Carmagnola Grey

The Carmagnola grey, or Grigio di Carmagnola, is an Italian rabbit landrace from the Carmagnola area south of Turin in Piedmont. It was kept as a dual-purpose farm rabbit, valued especially for meat, and is associated with a grey agouti coat that can look wild-rabbit colored rather than uniformly blue. The breed belongs to domestic Oryctolagus cuniculus, but it is best understood as a regional livestock type shaped by small farms, local feed, and selection for hardy does and marketable carcasses. Like many traditional European rabbit breeds, it declined as commercial hybrids replaced local stock.

Today it is mainly of interest to conservation-minded breeders, agricultural heritage projects, and smallholders who want a locally adapted rabbit rather than a high-output hybrid. Breeding programs focus on maintaining the grey color, medium-to-large body, reproductive fitness, and enough unrelated lines to avoid narrowing the gene pool. Housing and feeding are the same as for other meat-type rabbits: dry ventilation, room to move, abundant hay or forage, measured concentrate, and close attention to heat stress. Anyone buying Carmagnola grey rabbits should confirm the source and breeding records, since the name is uncommon outside Italy.

Colors: Agouti, Albino, Black, Blue, Broken, Charlie, Chestnut, Chinchilla, Chocolate, Cream, Fawn, Harlequin, Himalayan, Lilac, Lynx, Magpie, Marten, Opal, Orange, Otter, Pointed White, Red, Sable, Seal, Squirrel, Tortoise, Tri-Color, Vienna Marked, White