11/23/2025
“But what qualifies the difference between meat quality and show quality?”
The answer is unfortunately complicated because any animal free of disqualifications can technically be shown. Outside of that, there’s no formal standard or definition, and, further, sometimes show quality animals can have known disqualifications. So the term show quality is truly defined by every individual. Heres my take as it applies to my own rabbits….
I believe that my reputation for quality is defined more by the animals I sell vs the animals I keep. I take that very seriously. I also believe that, generally speaking, show animals are better meat animals - up to a point. I also believe the priorities of meat-focused breeders and show-focused breeders are going to differ slightly. I believe that certain traits that may be considered highly valuable for show breeders really dont equate to a larger carcass yield; therefore meat breeders probably don’t need to pay double the amount for animals with those traits. The quality difference between a $200 rabbit and a $400 is not double. But, the difference between a $100 rabbit and a $200 rabbit is double, though. Lets put this into a more tangible example. Meat breeders should be prioritizing flesh condition, structural depth, and bone. Show breeders will probably be prioritizing depth, flesh condition, finish, and peak. Having correct peaks really does not have a large impact on meat yield (not in the same way that depth will), however, correct peaks are highly sought after in show rabbits and people are willing to pay a lot of money to acquire rabbits with correct peaks. So in our pricing scale before, a $100 rabbit might be lacking depth - a $200 rabbit may have great depth - a $400 may have exceptional depth AND a correct peak. So meat breeders will find great value between $100 and $200, but not between $200 and $400. So as an experienced show breeder I can use my understanding of what traits “show better” and how difficult those traits can be to obtain to price my rabbits accordingly. This is also why people who do not show cannot be selling show rabbits because they lack the understanding of the nuances between the two.
