Blanc de Hotot rabbit is a beautiful medium sized breed with black bands around their each eye. The breed was originally developed in Hotot-en-Auge, Normandy, France by a noted rabbit breeder named Eugenie Bernhard.
She was willing to develop such a breed which is suitable for both meat and fur production, and also for the desired white and black coloration on a rabbit.
Eugenie Bernhard crossed Checkered Giant, White Flemish Giant and White Vienna rabbits around 1902. And produced the first breed in 1912 which is now recognized as the Blanc de Hotot rabbit.
By the 1920s, the breed spread throughout Europe and into North America. Initially, the breed was not popular in the United States, and it died out there and suffered population decline. And after that, in the 1960s and 1970s the breed began to spread again and was re-imported to the United States in 1978.
Today this rabbit breed is recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association and the British Rabbit Council. But it is considered globally endangered. And it is listed as threatened status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Blanc de Hotot Characteristics
The Blanc de Hotot rabbit has a compact body with complete white color. Their body is thickset and somewhat rounded. There are black color bands around their each eye which give them ‘the appearance of fine spectacles around the eye’. Sometimes dewlaps are present in the does, but are penalized in showing for bucks.
Blanc de Hotot rabbit has a short neck, wide chest and well muscled fore-quarters and hind-quarters. They have long ears. The fur has a large number of guard hairs. And these guard hairs create a sheen reminiscent of frost.
Generally, the does weight more than the bucks. On average the bucks weight about 3.6 to 4.5 kg and does about 4.1 to 5.0 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
Blanc de Hotot rabbit was mainly breed for meat and fur production. It is a dual purpose rabbit breed which is suitable for both meat and fur production. They are also kept as pets.
Special Notes
The Blanc de Hotot rabbit is mainly known for it’s lustrous fur. It is a very active and hardy breed. They are easily handled and can easily be raised in all wire cages.
The does are fairly good mothers, and have good size litters. The bunnies are fast growers and reach marketing weight fast.
This breed has outstanding sense of vision, smell and hearing. Which help them to keep safe from predators. It is a strong breed, and the average lifespan is around 5 to 8 years. But can live long in captivity, up to 10 years. Review full breed profile of this rabbit breed in the chart below.
| Breed Name | Blanc de Hotot |
| Other Name | None |
| Breed Purpose | Dual purpose. Raised for meat and fur production. Also raised as pets. |
| Breed Size | Medium to Large |
| Weight | On average the bucks weight about 3.6 to 4.5 kg and does about 4.1 to 5.0 kg. |
| Suitable for Commercial Production | Yes |
| Good as Pets | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | White |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country of Origin | France |
