Devon, AMERICAN!

You may have seen my posts on starting our rabbitry... if not you can check them out here:

A day at the Rabbit Show
and
Devon's Diary, December 11, 2018

Today, I wanted to tell you a little about Devon's breed, the American Rabbit.

No,... not that one

The American rabbit breed was developed by Luis Salisbury in Pasadena, CA (hey! Devon is a So Cal Native! #mycalifornia). The exact breeds used to develop the American were never made public, but it is believed it was derived from the Blue Vienna, Blue Beveran, Blue Imperial, and Blue Flemish Giant Breeds. Originally, the breed was known as the German Blue Vienna, but the name was changed to American Blue after World War I.

The breed was first recognized in 1917 and became an instant success. By 1920, furriers were paying an amazing $2.00 for a good pelt, and breeding age does where selling for $25 (That's about $25 per pelt and $311 in 2018 dollars!). American Blues and whites (a sport of the American Blue first recognized in 1925) were listed among the top 5 or 6 most popular and ideal to raise for meat and fur. The collapse of the domestic fur industry and the development of commercial rabbit breeds such as the New Zealand and Californian almost spelled the end for the American rabbit. In 2005, when the American Livestock Breed Conservancy first added rabbits to its roles, Americans were listed among the rarest 'critical' breeds. One estimate put the number at 200 total known specimens.

In 2012, the American rabbit was moved to the less-endangered 'threatened' category due to a resurgence in popularity and a dedicated effort by breeders to bring this beautiful breed back from the edge. In addition to these efforts, in September of 2006 a herd of 38 'New Zealand White rabbits' was advertised for sale in Alberta Canada. A community of Hutterites had been raising this herd since the 1920's, and it turns out there where not New Zealands at all! A pair of breeders purchased the entire colony and have been showing, breeding, and registering them as Americans.

Now the American rabbit is continuing to rebound, and we are very excited to have one of these rabbits, known for being a hearty, docile breed with strong maternal instincts, in our rabbitry. We have pretty much decided that an American Doe is also in our near future as we plan on raising these rabbits not only for their meat, but to further foster the breeds recovery.

Follow me and @creationofcare for future updates; this is just the beginning of our journey!