Flemish Giants are hard to breed.
Flemish giants and other Giant breeds start to store fat once they reach senior age (8 months). In
does, some of that fat goes around the ovaries making ovulation difficult. Therefore, Flemish Giant does should be bred at
least once between the ages 8 months to 18 months. Than they can have quite a break between the next breeding. Often times
people try to use young bucks that have trouble mounting and breeding full grown does. So there are some age considerations
for breeding Flemish. But Flemish Giant can easily raise a litter of 10, they are great moms that produce a lot of milk.
Flemish Giants Get Sore Hocks Easy.
True, any large and small rabbit that is kept on poor flooring will get sores on their feet
easy. Flemish Giants need to have some sort of solid flooring to stand on, a well taken care of Flemish should not be getting
sore hocks constantly.
Flemish Giants are too hard for youth to handle.
Any youth Flemish Giant breeder will quickly disagree with this statement.
If the Flemish is handled often they will feel more comfortable with being carried. Youth tend to find a way to carry their
Flemish so they feel secure. Judges also do not mind of youth come to the back of the show table to put rabbits down and pick
them up.
Flemish Giants require a lot of space.
Yes they will require more space than a dwarf, but Flemish Giants do not
need feet upon feet of cage space, if they have too much cage space they may run around and have problems keeping weight on.
There are not a lot of Flemish Giant breeders, Flemish Giants are hard to find.
There are actually quite a few Flemish Giant breeders. Most Flemish Giant breeders do not have websites
or email, and many do not advertise or take for sale Flemish Giants to show. You need to contact a breeder ahead of time to
get a Flemish Giant. If you cannot find one, you can always contact the National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders
President, as he would have a list of members in each state.
Flemish Giants do not win BIS.
This is definatly not true, there are many great Flemish Giants winning
BIS, especially in states where there are a lot of hard working dedicated breeders.
Flemish Giants cost a lot of money.
Good breeding stock with sound genetics should cost a little more, you
get what you pay for in the rabbit world, but Flemish Giants do not cost anymore than a lot of the breeds in the rabbit world.
Flemish Giants can also be sold as pet and meat rabbits.
Flemish Giants have short lifespans.
There is no medical or scientific proof for the statement at all. Many
Flemish Giant owners allow their Flemish Giants to become morbidly obese, which of course will shorten their lifespan, but
a healthy spayed/neutered flemish giant will live a long and happy life of 5-10+ years just like any other breed.
Flemish Giants must have a solid cage floor.
Many breeders, including myself, raise Flemish Giants on wire floor cages along with something solid
to stand on, like straw, or foot pads (No rabbit should have to live on just wire floor) I have
never encountered any hip, joint, weight gain, or health problems with wire flooring.
More myth busters coming soon!
