New Zealand White Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Developed in the United States in the early 20th century from rabbits of New Zealand ancestry and standardized around 1916, the New Zealand White is a medium-large, pure-white, pink-eyed breed prized for its fast, uniform growth and high dressing percentage.
Species
Leporid
Family
Leporidae
Climate requirements
Adapts well to Kenya's moderate highland and mid-altitude zones when given shaded, well-ventilated housing; its thin white coat makes it prone to heat stress in hot lowland or coastal areas without adequate shade.
Husbandry guide
House in raised hutches with wire mesh floors giving roughly 2.5-3 square feet per adult for hygiene and ventilation. Feed 120-150g/day of a 16-18% protein pellet ration supplemented with Napier grass, sweet potato vines or lucerne. Litters average 8-10 kits, does can breed from about 4.5-5 months, gestation is roughly 31 days, and rebreeding is possible 4-6 weeks after kindling, giving 4-5 litters a year. Well-fed kits reach a market weight of 1.8-2.5kg by 10-12 weeks. Watch for coccidiosis and ear mites; disinfect hutches between litters.
Economic importance
As the world's dominant commercial meat-rabbit breed, the New Zealand White is the most widely recognized and traded breed in Kenya's growing rabbit meat market, giving farmers reliable demand from urban butcheries, hotels and cooperative buyers.