I haven't posted anything about my rabbit farming in a while. I was really excited for my California x California offspring and really disappointed with the results. Both parents came from exceptional blood lines and I had high hopes. After 11 weeks the 8 young only weighed in at 4 pounds, 3 pounds dressed. My junky French lops only produce 6 per litter but typically weigh 6 pounds at 10-12 weeks and dress out at over 5. Call it luck or hybrid vigor, I'll take the lops.
The other thing I really don't like is that the Californias are all the same. white white white. No character at all. The lops are all different; all sorts of colors, some ears up- some ears down. Much more fun to see what is going to come out. Of course it's easier to kill a group of rabbits when they all look the same.
Anyway, long story short- I just sold the Californias. They're gone. They didn't go far, though. I can take a doe over there any time and get her bred by the old buck. My plan is to take a buck from one of my current large lop litters and use him for the breeder, cull the lop mother, and breed to the other lop. I've also picked up another doe- a New Zealand that is an oddball. She's all black coming from a long line of all white blood lines. Hopefully that will throw a wrench in the mix. She's quite ill-tempered, which is another reason I'm really impressed with the lops. They have quite subdued personalities.
I was recently reading on another forum that people have problems putting rabbits out in tractors, which hasn't been my experience at all. I have had great luck, though my California litter did dig a bit. Perhaps another favorable attribute of the French lop? I haven't lost any yet, knock on wood.