Bred for either blue or black fur, these rabbits have silver hairs scattered in the darker hairs. The feature for which they are know though, and for which they are first judged for breed type, is that the fur, when petted from tail to head, will roll up, and will stay standing until petted back down.

Principally a meat breed, they were the first breed to dress out at 65% of their live weight, a highly efficient conversion of feed to usable meat.

Does are good mothers, and can sometimes be persuaded to accept orphan kits with their litter. They wean large litters and are a very productive rabbit. They are considered to be a gentle rabbit.

• Type - meat
• Size - medium large
• Production Capability - efficient producers of fryers
• Special Features - fur stands up when petted backward, and stays up
• Best for Farms - great for breeders needing a highly productive meat rabbit that also sells well for pet markets
• Egg, Milk, Meat Features - typical
• Other Products - some demand in pet markets
• Historic or Contemporary Significance - only rabbit with fur that stands up and won't lay back down
• Housing and Space Requirement - typical
• Regional Adaptations - adaptable
• Feed Requirement - typical, but they love greens
• Other Considerations - There are many small breeders of this rabbit, it is popular among hobby farmers. Make sure to do the hair test on any potential breeders you purchase.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT RABBITS:

There are a gazillion rabbit breeds. We don't have all the good meat rabbits listed here (if we missed a particularly good one, let us know, it does not have to be endangered).

Rabbits produce a lot of young, so they are subject to fairly lax endangerment standards. They are not considered endangered until there are very VERY few left - the numbers are much lower than for many other species.

This means that some breeds NOT considered endangered may still be very difficult to obtain. It also means that by the time they ARE endangered, they may be IMPOSSIBLE to obtain. But many are still available unregistered, even when considered endangered. It is confusing.

If it is practically impossible to obtain the animals, we have not listed them. If they have genetic problems, are difficult to breed to a fussy standard that is irrelevant to utility, we have also not included them as a rule.