New Zealand White
(NZW) – The color should be pure white with no hairs of any other
color noted on the coat. The eyes should be clear and pink.
New Zealand Black
(NZB) – The color is to be jet black throughout without and white
hairs noted. The coat on the belly should be a dark slate blue. The
eyes should be clear and dark brown.
Conclusion
As mentioned, we
strive to preserve the best qualities of the New Zealand rabbit in
our breeding program. Any offspring that do not meet the ARBA
guidelines are placed in the freezer and we eat them, which was the
primary function of this breed. While we currently do not offer
pedigree's for our New Zealand meat rabbits, we are rotating new
livestock into our herd so that eventually we will offer pedigree's
for all of our New Zealand's as we do for our American Blues. Having
a pedigree does not ensure you get a better rabbit, rather developing
a pedigree helps us to determine which rabbit came from a particular
bloodline so that we can re-breed certain qualities into our stock,
and weed out any poor quality traits.
So remember when
purchasing a rabbit look at the rabbits characteristics first, and
then look at the pedigree if the breeder has one. A quality,
non-pedigreed rabbit will produce more healthy kits for you than a
pedigreed rabbit that has poor body and fur qualities. Pedigrees are
nice, but they are no guarantee of quality, they are simply a road
map of the rabbits potential future. Eventually All of our New
Zealand's at TAP rabbitry will be sold with a pedigree at no
additional cost to the customer.
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As always we ask that if you find this information useful, then please share it with your friends. Do not forget to send us a friend request on Facebook or Google+, or subscribe to our feed on the blog to make sure you get our latest articles, and updates regarding breeding stock that we have available for sale.
References:
ARBA Standards Of
Perfection
