My True Flemish Giants...

[BlueBee]

My hubby & I have owned pet Flemish Giants for years. Our last rabbit "Spiker" grew too quickly and his bones were deformed (mainly in his hind legs).

We love the breed & they are soooo similar to our Old English Bulldogs we breed, with similar health issues due too overbreeding & a loss of what the breed actually is. After due consideration we bought 2 Flemish Giants from a breeder in Belgium that has over 300 years of lineage for his Rabbits.

We are under very strict rules to become a Flemish Giant breeder of the Heritage Flemish. We follow everything our forefathers above all my mentors tell me what to do & who to breed.

My question is the questions that have been asked of me. "Why is my Flemish not over 22 lbs?" When at 8 weeks my Flemish babies are already 4-6 lbs? Are you sure these Rabbits are actually Flemish Giants?...

I get asked constantly if "these are actually Flemish Giants"? Why do they not look like the utube Rabbits?

I bought my Rabbits because of their lineage, but also the health & sustainability of the heritage Flemish. That I could breed a healthy rabbit true to the breed.

People want more (as in weight) & I do not know how to tell them that what they believe a Flemish is & what they expect (in weight) are two different things....the health of their Rabbit is above everything, the most important consideration.....

Rachel

 

[majorv]

I assume you’re breeding them for pets and not for show since it sounds like the standard might be different in Europe. Any potential buyers just need to understand that these aren’t from American bloodlines. That doesn’t mean they aren’t Flemish though. I assume you have pedigrees on the two you bought...it might help to display them to help get that point across.

 

[SableSteel]

The ARBA standard for flemish giant is quite different from the standard in other parts of the world (though I'm not familiar with the standards of belgium itself. Either way, the ARBA flemish standard has changed over the years in relative isolation from the other clubs so I'd be surprised if they were the same) Good lines of ARBA Flemish are quite healthy. However, there are a bunch of poorly bred pet flemish around nowadays, bred by people trying to make a quick buck on these easy-selling rabbits. The ARBA Flemish Giant is practically a different breed from the BRC flemish giant (Im not familiar with the belgian club itself) and their lines have been separate for a long time. "what they believe a flemish is" is perfectly valid, as the US flemish do tend to be larger, meatier, and with more color variation than BRC flemish and is also the more well known type of flemish giant.

I'd love to see pictures of your beauties. As far as I know this is the first import of flemish giants in decades

 

[Imbrium]

I bought my Rabbits because of their lineage, but also the health & sustainability of the heritage Flemish. That I could breed a healthy rabbit true to the breed.

People want more (as in weight) & I do not know how to tell them that what they believe a Flemish is & what they expect (in weight) are two different things....the health of their Rabbit is above everything, the most important consideration...

I'm strictly a "pet rabbit" person - everyone spayed/neutered - and have never done showing, so I can't help answer your questions (though it seems others have given great responses already).

I just wanted to say that I truly applaud your stances as a breeder. There's a lot of backyard breeders in the world and far too many rabbits in shelters - it always makes me happy to see that someone breeding is doing so for the right reasons! Regardless of the species, breeding should always be about the health and welfare of the animals, with care for preserving strong lineage and good genetics - I think it's awesome that you breed for these exact reasons .