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Silver fox by Kitty Lynch
- 1. Silver Fox
- 2. A Little Breed History to Get Us Started The Silver Fox rabbit was The breed was first known the second truly American as American Silver Giant bred rabbit, the first being and admitted to the the American Blue. standard in 1925 At that time there was also The breed was developed a breed known as Silver during the 1920’s by Mr. Black Giants W.B. Garland of Ohio To lessen the confusion Mr. Garland envisioned a and because the American “Hereford-style” rabbit Silver Giant had a fur that combining the fur and more closely resembled a coloring of the English real Silver FOX (the Silver rabbit and the size of species), the breed’s name a Checkered Giant was changed to American Silver Fox Rabbit in 1929
- 3. Interesting Facts about Today’s Breed Rabbits were added to the Australia, New Zealand list of the American and the United Kingdom Livestock Breeds recognize a breed called Conservancy in 2006 Silver Fox but it is our Silver Fox is among the list Silver Marten of 11 rabbit breeds Slow Food USA Ark of The ALBC classifies Silver Fox as critical : less than Taste, whose mission 50 registrations per year statement is to preserve and a global population endangered tastes, lists estimated at less than 500 the meat of Silver Fox to be Silver Fox are only of high quality and taste recognized in the United and to have fine texture States
- 4. Overview of Today’s Breed Shown in 6 classes Minimum show weight: 4 ½ lbs Maximum show weight: 12 lbs (senior does) Medium length, well filled body Depth to approximate width Full, well formed but not blocky head Upright ears that balance with body with heavy basal cartilage Medium bone UNIQUE FUR
- 5. Let’s Cut to the Chase The Standard of Perfection states: “The two paramount features of this breed are the long fur, which is fur evenly silvered over the entire body and their ability to produce meat.” meat
- 6. Next: What’s the Meat? The chart was taken from Rabbit Production; 6th edition It shows the values for nutrients for human nutrition Key elements for focus: protein %, cholesterol, niacin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Calcium, Lysine, Magnesium All the above elements noted for enhancing longevity
- 8. And Lastly: Why the Meat? All white meat High protein Low fat Low saturated fatty acids Low sodium level Low cholesterol All of the above makes it a “heart healthy” meat Good for other special diets such as, diets for the aged, low sodium, weight reduction
- 9. …drum roll please FUR: the Breed’s Calling Card Standing coat Long, dense as possible Plenty of luster and life Ideal length 1 ½ inches Remain upright when stroked from rump towards head Upright defined as: as near perpendicular as possible Requires another stroke from head towards rump to return to normal position
- 10. SILVERING Surface color evenly silvered over entire body, head, ears, feet, legs and tail Silvering meaning white or white tipped hairs Silvering to be distinct, sharp, bright EVENESS of silvering is desired
- 11. Too little? Or Too Much? The standard gives illustrations of too little, too much and ideal silvering as follows
- 12. Wrapping It All Up Paramount features of the breed are: The FUR which is the breed calling card – dense, LONG, STAND UP, lustrous, and evenly silvered, closely resembling the pelt of a FOX Meat producing abilities – 65% dress out Excellent nutritional value of the meat This is a multi-purpose breed with Pizzazz!
Editor's Notes
- I was asked by the Judges’ Continuing Education Committee if I would please do the power point presentation for Silver Fox right now, right here at the Judges’ Conference at this 85 th ARBA Convention. I hemmed and hawed and cleared my throat and honestly said that since I don’t raise the breed, I don’t feel that I am the most qualified person to give this presentation. I suggested a goodly list of others whom I feel have a better, deeper knowledge of the breed. I also said that I had never put together a power point presentation EVER, and due to my advanced middle age, that my learning curve for anything new computer-wise is more of a spike than a gradual curve, or even possibly a flat line, meaning I’ll never get it. Well that didn’t do any good as you can see because here I am. I was reminded of me being a former member of the committee, me being the moderator at a couple of past ARBA Judges’ Conferences, me being a huge promoter of the hands on section and also being a former presenter and then lastly being reminded I’m a former educator and I like an audience. So here I am. I plan to present to you thru this presentation style the Silver Fox breed of rabbit and instill in you a desire to learn more and possibly even raise and exhibit them yourself.
- Mr. Garland didn’t divulge exactly what he did in his breeding program to produce his desired Hereford-style rabbit. But it has been assumed that since he was a breeder and exhibitor of Checkered Giants and Champagne D’Argent and had a few imported English Silvers in his barn, he used a cross breeding program employing the Checkered Giants for size, the Champagne’s for color of fur and the Silvers for texture of fur. The National Silver Fox Club state in their literature and on their website that Flemish Giants were not part of the makeup of the breed other than how they are interwoven with the Checkered Giant breed ancestry. I’m not going to get into any heated discussions, but we should all remember that we all have “woodpiles” and “closets” in our backgrounds, so why shouldn’t rabbits? To know why Mr. Garland chose a cattle breed as his desired end rabbit breed result, we need to know a little bit about the genetic make up of Hereford’s. They are a hardy breed, able to adapt to a wide range of climates They have excellent maternal qualities They have a high quality of meat All of the above are attractive, desirable traits in a rabbit breed today as well as in the 1920’s when Mr. Garland was developing the first Silver Fox.
- Check out www.albc-usa.org for information on American Livestock Breed Conservancy; what it is, its goals and all of the breeds of all of the species it monitors. Clicking on the name of any of the breeds will bring you to an info page of that breed. To learn more about Slow Food USA Ark of Taste go to www.slowfoodusa.org and click on the Ark of Taste link at the bottom of the home page.
- bullet info was taken from the ARBA Standard of Perfection 2006-2010 pages 197 & 198. The Oxford Dictionary of the English language lists the word “almost” as a synonym for the word “approximate”. Therefore if you have a rabbit that is 8 inches deep, measuring from the table to the high point of the top line, then it should be ALMOST 8 inches wide. Think of a cinder block when you think blocky. Big square-ish in shape. NOT what you want in a Silver Fox. Yes you want a head to match and balance in size with the individual animal. Therefore if you have a big buck, he should have a big head, just not a big blocky, square-ish head.
- Paramount is defined in the Oxford dictionary of the English Language as: Supreme; requiring first consideration. This means that when evaluating the Silver Fox the first things you MUST consider are the fur and the ability to produce meat. Notice the standard does not simply say “meat” it says, “ ability to produce meat”. This phrase takes into consideration junior and intermediate animals. Think to yourself, is this junior or intermediate animal I’m looking at able to produce meat? As it matures will it muscle out, fill out or not? If you think not, then that animal does not fulfill one of the 2 paramount features of the breed.
- Looks good doesn’t it? Unless you’re a doc or scientist, it probably looks like a lot of mumbo jumbo. Quick science lesson to put things in a more or less laymen’s terminology and understanding. The chart is based upon what nutrients are found in 100 grams of raw rabbit meat. 100 grams is approximately 3.5 ounces. That doesn’t help much either does it? How’s this? A nickel weighs 5 grams, so 20 nickels would weigh 100 grams. So think of a pile of 20 nickels and how much they would feel like in your pockets or purses! When you look at cholesterol and you see 136 2 , this does NOT mean that there are 136 square mg/100g of cholesterol in the meat. The 2 is the footnote….which is “dry weight basis”. We see that 1 is the footnote for wet weight basis and we find it next to fat and water….ah duh, water is kinda “wet”. The footnote 3 refers to the percentage of protein listed in the amino acids. That’s because protein is broken down in the body into various amino acids, which do various things to keep us alive.
- Here’s the chart again bigger and the key factors underlined for you and some scientific info on why these are key factors. In the essence of time, I’ll skip the longer science lesson and let you read for yourself. It’s all in your handout on page 8 of the Silver Fox section. For right now just remember that this chart is based on the nutrient content found in 100 g of rabbit meat. 100 grams is equal to the weight of 20 US nickels. Protein is measured as a percent in this chart. Carbs, fats and protein are usually measured in grams. @ 29 grams = 1 ounce. Cholesterol (this chart) is measured in milligrams per 100 grams. 1000 milligrams (mg) equals one gram (g). The B Vitamins are usually measured in micrograms. 1000 micrograms equals 1 milligram. In this chart Vitamin B 12 and Folic Acid are measured in micrograms per kilogram (kg). A kilogram (kg) = 2.2 lbs. Calcium and Magnesium in this chart are measured in milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg). And Lysine is measured in percent. Protein is necessary to build, maintain and replace our tissues, muscles, organs and immune system. Niacin (Vitamin B 3 ) is essential in metabolizing carbohydrates, fats & proteins. It aids in the production of hydrochloric acid which is needed for proper digestion. It facilitates the body’s ability to eliminate toxin. And it’s effective in improving circulation and reducing cholesterol. Vitamin B 12 is necessary for the photosynthesis of red blood cells and the maintenance of a healthy nervous system. Folic Acid is necessary for production and maintenance of new cells, making normal red blood cells, prevention of anemia and necessary to replicate DNA. Calcium is needed for strong bones & teeth, in the secretion of hormones & enzymes and sending messages through the nervous system. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including a steady heart rhythm, regulating blood glucose levels and promoting a normal blood pressure rate. Lysine is an essential amino acid that must be ingested it is not manufactured by the body. It aids in calcium absorbency, building muscle, recovering from surgery and in the production of hormones, enzymes and antibodies.
- All white meat vs pork which is touted as “the other white meat”, but check out some facts between different meats, especially rabbit vs pork. I’ve included a list as a separate sheet in your handout, which is page 9 in the Silver Fox section if you’re following along with me. Rabbit has the highest percent protein of all meats at 20.8% vs pork which has 11.9%. This is based per pound . (USDA circular #549) Rabbit is lowest in % of fat than chicken, turkey, beef and pork. (USDA circular #549). Remember the meats are listed in descending order, lowest at top , highest at bottom . That means pork, “the other white meat”, is highest in % fat! Rabbit is 4.5% vs pork which is 45%. 63% of rabbit’s 4.5% fat is unsaturated . That’s the good fat! Rabbit has 795 calories per pound, chicken=810, veal=840, turkey=1190, lamb=1420, beef=1440, and pork= 2050 . No wonder Charlotte called Wilbur SOME PIG !
- Ok, now that you all know more about rabbit meat than most of you ever wanted to know in your life, let’s focus on the Silver Fox’s unique fur. The fur is the breed’s calling card and what gives raising this breed a lot more “eye candy” than raising a barn full of New Zealand Whites. I’m not knocking New Zealand Whites. After all they are the world’s number 1 breed for commercial rabbit meat production. I just don’t see the pizzazz in white with pink eyes! Silver Fox do NOT have a normal commercial fur, which is fly back; defined in the SOP pg 7 as “a coat of fur which flies back to its smooth normal position when stroked from hindquarters to the shoulders”, nor a roll back coat; defined in the SOP pg 10 as a coat with “a gradual return of the fur to its normal position when stroked from the hindquarters to the shoulders. Slightly slower return than a flyback coat.” Silver Fox has a standing coat. This means that when you slowly stroke the coat from the hindquarters to shoulders, it should remain standing upright, neither flying quickly back nor more slowly rolling back to its normal smooth position. Upright is defined as near perpendicular as possible. In order for the coat to return to its normal smooth position, it takes another stroke from the shoulders to the hindquarters. It doesn’t return to normal on its own. This “phenomena” is so intrinsic to Silver Fox that the SOP lists a fly back coat as a DQ. And we need to keep in mind that minimum acceptable length of WOOL for Jersey Woolies is 1½ inches, and 2 inches in all the Angora breeds. With an ideal length of 1½ inches this is a LONG coat if a Jersey Wooly which is considered a “wool” breed requires that length as the minimum length in order to be shown.
- Ok, now we have some pizzazz going on with the Silver Fox in that they have this neato keen coat of fur that will remain standing upright until you actually push it back in place. It is also neato keen in that it’s not a boring plain ole, plain ole color such as white or black. It has silvering, which in the Standard of Perfection is defined as meaning white or white tipped hairs. I, for one, am perfectly knowledgeable and intimate with this sort of pizzazz having given up on Lady Clairol some years ago. In the SOP, fur and silvering have an equal number of points, 20, thus meaning they are equally important . Fur, color and silvering points combined = 50, which is 5 more points than general type and 12 more points than body alone…emphasis in judging should thusly fall right there: the fur,color and silvering combo, with body alone being next, based solely upon the points structure: please note that the head and ears appear darker because of the shorter length of fur in these areas. The SOP further states that the silvering is to be distinct, sharp and bright. Aha, more pizzazz! But in the end the EVENESS of silvering is the desired pizzazz effect. And here’s a neato keen piece of info about the silvering. The kits are born solid black (or blue). The silvering begins to start at about 4 weeks of age and finishes at about 4 months of age. Even more pizzazz!
- Either too little or too much silvering is considered only a fault in the SOP. I’m sure this is because folks should be encouraged to focus on the unique trait of the standing coat and not lose sight of breeding for that trait by becoming obsessed with the amount of silvering. Even if a rabbit has too little silvering, the question to be answered in the end is “Is it EVENLY silvered all over with the little bit it has?” The problem with possessing too little silvering is that with the initial glance, the silvering will appear to be uneven and that is NOT what is desired. The problem with too much silvering is that the OVERALL appearance at first glance will make the animal seem to be totally gray in color. Again this is not what is desired. What is desired is to have an even amount of silvering all over (through) a black coat. (Well at least black right now because that is the only recognized variety in the SOP. Blues were dropped in the 1970’s and are in the process of being presented for reinstatement.) The goal is to have just the right amount. Just like Goldilocks. This coat has too little, this coat has too much, this coat is just right.
- Synonyms for pizzazz include: sparkle, dash, flair, panache. Wouldn’t you like to raise a breed with Pizzazz? While you are here at convention find the Silver Fox in the showroom and check them out. Go to the National Silver Fox booth and inquire about the breed. Ask if you can get your hands on one with an excellent coat. Let’s see what we can all do about taking this breed off of the critical list and boost that global population.