Champagne d'Argent French Meat Rabbits

People pronounce this breed by several different methods. In French and somewhat snotty circles, they are pronounced Sham-PAHN'-ye dar-ZHAN'. Many, ourselves included, refer to them as your typical pronounciation of Champagne, then dar-ZHAN', some only as Champagne's, and many Americans as Champagne de-AR'-gent. Any way is acceptable.

The Champagne D'Argent comes from the Champagne region of France. Champagne's are born jet black and start to change to gray at around 4-6 weeks of age. The deep blue undercoat is a must. They continue to lighten as they age to a beautiful light steel gray. They are a beautiful rabbit with both great show and commercial characteristics. From a show standpoint they are a 6-class breed, meaning there are six show classes (Sr. Buck, Sr. Doe, Intermediate Buck, Intermediate Doe, Jr. Buck, Jr. Doe). Being a commercial breed they are also shown as a meat pen (3 uniform rabbits) or single fryer classes. Showing is an enjoyable hobby for a person of any age. Showing allows you to get a judge's opinion of your breeding program in your quest to meet the American Rabbit Breeder's Association (ARBA) Standards of Perfection. Showing also allows for great camaraderie among breeders along with some healthy competition.

While we do not show our rabbits, our line comes from a highly decorated ancestral line with several Grand Champions in their immediate lineage. This is better described on our BREEDER page where you can see their pedigrees. This same style pedigree is offered to you with every sale showing their specific heritage.

Champagne's are very docile rabbits, and seem to enjoy human contact. They make excellent pets and can live up to 8-10 years with proper care. We do not consider our rabbits as pets, but as a source of meat for our Homestead. However, they are treated very humanely and treated with respect and care. They will grow to about 10 pounds and are considered a large breed. They are sexually active around 4 months, but should not be bred, for their better health, until 6 or 7 months. Throughout their life they will need toenail clipping 2 to 3 times a year and usually tolerate the procedure well, if you have accustomed them to handling.



We have Vet Techs from a nearby Animal Hospital come out for periodic nail clipping and wellness checks.

If you are obtaining one of our rabbits for Meat purposes, they are usually culled at 12 weeks for processing. A wealth of information is available online regarding that process. We do not provide information on how to dispatch, process or consume rabbit. Many do on YouTube.

For this reason we do not name our rabbits. They are given a number to identify them for breeding purposes. Each litter is given a number corresponding to their parents. Your pedigree will not have a name - you may do that yourself. Our breeders are seen by a local vet twice per year for a wellness check, and to clip toenails. Kits sold are sexed and checked for health here on the Homestead, but you are responsible for their continued care.

Thank you for visiting our Homestead Rabbit pages - more information can be found on the other Rabbit pages in our menu above.